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Ideas for Your Web Page

Just as print publishing established much of the markup language for the coding of web pages, so the practices of print publishing still have something to teach us about authoring web pages. In the next few issues of this tech column I will attempt to briefly identify these practices and discuss how they can help us produce web sites that will bring glory to our Lord by being the best they can be.

"Above the Fold"

The half of a newspaper that you first see with little effort, whether it be in the newspaper dispenser near your favorite restaurant or store or on the shelf at the bookstore, is the top half. Editors put their most important articles there. If they want to offer articles and headlines that are of near equal import, they will put a few paragraphs of the story and perhaps a picture, following the headlline and then refer the reader to a different page where that person can get the rest of the story.

Web readers are no different. And they do not like to scroll - at least for the first page. The most important part of your web site should be placed in the opening screen. This screen should be no larger than an 800 x 600 display will show WITHOUT scrolling either up and down or side to side. (Web pages should be formatted to not have to scroll side to side.)

How can you get everything into that space that you want to communicate? The best way is to make a list of material, prioritize it, and specify what material gets emphasized. Too much in one space takes away the emphasis that is communicated. Poor presentation of it (e.g. violating white space practices, omitting graphic/pictures, too small a font) will also lessen its impact.

Remember. The best websites are first sketched out on paper!

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