Reflecting with The State Worker

As I arrive at my new homepage-away-from-homepage, the top story grabs my attention: SEIU staff and state worker blows, accusations . Since I am now a regular site visitor, I instantly relate and am compelled to read more about the story. A local well-known figure and television show host in the area was caught up in a fight at a union hall last week. The coverage by The State Worker is terse but gives me all the info I need to know: who, what , where, why, and affiliation. Because there were two television news stations on scene to report from the event anyway, and The State Worker was "out of town when the altercation became known," Ortiz provided a brief synopsis of the incident on The State Worker, but then linked full stories by CBS 13 and KCRA Channel 3 in the same post. What I also liked was links to the television program that the involved state worker was a part of. As a frequent visitor of the site, I am happy to read about a little drama involving state workers - It makes me forget about the budget deficit for a few minutes.

Coming to the site because of the topic at hand (Ken Hamidi gets in a fight), I stumble upon The State Worker due to searching Google for more information regarding the incident. I am distracted slightly by the glowing Drexel University ad to the right of the page, but I quickly recover from my ADD and see the headline to the story I was searching for in the first place. Although I think the actual information and depth in the story is void, I appreciate Ortiz posting links to the TV stations' stories about the topic. Although I am unfamiliar with the site, I am familiar with the names and organizations that The State Worker mentions, and that is what ultimately hooks me in. I am impressed by the fact that The State Worker seems to have all its bases covered in regards to state worker-related news.

Here I come - a long-time reader of the Sac Bee, but because my family just recently bought me an internet connection at home, I have stumbled onto Sacbee.com . Curious to see what the hell they have to put on the net, I root around and find Jon Ortiz (a favorite writer of mine) and some "blog" called "The State Worker." As a 30-year veteran state worker, I wanna see just what this internet site is all about. At first, I am unsure of what I'm reading. But after reading the short story and the reader-submitted comments, The State Worker grows on me a little bit. I am turned on to the fact that it is a website entirely dedicated to issues and news stories directly related to state workers like me. I also like that I can speak my mind and interact with other state workers who feel passionately about the same things I do (or things I hate). So far so good; I think this site just might actually be growing on me.

Back to reality, my conclusions are as follows:

* The post serves well to each of the three audiences - the news story is just too tempting and juicy to pass up.

* Because of the nature of the story and the highly opinionated responses already on the blog post, I think there is high probability that each of the three types of readers will come back to the blog because purely to see how the nature of the comments on a particular article have evolved.

The State Worker - Checking in via Assignment 4

Jon Ortiz is still at it with The State Worker. Averaging about three posts per day, Ortiz and The State Worker always make me ask myself why I don't visit this site more. Many of the topics interest and even benefit me, and with my recent stop I did exactly what I did the last time - thoroughly investigate the posts that are written.

Content and display still remain the same on the site - as it should. Recent posts are still easy to find on the right-hand side of the page, and the headline for the most-recent new story is still visible initial page load screen. Comparing the site now with the critiques I made in assignment one, I see the same format being used. This format works and is easy to get familiar with. I think it is important and useful that Jon Ortiz's picture and contact info is available on every page so that if something catches your eye and you want to respond to the author directly, you can send Ortiz an e-mail.

I think this blog works because it puts out brief, yet informative news pieces, followed by a hearty follow-up or in-depth piece every three or four posts. Ortiz does a nice job of separating bulky stories and sprinkling in quicker reads that still contain relevancy with the audience. Investigation stories that are put in the Sacramento Bee are also detailed on The State Worker - check out Ortiz's latest update on $5.5 Million dollar vehicle purchase made by the state. Not only does it give readers the news, it also gives the readers a chance to read the actual document, e-mail, or press release that they are referring to so that readers can get a full taste of what's being discussed, if they should feel inclined to do so.

Content-wise, Jon Ortiz and The State Worker still succeed in delivering relevant stories in timely, readable fashion. On the one hand, I would like to see more photos and video pieces on a blog, but on the other hand, I think the lack of these two aspects lets the depth and quality of good old fashioned reporting shine through. The State Worker, I choose you.

Web Usability with "The State Worker"

For some reason, The State Worker took just over four seconds to load. I suppose I could blame the lag time on Sac State's WiFi connection that I'm currently using in my perch here on the fourth floor of the AiRC building.

Upon first glance at the initial home screen, I see the site's blue link bar right in the middle of the page as if it were being used to mark the line between ads and actual content. Above the blue link bar lies a stationary ad for Target's pharmacy services. The blog's title stands out in a crisp graphic that reads "THE State Worker" in bold, yellow text. This helps me out because I know right away that the content will be located underneath that banner. However, buddied-up on the right side of that banner is an ad for Hill Physicians, California Credit Union League, and Baja Limo Service. Overall, there is not tons of extra screen real estate, as I can read the date and title of the latest blog entry towards the bottom of the screen. That being said, I can only read two sentences of the story before I have to scroll down to continue reading.

Luckily, the ads I mentioned are the only one on the site, and the best part is, they STAY at the top of the page. From here on down to the bottom, The Sac State Worker is full of its latest news stories, each one sprinkled with links, the date it was posted, and how many comments have been submitted about each particular article.

All of the images used on The State Worker are generic and contain no ALT text attributes, not do the tags and links inserted throughout the articles. Speaking of links, journalist Jon Ortiz does a good job at including appropriate links in appropriate places. He has the knack for linking just the right amount, and separating his own words with quoted blocks from the governor's many "official" statements towards state workers. The links to site navigation in the blue bar at the top of the website are handy, but not the easiest to navigate through. Rolling your mouse over "Our Region," for example, changes your options under the blue line, but once you scroll across them, be careful you don't accidentally roll over a different topic - your "blue line" options will change quickly. Basically, you're dealing with a 1/4 inch space to slide your mouse across to select the topic of your choice... Think of it as playing "Operation" with your mouse on screen.

The links that I find particularly helpful are the tags at the bottom of each story. Clicking on "furloughs," for example, will take you to a list of all stories tagged under "furlough." This is nice to have if you want to skim over past stories covering the same topic. These tags are easy to spot in each post's structure. I would consider these links valuable. In fact, I don't think The State Worker has any irrelevant links whatsoever, besides the ad banners at the top.

There is an invisible frame that separates the posts on the left from other useful information and archival posts on the right. The right side of the bar yields blog categories, about the author, Ortiz's latest tweets, and other stories you can find on sacbee.com. Rounding things off, the right column on the page has an at-a-glance calendar, monthly archives, other stories "from around the web." Overall, these right-sided links come in handy for casual and dedicated readers alike.

The latest post is titled "Schwarzenegger files response in furlough appeal case." I bet you can all guess what exactly it covers. It is a light post, but the "snippet" Ortiz puts in from Schwarzenegger's camp serves its purpose entirely. Including the governor's statement, the entire article is only four sentences long. But having just been posted this afternoon, there are already 25 comments in response - that's four more than when I started reading the site tonight. See for yourself here.

...Wheel of Fortune category - Popular words of 2009. "This word best defines California during the Schwarzenegger era:"
F_R_O_G_
... I'd like to buy a vowel....