Prospectus: Weaving an intricate web.
The recent technological upsurge, known as the Internet, has paved the
way for the evolution of a new medium of communication. Web sites function as a portal into the complexities of organizations, businesses, interest groups and any other entity imaginable. Similar to any medium, web sites require specific bedrock principals of organization and design that help facilitate and promote accurate, engaging interaction between viewers and the web. According to J. December (2000), there are six basic elements that should be addressed in effective web development:
1. Content tailored to the prospective audience.
2. A statement of purpose or mission.
3. A statement of objective or goals.
4. A table of contents.
5. Accurate and contemporary information, research and links pertinent
to the objective of the site.
6. Consistency in design and presentation through on-going
development and maintenance
http: / /www.december-com/web/develol?/overview.html).
With December's basic tenants of web development in mind, The Central States Communication Association (CSCA) can examine at least three similar sites: the Eastern Communication Association@s (ECA), the Western States Communication Association's (WSCA) and the Southern States Communication Association's (SSCA) web sites. Examination of these sites will allow the CSCA to discover
how each properly and improperly employ and neglect December's tenants. Additionally, the CSCA can peruse the journal of Health Communication's UHC) web site as a specific model of fine design. December's attributes should be successfully interpreted and implemented before engaging in the daunting task of promotion.
An integral part of tailoring content for the site should be addressing and
discerning the intended audience. As December suggests on his site, "a useful method to generate audience information is to make a list of information about audience's background, characteristics, and concerns"
(http://www.december.com/web/develop/overview.html. December's
approach may seem like a routine practice in market research, but the
information that can be gathered through brainstorming about one's intended
audience is an essential step in generating accurate and contemporary content.
Moreover, if these aspects of planning are not addressed properly, visitors to the site will most likely move on. According to Wonnacott (2000): "Once visitors determine that the content is not aligned with their needs, they're gone" (pg. 48). The ECA's web site can be referenced as an example of poor planning. The ECA site does not address the specific audience through content tailored to viewers' sensibilities. Rather, the site employs general language that attempts to reach too broad an audience. According to the ECA's web site, membership is open to professionals from elementary through secondary and post-secondary schools, undergraduate and graduate students of universities and community colleges, businesses, industry, families, and any other host of communicative study http://www.jmu.edu/orgs/eca/). TheECA's attempt to reach such a broad audience illustrates one of the major pit-falls in web promotion.
According to December (2000), it is crucial that potential web developers not
attempt to reach too broad of audience, but rather focus attention on reaching a specific division of people related to the intended purpose of the site
(http://www.december.com/web/develoR/overview.htn-d). December adds,
"a useful technique is to create a diagram showing the audiences you will reach in your web" http://www.december.com/web/develop/overview.html).
Diagramming can be an integral part of the necessary planning that goes into
web development and should be considered before any action is taken to
promote a web site.
The SSCA's site does a better job than the ECA'S. The SSCA's site addresses its intended audience as only those individuals involved in speech or communication-related disciplines predominantly located in the Southern United States (http://ssca.net/about/scj.htm ). By describing their intended audience in specific, the SSCA does the necessary job of limiting the range of their market to within the scope of their site's context. The WSCA's web site does not attempt to address a specific audience. The association does not attempt to describe or evaluate those viewers they intend to reach. Not addressing a site's intended audience is exemplary of a poor effort and should be avoided at all costs.
The JHC's site is representative of a well-planned and organized
consideration of audience. The site quickly addresses its specific audience as
practitioners who seek concise information through quantitative and qualitative studies, essays that address the ethical concerns of practitioners and patients, and relevant book reviews (ht@2: / /www.aed.org/JHealthCom/).
Specific address allows the association to tailor their promotional efforts to a
specific subset of a larger population. In so doing, the organization saves time
and money through effective promotional campaigns directed only at those
individuals who could potentially benefit from access to the associations
information.
