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last.updated 10.23.05

Web Authoring: Web Design & WYSIWYG

Purpose

As Williams and Tollett argue, a well-designed web page can make a significant difference in how your audience reads both the page and the person/organization the page represents. Therefore, we will discuss their principles and apply them to some sample web pages to come to a better understanding of what works best.

Also, as we continue to develop our web authoring skills and strategies, you will be introduced to Dreamweaver. During this tutorial, you will be taught how to create a web page that begins to put some of Williams and Tollett's suggestions into practice.

Before Class

• Read R. Williams's Chapter 5 (Print vs. Web) and Chapter 6 (Basic Design Principles for Non-Designers)
• Read Battle of the Really Pale Gurus: A Discussion with Jakob Nielson and Vincent Flanders

Questions

Neilson & Flanders

• What questions do you have about the Neilson & Flander's interview?
• What is each's position on web design? Which one do you find to be more rhetorically grounded?
• Who do you agree with more? Why?

Web Design

Principles Questions

• What are Williams & Tollett's main principle for web design?
• Who do you think that they would align themselves with, Nielson or Flanders? Why?

We will look at the following to Sierra Club sites and address the following questions:

Samples

• Mount Vernon, VA
• Rhode Island Chapter
• The Sierra Club Site

Questions about Samples

• What is the purpose of these pages? What type of ethical or pathetic appeal are the web authors trying to create?
• How well do the web author's of each page follow Williams and Tollett's principles?
• What violations of these principles do you think actually work well? Why?

Tutorial

• We will work through a tutorial on using Dreamwaever. By the end of this tutorial, we will have a basic web page that demonstrates your ability to format a web page.