Assignment 3 - The Better News Aggregator

Personally, I think 'better' is just one step above 'acceptable', and 'best' is excellent. I don't think either Google News or Huff Post are 'best', but I do think Google News is better than Huff Post, because of the customizable aspect that they offer. It's kind of like choosing which template to use for writing a resume. Should you go with the template that's black and white, to the point, 'basic' or go for the template that's funky, futuristic, artistic? Google News is like the black and white, to the point, 'basic' resume template and Huff Post is the funky, futuristic, artistic template. (Though Huff Post isn't really funky or artistic, it's simply a part of the analogy) Even though we live in a day and age with plenty of resume template options, statistics show that employers prefer the good old, basic, black and white, straight to the point resume. I can relate to these employers, because that's exactly how I prefer my news, straight up, black & white, and to the point. No frills are needed to get the job done or the point across.

The pros of Google News is that it's essentially 3 columns. On the left you have the categories and when you click on one of them, there will be a subcategory underneath with trending topics relating to the specific category chosen. Google News is very well organized and make it easy for users to toggle back and forth between categories and news stories. I like that the organization of the stories are in a straight line and that they use smaller photos to show case each story, because if I want to read the article, I will click on it and the photo will become larger. I think Google News provides a more intentional experience because users have more control over which stories they read and are able to customize their experience even further by filling out the 'Personalize' box. Google also provides a 'local news' category which is not only awesome, but sets them apart from their competition.

Huffington Post might be more aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but it's not as easy to navigate as Google News. They loudly broadcast one major story at the top of their home page with a massive picture and if I want to look for top stories in Huff Post, I have to scroll down on the top page and look for the corresponding box and photo to the story I'm looking for. What makes it even more annoying is that the photo boxes aren't even in a straight line, they are scattered and there are days worth of 'top stories' on the front page of Huff Post. Google only shows a handful of stories and if you want to see more, you can click on the 'read more ____ stories', which is preferable because if I'm being an intentional user  I don't just want to see a huge photo, I'm more interested in reading the story that goes with it.

Google gets my vote as the 'better' news aggregate site. It's straight forward, to the point, with no frills.  Just like an employer prefers to receive a traditional, vanilla resume; an intentional news reader doesn't find it necessary to look at a big, frilly cover photo or read the news story in a hip typeface. Give us the news in an organized manner and we are happy.