The website for the Cartoon Network block of shows called Adult Swim (www.adultswim.com) and the online journal site Xanga (www.xanga.com) illustrate two contrasting ways of creating a website that defines itself as a unique and individual site on the internet. Using either highly stylized artistry with unique content or the option of a highly customizable site with sparse central interference, Adult Swim and Xanga, respectively, use different methods to acheive the same goal: differentiating themselves from others amidst the wash of content in the vast online ocean.
The most noticible feature upon first entering adultswim.com is the bizarre artwork decorating the main page. This feature mimics the equally bizarre bumps and commercials that dot the air time that Adult Swim occupies. Making this connection between the website and the entity it represents in another medium is a subtle but powerful method of differentiation, making the website instantly unmistakable to the visitor. In addition, the site offers clips of shows, music, and other multimedia features, taking advantage of the power of the internet as a means of dispersal to offer content related to its programming. The Adult Swim website, through its content and art style, mainly relies on brand-name recognition to establish itself as a media entity on the web, making it seem odd to the casual browser but instantly memorable to a fan.
In contrast, Xanga's main page contains minimal print on an austere white background, making it quite unintersting to the casual web surfer. The site's primary appeal comes not from the content it offers, but rather for the opportunity for the user to create his or her own content on the web. Once registered, the user can craft a unique site on which to place text in the form of entries, pictures, music, and other content. The amount of media input varies with the level of subscription and talent of the user, ranging from a basic html transformation to an all-out modification. Xanga also allows for the creation of a network of such sites among friends, that they may communicate with each other and offer feedback on each other's sites. Censorship or any other type of interference from the site itself is almost unheard of, making the depth of the site entirely up to the individual user. Like most internet journal/social sites, the experience offered by Xanga is one simulating interaction in the real world, requiring the user to produce his or her own content with the site merely providing the basis for such an exchange.
Home Biography Assignments Contact Links