A look inside Shakespeare's GlobeShakespeare's Globe website is a digital performance archive and educational resource for one of the most famous venues in theatrical history. The purpose of this site is to promote the Globe, to encourage people to come to the shows or donate to the theater, and to generally inform visitors about showtimes. For people who may be visiting the site for academic reasons, the site can serve as an information outlet about the history of the Globe. The context of this site tells the audience very generally about the location and function of the Globe itself. These details about the Globe can be found in the introductory paragraph on the homepage below the video. This informs the reader that the Globe is a world-renowned performing arts venue located on the bank of the River Thames in London, UK. While the author providing all of this information is not clearly cited, it is most likely that he or she is the director of social media and communications for Shakespeare’s Globe. The author could also be hired website designer using information provided by an expert or director of events for the Globe. The audience of this website is, in the most general sense, fans of theatre and of Shakespeare. However, the audience could also include students, teachers, and even actors who have come to the site looking for additional information about the performances. The website includes conventions such as a main menu, images and videos of the Globe and their performances, a performance calendar, and access to Shakespeare films on demand. It also allows users to create an account with the Globe so they are able to purchase tickets and memberships. Another very useful feature provided is located at the bottom of the homepage, which allows users to listen to and translate the website with Browsealoud. I admire the design features of this website most because they make the site look colorful, entertaining, and easy to navigate. When considering what features would be most useful in making my own website, I noticed that the tab titled “Learn” is very informative and can act as a resource to teachers, students, and scholars. This page provides access to workshops, courses, and resources to people of all ages starting as young as primary school (ages 4-11). Yet another useful feature on this website is the well organized event calendar. When clicking on the “What’s On?” icon, the user is redirected to a calendar organized according to season. Below each event, there is a “Book Now” button that takes the user to checkout. This streamlined process is easy for the user and therefore is more likely to increase sales than a website with a complicated ordering process would. We would benefit from incorporating this into our site by providing our audience the opportunity to stay updated with the upcoming performance dates and to book their tickets with ease. The Globe's website is serving its purpose to the fullest because it is useful to the audience in providing information about current and past performances as well as acting as a guide to people who may be interested in becoming involved with the Globe. |
Olivia LongHi! My name is Olivia and I'm a sophomore Publishing major at Belmont University. Archives
November 2019
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