Critique of ShowChoir.com website

ShowChoir.com is the website where those interested in keeping up with the show choir community around the United States can go and find stats on groups; competition information, which includes awards; the weekend's list of grand champions; photos as well as videos. This site been up and running since the early 2000s. Down below you will find a critique of the site based upon Chapter 4 of the Writing & Editing for Digital Media 3rd edition textbook.

Beginning with its home page, it's very concise and direct. The first thing someone would see when they first look at the site, they will find a collection of photos from the shortened competition season. Another thing is they can see the week's Grand Champion Winners and the list of scheduled events for the week, which is empty due to the season being over since mid to late March. This is great because it is an easy way to check on the week's competition list instead of going through the multiple steps to get what they are looking for. 

Going towards the different sections. The site has a section for choirs, events, songs, media, social, marketplace, search, FAQ, and submit info. I'm going to work my way backward beginning with the last section mentioned. I really like the new way to submit an event so those who don't know can know since folks that keep up with the site won't be across the United States every day of the year. It's up to the community to tell so the site can be regularly updated. One thing to take note of is that sign-in is required to move forward with adding an event. Next, the FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions page. Sadly, nothing is on it at the moment. I like that it was visible, but if it didn't have anything I would leave it off until the questions can be added. 

Now it's off to the search. Sign-in is also required for this. It's a great security feature since most accounts are current students, alumni, directors, judges, choreographers, etc. The marketplace is a great way for some interaction with others for the directors if they are looking for the choir's arrangements, costumes, etc. The social section also provides interaction with others but there's a required sign-in. The media has a photo gallery and videos of most groups. That's good because it provides a way to remember what had happened on the stage. The last three tabs are the ones that are the most public. These tabs allow the community to keep up with most group song selections, competitions, and each group's individual accomplishments in each season. It's a great flashback moment. Something that is also good about the choir section is how the site viewer can easily locate the school they are looking for in many different ways. Ways such as an interactive map, a state list, the United States map, by selecting a state, by selecting a province, and by simply searching the school name or choir name. It's very navigable. 

Overall, visually there's a clear visual rhythm using a responsive design, which means that the design of the site fits well across all devices. Everything on the site is consistent, organized in an easily navigable manner, and the writing quantity fits well with the site's design. It has an easy way to go back to the home page since there's a tab for it. It also does a great job layering. The following is an example: 

• Top layer: Home page 
• Second-layer: choir tab
• Third-layer: Clicking on the State, choosing from a drop menu, or a regular search 
• Fourth-layer: List of Schools 
• Fifth-layer: the specific school and choosing from a drop-down menu of years
• Sixth-layer: specific page for the group that has the song list, competition history, and awards 

Lastly, the thing I may do differently is not having the trending topics at the bottom of the page because, to have access to it, you have to become a member. Another thing I may do differently is to not have many options to find the school. There are currently six features that I would most likely use about three of them. Those three include the interactive map, the state list, and the search bar. 

Thank you for looking at the above critique. The next post will be up by Friday morning.