Nikolas Thompson
Writing: Style & Technology
April, 2003
Changes (Face the Strange)
Writing style changes with audience, motive, and platform. Methods used and proven for writing good term papers don’t necessarily prove
effective when applied to say, writing Broadway scripts or kidnap ransom notes.
Internet writing also comes with genre specific stipulations that are key
to success. When I first put together my web page I was fairly ignorant
to the general rules that make up good web style. This ignorance was
reflected in the bland, useless page I created. Now, months later,
and after taking into consideration several online quality issues, I've re-published
my web page in a much more interesting and valuable form. The changes
are so vast, that very little remains the same. Rather than detail
every change made, I’ll simply discuss some highlights (what changed and
why). Many changes are the result of advice from two internet style
guides: From Sucky to Savvy, and
the SpiderPro 100 Dos and Don’ts
of Web Design. Other changes come by way of advice from class mates. Still, a fair
number of my page’s alterations come from personal instinct and preference. As a result some of my changes are directly disobedient to the online rules
or in class suggestions. That's why it’s my site. For the most
part, when building this site, I based most decisions on a few basic
desires: to create a site that is easy to navigate, to provide information
relevant to my audience, and to represent myself.
Appearance
The most noticeable change to my web site is the use
of color. When first created, each of the pages within my site had
white backgrounds and black characters. Now, each page boasts its own
color combination, changing backgrounds and font hues on each new page.
The essays I’ve included online are a slight exception as they each have
very similar color schemes. This was purposeful, as if to categorize
the scholastic material by itself. The reason for the overall
addition of color should be obvious. It looks much better. Black
and white is boring and boring. The colors I’ve chosen are not meant
to be flashy, but are instead intended to give life to each page, while inviting
the viewer to linger and read. The background and font color combinations
were chosen so that the writing on every page was easy to see. Link
color (visited and otherwise) was altered to stand out, as well as to compliment
the page’s color scheme.
The font size itself has been enlarged from the original
12 point to the current 18 point. I’m sure storage size considerations
prevent most professional sites from using such large font, however beyond
that basic excuse I don’t see why more sites don’t use bigger letters. I am (currently) unconcerned with storage size, and thus my site has
comparatively mammoth font. It is endlessly easier to read, and longer
pieces don’t seem as threatening when the letters look as though they fell
out of a children's book.
When the site first appeared it contained a single oversized
image of myself facing the ocean off Vietnam’s coast. My first change
was to scale back the size of the image. Originally it opened the full
width of the screen, as was between 6 and 8 inches tall. It was too
big. It’s now smaller and much more appropriate. I have added
images to every page, save the pages including my class essays. Each
of these images are also size constrained, and they compliment the content
of the page they top. My inclusion of a full page of relatively large
images stands in direct opposition to the suggestion of both online style
guides. Load time is the reason to refrain from complete pages of graphics
- thumbnails are suggested. The style guides suggest that it should
be the viewer’s choice of which images they prefer to see full size. I purposefully chose not to give them that choice. I want the viewer
to see all the images, big and beautiful, at the same time. It works
kind of like a collage. Not all of the images fit on a single screen
and therefore a viewer must pan horizontally and vertically to see everything. And yes, they must wait. However, I have included a “load time warning” below the link to the picture page. These images are important to me. If people are forced to wait for the entire selection to load, they will be
more likely to view each one. If they don’t have the time, they are
free to skip it, which is fine because I’m not selling anything. In
the future, if I add more photos, I will group them in similar bundles on
separate pages.
Interface
The site is now set up in typical web format. It
began as a single page. It now contains about a dozen different pages. I tried to make navigation as easy as possible. From the main page a
visitor can go to a school based area or a personal area. Every page
within each area contains a link to that area’s front page, as well as a link
to the main page. I made sure a visitors could always find their way
home.
I also included anchors within a very long page of non
(sort of) school based writing. These anchors allow a visitor to jump
to specific points within the page without scrolling.
Content
I made three drastic changes to my site’s content. The first was the addition of several images. The second was removing
all of my personal information from the main page. This change came
as the result of a suggestion by a classmate. This allows me to speak
a bit more freely to people who venture beyond the main page. The addition of the separate bio page also provided me the perfect jumping
off point for my third major content addition: a few pages of personal
pictures and writing. This stuff is now properly removed from the other
information, and I believe it makes my site more individual, more interesting,
and more a reflection of its creator.
This web page will never be perfect. At the same
time it can come close to fulfilling my desire to have a site that is interesting,
clear, welcoming, and representative of me.
Essays
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