After the preschool years kids still like cartoons, but they want something more complex than straightforward messages. Kids like a bit of conflict, some bad guys that aren’t too scary, and other worldly characters like superheroes, aliens, and animated animals. Cartoon websites can be targets for kids. Believe it or not cartoons and their websites play a big role in kids’ lives and they can still teach them a lesson or two!Although websites are for entertainment, they are helping children develop a stronger instinct when on computers and allowing them the option of games and activities that can enhance their learning abilities. There are two popular cartoon websites that elementary aged children are familiar with that are based on television networks. Both Cartoonnetwork.com and Nickelodeon.com come from the channels of Cartoonnetworkand Nickelodeon providing games to play, video clips, shows and educational activities for kids to interact with.Cartoonnetwork is owned by the Time Warner Company and Nickelodeon is owned by MTV Networks. While both Cartoonnetwork.com and Nickelodeon.com successfully attracta children’s audience with their content, Nickelodeon is more appealing in design because of its broad demonstration of icons.
Although these websites have the same purpose, their designs are different. Nickelodeon is supported with bright colors and a white background. Both Nickelodeon andCartoonnetwork have scroll bars along the top of their homepages that meets the same purpose of making it easy to identify each cartoon that is associated with the television networks. Compared to Nickelodeon, Cartoonnetwork is supported with dark colors. Their background is black and white and their words are all white rather than a variety of colors. From my point of view it seems that Nickelodeon has a childlike view and Cartoonnetwork is more sophisticated. For example if you scroll or click anything that is on Nickelodeon.com icons will appear, but if you take the same action on Cartoonnetwork.com words are the only thing that will appear. Nickelodeon definitely encourages visualization whileCartoonnetwork is text-based. Both Nickelodeon andCartoonnetwork have a space for ads in the same position and spot. Nickelodeon’s ad spot is a sliding box that contains commercials and news pertaining to the cartoons whileCartoonnetwork ad box seems to have a major malfunction because it is always blank. It is important for children to see advertisement that pertains to what they are looking at and this malfunction stops that from occurring. This givesCartoonnetwork a setback because this could be unattractive to children.
Nevertheless both websites have mobile versions based on their desktop versions. Nickelodeon and Cartoonnetwork’smobile versions are no different from their desktop versions.Cartoonnetwork have minor problems on both desktop and mobile versions. The same problem occurs on Cartoonetwork’sdesktop version occurs on its mobile version giving Nickelodeon the upper hand. It is extremely easy to notify links on Nickelodeon’s mobile version, but it is hard to know where everything is located on Cartoonnetwork’s mobile versionbecause of its non-use of links and little word use. In additionCartoonnetwork only have apps to their games and they all have to be purchased while Nickelodeon has a variety of games to choose from that are all free. Having a charge for games defeats the purpose of children being able to play games because it leaves no access to them. If I was a parent that would be a problem because I wouldn’t want to have to hover over my child while they were playing games on my cellular device or have them visiting sites their interested in that charge things to my bill.
Just as Nickelodeon is connected to other age groups,Cartoonnetwork is as well. Nickelodeon has more than one connection on its television network and website. It has other connects such as “Nick Jr.”, “Teennick”, and “NickatNite”. All of these connections from Nickelodeon range from the age groups of toddlers/elementary children, teenagers, and then adults. I know what you could be thinking, How does Nickelodeon have so many options to choose from on just one channel? Nickelodeon is uniquely equipped by switching shows as the time goes by in the day, leaving each show in relation in some type of way. For example some of the voices used for the animated characters are the same people who act on “NickatNite” just as a mature view. This still leaves Nickelodeon with an advantage because even thoughCartoonnetwork is similar it only has one other connection. This other connection is not related to Cartoonetwork at all. At nightCartoonnetwork turns into “Adultswim” which is associated with ignorance and does not have any similarities with what appears on Cartoonnetwork. Nickelodeon’s connections still uses its name in some form trying to keep the same aspect. In contrast Cartoonnetwork’s connection has a completely different name and the characters and actors are nothing alike. Likewise their show-times are all still ranged at the same times, making it easy to identify when the channel makes a transition.
The two websites as a whole share some similarities where they can’t be distinguished at all. I can honestly say that they both have an easy navigation on their sites. It is easy to access any of the content an there aren’t any complications to functioning the sites. Any child allowed to visit these sites would have a fair understanding of usability. The websites of Cartoonnetwork.com and Nickelodeon.com both share the same value of usage.
In conclusion, Nickelodeon and Cartoonnetwork both accomplished their purpose of entertaining elementary age children. I would rate Cartoonnetwork on 3out5 star scale because of its malfunctions and lack of links.
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