http://www.cyb.gr/index.php/Clients:Flash-Portfolio/2/43

it's interesting, and i'll come back to that later!

www.facebook.com

Well, i guess it is a giant, constantly changing portfolio of people. The user can be literally anyone with internet access, which of course creates a vast range of differently motivated groups of people. Social, professional, personal, political reasons prompt individuals to join facebook. The website also gives limited permission to unregistered users to browse its database.

Apart from the website's predetermined layout for each user and some specific personal information he/she may decide to share, the rest of the content is modulated by the users. Interaction is again a key word regarding the content of the website.

The homepage is simple, plain regarding its design choices and it reflects a confidence that the visitor/user knows what facebook is about. No information is given regarding the website and its function and its main objective is to persuade visitors to register.

The signed-in users are bombed with information and options about many different things. They might be asked to support a campaign against childrens' abuse or a war, while at the same time join a group dedicated to their favourite chocolate bar or play a game of tetris.

Both the content and the overall character are rather controversial and the user's choices regarding received and sent informationt are not always clear.

I have doubts about this one, but it's interesting even as a simple post.

tvxs (television without frontiers) is the first greek internet tv channel. In terms of content, this means that it has a wide range of choices. News-categorised in many different ways-documentaries, films, competitions, shows etc can be found through the homepage www.tvxs.gr
In a first level, the user of this site is every greek-spoken person with internet access (unfortunately, an english version is not yet available), however one gets to choose to be informed through this weird channel and not through their TV set. Motives are required to make this choice, and in this case they are content-related and interaction-related. It is profound that this choice limits down the number of users.
The most important aspect i would like to point out is the interaction between the user and the information. The user can upload, comment, vote and the most important, select what they want to watch. Of course, this interactive activity is directly related to the content and not to the character or the layout of the website. It would be interesting to see applications of interaction in portfolios
The character of the website is quite explicit, aiming to communicate the information and there is no obvious focus on the web design.

the website of TOI can be granted all the characteristics of a portfolio. Its content and purpose are quite clear and definite and its user normally belongs to a specific target group (TUDelft architecture participants). Although quite straightforward as a structure, the website gives out a lot of information and demands the interaction of the user. The user gets the feeling he/she is expected to know the function and content of the website in advance.
The environment is academic, aiming to inform and guide and not to impress or excite.