For this blog post I analyzed seventeen.com (the website version of the magazine) and I read through the pages and analyzed the set up as well as compared and contrasted it to the magazine version.
http://www.seventeen.com/
First of all, the context of this magazine/website is current fashion, current trends, and current celebrity gossip that is directed to the teenaged girl population of America. Every month this magazine comes out with a brand new spread, and the cover always consists of the same elements. There is always a celebrity or a model that is posing a friendly/inviting way... with surrounding captions that intrigue readers into buying the magazine. For example, an issue might have on the cover "15 Great Gifts for Guys" which is a great way to relate to the current context of time and always makes people buy the magazine. Something I realized while flipping through a seventeen magazine was that the front cover conveys the articles that are hidden underneath the title page with a lot more energy and interest then the actual articles themselves. The captions draw viewers in but then the piece they wish to view seems to not reach expectations... although that could be personal preference it is an observation that I made.
While browsing through the website I took note of all pages and the design of the website. The site is jam-packed with pictures, vibrant colors, and many sections to choose from to browse the site. They have pages for fashion, quizzes, celebrities, love life, and others. Within the tabs the pieces that lay within are quite concise. Compared to the magazine version the online articles are very short and there are twice as many. While the magazine has a few articles but they can be pretty lengthy. In this case I would make the argument that the use of conciseness is a rhetorical device used to reach the editors purpose of drawing as many readers in as possible while making a profit if readers decide to sign up for the monthly magazine. Another rhetorical device used in the website is arrangement. The tabs for the various pages are arranged from fashion, to celebrities/gossip, to personal teenaged stuff like college and prom. Articles are also arranged with pictures on the left and writing on the right side while the pictures are large the captions or articles are fairly short which gives the page a certain picture book feel. The pictures are what most likely draw people in in the first place.
I feel like the editors did achieve their purpose because the seventeen magazine is found in every convenience store nationwide and has millions of regular readers and viewers on its website.
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