Datasheet

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Part I Laying the Foundation
■ Organizational
■ Political
■ Commercial
As with any attempt at taxonomy (that is, the art of lumping disparate entities into categories
based on similarities), there are gray areas, fuzzy situations, and downright overlaps. What do
you make of a personal home page that’s largely political? In the system discussed here, it’s still a
personal home page. What about a genealogy site? Is that an extension of a personal home page,
or is it an informational site? We vote for it being informational, and labeling a site ‘‘personal’’
only if its focus is limited to an individual and his or her immediate family and friends.
To categorize sites, the basic method we use is to try to determine the intent of the Web site. If
it’s to make money, then it’s a commercial site, no matter what other angles there are to it. If it’s
to promote a particular candidate in an election, then it’s a political site, even if it’s made by one
individual.
Personal home pages
Personal home pages exist for the purpose of introducing individuals to the world. Despite the
phrase ‘‘personal home page’’ (which has become generically accepted as a description of this type
of Web site), some personal sites involve many different Web pages and can be as elaborate as a
corporate Web site. Generally speaking, the information in them is somewhat limited in scope,
appealing mainly to the close friends and immediate family of the person involved. This isn’t to
say that some of them aren’t very interesting, indeed. As with any other type of site, a carefully
designed and well-written production is a real joy to explore and experience.
Just as when talking to strangers at a party you’d find some people are fascinating and have great
stories to tell, whereas others send you running from the room (yawning from the boredom),
personal Web sites can be a similar experience. Some home pages grab you, and others make
you wish you had never clicked that link.
When putting together a personal site, it’s a good idea to open up yourself as much as possible
within your comfort level. The best personal sites enable you to get to know the people who
created them. By the time you’re done browsing these sites, you feel as if you could sit down to
dinner with their authors and talk as if old friends. This isn’t to say that you must spill your guts
about every detail of your personal life, but the site is about you — and if you aren’t really in it,
what’s the point of creating it?
Informational sites
Sites that are dedicated to providing information on a particular topic are common on the Web.
If they weren’t, it would be a pretty boring place. In fact, most people use the Web primarily
to find the answer to some sort of question. Many of the informational Web sites are run by
public-minded organizations whose goal is simply to make the public aware of particular issues.
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