Kappa Sigma Fraternity
Second Blog Assignment – Kappa Sigma Fraternity
I chose to analize my fraternity’s, Kappa Sigma (KZ) main website. KZ is the largest fraternity in the nation and the one that has the most plegdes worlwide. In CONUS it is a very well known fraternity, and here on the island we just initiated that Omicron Zheta Chapter at UH. As far as the main website goes, since pretty much every chapter/colony has one, it is mainly targeted to undergrate students that want to find out more about what KZ is all about and also as an informative cyber portal for all KZ men. The website uses flash animations, color photos and graphics, easy to read text, etc. However the sensory modalities of sense of smell and hearing(audio) are not addressed.
The website is easy to navigate and it covers pretty much any type of visitor; undergraduate, alummni and parents. This website serves as a recruiting tool by using interesting historical facts, statistics and famous alummni. It is also informative by providing the historical facts of how the fraternity came to be. It also covers pretty well any questions for parents which might have a stereotype of what a fraternity might be by pointing out the fraternity’s core values and mission statement. While all these information is been display there are also rotating graphics in the banner section that shows; brothers and alummni. Aside from the home link which has the flash in the banner, the other links stay on top, and the information under each link stays in subject and not overlapping information. This way you see/read what you are looking for. I believe this website its well produced and captivating enough to where someone that is looking for a fraternity will have a good idea and will find who he would have to contact near to his location.
I chose to analize my fraternity’s, Kappa Sigma (KZ) main website. KZ is the largest fraternity in the nation and the one that has the most plegdes worlwide. In CONUS it is a very well known fraternity, and here on the island we just initiated that Omicron Zheta Chapter at UH. As far as the main website goes, since pretty much every chapter/colony has one, it is mainly targeted to undergrate students that want to find out more about what KZ is all about and also as an informative cyber portal for all KZ men. The website uses flash animations, color photos and graphics, easy to read text, etc. However the sensory modalities of sense of smell and hearing(audio) are not addressed.
The website is easy to navigate and it covers pretty much any type of visitor; undergraduate, alummni and parents. This website serves as a recruiting tool by using interesting historical facts, statistics and famous alummni. It is also informative by providing the historical facts of how the fraternity came to be. It also covers pretty well any questions for parents which might have a stereotype of what a fraternity might be by pointing out the fraternity’s core values and mission statement. While all these information is been display there are also rotating graphics in the banner section that shows; brothers and alummni. Aside from the home link which has the flash in the banner, the other links stay on top, and the information under each link stays in subject and not overlapping information. This way you see/read what you are looking for. I believe this website its well produced and captivating enough to where someone that is looking for a fraternity will have a good idea and will find who he would have to contact near to his location.
posted by Pocho at 3:38 PM
1 Comments:
Fraternities are very interesting organizations in terms of the rhetoric they have to deploy. As you suggest in your discussion of the links for parents, many people have stereotypes of male fraternal organizations (that they do nothing but party, and worse), so the ethos of the site is immediately in question for many readers--it's what Cicero would call a difficult case.
The focus on "values" seems to be a solid strategy for KZ. Refuting the commonly held beliefs about fraternities by representing all the good work members do in their communities, as well as their commitment to scholarship, is an effective approach. They also have to balance this "serious" image with the need to appeal to young men with images of fun activities--after all, they're competing with other frats for pledges. They have a complex audience with different needs.
It's also interesting how they develop the metaphor of the family, with "brothers" and, presumably, "sisters" at corresponding sororities. I've always wondered how much this family metaphor appeals to people who seek adult social bonds and networks and how much they appeal to the worries of young people who have just left their real families--another aspect of the complex audiences, and complex individuals, these organizations serve.
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