Recently, Arianna Huffington’s website, The Huffington Post, has grown from a humble blog into an iconic Internet fixture for news, culture and opinion. The Huffington Post’s audience is different from the typical businessmen picking up their Wall Street Journal and a hot coffee from a corner street vendor before work, and the website instead aims itself as an informational source for a new era of tech-savvy, blackberry-ites who believe in the credo that inserting an “i” in front of a commonplace item transforms it into a thing of bold progressivism and, (for those yet to possess it,) justified envy. If the technological world of today is a rat race to see which device can marvel first and more spectacularly, then the modern working class is the perpetuator of this principle, ready for the next big thing with open arms and abused credit cards. It is into this age of exponential technological growth that Huffington Post enters, perfectly situated to appeal to those who need not only the dissemination of information to happen with lightening-fast speed, (something a daily newspaper cannot provide,) but also the ability to view this information on all types of devices, so that it can be processed whenever and wherever he or she likes.
However, news websites like the Huffington Post are a relatively new invention, and with this newness comes an inherent imperfection that must be addressed. Particularly, the Huffington Post suffers from a visual standpoint: though topics are clearly labeled at the top of the main page, articles are scattered in a hodgepodge across the screen. The website would benefit from a more streamlined organizational approach, posting articles linearly and chronologically in each major category (e.g. Politics, Entertainment, Arts,) so that the latest information is easily accessible and presented logically. Perhaps a table of contents, updated daily (or even hourly,) under each major topic tab would provide the reader with a better navigational system to trudge through the massive amount of news and information now thrown at them with each click.
Next, the website needs to embrace its strengths and purge itself of all weaknesses. Admittedly, The Huffington Post is in a constant struggle to be seen as a legitimate source of news amidst time-tested and prestigious sources of print-journalism like the New York Times or the Chicago-Sun Times. Because of this, it must present information in a way that appears both authoritative and serious. Having a website that discusses the current tensions between the Koreas as well as Megan Fox’s “killer abs,” (as Huffington Post regrettably does,) not only de-legitimizes the website itself but also downplays the gravitas of significant national and international events.
Thirdly, though it may be deemed important by some Huffington Post editor to splash a headline about a conservative policy instituted by the FCC on the welcome page in size 48 font, this audacious, upfront declaration of the Huffington Post’s liberal views, is a turn off to a less left-wing reader. Though I am a proponent of websites expressing opinion from all ends of the political spectrum, announcing this slant in such an aggressive way will only alienate more moderate readers. A subtler, gentle approach to presenting liberally skewed news would serve to better expand the Huffington audience as well as convert those who consider themselves politically undecided.
Fourth, the section entitled, “Divorce” is unnecessary and irrelevant to the website. Though it may be intriguing to discuss the latest celebrity break up or speculate on a couple in the spotlight headed for martial doom, this again throws the legitimacy of the Huffington Post as a serious news source into a questionable light. Further, in my humble opinion, adding such negativity and broadcasting a phenomenon arguably on the rise only contributes to the problem of rampant marital separation in an America that oftentimes embraces the “everyone’s-doing-it-so-it-must-be-cool” ideology of playgrounds past (think Bernie Madoff investors and Tickle Me Elmo purchasers.) Instead, a section on “Marriages,” expounding upon the virtues of coupledom, or even a “Love” section (à la the late, great John Lennon,) chronicling partners pursing joint endeavors or local events where one might find interesting single people would be more appropriate.
Lastly, the Huffington Post should become more local, adding an option to search for a reader’s zip code to find news relevant to that reader’s particular area (at present, there is only an option to view New York or Los Angeles news.) In attempting to erase the need for a regional, often-provincial local newspaper, the Post has become too global and all encompassing for those concerned with their immediate problems and issues. Though this would require a tremendous grass roots effort to initiate, it is only with tedious and assiduous exertion that great results, and great expansion is possible.
