What Makes BBC.COM a Distinct News Website? [website review by Jakjaison]

What Makes BBC.COM a Distinct News Website?

Website Review by Jakjaison

An average educated person does not need any introduction to the term the BBC – the British Broadcasting Corporation. I am sure you have listened or watched or crawled through the services of the BBC many times to grab a lead or to scan a developing story. Even though the BBC stands for a larger collection of things, like BBC Radio and BBC TV, what I place on my dissection table is its news website bbc.com/news.

Structure and Organization

The website gives you a less complicated construction with an easy navigation system that does not overburden your eyes. The top header section presents you options to go through the various alternative services of the BBC like Radio, TV, Sports, Nature, and Shopping. The sub-header tab is exclusively kept for News. You are able to go with your own nose for news stories from sections like World, Asia, Business, Health, Entertainment etc. There is a quick link to go to Videos in the same bar that brings you a collection of relevant video files/reports of lead stories. The Editor’s Blog and Special Reports may create some special interest here.

The major news stories are arranged in the centre platform of the layout in a hierarchal order. Each news story comes to you with a thumbnail image of the story and related news points. This gives you a deeper understanding of the story as the links, sub-links, and video links associated with the news items guide you towards related details or comments. You are given a BBC World Service section below the major news stories. The peculiar thing you may notice here is the division of the world into news continents than geographical continents! But this region based section helps you to skip things or to look around what interests you. You are provided with a video bar towards the bottom that brings you relevant visuals from the major news stories. The BBC World Service towards the bottom offers a unique section of news in different languages. An appealing feature for regional news seekers is that the major news stories of the region, where a particular language is spoken, are given prominence than major irrelevant world news to that part of the world.

One important feature you may find is that the advertisements do not consume a major share of the layout. You have the options to have news alerts from the BBC and to follow major news stories through Email towards the bottom. The site also provides you a search option at a conventional top position.

Scheme and Special Features

The site comes with a simple, easy-to-scan layout with a suitable white background colour. The restricted header section, with a characteristic dark red shade and limited graphics, gives you a less confused feel. The editors have tried to avoid over-detailing of the pages. The classic blue text-links do not confuse the reader and assure an easy flow without disturbing the matter. The same simple layout is kept in all the pages as a basic framework that ensures a stay-in-page feel.

You are provided with a Live BBC World Service, Radio, and Discussion Room in the right scan column. A list of Most Popular News, a Magazine section for thoughtful readers, and Analysis by experts are some of the interesting things you should not miss in the same column. The last updated time with news stories helps you to know the news-worthiness of the matter. The other good thing you should not miss is One Minute World News – a video news presentation that brings you the latest visuals of lead stories, though it comes bundled with a short advertisement. The images associated with sections like Nature, Travel etc. will make a halt for interested eyes. The site retains a healthy resolution and browser friendliness over different platforms including smartphone versions. The Parental Guidance and Accessibility Help of the site work well to meet the specific needs of the people concerned.

Sour Points

If you are interested only in regional stories, the editors may disappoint you with their selection of stories that appeal more to Western readers. It is better for the site owners to have a wider partnership with more local players. The site could have been more enjoyable if there were some interesting widgets.  Some of the articles you find in various sections may not bear the name of the authors.

The world has numerous players who sell what happens around them. Some of them decide what others should know! In a time period where news is a commodity people still find time to spend with the BBC for its unmatched style of authoring and news dissemination. And, bbc.com/news as an important member of a bigger BBC family commands its own prime space and retains its label as a distinct news website.

©JAKMEDIASERVICES by jakjaison4u@gmail.com