Web-Site Considerations

Facets of Web Site Design

Traffic and Systems Issues

In simplest form can think of Web Site Services as Client- Server Oriented:

Server-side: includes the Web server hardware and software as well as programming elements and built in technologies. The technologies can range from simple CGI programs written in PERL to complex multi-tier Java based applications (and many other languages) and include backend technologies such as database servers that may support the Web site.

Client-side is concerned with the Web browser and its supported technologies, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript languages and ActiveX controls or Netscape plug-ins, which are utilized to create the presentation of a page or provide interactive features.

Network describes the various connectivity elements utilized to deliver the Web site to a user. Such elements may be the various networks on the public Internet or the private connections within a corporation—an intranet.

Communication Paradigms

Need to consider how you will communicate with users.

Communication paradigms

Web Site "Dynamics"

The range of going from simple static web sites to more dynamically delivered ones.

Dynamic Site Delivery Range

Web Site Categories

There are many ways to "categorize" a website including by its purpose.

Informational sites These sites provide information about a particular subject or organization (the "brochureware" sites). These are the most common Web sites on the Internet and often take on aspects of the other site categories over time.

Transactional sites This type of site can be used to conduct some transaction or task. E-commerce sites fall into this category.

Community sites These provide information or transaction-related facilities, but focus on the interaction between the visitors of the site. Community-based sites tend to focus on a particular topic or type of person and encourage interaction between likeminded individuals.

Entertainment sites These sites are for game playing or some form of amusing interaction, which may include transactional, community, and informational elements.

Also, within each category above you can further classify a website by its "ownership":

Commercial These sites provide information about a particular subject or organization (the "brochureware" sites). These are the most common Web sites on the Internet and often take on aspects of the other site categories over time.

Government This type of site can be used to conduct some transaction or task. E-commerce sites fall into this category.

Educational These provide information or transaction-related facilities, but focus on the interaction between the visitors of the site. Community-based sites tend to focus on a particular topic or type of person and encourage interaction between likeminded individuals.

Charitable These sites are for game playing or some form of amusing interaction, which may include transactional, community, and informational elements.

Personal Included here are artistic or experimental sites, personal Web spaces such as Web logs (also called blogs), and sites that may not follow common Web conventions or have a well-defined economic purpose.