SEP 18
2005
One needs to look no further than tv.com for an example of how an aquisition can ruin a great web site.

The original tvtome.com was everything a TV watcher could ask for: Simple, clean web site design, easy to access episode information, user forums, and so on.

Then mp3.com/Gamespot bought them out, changed the web site name to tv.com, threw in a bunch of gratuitous Flash, graphics, and ads, changed the episode numbering system (making it almost completely useless), removed the user forums, made it a lot harder to navigate the site, and in the process of all of these "improvements" also managed to make the web site reponsiveness way slower.

Luckily, I've found a replacement: EpGuides.com. It's not as full featured as TVTome was, but it's got the part that counts right, and I'm a believer.

Here's proof of what I'm talking about: Battlestar Galactica info on tv.com and epguides.com. Let's say you just want the episode information. Which one does that job better?

tags: tv annoyances web_design
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