Website Design and Infrastructure
Comment#1:
In their chapter entitled “Images, Color, and Multimedia” Roy Rosenzweig and Daniel Cohen explore the realm of images and color on the web. Both Cohen and Rosenzweig assert that one should “follow the same principles of color that have proven successful in print.” In many ways they are correct. One must be careful not to overdue the use of color or graphics particularly within the field of digital history.
Comment#2:
Roy Rosenzweig and Daniel Cohen in Accessibility discuss the evolution of web availability. “Section 508 required that beginning in 2001, federal agencies had to make sure that individuals with disabilities could access their electronic documents and information. Because of the trillion-dollar purchasing power of the federal government, and because so many other companies, organizations, and local governments fall into line when Washington makes major regulatory decisions, Section 508 has had significant repercussions across the web. Many institutions, public and private, now demand that website designs be “508 compliant,” and achieving such compliance has become a big business,” recall Rosenzweig and Cohen. Before reading this article I was unaware of the role the government had in the advancement of web accessibility; although it is not surprising in any way.
Comment#3:
On Ten reasons to learn and use web standards the issues surrounding etiquette and professionalization on the web are discussed. The first standard addressed, detailed the need to make onesself look professional on the web: “Other web developers and potential employers will be able to look at your work and know that you are a person who likes to keep up with changes in technology and make sure that your knowledge and skills are always current. It will make you look like a real web professional.” This is an important rule to follow not only in regard to web design and content, but in every other use one has for the web. For instance, in attaining an email adress it is important to make sure it is professional. One can be assured that a corporation would think twice about hiring hotty2000@hotmail.com for their new opening. The same can be said for web pages. The argument made for web standards falls right in line with the concerns of Rosenzweig and Cohen have regarding the use of color on the web. Using a hot pink background and fuscia text is not professional in any way. It is important to strike the correct balance between the attractiveness of content or ones page and being professional.