Comparative Analysis Written by Truc Nguyen on May 21, 2009 kiteflyers.org Strengths and Weaknesses: The graphics are very appealing and friendly for younger viewers. The site has information about the kiting world such as events and festivals and the owner has posted many pictures of such events. Unfortunately, much of the information about kiting festivals is not up to date which makes it relatively useless. There is a how-to guide but it is only for a more advanced kite and the how-to section is limited. The ideas for the content are promising but the owner never fully implemented them. (The categories are interesting, but there are very few subpages with actual writing) The site navigation is very unorganized. There appears to be no clear hierarchy and certain pages seem to be randomly stuck into the closest category that fits with the site's content. While it appears the owner genuinely wanted to get people interested in kite flying, a large portion of the site is about his own adventures in kite-flying. It seems that the site is more of a personal one than informative one. There are forms for suggesting new content or pictures, but it appears that the owner must approve these before changes take place. How KFS Different: The Kite Flying Society website will take a more informative slant on kiting. To encourage more member participation and interaction, there will be a forum in which people can directly talk to and help each other on issues the content does not address. It will not be a one-way exchange of information. We will adopt the suggestion box feature because it is a good way for people to suggest new articles. The participatory effect will ensure that the site is maintained frequently and information is up to date. American Kitefliers Association Strengths and Weaknesses: The organization of the site is very well-thought out and easily navigable. There is a clear conception of what the site is meant for, a place where members can get up to date information about the kiting world. They have many publications including a journal that contains an events calendar, kite plans, local club activities, committee and policy reports. It seems that much of the site is for administrative purposes for the AKA members and to organize events. Additionally, the AKA charges a membership fee as part of their business model. The AKA also partners with companies that sell kite and kite supplies which they call "merchant members", a clever idea. They also have a discussion forum for members. How KFS is Different: The AKA site is much like the subsection "For Stanford Kite Flying Society Members". While the AKA caters to people who are already interested in and involved in kite-flying, the KFS tries to recruit new members and introduce beginners to the activity of kite-flying. We would not adopt a merchant affiliate program because we feel it would undermine the informative aspect of our site. We would also not charge people for membership. The site would be funded through mainly advertising. |
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