Web Design About a Decade Ago When

Web Design

About a decade ago when the World Wide Web first launched, only the brave and commercial entrepreneurs established web sites. If they could not handle the HTML coding themselves, it was necessary to work with a web designer/graphic designer, who charged thousands of dollars. This was a new technology, so vendors charged a lot for their services. They were learning as they went, as well. Within a couple of years, thousands and then hundreds of thousands of organizations and individuals of all kinds started getting involved with the web. Soon the price of web sites started tumbling down, and now they are available for free by many services. Another change started occurring in most recent years, individuals began having their own personal sites on which they blogged, wrote articles about themselves and their feelings, interviewed others, and provided information about things that interested them. Social media is just an extension of this. Increasing numbers of people are putting up their own web sites in addition. To determine what my web site should be like, I conducted research online that is included in this report.

Many people start their own web sites before giving them any thought. They think that the ideas will come along as they start to design, and all they have to do is write some things about themselves. This does not work. Like anything else, planning needs to be involved to find the right objectives and subject for the web site. Building the site and believing that the correct idea will come along by itself is not very practical. There are many different reasons for starting a personal site and how it will look and feel. It is best to ask some personal questions about hobbies or interests. Or, think about present educational activities or career goals. Trying to put all these on one site does not work well, either. It is best to have some kind of theme. Having different web sites can handle different themes. It is important to define specific goals for the web site as with any project or activity. What should the web site accomplish? What needs to be achieved? (Van Duyne, Landay, & Hong, 2007).

Looking at other web sites -- there are millions of them -- can provide ideas about a topic and design approach. For example, people who enjoy reading may write about the recent books they read or review some of the new books coming out. They may ask for input from other readers. Pretty soon, they have a community of like individuals. The same is about someone who greatly enjoys a certain sport, music or theatre. If someone likes to travel, even to nearby town, it is possible to write about some of the places enjoyed and that others may enjoy as well. Many people use their web sites for diaries or journals. They write about themselves in a more personal way than a typical web site that has general comments or commentary. Some post blogs each day or week about what is taking place in their everyday lives; other readers post their own comments that are similar, so people learn from one another or get personal support. However, it is important to be careful with these "diary" sites, because they are a reflection of the person that all can see. If wanting to use the web site for educational or professional purposes, it is best not to put such intimate information online (Van Duyne, Landay, & Hong, 2007).

Many people do use their web site for educational purposes. It is a good way to build up a portfolio that can be used for a final project for graduation. Or, it can be a place to send potential employers or graduate schools to see some of the work being done or courses taken. Student teachers can put up lesson plans, for example. The articles I read on personal web sites stressed the importance of establishing an image. Regardless of the site's topic, unless it is restricted, it can be seen by anyone -- peers, teachers and potential employers included. In some cases, it may be used as an important part of an assessment about a person. Thus, it is important that the web site takes advantage of presenting a positive image or personal branding; this differentiates the web site owner from other people in a memorable way. It is important to present a good first impression, virtually, just as if meeting for the first time in person in the real world. The web site can have a professional logo, presentations and digital files of work completed. There can also be a personalized video. This web site can link to social sites, such as linkedin and Facebook, as long as those are professional as well. The integration of these sites become a personal image and communique and should together present a positive image with personal strengths, accomplishments and experiences (Ford, McMahon, & Reeves, 2009).

A web site that makes a good first impression encourages people to return time and time again because of its content and value. It has interesting and informative information. Even if it is a personal home page, it is important to give the readers a reason to come to the site, stay for a while and return at a later time. When designing the page, it is necessary to think about the users and what they would find of interest. If, for example, a person's interest is art. What type of information about gallery shows, exhibitions, artists or art styles would be of interest? What about providing advice or asking for input on certain topics? (Ford, McMahon, & Reeves, 2009)

It is easy to develop a personal web site through Google Sites. With not much time, it is easy to put up the site and information. The Google Site can also be integrated with other Google tools, such as Google Calendar and Google Docs, as well as YouTube. It is easy to edit and control who has access, either other students, other people at work or the general public. With just a few clicks of a button, a page can be created without any HTML needed. The site offers 10GB of storage, so it can embed videos, documents, spreadsheets, power point presentations, photo slide shows and calendars. It is also easy to customize and make it look different from others with a look and feel. It provides templates, such as calendars, announcements, file cabinet up to 10MB, and dashboard (Tai, 2009).

It is important to build a web site that is pleasing to the eye: Not a lot of different colors and fonts, for example, and easy to navigate from one section to another. Too many bells and whistles, such as music, videos and animation also make the site look less professional. Visuals and images need to have a specific purpose, such as adding information or breaking up design that has a lot of copy. Too often people are frustrated when going to a site, because there is so much going on that it is difficult to locate the essential information. They will quickly go searching for another site instead. Links need to be clearly marked and a site menu is critical. It also has to be assumed that people will be entering the site from different pages, so each has to have a "home" return and a menu. All pages need to link back to one another. Thus, when developing the goals and objectives of the site, it is also necessary to define the site's structure and how one page will flow into another and the way that the pages will be broken up in terms of different topics or carryover of stories (Van Duyne, Landay, & Hong, 2007).