Identify the Content Goal

The following types of Web sites demonstrate ways to focus your content:

■ Billboard—These sites establish a Web presence for a business or commercial venture. In many cases they are informational and offer no true Web-based content, acting as an online brochure rather than offering Web-based interaction. Many businesses build this type of site first and then slowly add functions such as online ordering and product demonstrations as they become more comfortable with the medium.

■ Publishing—Most major newspapers and periodicals now publish both to print media and to the Web. These Web sites are some of the most ambitious in breadth and depth of content, often containing multiple levels of information with many page templates.

■ Portal—Portals act as gateways to the Web and offer an array of services including searching, e-mail, shopping, news, and organized links to Web resources. Many of the major search engines have been converted into portals to attract more users. These sites are often heavy with advertising content, which is their main source of revenue.

■ Special interest, public interest, and nonprofit organization—These sites include news and current information for volunteers, devotees, novices, a specific audience, or the general public. Public-service Web sites contain links, information, downloadable files, addresses, and telephone numbers that can help you solve a problem or find more resources. Nonprofit organizations can state their manifestoes, seek volunteers, and foster grassroots virtual communities.

■ Blog—Short for “Weblog,” a blog is a personal Web page that reflects the personality and interests of the author. No matter what your interest, a community of bloggers (blog authors) on the Web is devoted to it.

■ Virtual gallery—The Web is a great place to show off samples of all types of art and design. Photographers and artists can display samples of their work; musicians can post audio files of their songs; writers can offer sections of text or complete manuscripts. However, keep in mind that any copyrighted material you display on a Web site can be downloaded to a user’s machine without your permission. As a solution to this problem, software companies such as Digimarc (www.digimarc.com) offer digital watermarking technology that lets artists embed digital copyright information in their electronic files as a deterrent to piracy of proprietary content. This information cannot be seen or altered by the user.

■ E-commerce, catalog, and online shopping—The Web has become a viable shopping medium that continues to expand as more users improve their Internet access and learn to trust the security of online commerce. Web commerce already has begun to compete successfully with traditional retailing, offering many advantages over mail-order shopping, such as letting the customer know immediately whether an item is in stock. Other types of commerce on the Web include stock trading, airline ticketing, online banking, and auctions. Many software vendors offer turnkey systems that can be integrated with existing databases to speed the development of a commerce site. A good e-commerce site provides users with quick accessto the item they want, detailed product descriptions, and easy, secure ordering.

■ Product support—The Web is a boon to consumers who need help with a product. Manufacturers can disseminate information, upgrades, roubleshooting advice, documentation, and online tutorials through their Web sites. Companies that provide product support information on the Web often find that the volume of telephone-based customer support calls decreases. Software companies especially benefit from the Web; users can download patches and upgrades and use trial versions of software before they buy.

■ Intranet and extranet—An intranet is a smaller, limited version of the Internet on a company’s private local area network (LAN), accessible only to those who are authorized to use their network. Many companies have telecommuting employees who need access to company policies, documentation, parts lists, pricing information, and other materials. These employees can be reached via an extranet, which is a part of the private intranet extended outside the organization via the Internet. Many organizations mandate a particular browser for employee use, making the Web designer’s job a little easier, because they only have to code and test for one browser.

From the text:  Principles of Web Design, by Joel Sklar