Post 2

 I agree with all things on the "things people go looking to the site for" list; the parking map, dates, policies, and instructor/course information are the only things I ever go to the WSU site for. All other information is irrelevant, because I am a student and I need the site for more practical reasons. I feel like the WSU site is geared more towards alumni and parents and not students. I feel this way because of the fonts (which are too small), and especially the picture slideshow (which I always ignore).
I chose to examine the University if Idaho Website: http://www.uidaho.edu/
 This site has a much better layout, in my opinion. The intended audience is clearly the student, with easy-access button links with drop down menus that make site navigation simple. There are links on this page (easy to find) that take you to things of import to students, like "Locations" and "Directory" and "Athletics". This design is more effective because it doesn't waste student' time on searching for important pages and makes the whole university seem more student-oriented. Also, the visual mode is used well here; the use of school's colors and the fun font make the site pleasing the eye. The author appears to be of a younger generation and less serious than that of the WSU site. The Idaho author establishes credibility by making the layout applicable to students, such as keeping it simple. Another feature that makes this site applicable to the intended audience of students are the social networking buttons in the top left corner. These allow students to connect school with their everyday lives.

Post 1

"Multimedia" and "multimodal" have basically the same meaning. Multimedia is the term used to describe text that uses more than one medium of expression or communication.  "Multimodal" specifically refers to media that expresses ideas through different modes, or resources. While media is a general term, there are five specific 'modes': linguistic, visual, aural, gestural, and spatial. I'm still a bit unclear as to exactly what the difference is between the two words.

To Do #1
The linguistic choices I notice in the White House address are words such as "friends" and "stand", which lend the speech an optimistic and friendly tone, despite the tragedy of the earthquakes. The statement is short and to the point, promising to give Japan what they most needed-- aid, as well as emotional support symbolized by America's "thoughts" and "prayers." The use of "our" and "we" is effective because the White House is extending the encouragement of the whole country to Japan, instead of limiting the consolation from the members of the government.

To Do #2
The difference between the two profiles is in color scheme and profile pictures. These differences shape my understanding of the people; Cheryl is clearly an older woman, as seen in her profile, with a background that isn't (frankly) as fun as Kristin's. The color scheme is boring and the background is plain. Kristin's, on the hand, is all bright color, with a cute graphic background. Her profile picture is cute, cartoon-ish, and exudes a young vibe. I would say Kristin likes to have fun, is humorous, and bubbly. I assume Cheryl uses Twitter for work purposes and Cheryl uses it more for social purposes.
I do not have a Twitter, until now, that is. I will probably choose different templates depending on my moods. Right now, mine has grey tones because it matches my Gandalf avatar and I really enjoy the background image of two people flying.

To Do #3
The aural elements I hear in the Old Spice commercial (the link in the text didn't work, here's the link to the commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE) are a deep manly narrative voice, great sound effects, a lack of music, and a short whistled ditty at the end. These element give the commercial strong comedic effect. If bluegrass music, or any type of music, were playing in the background, the tone would become less funny and could even take away from the actor/narrator's incredibly manly voice and message.

To Do #4
The WSU website has a neat 3-picture slideshow bar across the middle, where my eye is drawn. These have links beneath them that can direct me to where I want to go. I think the pictures are interesting but irrelevant as a student. I think the layout could be more accessible, with a huge, obvious link to Zzusis, which is where most students need to go. If the picture slides were moved to the bottom, I wouldn't be bothered much because I don't need them for myself anyway.

To Do #5
I find Obama's use of the gestural mode extremely effective because he just looks so friendly. He smiles a lot and waves, presenting an approachable front to the public. He looks like he has the country's best interests in mind.