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 How do you build a Web site? Apart from all the variations of "I don't know," the previous question is likely to produce a staggering array of different answers. An old school guru might say something like "get some server space, a text editor, and a good idea, then have some fun." A novice might recommend one of the free hosting services that also provides simple form-based input mechanisms coupled with a system for customizing generic templates. A prosperous entrepreneur might discuss the different kinds of experts that would be employed to complete a major project. Typical professionals will have some semi-coherent process that may involve extensive planning before any actual writing or coding takes place. How Web sites are built depends a great deal on the purpose of the project and the capabilities of the designer.A good way to look at the subject is to break the task up into three parts. The first problem to solve is that of content. Good original designs usually start with an analysis of the information and interactive features that the site is about. A photo gallery is going to be fundamentally different than a discussion forum, and both of them are going to have little in common with a search engine interface. Once the purpose of a site has been established, then it is possible to make intelligent decisions about how it will function and what it will look like. The arrangement and presentation of content constitutes the layout of a site. It is during this phase of development that questions of organization should be answered. This is also the time to make decisions about the appearance of the content, such as coloration, font selection, decorative illustration, etc. A site's content determines what it will do, but a site's layout determines what the designer must do in order to make that site a reality. Once a layout exists to arrange the content, then it is time to enter the final phase, implementation.Actually creating the site could involve any of numerous procedures. Some designers code everything using simple software that was does nothing more than edit text. Others rely on specialized Web design software to aid in the composition of HTML documents. Some sites are built entirely by machines -- programmers create a system to dynamically generate pages. The server responds to user requests by plugging information from a database into templates. Though such sites often appear to be vast collections of documents, in reality most of their pages only exist temporarily as a response to recent requests. Most browsers support some sort of "view source" feature that enables users to see the code which constitutes a particular page. This is an excellent way to see the inner workings of a document. While it is possible to use advanced software to create elaborate Web sites without knowing any HTML, that approach leaves the designer at the mercy of whatever programs serve as intermediaries between the code and the creator. Fortunately, the basics of HTML are quite easy to learn. In fact, it is still possible to read the same NCSA Primer that helped me get a grip on the craft. Also, designers of all skill levels are likely to find the Web Designers' Virtual Library to be an invaluable resource. |
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What is the World Wide Web?Simply put, the Web is the portion of the Internet involved in the storage, generation, and transmission of hypertext documents along with related media files. If a universal resource locator (url) begins with http: (hypertext transfer protocol) then the data in that resource is part of the World Wide Web. Computers known as "servers" perform the tasks of storing Web files and fulfilling requests for content. Common telephone lines, heavy duty cables, and even satellite transceivers make it possible for every computer on the Internet to exchange data with any other computer also on the network. Today, the Web is both a globally accessible trove of data and a bustling marketplace crowded with vendors of goods and services. However, it was not always as it is now.Once upon a time, the Web was an intellectual enclave, and the preponderance of its content dealt with academic matters. With few exceptions, the small community of users expressed disdain for projects that emphasized style over substance. Back then, the limited number of features supported by hypertext markup language (html) placed severe restrictions on the form of most Web pages. Early HTML documents often resembled conventional written reports. Authors simply inserted headers, dividers, images, and hyperlinks as a way of enhancing an essentially literary medium. "Content" was a term reserved for meaningful data. Arrangement and presentation issues were resolved with clarity and simplicity as the highest priorities. Yahoo's search engine interface is one of the few major Web fixtures to retain essentially the same basic form and function it had back during this early period. Its black text, blue or purple hyperlinks, and gray background was once the norm throughout the Web.During the middle of the previous decade, the World Wide Web underwent changes that were both rapid and fundamental. Blindsided by the explosive success of Netscape, Bill Gates and his megacorporation started to take the Internet seriously. The rest of the business world soon followed suit. Microsoft's Internet Explorer was a direct challenge to Netscape's Navigator. The ensuing "browser wars" produced competing technical standards that were a powerful catalyst for the creation of new features, particularly those with implications for interactivitiy or aesthetics. In the beginning, a few savvy corporations realized that operational expenses could be reduced by replacing archaic interoffice procedures with private information sharing computer networks, called intranets. However, the real revolution was in the field of marketing. This new communications medium created a new audience. Though initially very small, the base of Web users grew at a phenomenal rate. Also, the interactive and automated characteristics of the Internet created totally new possibilities in areas like targeted advertising and customer profiling. Improved formatting tags, Java, Javascript, browser plug-ins, and more sophisticated servers collectively transformed the Web in much the same way that gamblers and real estate developers transformed Las Vegas. In both cases the result was a dazzling panorama of colorful lights and flashing signs, not to mention all the strippers. Both transformations also attracted astounding concentrations of wealth.The .com (commercial) domains that were once quite scarce suddenly outnumbered all other domestic categories. Educational, governmental, and military sites were dismissed to the periphery of a network that was once exclusive to those types of institutions. With this commercialization came a dramatic shift in the standards of good Web design. Popular sites could now be financed by the sale of advertising. Thousands of new projects competed for a share of the audience, and attracting users became a higher priority than enlightening them. In addition, the economics of the time brought many veteran media professionals to the Web. With these newcomers came the techniques and values acquired during their work in print and/or broadcasting. Executives stressed the importance of "cool" features like elaborate animations and user preference tracking. Prevailing sentiment held that only an intellectual could be impressed by an outstanding collection of data, but a glittering spectacle is appealing to a much broader audience. With this in mind, designers were encouraged to use intensely graphical layouts. Many Webmasters went so far as to create static designs that required a specific browser and/or a particular window size for proper viewing. Substance struggled to keep its head above water in an ocean of style.More recently, the Web design profession has sought some sort of balance between substance and style. The popularity of Internet access through handheld devices has generated renewed interest in simple methods for delivering information with little or no graphical packaging. The ongoing browser wars have shifted focus to matters like operating system compatibility and the integration of non-Web features. Newer releases have adopted flexible technical standards in order to have a better capacity to interpret old sites designed to be viewed with a specific browser. Also, many professional designers are starting to realize that some old media techniques are more applicable to the Web than others. From the growing number of truly experienced Webmasters, a body of original knowledge is taking shape. Many feats once considered impossible are now entirely practical, thanks to advances in everything from server software to high bandwidth availability. The current World Wide Web is the product of constant change over several years. It displays the turbulence of youth every bit as much as a human being, and it remains in a formative stage of development. Uncertainties remain about where it is headed, but there can be no doubt that the Web is here to stay. |