what+others+-+Twitter++vs.+Blog

=[|Twitter]=

Description
Twitter is an online application that is part blog, part social networking site, and part mobile phone/instant messaging tool. It is designed to let users describe what they are doing or thinking at any given moment in 140 characters or less. As a tool for students and faculty, Twitter could be used academically to foster interaction and support metacognition. Sadly however, there are a few access problems although the RNIB have joined the Twitter scene but the good news is that you can now use a different version called [|Accessible Twitter] or try [|Jawter:] Twitter from Jaws with no software in the middle.

Accessibility Testing Results
The registration is through the Re-Captcha system - not ideal for everyone and not labelled so although it can be tracked in WebbIE some screen readers may miss the audio version. The forms in Twitter are not labelled although they are keyboard accessible. Otherwise it is a very simple concept that is provided with good contrast and text sizes and zooms well.

=[|Wordpress Blog]=

Description
The WordPress system allows for the publishing of online diaries (Blogs). Users write content in a similar way to a diary, and it is organised based on time/age. Visitors can freely view these diaries as well as comment on articles. The appearance of pages it generates can be altered by the user.

Accessibility Testing Results
Because Wordpress is mainly a text based system it is accessible to most users including those working with screen readers and keyboards. It uses TinyMCE as a rich text editor which can be reached using a keyboard and the menu buttons are also accessible. Colour contrast levels and text sizes can be changed by the designer. [|CAST Universal Design for Learning] discuss their choice of Wordpress for their blogs based on its accessibility. [|Wordpress support]