Your Choice Website Comparison
LSC 548
Authority
| Name of Web Site | Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association | Massachusetts Horticultural Society |
| What is the URL? | http://www.wmassmastergardeners.org/ | http://www.masshort.org/ |
| Is there a recognizable sponsor of the web site? Who is it? Will it be possible to find background information about this sponsor? | Yes. The sponsor is the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association. Background information is available on the home page where they state who they are. You can find more information about the group by clicking on click here for more information. Here it tells the user that the group was once part of the UMASS Extension Service but in 1989 were cut because of budget problems. This group with the dedicated volunteers have made a go of it on their own. | Yes. The sponsor is the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Background information is available on the home page by clicking on the left navigation bar. They have a nice drop down menu where you can click on each element you want to read. I clicked on the mission. It was founded in 1829! |
| Has descriptive information about the sponsor been provided, either on the opening page or via an “about us” link? | Both. There is some information on the home page and then link to "click here" link for more information about the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association. | You must click on the left screen navigation bar on the link "Overview and Membership" to get this information. This provides you with a drop down menu of six items, mission, program overview, membership, staff, locations and leaflet. The type is too tiny. |
| Is there an address, phone number, or fax number provided for the sponsor? | There is an address and phone number but no fax number. The address is the address of the President of the Group. | It is a scavenger hunt to find the address and phone numbers for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. If you go to locations under "Overview and Membership" you will get the address of Elm Bank which is on the border of Dover, Massachusetts and Wellesley, Massachusetts. There are other buildings too. One is in Boston. There are different phone numbers too. I found a phone number under "Support the Hort." If you want to donate to the group. There is an address and fax number under "Job Openings" but no phone numbers because "No phone inquiries, please." There are other phone numbers for volunteer opportunities. |
| Is a personal author identified for the information, articles, or documents presented at the web site? | Yes, Donna DuBour wrote an article under the link "Current Topic." It is the topic for July 2002. The title of the article is "Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for the Homeowner." One can check past articles by clicking on the Archive link. | I could not find authors for any of the articles. I looked under the "Expert Advice" link along with a lot of other links. I found no author names. |
| If an author is identified, is it clear what his/her credentials are? | They have Master Gardener after her name. I guess you can assume that all the authors are Master Gardeners. | N/A |
| Is there a way to contact the author? | I saw now way to contact the author. | There are contact people all over the web site and their email link is available. The contacts are not organized in a way I can figure out. |
| Will it be possible to find background information about the author? | Not that I could figure out. | Same |
Scope and Purpose
| Does the content appear to be fact or opinion? | Fact. | Fact. |
| What is the scope or purpose of this web site? | The scope and purpose of the web site it to give a presence on the web for the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association. It is mainly for the four counties of Western Massachusetts. There is a member only page also at http://www.wmassmastergardeners.org/member.htm. It is to advertise the WMMGA Phone Hotline as well as other volunteer services this organization does. | The scope and purpose of the web site is to give a presence on the web for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. It is mainly for the state of Massachusetts. It is to advertise the MHS Master Gardener Phone Hotine as well as other volunteer services this organization does. |
| Does the information presented here seem to be complete and comprehensive? What is included? What is excluded? | Complete. Includes WMMGA Hotline, About Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association, a monthly Gardening topic article, List of Events, FAQ for Gardens, Speakers Bureau, Photo Gallery and some awesome links. It excludes the monthly newsletter, The Grapevine, the information that was taught in class, the exams and the exam keys. | Complete. Includes MHS Hotline, Overview and Membership, details of the quarterly newsletter via adobe PDF, Leaflet, New England Spring Flower Show, Education and Research, Job and Volunteer Opportunities, Event Rentals and a place to make donations to the society. It excludes the educational material and a webmaster. |
How can you tell? Is the scope
described
|
