With the talk of global warming affecting all of the climate changes we are experiencing today, I found a story on http://www.msnbc.com/ examining the consequences of this rapid environmental change. I thought that the story is extremely detailed in its explanation of the effects around the globe as well as its explanations on what can be done to slow down global warming. The page’s layout particularly caught my eye, as there is a nice use of multimedia and slideshows throughout the page. You can see the story here at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22226310/ These slide shows and videos are effective in showing the consequences of global warming already in effect. Also, the use of diagrams and maps on what areas will be affected by rising seas is a wonderful visual for the reader who wants to know more about this global problem. I did however think that the use of multimedia may have been a bit too overwhelming, as there are far too many links surrounding the story, and may thus take reader’s attention away from the story. I think the page would have been more effective if there were a couple of videos and slides but not as many as were included. I think the story is successful in providing links to other stories on related topics as well as its inclusion of a podcast of a researcher speaking about the melting ice in Greenland. I also thought the use of cutlines in the slideshows did a wonderful job of explaining the effects of greenhouse effect around the world, especially the use of caption to explain the spread of disease in refugee camps of Africa. What are your thoughts on the layout of this page and the use of multimedia? Do you think the use of multimedia is overwhelming or is just right for conveying the problem of global warming in an interactive way?