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Organisational Web sites: Cool or communicative?

Organisational Web sites: Cool or communicative?. Assoc Professor Marsha Durham University of Western Sydney. Why evaluate websites?. Experience ‘How-to’ manuals Searching websites of Australian universities Growth in websites & advice Emphasis on visuals

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Organisational Web sites: Cool or communicative?

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  1. Organisational Web sites: Cool or communicative? Assoc Professor Marsha Durham University of Western Sydney M Durham

  2. M Durham

  3. Why evaluate websites? • Experience • ‘How-to’ manuals • Searching websites of Australian universities • Growth in websites & advice • Emphasis on visuals • “Cyberspace has the unique distinction of being the first medium where you can actually bore your readers by being too exciting.” • Websites as complex texts M Durham

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  6. Focus of search • Organisational web sites • Communication aspects • What helps sites communicate more effectively? • Empirical research • Texts and textual choices M Durham

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  8. Findings 1. More interest in e-mail and chat room dialogue, not Web sites 2. Problem of unsubstantiated guidelines 3. Small number of empirical studies of sites as ‘texts’ 4. Need for theory M Durham

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  10. Finding 1. Internet research • Web sites are still the forgotten area of Internet research • Main areas • Oral/interpersonal: cybertalk • E-publishing: cyberpublishing M Durham

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  12. Finding 2: Proliferation of Web site guidelines • Majority are unsubstantiated and idiosyncratic • More dependable: based on experiences of users/developers • Comparison studies of sites • Web style guides M Durham

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  14. Finding 3: Empirical studies = promising • Proprietary research • Work being undertaken • Taxonomies • Mapping common features • Research problems • How to choose sites • Extent of study M Durham

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  17. Empirical: Usability studies • Navigation • Writing & usability • Interactivity M Durham

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  19. Empirical: Miscellaneous studies • Metaphors • Breadth & depth of site • ‘Big picture’ issues M Durham

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  21. Finding 4: Theories • Difficulties in theory building • Relative newness of Web • Sites change • Site complexity • Site users and their impressions • Site as part of an organisation • Rhetoric and communication M Durham

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  23. Homepages: content • Research (27) • Faculties/schools/depts (22) • Library (20) • Courses & study (14) • Student services (08) • Publications (06) • Campus map (05) • Recreation & sport (02) M Durham

  24. Homepages: Design Layout • Grid/column menu (32) • ‘Square’ layout (28) • ‘Circle’ layout (11) • Diffuse (03) Navigation • Text (33) Button (26) Icon (11) Scrolling(04) M Durham

  25. Conclusion • Org sites: large and complex • Software: capturing whole sites • More in-depth analysis, not ‘cool’ ratings • Future M Durham

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  27. End M Durham

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