I could tell by looking at the top of the first page, FAQ section and by looking at the navigation bar at the left of the web page which has frames. It is a large web page. | I could tell by looking at the navigation bar at the left of the very tiny screen. One can open the navigation headings and there is a drop down list of options. This helped me determine the scope of the web site. |
| How does this site compare to similar information elsewhere? | This site compares to similar information elsewhere is not as professionally done as the other sites. It is structured the same as other sites and has the same type of information. One can really tell it is for a local group. | this site compares to similar sites elsewhere. It is very professionally done and is structured very well. It has the same type of information about the organization and not much about gardening itself. It is an organized site. |
| How is this database (website) structured? | The web site is structured by using frames. The header is a frame and has scroll bars and that is not necessary. The left navigation toolbar is a frame and it does not have scroll bars. It has twelve links and if more are needed the webmaster can add scrolls bars. The main page holds general information about WMMGA. Seven of the twelve navigation links are at the bottom on the main page. The navigation bar at the left changes for some of the links. The FAQ link is an example. The Speaker's Bureau does away with the left navigation bar and uses the full screen to display its information. Actually these two links open up brand new windows. | The web site is structured by using frames in a way I have never seen before. It has a 640 x 460 block of frames housed on a black background. There are scroll bars for this tiny screen in the screen. There are seven navigation links and when you click on these links there is a drop down list and the link your a currently visiting is highlighted. This is a recommended technique by Williams and Tollett. It is a very nice technique but the screen and the font are a little too small for my tastes. |
| Are there links provided to other sources of information on this same topic? Is it clear how these links are selected? | Yes. They are organized by Good Gardening Sites, General Gardening Sites, Pest Management, Other Local Gardening Organizations, Plant Societies by Plant Name Conservatories and Botanical Gardens, and other sites of interest. | Yes there are links provided under Education/Research and Expert Advice. They are Seasonal Tips and Seed Catalogs. It is strange to open a seed catalog and get its web site but to have just a corner of it showing is very annoying. I can't figure out why they chose these sites over other sites. |
| Are the links reliable? Do they get you where you need to go? | No. I just found a lost link. http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/armyworms/index.htm. Yes. It opens separate windows so you are not lost getting back to the WMMGA home page. | Yes. Yes. Only once I got a link that was not found but I was not able to reproduce it. It might have been my machine. This site does not open a separate window and one needs to click the back button to get back to the MHS home page. |
Accuracy
| How accurate is this information? | Very Accurate. I see no problems with the accuracy of the information. | Very Accurate. I see no problems with the accuracy of the information. |
| How can you tell? | I looked at what they said about rhododendrons in FAQ and the answer seemed reasonable and correct to me. All the links that I visited seemed right to me also. I have no objective reason to show me they are accurate. The Master Gardeners seem to be a reliable source of information. | I looked at Expert Advice "Plan Now for Great Summer Gardens." The answer seemed reasonable and they recommend a good book, The Practical Gardener by Roger Swain. I have not objective reason to prove that this is accurate information. The Massachusetts Horticultural Society seems to be a reliable source of information. |
| When statistics and other factual data are presented is it cited so that one can verify it? | No. | No. |
| Are tables, charts, and graphs clear and easy to understand? | There are none. | There are none. |
| Is there any bibliography? | No. | No. |
| Is the document generally well-written? Free of spelling mistakes and typographical errors? | Yes. | Yes. |
Objectivity
Check the domain to ascertain
possible reasons for the provision of this information
|
.org - Volunteers helped prepare this information on this web site. You can tell. | .org - I am not sure if volunteers or employees prepared the information on this web site but I would guess that is was done by a professional web designer. MHS does have paid positions. |
Is the subject controversial?
If so,
|
Pesticides is a controversial subject. I found an entry in FAQ and both sides of the issue is presented and there is no bias. Try not to use pesticides and if needed use them. The armyworm FAQ seems bland in its presentation. | Pesticides is a controversial subject. I did not see any information on it though. I did read an article about internet research and it was not a bland presentation. It could have been but it was well written and interesting. The material does not seem biased. |
| Is the information free from advertising? | The information is free from advertising except for the .com links. | The information is free from advertising except for the .com links. |
Currency
Are any of the following dates
provided?
