WEBSITE RESEARCH

By Larelle Benjamin- Forrester

RNB & HIP-HOP WEBSITES

ASAP ROCK

YASAP Rocky’s MOB website follows a clear, repetitive structure throughout the

whole page which enables the viewer to find out what they

want to and navigate through the site without any

problems. The colour scheme which consists of black, white,

grey and blue is also consistent. However, on the Store Page, everything such as the layout, colour scheme

and font changes which makes it appear more interesting to look at.

Nonetheless, it still is very clear and basic. Overall, I do

like ASAP Rocky’s MOB website and will be using

some of his ideas in my own work.

Asap Rocky’s MOB website is very clear and well structured. The title is very bold and clear and is shown at the top of every web page. The colour

scheme for this website is black, blue, yellow and purple that contrast well with one another. The

home page contains a range of posts that are to do with his performances, events, interviews etc. It acts as a news page which is good because the viewers are immediately aware of current news in association with him, before going on to the news page. Another useful feature to the home page is the dates above every post – in which the viewers

can comment on. On the right hand side of the page it consists of: the search bar (for the whole

website), an advertisement of his album and ASAP Ferg’s single that links you to the ITunes

website so that you can download it. It also has a twitter section which

allows you to see tweets and re-tweets by the @ASAPMOB.

This right hand column also has links

to the Twitter and Facebook websites so

that viewers can follow, add and

interact with the ASAP MOB.

The ASAPMOB website consists of:- Home Page- News- Music- Tour Page- Sign Up- Lyrics- Forums- Store - Connect Page

The music Page is once again very clear and simply consists of the album cover, track list and a link in which the viewer can download the album from. Also on this website, there is an interactive section which includes the following websites –

Facebook, Twitter, Google, Tumblr and Email. This is an effective feedback technique as it allows

viewers to comment about the album via these websites web and show that they like the album. It

also shows that he is targeting people who are joint with different online websites rather than

one. This website has a global comment system that improves discussions on websites and

connects conversations across the web. The idea of having this on the website is so that it can help

viewers find new and interesting content, discussions and products. As you can see

from the comments, it

has targeted a lot of people. Above this,

there are links to different parts of the website and

recommended content for

viewers to take a look at.

MUSIC

NEWSThe news page has current events that have taken place and is shown in a list format. On each post it consists of the title, a picture and a small amount of information that is brief but concise.

The media page, follows the same layout like the rest of the website and is shown in a list format. For every post, there is a

live video that has been put on there using the ‘YouTube’ Website. This is

beneficial as it allows the viewer to like and share the video on YouTube as well as other online websites. On the BET

videos, the viewer can view a range of different videos, that are associated with BET which gives them options and keeps

them interested.Below each post on the Media and News

Page, there is an interactive section which links up to a number of online

websites. This enables viewers to give their view on the posts. In this case, they can comment on and like the news and

videos.

MEDIA

TOUR SIGN UP LYRICS

The Tour Page contains a picture of ASAP Rocky’s concert and a tour schedule that is very clear. The purpose behind having this particular picture is to give viewers an idea of what his event may look like – therefore acting as an subtle advertising

technique.

The Sign Up Page is very straight forward and consists of a few boxes for the viewer to fill out so

that they can subscribe.

The Lyrics Page looks very poor because it only has three album links rather than any pictures.

Nonetheless, there is lyrics for every song out of the three albums.

FORUMS

The ASAP MOB Forum page is very simple and requires you to become a member. However, rather than signing up through the actual website, you can sign in using the accounts you have for the following websites - Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, MySpace, WindowsLive, Aol, OpenID, PayPal, Linkedin, WordPress and Blogger. This is highly effective and it takes into account that there are various online websites that people use and wish to consistently use for other sites. On this page, you can choose from one of five forums and look at members who are apart of this forum.STOREWhen you click on the Store Page Icon at the top of the page, it transfers the viewer to another website which is ASAP Rocky’s Store Website. This website differs in terms of layout and colour yet it very well structured and clear like the ASAP MOB website. The website uses colours (grey, black and white) that contrast very well with one another, as well as uses fonts that reflect the artists style.

ASAP ROCKY OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Asap Rocky’s official website does however appear to be

more interesting and requires you to scroll up down to

discover different things on the website due to the list layout of the page. Much like the other website, it is clear and well

structured so that the viewer can navigate the site easily. The colour scheme which consists of white, dark grey, black and blue

is fairly similar to his other websites and once again

contrasts well. One feature I like about the website, is that the

menu appears and disappears of the screen as you scroll down

the page which is very good as the viewer doesn't have to look for it on the page. The top of the page is very effective because it is acts as an advertising device of his new album, merchandise and video. By placing this at the

top of the page, it shows that the website was well thought about because this is the first thing that people will see and immediately take interest in.

BEYONCE

Much like ASAP Rocky’s website,

Beyonce’s website follows a clear, repetitive structure

throughout the whole website. It does however

feature elements in it that I like such as a range of

pictures, which requires the viewer to look through the web pages easily without

having to read a lot of information. The website,

reflects her classy style and has a soft feel to it which has

been created by the colour scheme (black, white and grey), fonts and the clear structure of the page. Her

official music store page does however appeal to be more due to the colours it uses. I

more than likely will be using some ideas and aspects from

Beyonce’s website - in particular her US website.

