The All Mighty Y! versus the Big D

When it comes to online news, for myself personally, I've used Yahoo! in the past, and lately I use Reddit or MSN (because that's what we use at work, so I see the headlines without really trying to seek them out. I've never really sought out the Dallas Morning News, but if I were to, it would probably be the physical copy as opposed to their online site. I listen to the news on the radio on my way to work or class and then if a story intrigues me, I tend to Google it to see what else I can find later. I'm not going to lie to you, I'm not terribly aware of the news all the time. I lead a busy life, two jobs and classes (plus homework) doesn't leave a lot of time for me to be able to sit and browse things (this includes social media, my accounts have been terribly neglected this semester. I know, gasp). That's why I enjoy listening to the news though, I can listen while I drive so I'm not just sitting and not doing anything.

News to me is anything informative about the world around me. I like knowing what the weather this weekend will be like, I like knowing which laws are passing or being written, I enjoy hearing about the sporting events that happen. I don't consider celebrity news to be 'news' in this sense because its just not... useful? information. I guess in the same way as everyone else, when it comes to news, I'm a sponge. I soak up the things I see/hear and I know of them, I just don't know all the details to every event.

When it comes to comparing the sites, I believe one of the most obvious differences is the locality. The Dallas Morning News is a local page, although they do cover other topics, its mainly focused on this area, which isn't a bad thing! In a lot of cases, locality is good, it helps you know what's happening around you. I think that locality could be a pro and a con for the Dallas Morning News and that the wide range of locations for Yahoo! news could also be a pro and a con. I think Yahoo! has a better reach because they're a multifunctional site (email and ask Yahoo! and such) but, I feel like the Dallas Morning News is more known for news so people might consider them more reliable.

Two things I like about the Dallas Morning News would be firstly, the way it's set up. It's very organized and I like the readability of it. I feel like the page breaks make it a more comfortable thing to look at and the pictures help create breaks in the bricks of words. I also really like how the ads are on the side and out of the way so I don't have to weed through what's news and what isn't. As for Yahoo!, I like how the sub-topics are all listed on the left side so if you're looking for something specific, you can navigate to it easily. I also like the right side with the writers are written on the side along with articles by them specifically listed underneath.

Things I dislike about each page would be that I feel like the Dallas Morning News' front page all evening has been about the Cowboys' loss which although is true, is still painful to see. Also not terribly news-worthy to me. My second complaint feels a bit nit-picky, but I don't like how the actual news stories are listed next to the huge picture talking about the Cowboys. There was a shooting in Arlington that's just pushed off to the side! I know that it's probably because they don't have a lot of details yet, but the priorities feel off. For Yahoo!, My biggest complaint would have to be the ads. THEY'RE EVERYWHERE. I feel like I'm treading through a minefield where I have to be careful where I click. My other issue would be that they focus a lot of attention on celebrities and TV shows, which I'm also not a huge fan of. Where's the news, people?

When it comes to choosing a site that I feel is 'better', I'm at a loss. My gut tells me Dallas Morning News because I do enjoy looking at and navigating on their page more

I definitely am more of a fan of the Dallas Morning News because every ad I've encountered on their page has been stationary as opposed to the many moving ads on Yahoo!. Also I like the headlines being toward the top, because on Yahoo!'s page, they throw stuff in the middle that just feels out of place

No Yahoo!, I do not want to search my name on that site and then brace myself, I want news.
I enjoy the closeness of the Dallas Morning News as well, there was a section on things that are happening next weekend in Collin County and the only sports teams they write about are the Dallas ones (which are the only ones I care about). I like it because it doesn't take a lot of digging,

As I scroll down both pages, I'm further reinforced in my belief that the Dallas Morning News is just set up nicely. I also really don't like the emphasis on celebrities on Yahoo!, I don't care that Michael Jordan is wearing an unreleased pair of Jordan 1s. He's Michael Jordan. All of his shoes are technically "Jordans".

I also feel like the Dallas Morning News is a more reputable site than Yahoo!. This isn't based off any kind of fact or data given, its just in my opinion that a place that solely focuses on the news is more reputable than a site that hosts a search engine, an email, maps, and everything else Yahoo! does because I feel like things get left out or quickly glazed over in an effort to get everything done. People don't multitask well, and I know computers and algorithms are much different, but it's hard to get out of the mindset that its possible to have a successful piece of work with multiple moving parts when it feels like each part doesn't get enough attention.