|
No. Creation Date or Post Date. Revision Date: Last updated 6/26/2002 by G. Kingston. The only other dates are the months and years of the Current Topic archived articles. | I found no creation, post or revision dates on the web site. The only dates were the month and year of the quarterly newsletter, Leaflet. |
| When was this site last updated? How can you tell? Is there any information on how often the site is updated? | Revision Date: Last updated 6/26/2002 by G. Kingston. No. | I don't know. I could not find any date on the web site. |
| What was updated? | I don't know. There is not way to tell. | I don't know when it was last updated. There is no way to tell. |
| How does the creation of the database stay current? | N/A | N/A |
| In cases where there is statistical data or factual data is it indicated when that data was gathered? | No. | No. |
| Does the information seem out of date? | Not at all. It seems up-to-date. | Not at all. It seems very up-to-date. |
| How stable is this site, its address and its information? Is it here today and gone (or moved) tomorrow? | The site is very stable but is maintained by a volunteer. Its URL address is stable and the information seems stable. No, it is not here today and gone tomorrow. | The site is stable and I assumed it is maintained by a professional. Its URL address is stable and the information seems stable. No, it is not here today and gone tomorrow. |
Arrangement and Format
| How easy is it to find and use this site? | The URL is long so I have not memorized it or I may misspell it if I key it in. It is www.wmassmastergardeners.org. If you search Google on WMMGA and click "I feel lucky" it will bring you right to the site. It is very easy to use the site. The navigation in quick. | It is easy for find the site if you know the URL and it is easy to remember and key in. It is www.masshort.org. It is easy to use the site but I find I get eye strain because the font is so small. |
| How convenient is it? | Very convenient. The pages are similar and make navigation easy. Some pages open to new windows and that helps maintain where you are in the WMMGA site. | Very convenient. The style is so very tight and slick that navigating seems like a breeze. I really like the compressed page even though I strain my eyes when looking at the navigation bar. |
| How well-organized? | It is very well organized. If I had to come up with an example of Rule of Three this would be it. The most important aspect of the WMMGA is the Hotline and this is right at the top of the page. Then there is a section on About WMMGA. On the left is the navigation bar and this is all displayed without having to scroll at all. Then they have the Gardening Topic for July 2002 and News You Can Use feature. Below that is navigation links that are a subset of the left navigation bar. The left navigation bar does not scroll. | It is very well organized and more organized than WMMGA's site. |
| How quickly can you usually get to this site? Get around the site? | Very Quickly. | Very Quickly. It is so compact! |
| How appropriate is the format of the database for its intended audience? | It is very appropriate and standard format for a web site. | I had never seen a web site with this format. At first I did not like it but it has grown on me. |
| Does the information seem out of date? | No. | No. |
| Are there any hardware, software, or multimedia requirements? | No. | No. |
Design Considerations
| Does it function well with different browsers? | Yes. | Yes. |
| Is too much filler used? | No. It is just right. | Yes. The area around the page is much too large. It is dark and I think wastes a lot of space and requires the user to scroll through the screen and this is unnecessary. It is the worst for web pages that are outside the MHS's web site. |
| Is it obvious when you leave to a different site? | Yes. I just realized that when you leave the site and a new window is open the screen changes from the green side bar to no side bar and a large, full screen appears. | One never leaves the site. |
Layout Considerations
| Enough white space? | Yes. The white space goes nicely with the green 1/2 frame. George Kingston made the logo green background with white lines and this goes very nicely with the web page. | No. There is not enough white space. Since the frame is black the only white space is the window that is 1/4 of the whole page. I think it is annoying. |
| Overdone styles? | Not at all. It may seem amateurish but the style is very nice. | Yes, I think the style is overdone and takes away from the good things and professionalism of the site. |
| Too many links? | No. There are just the right amount of links. The links are set up nicely and it gives you a great choice of links. | No. There are too few links. There are only 5 garden links and several links that must be followed and found right in the text. |
| Links with too many words? | Not at all. The link have just the right amount of words. | No. But the garden links I found were not even linked on the web page. I had to copy and paste the links into my browser before I could go to them. Whomever created this site wanted the person to stay at this site! |
| Textual descriptions too brief or too long? | No. The article was a bit too long but it was interesting enough to read to the end. FAQ's were just the right length. | No. the text descriptions are basically short and tended toward the too brief side. But they are very interesting. |
