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OnMilwaukee
 ​OnMilwaukee offers articles and guides on a variety of topics, with focus on topics of entertainment, music, sports, and dining. Upon entering the website, you're greeted with a homepage with a plethora of articles which seems to be never-ending as you scroll through the page. Links to podcasts and 'buzz' articles can also be found on the site, as well as a list of featured authors at OnMilwaukee. The pull-down menu on the website offers two other tabs linking to media titled 'more stories' and 'guides', as well. as an 'about us' and 'contact us' selections and links to their social medias. 

Article (Guide): "10 Places to feed your vinyl addiction on Record Store Day" 

This article, written by Bobby Tanzilo, I chose because I was interested in viewing one of OnMilwaukee's guides. This particular guide is in the form of a list, noting ten record stores in and around Milwaukee and including a brief description of the physical location, sometimes including the store owner. With each recommendation comes a address, phone number, and website for the location. I quite enjoy the simple and easy to digest layout of this guide; all of the information is easy to access and organized so you can explore each suggestion one by one. 

ShepardExpress 
 Upon entering ShepardExpress' website, you're greeted with some highlighted articles at the top of the home page, which scroll through automatically as an introduction as to what can be explored on the website. Below that, you're able to access some of the website's most recent articles, as well as a featured video, and trending topics. If you scroll further down, there's links to some Milwaukee-based podcasts and sections of article topics which you can click to explore further. The drop-down menu at the top of the home page offers a variety of topics to explore, including 'Best of MKE', news, food & drink, Summerfest, cannabis, culture, 'hear me out', etc. 

Article: "Marijuana Use Is Now As Common As Smoking Cigarettes"

I found it interesting that this website had a tab dedicated to news about Cannabis, so I chose an article from this section. This article I chose, written by Jean-Gabriel Fernandez, has a picture as the header of a person holding a joint toward the camera and their features blurred. The article talks about the popular act of smoking marijuana in the United states, referencing a Gallup survey, which found 49% of Americans admit to using the substance, which is the highest proportion ever recorded. The article discusses the flexibility around these statistics because of the stigma associated with using the substance. The article further explores the generational gap  and rates between generations use of cannabis. I found this article interesting andI appreciated the length, which made this article both easy to digest as well as informative. At the bottom of the article, the website listed related articles as well as topics covered which you can click to further explore on the website. 

Urban Milwaukee
 Urban Milwaukee's website is laid out with some topics at the top of the page, and a long list of articles you can scroll through on the home page. The topics included at the top of the page, as you hover over each topic, you're given a number of options to click on, or you can click on the main topic itself. I appreciate that the main topics are broken down into categories, which could allow a reader to narrow their search with whatever topic they're exploring. Although I appreciate elements of this website, I think it's poorly designed in that it's quite chaotic, there seems to be never-ending lists of suggested articles, and poorly placed advertisements which interrupt the flow of the content. 

Article: "Five-Foot-Tall Birds Coming to Lakeshore State Park"

I chose this article because these birds really piss me off. The article starts with a sentence summary of the project, a photo of the author, and the website's suggestion to join their email subscription. Just below that, there's a picture of the sculptures with a caption, and then starts the article itself. The article described the 'large scale art experience' and it's roots (although later correcting itself as they incorrectly stated the organization who is responsible for the sculptures). The article provides links to the organizations involved, as well a a link to a page on their website which has photos of Lakeshore State Park where this 'art experience' is located. The article is pretty easily accessible, but interrupted by several suggestions from the website that you subscribe to their email subscription. Upon reaching the end of the article, you're offered some suggested content, as well as some comments and thoughts made by members of the community. 

MilwaukeeMag
Upon opening MilwaukeeMag's website you're greeted with several topics which you can click, along with a pullout menu, which offers subcategories for each topic. There's a scrolling reel of suggested content just below an advertisement, and below that, the site offers trending content, and as you scroll down you're offered suggested content from each topic the website offers. Something that caught my eye when initially exploring this site is that it was the only website that offered an article with a  queer topic, readily accessible and featured on the home page. Unfortunately, the article, titled "Dear Ruthie's Top Tips For Keeping Your Face Fresh in This Heat", as of writing this blog post, currently brings you to an error page, and upon searching for the missing article, seems to no longer exist. This saddens me as I was excited about a bit of queer news being featured on any one of these websites. 

Article: "Remembering the Black Nite Brawl's Role in Milwaukee's LGBTQ History"

This article, written by Rich Rovito, offers recognition to a Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project event which was hosted on August 5 of 2021 at Black Nite tavern. On this night in 1961, Josie Carter, a young Black transgender woman fought against homophobic violence at the establishment. Speakers at the event included Brice Smith, a historian and coordinator of the Wisconsin Transgender Oral History Project, Elle Hallow, a transgender rights activist and educator, and Don Schwamb, founder of the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. The Hoan Bridge was illuminated in pride and transgender flag colors at dusk to honor those being called the "unsung heroes of the Black Nite". I appreciate this article as it recounted the current event and how it was being treated, but focused on the significance of LGBTQ history in Wisconsin, and especially honoring Josie Carter. 

Milwaukee Record
Milwaukee Record's website is framed by a Gruber Law Offices advertisement. At the top of the home page is a row of topics which upon scrolling over, each offer suggested articles in the topic. You'll find a plethora of suggested articles, which are represented by a picture. In scrolling down you'll find some recent news suggestions as well as other featured articles, and the site even suggests some events and concerts coming to and near Milwaukee. You'll find suggested articles just underneath, under the categories: "Mandatory Milwaukee", "Fish Fry", and "First Person". At the bottom of the home page, you'll find Bob Uecker giving two thumbs up. 

Article: "Oriental Theatre will require proof of vaccination or negative COVID test beginning August 25"

This article, written by Matt Wild, has a picture inside the Oriental Theatre at the top of the page. The article discusses after it's recent re-opening, the Oriental Theatre will require visitors to have proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 result upon entry. Something I appreciate about this article is that it provides links to additional resources and information mentioned, such as a link to the Oriental Theatre's website and a previous press release which was mentioned in the article. The article was short and to the point, which I think was appropriate. They even included a list of what the theatre is currently showing, and mentioned what's coming. They included related articles at the bottom of the page. 

Crybaby Zine
​Upon entering this website which is catered to the likes of Gen Z, you're greeted with a bright yellow background, a main suggested story, a menu and a search bar. Scrolling through the homepage, there are suggested stories with an image and brief descriptions of each. At the bottom of the screen you'll find additional pages which you can click through. This brightly colored website with a plethora of bold and Y2k  imagery is, as stated, catered to a Gen Z audience. 

Article: What did it take to be a 2000s sex symbol?

At the top of this article is a collage created by Tina Tona, and the story is written by Merrill Watzman. The article starts by referencing the recent Framing Britney Spears documentary, which explores her career and fall from fame. It ties this mention into the topic of this article: the invasion of privacy created from being a famous public figure, and the public's ownership over celebrities' lives. It explores the idea of being a sex symbol in the 2000's, the creation of success for some such icons (Paris Hilton and Kim K) and the doom of others. The story explores the exchange of fame for. unrestricted access to the most intimate parts of one's life. This article is lengthy, opinionated, and detailed, but interesting and easy to digest for the reader. Something I think could benefit this website is suggesting related content that the viewer might be interested in consuming after reading this article.