The next step in effective web development should be the consideration of
purpose, or the construction of a mission statement. This attribute should be
located at the top of the homepage in order to function efficiently. Primary
placement can help the viewer construct a clear mental picture of what the web site has to offer. Additionally, it can afford the audience the opportunity to
evaluate whether the direction of the site is in alignment with their needs or
interests. The ECA's mission statement, while properly located, is far too vague to be effective. The ECA's mission statement refers primarily to the solicitation of membership in the organization, which diverts audience attention from the mission, or goal the association seeks to accomplish. To be effective, a mission statement must clearly and concisely state the organization's purpose.
The SSCA does an effective job of clearly and concisely stating its mission.
The statement, being the first written attribute on the organization's web site,
satisfies the requirement of being up-front and direct. The statement is specific
enough to effectively state the purpose of the organization and the site, without employing jargon that might otherwise confuse the less well-informed members in the site's audience. Again, the WSCA does a completely ineffective job of stating its purpose or mission. By omitting any reference to such on its site, the WSCA's site exemplifies what not to do. Without a clear statement of purpose a web stands little to no chance of retaining viewers who are simply 'surfing" the web. After all, as Wonnacott (2000) illustrates: 'While gazing at our monitors, our fingers rest on the trigger. In the blink of an eye and the click of the mouse, we're gone" (pg. 48). The hyper-textual nature of the web, to which Wonnacott refers, has increasingly shortened the attention spans of information seekers or 'surfers.' With short attention spans in mind, it is essential that pertinent information and a clear statement of purpose be foremost in the construction and layout of any effective web site.
In contrast to the shortcomings of the WSCA, the JHC quickly and
efficiently states its n-dssion. The JHC site immediately addresses the audience with a statement of purpose. This helps the viewer to distinguish immediately whether or not the organizations site asserts to achieve goals similar to those of the viewer. Moreover, immediate consideration of purpose helps the viewers to decide whether the associations site might assist the viewers in achieving their specific goals. According to December, 'the purpose statement and audience information together go a long way toward articulating what the web is about and are the key pieces of information to develop early in the web's lifecycle' (http://www.december.com/web/develop/overview/html).
Each of the aforementioned sites objectives and goals align themselves with their statements of purpose or mission. However, it is necessary to note that an effective list of objectives can help viewers to organize their thoughts in a way that may provide an integral framework for working towards the accomplishment of goals. It may be helpful to think back to December's suggestion of diagramming for the audience. In the same manner, the framework set forth through an effective list of objectives can construct for the viewer a diagram of how to efficiently navigate a site. One possible way to tackle this is to provide a clear list of objectives, set off by bullets, which link directly to the subsequent pages within a web that serve to complete each objective. Which means that by clicking through on an individual bullet, the viewer is directed to the page or pages within the site that help to achieve the particular objective. Another essential aspect to consider in the construction of an effective web site is the inclusion of a table of contents. The table of contents functions as a virtual road map. Mapping may help viewers to navigate each individual web and invites web surfers to link directly to those pages that are aligned with their interests.
The ECA's web site employs links to subsequent pages within its web at
the left-hand margin of its home page. These internal links, offset in blocks,
function as the table of contents for the site. This approach to implementing a
table of contents is highly popular among contemporary web sites; however, it is not the preferred method. In addition to the ECA, the WSCA's and the SSCA's use of a table of contents fall short of the standard set forth by the JHC. The WSCA's site has two options for navigating the internal links of its
web. First, there is a searchable list of topics contained in a box in the upper
right hand corner of the WSCA homepage. This approach has been successful at many sites, but does not do the necessary job of identifying itself for use. Without some sort of labeling, a table of contents does no good. If not labeled, viewers may not even recognize that a table of contents exists on a site.
