안녕하세요
"Hello"

Each member has their own websites that they like. Personally, I am more interested in celebrity news; but that doesn't mean I'm interested in gossip or that I'm interested in American celebrities. There are several different websites around the world that will give you instant news about your favorite celebrities. Even if there is a language barrier between the news and yourself, there are websites out there that will translate the news for you and make it easier for you to understand. Soompi and Allkpop are both sites that translate news for you from Korean to English; both sites focus on celebrities or "idols" from Korea. I have always been interested in Asian culture and music and Korean music fits in that category for me, especially since I listen to Korean music all the time whether I understand the language or not. 

Soompi

Soompi was founded in 1998 and is known as "the world's largest and longest-running English online media providing coverage of Korean pop culture." The website is meant to translate media coverage from Korean pop culture to English, so international fans could also know what is going on with their favorite idols. The website informs their audience about every little thing that is considered important in the entertainment media of Korea. There are multiple translators and authors who translate the media, but also write their own media articles and each one has their own voice. 

The website's logo, as seen above, is the website's name and a star in the middle of the 'p.' The website icon is also a star, the same star that is in the logo. The layout is very simple and consists of mostly the same colors: black, white, and blue. Across from the logo, there are different little logo buttons that lead to other social media outlets hat soompi is a part of and can be contacted from. Not only does soompi translate in English, but they also translate their news to French, Spanish, and Portuguese which proves just how long they've actually been around.

At the front, you see various images with news articles on top of them in a collage. The collage is mostly filed with recent news that is considered important, but if you want to filter through it, you could scroll down and pick the article of your wishing or you could press a tab that allows you to see the type of news that want. Furthering proving their credibility, Soompi even has a shop that usually has specials with signed CDs; if a website had no credibility, they certainly would not be able to obtain signed CDs in order to do these specials. 

Ethos is a huge part of Soompi's website. The buttons to different social media outlets, as well as the multiple languages and the about page all show that Soompi has been around for years and has continued to thrive thanks to their audience. Soompi has had plenty of time to build up their company and credibility and is one of the most trusted websites out there. Pathos is not necessarily shown, unless you are a fan of this music and culture. The titles draw their readers in and engage them, causing their readers to want to read more; but unless you are a fan of the culture and music, you wouldn't fully understand. Soompi targets a specific audience: international fans of Korean pop entertainment. Logos is also seen through the usage of buttons that organize the news articles. Instead of having to look through each article one by one to find what you are interested in, you could click a tab and narrow down your search. 

Soompi is personally one of my favorite websites because aside from the Soompi specials, the credibility that Soompi has built up over the years is reliable and trustworthy. Soompi takes their time before throwing an article out into the open. In most cases, Soompi is the only website to consider for truthful news rather than gossip and rumors.

Allkpop

Allkpop has not been around for as long as Soompi, but has a fanbase that could be considered just as big. While both strive for the same audience, Allkpop and Soompi are very different from one another.
Allkpop uses the opposite colors of Soompi. The site mostly consists of red, black, and white, but the page itself has a greyish tint. Allkpop also has buttons that lead their audience to other social media outlets they could be found on, but not nearly as many as Soompi. While Soompi is able to translate their articles to at least three other languages, Allkpop is only able to translate to one: English. The page consists of a small collage, somewhat like Soompi, but each picture has a color of its own. The page appeals to people who like bright and colorful images on a website and are looking for news to pop at them. The colors resemble a rainbow. On top, the page also has the word 'featured' written in caps to add emphasis to the fact that the articles in the collage are the most important articles at the moment. 

There are more articles below the collage, each in their own color as well. The layout itself is very blocky and messy, but would appeal to an audience who didn't care so much about the appeal, but only about the "juiciest gossip" they could find.

Allkpop tends to post articles that are based off rumor and speculation. The articles may or may not be true, but as long as there is a lead, the article will be posted. Allkpop is similar to any tabloid magazine that could be found at Duane Reade or Rite Aid. The articles may not even be completely important or relevant, but there is at least one reader out there would would be interested in random nonsense about their favorite idol. 
Despite the lack of logos, there is a lot of pathos that can be found on the homepage. To begin, the subtle exclamation points make the reader more excited and interested to read the article. For articles that are "ground breaking" the word "breaking" could be found in caps, immediately alerting the reader that this article will give them news that they definitely would want to know. The article titles, as well as the snippets on the side, allow the reader to know what the article may pertain to; and if they are interested, the readers will definitely continue to read.

While I do prefer Soompi to Allkpop, that doesn't mean that I completely hate Allkpop. Allkpop is the site I go to when I want to look at some silly rumors, or if I want to see an article that was just translated. In most cases, Allkpop is the first to translate articles while Soompi takes a little while longer. Perhaps that has to do with Soompi having more credibility, but sometimes I don't want to wait and just want the quick news that's been served on Allkpop, whether it's right or wrong. It's just like picking up a magazine and reading it on the bus; It's meant to entertain you, not inform you.

안녕
"See you!"

While both strive for the same audience, both differ from each other greatly which is why I like them both so much. While Allkpop has gotten itself into trouble due to posting rumors that are false, the website also serves to entertain and give the audience news and gossip that they would want to hear about. Soompi, while more factual and trustworthy, is the site I would go to in order to be fully informed with actual proof and sources. In a sense, both sites could be considered rivals to one another, but I enjoy going to both because I get a dose of something related to Korean pop media either way. Some people like factual news, and some people like juicy gossip that gets them talking. Personally, I like a little dose of both every now and then which is why I will still visit both; since they are both websites I frequently visit, then they are both a part of my giant list of favorite websites. 

...And this has been a message from Justine. Take a look at other websites that we like by going through Jossie and Sadia's favorite websites page!