My website will focus primarily on virtual environments, mostly games, in order to keep me near the interests of my major and the activities of my free time. I will look at various types of virtual environment programs and assess them on various and possibly pretentious levels, from the perspective of both consumer and developer. In addition to that, I will provide small tutorials on how to do nifty little tricks in various programs that I frequent.
Of course, there are many sites with just this purpose in mind and attempting to compete with them right out of the gate would certainly be an exercise in futility; as such, the primary goal of my site will be to share my interests and knowledge with my friends. If there is any usurping of major media corporations to be had, it'll have to wait until later.
The design of the website will be straightforward and simple; minimalist, even. In my estimation it would be just the absense of advertisements that litter other such sites which would hold the interest of readers, and in no capacity do I feel inclined to try and sell adspace anyway. I don't expect the site will be a veritable tsunami of activity, but a few hits a week are expected, and the most likely reason for those visits will be referals directly from me for whatever purpose.
This site will be something of a personal project outside the scope of the class, and as such I will try and keep it running for as long as it holds my interest. I view this as a pristine oppurtunity to improve my writing skills, my web design skills, and my graphic arts skills. This is something i've wanted to do for awhile and simply had no excuse to go through with. If anybody would be involved in helping along with this process, I would expect it would be fellow developers of various background who were friends of mine.
Audience AnalysisThe primary age of my expected audience is to be from 18 to around 30; essentially, the cross-section of society in which interest for the subject matter on my site is greatest. I don't expect there to be much disparity between male and female visitors, but I would say that most of the visitors will likely be residents of the United States.
Ethnicity isn't an issue i'm concerned with designing for, nor is religion, and as such I don't have any expectations for what group will be most attracted to my website. For the most part, people who make small fortunes every year probably wouldn't be genuinely interested in what I have to say, so the mid-to-lower income bracket is probably the safest bet.
My website will be structured primarily to appeal to the interests of people such as myself, who enjoy interactive entertainment both as a player and as a developer. Given the initial exposure the website will recieve, i'm sure at least one person will fit into that category. Hopefully, if people find my writings helpful, they will visit perhaps four times a month just to see what's going on.
There won't be much to speak of in the way of controversies, aside perhaps from poorly written garbage seeped in nebulous vocabulary, or maybe the excessive abuse of commas and the maiming of the english literary form. Then again, this is the internet, and you can get that almost anywhere.
On the interaction front, I hope to install some forums on the page as well as a comment system so people can berate me directly and anonymously if they disagree, or shower me with praise and cash if they believe my words are golden.
The lifespan of the site as a serious project will depend on both the strength of my personal interest in the project and the development of a community within it, aided by the forums and comment system. Additionally, the interactive entertainment industry is an ever-expanding field and i'm sure i'll have a great deal to write about for many years, should I feel so inclined.