Beyonce’s website is very clear and well structured. The title is very much blended in with the rest of the website and

does not really stand out as much as it usually would on a website. However, it is in a red box to signify to the viewer

who the website is about. The colour scheme is predominantly white with use of black and grey which in all, contrasts well with one another. At the top of the homepage,

the viewers are welcomed with a range of pictures of Beyonce performing which can be relatable to some viewers

who may have seen her in concert. These interesting pictures, are likely to be used to intrigue viewers which may

lead to them attending a concert of hers. The top of the page also features two types of advertising of her new album and DVD set which is placed here on the page

because its the first thing viewers see. The home page also contains a range of posts that are to do with current news,

events as well as videos. It acts as a page whereby the viewers can become immediately aware of current news in

association with her, before going on to the news page. Another useful feature to the home page is the dates above every post and the comments/share sections – underneath

each post.

The Beyonce website consists of:- Home Page- Latest: News & Press- Music- Events- Videos

- Photos- History- Community- Store

LATEST – NEWS & PRESSThe top of the home page also

features a bar that is highly effective because it gives viewers the easiest

way of receiving updates through their email which in turn will result in a lot of people subscribing – because they can quickly put in their email address. To sign in to Beyonce’s community, you can sign up as well as Sign In via your Facebook and Twitter which enables

viewers to keep their username whilst using it for various websites. This

shows how well thoughtful the website was as a whole.

The Latest Icon on the Menu Bar has two web pages below called News & Press. These two pages follow the same layout as the home

page however contain much more posts on it and gives additional information and pictures

(of the same post) to what is on the home page. The news page consists of current news and events as well as past news that Beyonce

has been in associated with. Much like the Press Page, it has little information which

appears to be very concise.

MUSIC– RELEASES & STORE

The Music page also has two subpages which consist of releases and Store. The Release page is very straight forward and consists of a picture of the album, tracklist, links to buy the album and the option for viewers to share and comment on the album which is shown at the bottom of the page (like a blog). Below the main album shown, it shows Beyonce’s other albums and DVD which viewers can easily view. On the other sub page, it links to the Store website – which gives viewer an additional link to the store.

EVENTS

VIDEOS

The events page follows the same layout as all the other pages. The main feature to the page is the tour schedule which is

presented in a clear table showing the location, venue and date of the event. This page also links to ‘Live Nation’ whereby the viewer can purchase tickets to the event. At the bottom of the

page, there is a link at the bottom so thatthe viewer can navigate through the various pages of the

tour schedule.

The videos page shows one of Beyonce’s music videos which can be commented on and shared

with others through one of the social networks that the viewer maybe signed up with. On this page it consists of a number of Beyonce’s official music

videos and behind the scene footage. The page is very clearly structured in order to allow the viewer an easy way of navigating this page. There is also a

comments section of the member of Beyonce’s community which appears as a posts at the bottom

of the page.

PHOTOS

The photos page contains a number of Beyonce’s albums that are either events, concerts and so on- under the heading ‘Photo Collection’. There is also a ‘Fan Photos’ section which also has been categorised into albums. I think this is good because it enables viewers to upload pictures that they may have created or simply just like on the website.

COMMUNITYThe community page is very similar to the tours page, in the sense that it presented in a table to show the different forums within this community as well as the amount of topics and posts in each. At the top of this page, it allows the viewer to Log In and makes posts within the forums shown. This page just allows viewers to engage with other Beyonce fans and be very interactive on her website. At the bottom of every page, another menu bar is shown which is very useful, as well as some advertisement of her new album.

HISTORY – BIO, FASHION & FILMS

The films page also follows the same structure as the Fashion

Page. One addition is

however the other films that Beyonce is in

which is shown through

pictures which the viewer can select and be automatically moved to the

section whereby it

gives information on this particular

film.

STOREThe store page, automatically links to another website of Beyonce’s official music store. On this website, the layout is the same however, the use of colours (black, brown and leopard print) at the top of the page differs and portrays a more sexy side to Beyonce compared to the other website which shows her to be subtle and fierce.

The History Icon on the Menu Bar has three sub pages below called Bio, fashion and films. On the Biography page, their is a long paragraph of information on Beyonce’s album ‘I Am...Sasha Fierce’ which gives the viewer a lot to take in yet doesn't appear to be very interesting. The fashion page, shows two clothing lines that Beyonce’s in association with her family. It features a picture of the artist and some information that is very concise.

BEYONCE OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Beyonce’s official website is the most interesting and creative website that I have come across simply because, the transitions from one page to another is unique as well as the way in which the menu bar appears on the page. Majority of the website contains big bold pictures with little information, therefore being able to speak for it self. The website focuses on Beyonce’s fame as well as personal life which is good. The style of the website, reflects her fun sophisticated and happy personality as if she designed it herself, rather than the other website which is very structured and basic. On this website, it is designed in a way that allows the viewer to be constantly surprised by the way in which things appear on the screen. This is effective because in turn it makes viewers stay interested in the website and explore various features to the website such as the blog, her charity and tours. Her website includes the following pages: I AM TUMBLR (pictures of her work, personal life &vault ), news, music (albums and dvds), vault (pictures and videos), beyhive blog, tour and charity page.

BEYONCE OFFICIAL WEBSITE