Online or Offline Browsing - Page 2
March 16, 2001
Many times the very nature of the subject matter covered by a Web
site dictates whether its content is best viewed on or offline.
Most online news sites are generally best viewed online. The
material is usually presented in short, concise stories and the
reader is able to jump to the particular pages that interest him.
On the other hand, reading a 30-page dissertation on molecular
activity in the midst of an atomic blast is probably best viewed
offline, perhaps even printed-out.
Remembering what we said earlier regarding the way most readers
scan Web pages instead of reading, common sense would be the best
judge as to the way in which the material is presented. There are
many options in this area: the material could be presented on a
series of Web pages divided into logical sub-topics; the
information could be offered in a .PDF file for formal
presentation; it could also be offered in a Microsoft Word file
and/or text file for downloading.
Available Bandwidth
Bandwidth is
"
the amount of data transferred over a set amount of time."
Much of this is the speed of the connection the user has to the
Internet. As of December 2000, 59.4% of U.S. home users had an
Internet connection of 56K, while only 12% had a high speed
connection, i.e. cable or DSL
(Cyber Atlas).
It is important to know who your visitors will be. While it is
not possible to be completely accurate, usually, with a little
time and investigation, you will have a pretty good picture. One
place for finding statistical information about the Internet is
CyberAtlas.
If your site requires a large amount of graphics (i.e. art
history), then finding ways of compressing and viewing the
graphics along with the text while not hogging all of the
bandwidth will be a major consideration. Another consideration is
using thumbnails to free up bandwidth.
Even text without graphics has a limit. Most visitors will not
wait while a Web page containing an entire college physics
textbook loads into memory. However, if the textbook were divided
into smaller segments (i.e. chapters and headings with a table of
contents) then it would be tolerable.
Conclusion
The Web is composed of many different types of documents. Some of
them are long, some short, some are highly technical, and others
are just plain simple. In the same manner, many factors determine
the size of the Web page. In some cases, presentation of a single
idea on each page is sufficient; in other cases one page may
cover many topics.
It’s one thing if you're just going for page hits or banner
impressions. But if you are actually trying to present
information that your visitors will use and cause them to return
to your site, then page content and size is an important matter
to consider.
Remember; be concise, direct, and to the point. Use 50% of what
you would use in printed media. Keep in mind your reader is most
likely scanning the page for the information he needs and is not
concerned with your "expressive style." Many times what works
best is quick, bite-sized chucks of information. USAToday found
this out when it began. It was ridiculed when it first debuted
because of the "bite-sized chucks" of news. Except for the cover
story, most articles are not continued on another page. The
particular story is covered with a minimum of details. It must be
an example of what many people want as it now has one of the
largest circulations of all major newspapers in the United
States.
Many topics, however, do not lend themselves to such "bite-sized
chucks". That is where the job of content presentation and
management comes in. Know your visitors. If in doubt, ask them.
References:
Poynter Institute:
Page Content: The Long and the Short of It
Page Content: The Long and the Short of It
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