Clean Coal Websites

Looking at the two websites we were given about the idea of clean coal, I had many first impressions. The This is Reality website really caught my eye with the opening page. It had interesting facts with little animations of a bird flying. I thought this was funny. This was definitely a pro for this website because most people would react to it like I did and continue to read on. A con for this website would be that it might not be taken as serious as the American Power website because it makes fun of the idea. People might take offense to this and not want to read on. The second website America's Power didn't give me a good first impression. The website seemed boring and had a lot of text on the opening page. This is a con for the website because if people get bored they won’t read on. There is a pro to this website though, it does offer you information that can really help you understand what tpeople are trying to do to help make coal usage cleaner. Comparing the two website I am caught in the middle on which I prefer. I like the reality website only because it is entertaining and provides information in a humorous way, yet I like the American Power website because it provides information on how America is trying to change the coal usage and make it cleaner.

The stake in the debate of these two website is the idea that coal is used for almost all our energy in the U.S. and it is causing pollution and we aren’t stopping it or trying to fix the problem. On the American Power website, they are trying to come up with idea on how to make coal use less pollutant to the earth. This idea is called CC technology, which is basically research on how to make clean coal. The website offers a map and most states are trying out this research idea. The This is reality website is providing information to their viewers about the idea that there is no such things as clean coal. This is a Logos strategy because it provides you with reasons and evidence that there is nothing true about the idea of clean coal. The American Power website suggests to their viewer’s that we need to research the idea of clean coal and try to find a solution. It also provides information about the states on how much coal is being used and what each state is doing to stop this problem. This is both a logos strategy because again it provides reason and evidence and it is also an ethos strategy because the website seems credible and trustworthy.

Both website have the same audience which are people who are interested in the coal use in our country and people seeking information about clean coal and the ideas around it. I do not believe that the audiences are different. The websites provide coal information but just from different view points and people need to know both sides.

Both website provide many names and organizations that sponsor them. This really makes each website look credible. For example on the reality website, there is a list of “Reality Coalition Members” which you can view and learn more about the members. On American Power website, they have a page dedicated to who they are and what types of organizations are behind their idea. Both of these website seem credible to me and I feel that having this information on the website can really attract people.

Having emotional appeals on your website can really help your argument. Both website provide pathos. For example, the reality website shows facts with a bird flying into them with crossed out eyes. To me this means that the bird is dead because of all the coal use in the U.S. This appeals to me and makes me feel bad about all the coal we use. The second website, American Power provides videos of real life people and what they are doing to help make clean coal. This can be emotional and attract people too.

Comparing the visual expressions on each website, I feel the This is reality website is more effective. It provides more then one strategy (ethos, pathos &logos) to the audience and they will be more persuaded by it. On the other hand, the American Power website provides great information and wants to try and find a solution unlike the reality website. People might not see the visual expression in this website besides logos, but I feel they will be more open to it since it is trying to find a solution.

In the end, I feel that both website are persuasive on different ends. The reality website persuades their audience to believe that there is not such a thing as clean coal and they do provide information to back this up. The American Power website is also persuasive but is persuading their audience to believe that their could be a solution, we just need to do research. Both are different but to me both are persuasive.