It's time for WebTyng

The reviews...

Disagree with the rankings? Vent, rant, rave, or just Speak Your Mind.

Berkeley

Design: 3

Originality: 2

Ease of Use: 4

Information: 3

The front page has a decent and colorful, if somewhat generic, design. The other problem is that it's one large graphic—woe to anyone trying to load it at home. The graphics at the top of the interior pages are nice, but the design of the pages themselves is haphazard. The content has at least been updated with news about living in Boyd, but the announcements are non-existent and IMs info hasn't been changed since winter. On the positive side, the newsletter and archives are available. Other than that, the usual stuff is there, and there are promises of an online directory. Have a comment? Good luck trying to use the email links - they don't work.

Branford

Design: 4

Originality: 2

Ease of Use: 4

Information: 4

Despite an obsession with a crest icon reminiscent of Harvard's old web page, the overall design is pretty nice—some effort has even been put into making the interior pages look pretty, right down to the list of movie titles. The information is superb—you really shouldn't have any questions about using the Branford writing tutor after the extensive page. The directory is a neat little feature, though it will no doubt become increasingly unwieldy to manage and look through. The announcements are up to date and everything. The IMs page has tons of info, even if it is ugly as sin (and loads slowly because of a defunct counter on the bottom).

Calhoun

Design: 4

Originality: 2

Ease of Use: 3

Information: 4

The page would be much better if the text were legible. Apparently, Alexander Iribarne, CC '01 has much better color perception than me, capable of seeing black and blue text on a brown background. Second-level pages are legible, but their white backgrounds also completely fail to match the rest of the site. The pictures are pretty, though, and the content is extensive—even if many of the links are broken. The sidebar on the inside pages doesn't match the front, irritating for the intrepid reporter seeking to visit every page. Their alumni directory is quite nifty, even if their IMs leave a bit to be desired. We can't be too harsh on them, though—they link to the Herald before the YDN. The electronic calendar is way cool, and they also have their newsletter and the other standards. Some weird Professor Wordwatch thing, info on the postering policy, and info about buying Calhoun clothing round off the site.

Davenport

Design: 4

Originality: 3

Ease of Use: 4

Information: 3

The needless splash page was a big turn off, but the original design of the index is interesting, and the mouseovers are fun. I could play with them for hours. The interior pages are equally pretty, but the content is hurting—news is minimal, Davensports is absent, as is the promised directory. The rest is standard. So there isn't much to comment on—get to work Abu!

Ezra Stiles

Design: 4

Originality: 2

Ease of Use: 4

Information: 2

The site has a clean design, though a bit flat. The history section has everything you could possibly want to know about Stiles and its "architecture." The main negative is that nothing has been updated since February. The Sports section still has winter IMs info up, and the "This week in Stiles" still has the announcements from the week of February 11. However, there's a thorough "directory of services," with mailto links to the Stilesians in charge of the game room, woodshop, etc. In addition, there's a nice feedback form. There's also a directory with a link to the Yale Phonebook, but the listings are sparse.

Jonathan Edwards

Design: 5

Originality: 5

Ease of Use: 3

Information: 4

The design is very pleasing, and the graphics by Eric Ko, JE '99 make the site pretty to look at. The facebook is online, which makes JE the only site with this feature, though the search tool on the facebook page only links back to the entire list of entries. There's also a nice spread of pictures from various events, including a disturbing animated gif. The JE CC provides a lot of information, including posting the minutes (though I wouldn't suggest reading them unless you actually are in JE and the information applies to you). The page on rooming is also very nice. The current results, the remaining rooms, the floorplans, and all the information you could want about rooming is right there. However, IMs info is non-existent, and the newsletter that's up is an old issue. There's a link to a "JE Kiosk," but instead points to a non-existent page.

Morse

This site has a unique design—much like a newspaper site, and it works well with the layout and structure of the site. The GPA calculator and the countdown to the last day of classes, graduation and Star Wars are fun touches. The best part of the site is the "Market", a classifieds system where Morsels post ads for selling and buying everything from a beanbag chair to Nintendo games. There seems to be a number of people using it. All the information is completely up-to-date, including the IMs page, which has some nice pictures from the Winter season. The calendar is extensive, and the directory contains numbers for all the resources that a Morsel could want. Kudos to the webmasters.

Pierson

Design: 3

Originality: 2

Ease of Use: 3

Information: 2

The design uses frames—which in some people's design manuals are OK, but not in mine. On top of that, the information is sparse: there's a listing of alumni, but no IMs or a directory of current students. There are maps of the college, and the entire Pierson chant. Besides that, there's not much else to comment on. The site needs some more substance.

Saybrook

Design: 3

Originality: 2

Ease of Use: 4

Information: 2

This page is simple, but at least it isn't too ugly. It has a bold blue design with frames and semi-nifty yellow mouseovers. the dean's office page has an interesting look to it. There are some nice pictures, the standard history but none of the usual additional information, some up-to-date information from the dean. That's about it - a few external links. They link to the YDN, but not us, so we can't be too nice to them.

Silliman

Design: 3

Originality: 4

Ease of Use: 4

Information: 4

Well, the design is a bit on the garish side with cramped, dark buttons and some strange purple background, but it is almost legible. The IMs page is very, um, bright. But at least there is a ton of information. There are college council minutes, announcements (updated in December, though), Siilliflicks info, IM info updated daily (dear God, people, get a life!), and a standard guide to their college and links. They even have their own screen saver, but I prefer the hot guys in the Abercrombie.com screen saver any day.

Timothy Dwight

Design: 4

Originality: 3

Ease of Use: 4

Information: 4

The site has a simple, but very easy-to-use layout and design. The front page is simple and not cluttered. The TD wesite has your standard information: weekly announcements, IM schedules, rooming information, and phone numbers for important TD people. The announcements are updated, except for the "Tutors and Fellows" page which is a broken link.

Trumbull

Design: 2

Originality: 2

Ease of Use: 2

Information: 3

The main page of Trumbull's website is a very extensive set of rules and announcements about room draw. But then the site goes nowhere. None of the sidebar menu options lead anywhere, except for "SAC"—linking to the SAC minutes/announcements. However, these two pages are both dead ends—you can't link back to the main part of the site, and there are no links out of the site. So, while the sidebar items (which are drawn in a font straight out of a sci-fic comic book) promise many places to go on the site, there are really only two pages.

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