| Use of color? | Great! I like the color green that is used and it is calming like the color of plants. The white goes great with it. It is a very bright and clear site. | Too Dark! It is a little gloomy for a garden web site. |
Graphics
| Do the graphics relate to the surrounding text? | Not Really. There a few graphics on the page. One is a rose that is there for no purpose that I can see. The other is the WMMGA logo but I see not description around it. The other graphic is a picture of Red Maple Flowers and it not related to the surrounding text either. | The top most graphic is the one for favorite flowers. Visitors can submit their favorite flower to this web site. It is a nice feature. To add your flower picture is an easy procedure too. The other levels have great graphics and they relate to the surrounding text. They have a picture of the house you can rent for special occasions on that page. Education/Research is a very close up of a leaf. It is charming. |
| Do the graphics provide important information? | There are very few graphics on this web page. They do have a link to a photo gallery of beautiful flowers though. | The graphics do Not provide important information. They are slick photographs that are cropped in very intriguing ways. |
| Does the size of the graphics relate to the page content? | No. The rose on the home page is irrelevant and is duplicated on the article for the topic of the month. | Actually, the size of the graphic takes up 1/2 of the displayable window page and is there mainly for show. It does relate to the page but it subtly relates. |
| Are pictures missing? | No. | No. |
| What is the quality of the graphics? | Very Good but Amateurish. | Excellent. Very professional. |
| How long does it take for the graphics to display? | Not long. The link to the photo gallery takes some time, 8-10 seconds. | 1 second. |
| Are textual descriptions of graphics provided when a text-based browser is used? | No. Not even on the photo gallery! The regular page is mostly text anyway so one can navigate it. Losing the pictures does not change the page much. There might be a 10 per cent change. | Definitely not! This is shocking! The navigation bar is pictures and when they are turned off you can click on the place where you are supposed to click and you cannot tell what you clicked until you see your result in the window. Anyone with text based browser would not be able to navigate this page coherently. |
| Are the textual descriptions appropriate? | N/A | N/A |
Help Information
| Is “help” provided? | No. | No. |
| Is “help” information easy to find? | N/A | N/A |
| How helpful is the “help” information? | N/A | N/A |
| If “help” isn't provided, should it be provided? | No. The site is self-explanatory. | No. The site is self-explanatory. |
| On a scale of 1 to 10 (1=poor, 10=superior), rate each web site. | N/A | N/A |
Feedback Information
| Are opportunities for feedback provided? | Yes. There are three ways for feedback. 1) webmaster@wmassmastergardeners.org, 2) phone number to the president of the organization and 3) questions@wmassmastergardeners.org where you can send questions or comments to the Master Gardeners. | Yes. But they are hard to find. I have to navigate the left hand navigation bar to find them. Call 617/933-4984 for information and feedback for the New England Spring Flower Show for 2003. There are others but they are hard to find. |
| Are feedback opportunities easy to find? | Yes. | No. |
Overall Feel and Look
| How well organized is the site? | The site if very well organized. The left navigation bar is sound and delivers the desired information. | The site if very well organized overall but it is hard to find the information on each of the web pages that you link to. These individual web pages could be better organized. |
| Are the pages consistent from page to page? | Yes. Except for two places where new windows are opened. One for the article of the month and the other photo gallery. On these pages you lose the logo and the frames. But the main page is still available on your screen so it is okay. | Yes. There is no page that is not consistent. They all have the same format. |
| How easy is it to locate important information? | Very easy because the site is so well organized. | Not very easy. One has to go through the individual web pages and look through the all the information to find the important information and sometimes it is hard to recognize. |
| On a scale of 1 to 10 (1=poor, 10=superior), rate each web site. | 8. This site has its good point. I realized the Rule of three is done well on this site. It starts with he Hotline and What the Master Gardener Association is. Then it has the left hand navigation bar available to show one what else is available without having to scroll. It is a little amateurish but for a volunteer association I think it is an extremely good site. I knocked a point off for use of graphics and another for minor misses on authority of articles. These are minor faults though. | 9. I think the site is extremely professional on the outset of looking at the site but as I dug deeper I found it lacking. I knocked a point off for no text without graphics. One can't navigate with just a text editor. The articles should have authors and their credentials and I would organize the email addresses. They are scattered. A site map might work for this web site. |