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| Overview |
Website Generations One of the main problems we have with our approach to websites is that we seem to think of all websites as basically the same type of medium designed with little thought or concern for content quality. An example of this viewpoint is lampooned by Strong Bad on <homestarrunner.com>, a popular website visited by many of our students. We are so accustomed to the standards of book technology that we have failed to realize there are several types of websites. One example is the idea that there are four generations of websites (Gavin Gilmour), and these generations are useful in our approach to analyzing how the academy is telling students to evaluate websites.
The first generation of websites was basically little more that computerized scientific papers (see Figure 1). At the time, computers had limited memory, bandwidth was minimal, and browsers were not able to interpret complex designs. Websites developed during this time featured text that extended to the screen’s margins, monitors were monochrome, and pictures, if used at all, were placed in the text on the left side of the screen. Second generation websites (see Figure 2) were developed as browsers became more sophisticated and color monitors became affordable. Frames and tables allowed text to be placed in columns. Many sites featured background images that repeat to form tiles, and they also displayed animated GIFs. Website design was in its infancy, and many of the sites, by today’s standards, are quite irritating, featuring colors and animation for the sole purpose of demonstrating the webmaster’s “insider” skills. (Strong Bad's website, composed in the email above, is an excellent example of a second generation approach to website design.) Third generation websites (see Figure 3) came about as broadband became available to the average user. These sites were developed with the same design ideas used to develop CD ROMs. Browsers became equipped with plug-ins to automatically install specialized, free software allowing the display of multi-media messages. Design became a rhetorical decision. Elements that attracted, encouraged action, created desire, and held attention were used in a way that reflected the company’s, institution’s, or the individual’s identity. Fourth generation websites (see Figure 4) are similar, in design respects, to third generation websites; however, they incorporate technology that was not available with CD ROMs: online purchasing, instant messaging, and live broadcasting. In a few short years, website technology has changed from an alphabetic-dominated medium to one incorporating more multimedia elements. However, our approach to evaluating websites has changed little since they were first introduced. The problem is caused by using and teaching first phase information literacy on a medium that is rapidly changing and evolving. |
