Getting and Staying Noticed on the Web

Citation

Houghton, D. (2003), "Getting and Staying Noticed on the Web", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 37 No. 4, pp. 279-280. https://doi.org/10.1108/00330330310500793

As with so many books about the Internet there is an underlying problem of keeping information up to date and relevant. The Web is an ever changing and evolving animal and so it is difficult to keep abreast of the current trends. This book makes a gallant attempt to cover a broad range of issues for a broad range of readers. A tough task.

The general format is a questions and answers style that is reminiscent of a frequently‐asked‐question (FAQ) Web page. In fact the similarities are such that I wonder if the majority of the book has not been lifted from a FAQ. This approach makes the book wordy and makes the locating of key information difficult.

There is very little technical information covered in the book and the author assumes there is a technical back‐up team to help out when the going gets tough. This may be the case in large organisations but small and medium‐size companies need to be more self‐sufficient. References to good quality resources on technical matters such as Internet service providers (ISPs), file transfer protocol (FTP), secure shells, etc. would help here. If software packages such as Frontpage are recommended by the author it would be prudent to include others such as Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Photoshop, etc. or any of the shareware tools from sites such as Tucows (www.tucows.com).

There is also no mention of technologies such as Javascript, ASP, PHP or XML. These are fast becoming the norm in Web development and I would have thought a brief mention and links to resources a good idea. A link to HotScripts (www.hotscripts.com) would cover most of the popular technologies. An example of the problem of keeping up to date with current trends is the reference to joint photographic experts group (JPEG) as the standard for images whereas this is now being taken over by portable network graphics (PNG).

Some chapters, for example chapter 4, are painfully short and the resources section (chapter 14) was very disappointing. If the author is not going to cover the full extent of the topic then there should be masses of references to areas where the reader can learn more.

There are a number of basic errors in terminology. For example, Apache, Netscape (p. 48) etc. are not operating systems. The difference between information design and graphics design is not really brought out. There is much confusion about Web design and many people do not consider information design as being important. However, good information design can lead to a Web site that is easy to build and maintain. I would like to have seen this point made more clearly, especially as the Free Pint site (www.freepint.com) mentioned in the case studies section is an excellent example of a well‐designed site.

Although there is a lot of sound advice and useful tips for novices most of the points raised can be found on the Web at sites such as A Promotion Guide (www.apromotionguide. com).