Love Episode Eight

I believe that I am the lucky one because I feel love among my family and friends. More than that, I am gratified to have been chosen by God. I am a Catholic. Since the day I have received the Spirit, I experienced God's love. Sometimes it is hard to tell, but I can always feel peace and faith in my heart. In this episode, let's share God's love! 

"God's love for you"! I like this title because I know God's love is infinite for everyone. This online article spreads the idea of God's love. The words used are simple but precise, so that even non-catholic can understand easily. The article is written in a form of questions and answers - questions in blue (separate subheading) and answers in black. The layout is plain and tidy; and the article occupies most of the space on the webpage. I guess a clear layout without squeezing words attracts readers' attention. As this is a website for Catholic religion, there is no advertisement of products or services shown except the books and videos to recommend. This creates a more harmonious environment for me to concentrate on reading the article.

Actually, I appreciate the well-designed navigation system on top of the webpage. It is so user-friendly that I am more than happy to click on them. The links are relevant and useful for viewers. I believe that the links are valuable for non-catholic to get to know God. I really like the Catholic quotes which are the maxim for my life. Though there are not many pictures, I love the one placed on the top with Jesus and Holy Mary and the one I've posted. They are just great! I think they are of the right size too. The most important thing is not the number of pictures, but the value of pictures there. Sometimes, a meaningful picture can be more powerful than hundreds of words on a website.

After reading the article, I recap the knowledge from the Gospel. Through God's love, I learn to love and help those in need. I believe 'to be beloved' is a lot easier than 'to love'; and of course as a Catholic, I prepare to use my whole life to love people and things around me. Thank God for what you have granted me!

Love Episode Seven

Frankly, I do not have much experience living with an elderly. In my memory, my grandfather and grandmother were the kindest people I have ever known. I believe that the elderly has some sorts of wisdom gained from their entire life experiences; and it seems natural that an elderly loves to share his/her stories or thoughts with the young. Does the young generation show respect and love for the elderly? I guess the answer is 'maybe'. Education is necessary undoubtedly.

There is an article titled "Teaching our children to love the elderly". This online article has been posted on a blog (I guess it is instead of a photography website). I appreciate the author's views on educating the young generation to love the elderly. However, the first impression I had when I saw the article was in fact terrible, not only because of the text colour but also the layout of the article. It is really a tight squeeze! I think a clear layout contributes to the readers' convenience. As online readers tend to skim articles fast to look for what they are interested in, a concise layout could be a key to attract readers' attention.

The main story is placed in the middle of the page which takes the focus of the readers. There is a picture with an old man at the beginning of the article. This photo shows exactly what the young needs to care about, that is to spend more time on the elderly. I believe that we can only hear the needs of the elderly if we really care what they want. If I were the author, I would enlarge the picture to show the eyes of the old man clearly. Personally, his eyes reflect his anxiety for love and care. Also, I think there is still space left for more pictures of the elderly. 

A Chinese traditional idiom says "An elderly is worth a treasure at home". To educate our kids to respect the elderly is really important. They are the ones who have contributed to our society and it is time they enjoy their lives. Try not to love the elderly at home only but all the elderly you meet in daily life!



Let's show love and  respect for the elderly!



Love Episode Six

Can you imagine that 15 million children under 18 have been orphaned as a result of AIDS? Most African countries are facing a great problem with the arrangement of the orphans. The orphans in African have no choice but live without their parents' love. Fortunately, the AIDS orphans are still the beloved ones. Do you know who offers them help? Let's read the articles about AIDS orphans!

When I was reading the articles on this website, I found the AIDS charity, AVERT very effective in designing their website in three ways. First, they have used a top-down approach in the notion of information architecture. As a reader, I read from the top to the bottom automatically in order to get more details of AIDS orphans. The sequence of details is delivered by using clear subtitles which are coloured in purple. Under each subtitle, there are separate key words which help show the ideas in the coming paragraphs in green. Readers may feel convenient and easy in reading hundreds of words. Remember to read the paragraphs under subtitles "country responses" and "the need for action"!

The second effective mean is actually the use of images. Some relevant photographs are inserted between paragraphs. I think the pictures bring a pleasant perception rather than a sense of sadness or grief. For AIDS orphans, hope and care are important. I felt warm and grateful when I saw the picture with a girl standing with a smile on her face. Apart from images, videos are powerful to convey messages. There is a video clip under the subtitle 'family structures' but the link of the video has been removed. This reminds me of the importance of website maintenance.

Third, I appreciate the design of the interface. The algorithm is well-structured with the main story in the middle. The navigation system is designed on the top and left of the page which is user-friendly. However, the search system is not shown obviously. Maybe it is placed in the middle of left column with very light colour. It could be a good idea to show the search system on top of the page. Overall, this website is a good example of information architecture.

How do you feel after reading the articles? I guess the best way to help AIDS orphans is to offer help by supporting organisations like AVERT and UNICEF. May God bless the orphans!