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Why these pages look like these pages
(This piece was written in 1995, at a time when there seemed, to me at least, to be a major division between those who thought the web was purely an informational system, and any attempts to make it look nicer were pointless, counterproductive, and downright annoying, and those who were used to things like magazines and TV, where stuff actually looked nice! This argument still goes on, although the huge commercial success of the web as well as technical developments such as style-sheets have changed the battleground enormously. This is my stand on the subject....)
Hey, I like it like this.
I apologise to those who detest my choice of colours, fonts, layout, or my attempting to
(supposedly) thrust them down your throats. However, I do not expect you to choose my clothing
or expressions when I talk to you, and likewise I'd prefer to dress-up my web pages the way I
like them. While I understand the value of a true referenced hypertext system, I'm afraid to say
that I just don't have the time to optimise every web-page for every mode of browsing, while still
retaining any kind of look and feel. Anyway, I haven't got much to say. You could always pull the plug...
Besides, I don't see why all websites should be optimally configured around an academic
model. Certain information does need to be marked-up in a way which makes it easily summarized
and processed, and usually it is (and will remain so). Many types of website now
springing up do not have such academic importance. I now build mainly commercial, fun websites -
lots of dressing, amusing diversions, but little that is important on a meta-document level. These
types of site will continue to use the full potential of available technologies, to provide
entertainement rather than specific content. People will get to know of them through publicity -
through media and through popular attention. They will serve their own purpose, separate from that
of academic sites.
Of course, there are many sites which cross the boundaries, from both directions. Information-based sites,
in vying for custom, try to add value in any way possible, and advertising sites try to lure users
with useful information and services - from online shopping to a history of the product.
The solution is, I believe, to provide a structured entrance to the site, with good keyword
references provided on the home page for search engines to reference. Unfortunately, I'm not even
much good at doing this at the moment. Oops!
Come back soon for a million-and-one more useless thoughts - if I have any more.
(obviously, I didn't!)
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