Assignment 1 - Exploring Local Milwaukee Websites

For this assignment, I looked at a few of the major local websites for Milwaukee that all share similar content. The first website I looked at was On Milwaukee. For each website I looked at the website as a whole, or picked out an individual article to view. 

Starting off, I looked at this article on the old Zoo. 
​Link : https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/washington-park-zoo-photos

These sorts of historical photos will always interest me. They exist in the early life of photography when documentation was not yet extremely common. I honestly had no clue this zoo even existed, but I worked at the Milwaukee County Zoo for years... so I feel a connection to this one. This article in specific is more of a historical article. There is a sense of opinion being put forward in some quotes, but for the most part it is purely about the history of that zoo and it's move into the one we know today. 

The next article I looked at on this site was about streaming films on Netflix.
Link: https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/netflix-streaming-film-guide-coronavirus

It seems like this kind of article is pretty common on the website. A mix of professional article writing with a personal touch. This one was written in a much more casual style as if I was a friend of the writer. There is clearly a LOT of variety in the content you can find on this site, and plenty to explore. 

The next site that I viewed was Urban Milwaukee. 
Link: https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2021/06/11/visual-art-five-foot-tall-birds-coming-to-lakeshore-state-park/

This is a very similar website to the last, though I must say from a personal standpoint I much prefer the other website. This one is plagued with ads, going between articles and pictures and on the sides and top of the page as well. It’s not really an issue, but I tend to think a website feels a bit less professional when it is packed with unclearable ads. As far as the article goes, I think it is informative and gives the right amount of content. When it comes to a topic like this, a couple paragraphs is enough. I do not need to be bogged down with writing. As a final note, I think the graphic design is a bit uglier than some of the others.  

After that I viewed Milwaukee Mag
Link : https://www.milwaukeemag.com/milwaukee-dine-out-guide-2020/

I thought this one was interesting! A magazine/zine spread that is fully digitally accessible keeps traditionally printed things like this current and useful. While it’s odd to see print start to become obsolete, this is a great way to keep it alive. 

The website itself is one of the easiest to navigate, and in my opinion has the best design. The website has parts that move as you scroll, and some article boxes break outside the borders of others to help change up the monotony. They use a variety of fonts, images and illustrations, as well as many other minor visual details to keep the interest. As a plus, I found very few ads if any. 

The last website I viewed was Shepherd Express, where I did some research on the culinary side of Milwaukee writing. 
Link : https://shepherdexpress.com/food/eat-drink/milwaukees-august-restaurant-news/

I like food. I often times struggle finding a place to eat with my girlfriend, friends or family, so I could see myself actually using these when I’m having a hard time picking something to eat. One thing I notice about this one is that it has a store for merchandise, a link to a few of the podcasts they must own, and even an area to do weekly puzzles like crosswords and other word puzzles. I like this aspect, as again it’s good to keep the traditions of print alive when we eventually don't have it anymore. The merchandise and podcasts are also bonus additions that make the site feel more professional, and worth viewing. I personally am more of a listener than a reader, so I could see someone seeking out these podcasts as a viable alternative to reading articles. 

Milwaukee has plenty of Websites to choose from for local and historical information, though hopefully my writing here can help you narrow down which is best for you. I think I would strongly recommend Milwaukee Mag, Shepard express and On Milwaukee, while Urban Milwaukee can take a backseat.