Additionally, the WSCA uses a list of internal links in the middle of its
homepage as the "road-map" for the site. While this is intuitive and clearly
outlines the site's attributes, the presentation is half-rate. Poor presentation
scares off viewers. According to Wonnacott (2000), many things can be done to help retain the viewers who happen upon a site. Visual stimulation can help
dramatically (pg. 48). The SSCA's site falls short along the same lines as the WSCA. While the contents are specifically labeled under headings, the links span too much of a page. This forces the viewer to scroll down in order to view all of the site's links. According to Stout (personal communication, July 27, 2000) 'Scrolling is not common unless the viewer is previously engaged." This means that all content should be centered within the parameters of the page when it comes on-screen. Making that a reality is a programming challenge, but for a table of contents, it is especially crucial. The JHC sets a good example in their successful use of a table of contents. On the very top of its homepage, and again at the very bottom, the JHC's site offers a link to the table of contents. Clicking through to the table of contents the viewers can easily navigate their way through the different articles and attributes
afforded to them on the associations web site. The JHC's approach is intuitive,
easy to navigate and efficiently escorts the viewers to wherever they wish to
proceed. The JHC can be referenced as an example of properly implementing a table of contents for a web site. No matter how well designed and properly implemented a web becomes, there exists one simple reality: content is king. As Wonnacott (2000) illustrates, 'The site's design and all related tools exist to perform one thing: help your customers access your content" (pg. 48). Content is the bully on the virtual playground. After all, the Internet is the 'information super-highway." Without accurate, engaging content, webs stand little chance of retaining the interest of viewers. Therefore, it is essential that the content of a web be tailored to its intended audience. Which means that someone scanning a hepatitis-related web site for information about complex-C should not come across content about heart disease.
In the world of on-line writing it is crucial to be short and concise. In
order to keep the attention of viewers, it is necessary to adapt a writing style that is consistent with how audiences read on-line. According to a study conducted in 1997 by Morkes and Nielsen, 'Users do not read on the Web; instead they scan the pages, trying to pick out a few sentences or even parts of sentences to get the information they want. Users do not like long, scrolling pages: they prefer the text to be short and to the point. Users detest anything that seems like marketing fluff or overly hyped language ("marketese") and prefer factual information" (http://www.useit.com/12al2ers/webwriting/writing.html). With this in mind,
it is essential that web writing be as short, concise and to the point as possible.
Once the initial building blocks are in place, efforts can be turned to web
promotion. According to December, 'The decision to publicly announce the
release of your web should not be made lightly'
(http://www.december.com/web/develop/overview.html). Promotion should
be well thought out, since, immediately following its release the web will receive a lot of attention from both its intended audience and people involved in web indexing (http://www.december.com/web/develolp/overview.html. There are a variety of ways in which to promote webs. Link sharing is quite possibly one of the most over-looked yet useful methods. In this method, links are inserted on sites in exchange for one's own link having a presence on others. This is free advertising and can help to create a greater network of related resources. Finally, it is essential to recognize that the work of designing and
implementing a web is never complete (http://www.december.com/web/develolp/overview.html). Only through on-
going innovation and maintenance will a web be effective. According to
McMillan (1999), 28.7% of organizations surveyed reported updating their sites
once per quarter, 23.9 % reported monthly updates, and 20.1 % said they updated daily (pg. 382). These statistics illustrate that maintenance is as integral a part of building a good web as are design and set-up. There are various ways to encourage feedback and to implement suggestions. Many sites employ the use of newsletters and message boards where viewers can comment on content, design, or make suggestions for improvement. This interaction with the viewers also encourages them to re-visit the site to check up on its progress. According to December, 'Ultimately the goal of innovation is to continuously improve the quality of a web by making sure that the processes of planning, analysis, design, implementation, promotion, and innovation are ongoing" (http://www.december.com/web/develop/overview.html).
Bibliography
December. (2000). Developing information content for the world wide
web. Available: hLtp://www.december.com/web/develop/overview.htn-d.
McMillan. (1999). Health communication and the internet: relations
between interactive characteristics of the medium and site creators, content, and purpose. Health Communication, 11 L4), 375-390.
Wonnacott. (2000). Site savvy: when writing content for a web site, make
sure to tailor your efforts to the media. InfoWorld, v22 i27, 48-49.
Web Sites Referenced
http:/ /www.aed.org/JhealthCom/
Journal of Health Communication
http:/ /www.jmu.edu/orgs/eca/
Eastern Communication Association
http:/ /www.ssca.net/about/s.ic.htm
Southern States Communication Association
http://www.cios.org/www/western.htm
Western States Communication Association
http:/ /www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/writing.html
Dr. Jacob Nielsen's page on designing web usability.
