Mainstream Broadcaster Website - Ch4 'Bringing Up Baby'

http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/B/bringing_up_baby/index.html

Technology
The only technology involved is the internet, as it’s a website and digital video, due to the numerous clips available for viewing.

TV channel websites are only replacing small technologies, such as teletext and TV guide reviews. They are significant as they are predominantly creating something new because before there was no service which gave you so much detail and extra information on a particular television programme.

Media Content
Media content on the website includes related websites, video clips, quizzes, games, forums and information.
The ‘Bringing Up Baby’ website: http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/B/bringing_up_baby/routine_2.html
The website is very clearly laid out, at the top there is a large picture of 3 babies’ feet and the background is dark beige. To the left there is a list of links which are directly related to the website; video clips, best for baby – 1950s/1960s/1970s, key issues, ask the expert, series guide - The families/The mentors/series synopsis, forum, in the news, find out more. Then in the middle is where the main text and articles appear, the website is designed to give you information on the programme but also to help you with bringing up your own children. So by being informative it will encourage loyalty among families. To the right is a column full of links, each with a photo, all f these are more interactive features and often lead to the BBC’s ‘Family’ website.

Channel 4’s ‘Family’ Website http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/F/family/
The ‘BUB’ website and this one have a very strong synergy with many links between the 2. BUB is advertised on the ‘Family’ homepage, and many BUB links take you to a feature on the ‘Family’ website. The website is designed to give parents help, advice and support. It has articles and information on many topics; divorce, adoption, paternity tests, miscarriage, pregnancy. It also has many of the same quizzes etc as BUB, such as the ‘New Dad’ quiz.

Video Clips http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/B/bringing_up_baby/video/index.html
On the left hand side bar there is a link to a video clip page where you can watch varied clips from the series. It shows some of the parenting mentors from the show debating different styles of dealing with crying babies. Some other clips show alternative technologies which each of the mentors like, for example baby slings, telling you the pros and cons of each. They are informative and give potential viewers a good taster of the show.

Quizzes & Games
New dad quiz http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/F/family/newdad/newdad.html
Parents screw you up? quiz http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/F/family/screwyouup/index.html
Showbiz baby name game http://www.channel4.com/health/microsites/F/family/namegenerator/index.html
The ‘New dad’ and ‘Parents screw you up?’ quizzes have multiple questions to determine a result and are much more serious - some of the questions are quite harsh and intrusive and rely on the participant to be truthful. I think these 2 are designed to help the participants, where as the Showbiz baby name generator is directed at a much younger audience. It is much lighter hearted with phrases such as ‘co-creator’ referring to the other parent and gives your child a ridiculous name, such as ‘leaf lettuce’.

Forum http://community.channel4.com/eve/ubb.x?a=frm&s=162603557&f=8280090101
The forum allows viewers to talk to other viewers about parenting issues they share, anyone can create an account and then post a problem which they have, and then everyone can view them and post advice if they wish. This will increase loyalty to the website greatly because it provides parents (predominantly mothers) with support and friendship which they may not find elsewhere.

Information
Not entirely sure if this counts as a media content. I think the main strength of the website is that it takes advantage of the chance to offer parents support through this programme. The programme alone would get few loyal viewers who looked at the new videos, but by offering advice and forums and quizzes it helps and supports its viewers. The channel 4 ‘Family’ website also offers a huge amount f information on every aspect of parenting which I’m sure many people would read if they knew of it.

Audiences
I think that the main audience is young families who are more familiar with the use of the internet, and more willing to explore different methods of parenting. I don’t think that social groups are relevant to this website because all classes have questions and worries about parenting. As well as information about the show, audiences are using it for support and advice on parenting.

It also targets fathers who previously are probably unlikely to seek parenting advice. However, features like the ‘New Dad’ quiz which specifically target fathers make them much more likely to make use of the website.

Benefits: Free parenting advice, 3 totally different parenting regimes you can follow, information on a range of topics, tailored advice/results (from quizzes).
It seems to offer little information about the show as it used much more to help parents and to market channel 4’s ‘Family’ website.

Institutions
The only institution involved is channel 4which is using it to market and to exhibit to a lesser extent

Channel 4 is marketing ‘BUB’ through its website because through clips and articles it gives viewers a taster of the programme, but it also markets channel 4 in general through synergy. The ‘BUB’ website and channel 4’s ‘Family’ website are very closely connected. Channel 4 uses the fact that they have similar audiences to encourage viewer’s loyalty to the institution, by offering them good parenting information, support and advice, viewers will hopefully see them as helpful and reliable and recommend them. (a.k.a. vertical integration)
à It shows clips from the programme and therefore exhibits it, but this is mainly used to help market the programme.

Key Concepts
Key concepts involved are; interactivity, personalization, democratisation, diversification, vertical integration and immediacy

Interactivity
There is a lot of interactivity in this website which encourages loyalty from viewers. There is a question and answer page where viewers can ask a professional pediatrician of 25 years for advice. The game ‘Showbiz Baby Name Generator’ is also a fun interactive feature which gets people involved.

Personalisation
Viewers can get personalised parenting advice from the 2 quizzes that the website has (‘New Dad and Parents Screw You Up?), this makes viewers feel more involved and makes the experience much more intimate so they feel more content. The forum also provides personalised advice because viewers can post their problems and then anyone can give them advice back.

Democratisation
The forum that the website has is an example of democratisation because it offers everyone who looks on the website a global audience. People create an account and they can post problems and anyone can give advice to them. This encourages loyalty because viewers can talk to people outside their family friends so they will be completely objective about it, being mainly mothers on the forums it means that there is very little chance of abusive advice etc.

Vertical Integration
The relationship between the ‘BUB’ website and channel 4’s ‘Family’ website is a good example of vertical integration. Many of the features on the BUB website – e.g. ‘New Dad Quiz’ and ‘Parenting advice’ – are common on the ‘Family’ website making the synergy strong, channel 4 can do this and make t work because the audiences of each are similar.

Immediacy
As a website it is instantly a form of immedicay because it can accessed from anywhere at any time so viewers can access the information whenever they want.