Forget "social-networking"...let's call it what it is: Being on the "in." Every single community-building feature on the website hopes that the public will jump in.For example, my station's website, wusa9.com, allows readers to comment on stories only if they have registered and logged onto the site. Without signing up with wusa9.com, you cannot comment on stories or blogs.
And as a member of wusa9.com, you are able to "friend" others, message others, participate in forums, upload photos, create your own profile, and create your own blog.
Basically, wusa9.com is not only a news website. It's also a platform for the public to express themselves and in turn, become more invested in the site.
I often respond back to the comments on my blog. It definitely helps to keep the discussions alive on a blog entry
I dug through this website and think it's what it claims it to be, a Democratic space for the online public to write about what they care about in politics.
I also was impressed with this Electoral Scoreboard. But it took awhile to dig through to find it.
Here's what I don't like about it:
1. There's so much going on in the design that it's hard to focus on one blog entry.
2. The FAQ section is a wiki-based page. Does that mean everyone and anyone can update/alter the descriptions?
3. I'm not clear how any one blog gets to be the "top posting" on the website. Is it driven by the most recently added post? Or is there some other sort of method to it?
