CP3024 Lecture 12

Setting up a World Wide Web Site

Choose a platform

How big will your site be?How many hits a day do you expect?What software will you want to interface

with?How secure should your site be?How much data will you store?

Who will run the site?

Owned server shared with other applications

Dedicated owned serverHosted serverCo-located server

Site structure

Site Home page

Sub-presentationHome page

Sub-presentationHome page

Moveable Sites

It may be necessary to move sub trees of a website

Lengthy process if full links are always used

Use relative links– <a href=“./subdir/file.html”>

File Permissions

Web files need to have read permissionDirectories in which they reside in must

have read permissionCan be done by:

– File permissions– Access control lists

Make use of index.html

Measuring Popularity

Web server Logs– access_log

• Indicates which clients have requested pages

– error_log• List errors which have occurred

Page counters– Count accesses to your page

Web Usability

The Web us not as controllable as the desktop

Conventional HCI wisdom does not applyUsability studies are important

Ten Web Project Mistakes (1)

Not knowing whyDesigning for internal consumptionLetting the site look like an organisational

chartMultiple outsourced designersNot budgeting for maintenance

Ten Web Project Mistakes (2)

Treating the Web as a secondary mediumWasting linking opportunitiesTreating internet and intranet sites

identicallyConfusing market research and usability

engineeringUnderestimating the strategic impact of the

Web

Top Ten Web Page Mistakes 1996 (1)

FramesOveruse of latest technologyScrolling text and constantly running

animationsComplex URLSOrphan pages

Top Ten Web Page Mistakes 1996 (2)

Long scrolling pagesLack of navigation supportNon-standard link coloursOutdated informationLong download times

The mistakes revisited 1999 (1)

Mistake Severity

Frames Medium

Latest technology Very Severe

Scrolling text Very Severe

Complex URLs Severe

Orphan pages Medium

The mistakes revisited 1999 (2)

Mistake Severity

Scrolling navigation Not Severe

Lack of navigation support

Severe

Non-standard links Severe

Outdated information Very Severe

Slow download Very severe

New Mistakes 1999 (1)

Breaking the back buttonOpening a new windowNon-standard use of GUI widgetsLack of biographiesLack of archives

New Mistakes 1999 (2)

Moving pages to new URLsHeadlines which make no sense out of

contextJumping at the latest Internet buzzwordSlow server response timesAdvertising

Ten Good Things in Web Page Design (1)

Name and logo on every pageSearch facilities on large sitesStraightforward and simple page titles and

headingsFacilitate scan readingStructure a large topic over more than one

page

Ten Good Things in Web Page Design (2)

Use good photos sensiblyUse image reduction and highlight relevant

areasUse link titlesConsider disabled userLearn from good examples at big sites

Copyright and the Web

Law protecting the author’s right to control who can copy his creative work

Assume everything is covered by copyright unless explicitly told not

A copyright statement is not necessary – Copyright (dates) by (author/owner)– Can use © instead of Copyright

Scope

Applies to everything, text, pictures soundCannot apply to:

– Ideas– Facts– Titles– Names– Short phrases– Blank forms

Fair Use

Copies of copyright material may be used under the ‘fair use’ provision– Purpose and character of use– Nature of the work– Amount of work used– Effect on market or value of work used

Linking and Framing

Embedding someone else’s graphic in your page breaches copyright

Displaying someone else’s page in your frame breaches copyright

Linking to a site which has not given permission for such a link may breach copyright!

Copyright penalties

Civil not criminal offence (in most cases)Not subject to rigorous proof requirementsPenalties applied will depend on the

circumstances of the breachPrinting a web page or cutting and pasting

from one breaches copyright!

Summary

Setting up a site is more than just putting up a page!

Numerous technical issuesProfessional issues just as important