Communication department websites

I compared FSC’s communication department website to the websites from Mississippi College, Central Texas College, Buffalo State, Boston College and Florida State.

Mississippi www.mccomdepartment.com
Their communication department home page features a picture of the 2008 graduates, which is a nice idea, but I would rather see a picture of students in the department, which the FSC website has a couple of, although more would be better. I also prefer the way that the FSC website has written information on the home page, whereas the Mississippi College site’s home page only has the picture and links. However, I do like the link to the department’s news releases, as well as having direct links to their newspaper and radio station. On the FSC website, you have a click around a little more to see how students can get involved. Mississippi also has links to add the department straight to your Facebook profile, which is a great idea for this generation.

Central Texas www.ctcd.edu/communications/contact.html
The Central Texas communication website is very minimal and rather confusing. Unlike the FSC communication department website, they offer very little information on the home page about the department, and, annoyingly, most additional information has to be opened in pdf. Also unlike the FSC site, the faculty list does not have pictures, which is boring. One good feature Central Texas has, however, is a search tool that allows you to type questions and get answers. Other than that though, the FSC website is far more sophisticated and helpful.

Buffalo State www.buffalostate.edu/communication
I really like the layout of the Buffalo State communication department home page. It has pictures of students in class in the top middle (where people look first), important links on the top left, the rest of the links on the bottom, news release headlines in middle and then links to what each of the concentrations entail on the right. There is a lot space, which is easier on the eye, and a consistent color scheme helps separate different parts of the page while still looking uniform. On the FSC page important information is a little more hidden amongst too much text, the available concentrations are less obvious, and some links are only accessible inside other links, which can make them harder to find. I also think that the FSC page could make more use of the space available, instead of essentially just having one long column with a couple of links on the left. Separate little boxes giving different information are more informative and visually appealing.

Boston College www.bc.edu/schools/cas/communication
The Boston College communication department website is simple but useful. While a lack of pictures and a very vertical-looking home page are not visually appealing, a variety of links (with brief explanations of what they are) help viewers easily find what they are looking for. Other little touches make students or prospective students feel more informed, such as having brief biographies for the professors and a copy of their communication honors banquet program available for reading. The FSC website could certainly improve by incorporating their methods of having multiple links with descriptions, but the design of the FSC site is more appealing.

Florida State www.comm.fsu.edu/Communication-Dept
Florida State’s communication department’s page catches your attention immediately with pictures that switch continuously, similar to the pictures on the FSC home page. An “Events and Deadlines” column on the side is also a good idea. However, the rest of the communication department home page is boring – too much text and a focus on news briefs instead of concrete information on the department. The links on the side are also too broad, labeled things like “Communication Department” and “Research” instead of the more specific “Degree Requirements” and “Student Organizations” listed on the FSC communication department page. Even when you click on those links you don’t get information immediately, but have to navigate some more (all you get at first are mostly pictures, which looks good but isn’t really useful). Overall, the page is not very user-friendly, but I liked the “Events and Deadlines” and use of multiple pictures.