The Common Traits of Successful Websites

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The Common Traits of Successful Websites

A website is a new way to communicate without direct personal interaction. It is a place on the internet where one can post anything from personal information to commercial advertising. The major advantage of websites is the fact that they are accessible to anyone in the world. The only restriction is that the person must have a computer and a modem. From that point on, the options are immeasurable. One can read different personal homepages, visit commercial sites and do valuable research. All of these sites can be created by anyone who wishes to take the time to learn the necessary computer language. The creator of any type of website must take into account certain important guidelines in order to create an effective and successful page.

The most common type of website is a personal homepage. Homepages make it possible for an internet surfer to learn about someone s/he does not even know. It is almost an invitation to one's personal home without any direct personal contact. All homepages differ greatly in their content. However, they all must have specific, necessary facets in order to be successful websites.

Firstly, and most importantly, a homepage must serve a purpose. Whether this purpose is to have fun, to display artwork, or to produce an on-line resume, is irrelevant, as long as the page serves a purpose. I have visited numerous websites, and they all serve some sort of function. Three specific pages to which I will refer are Jeff Seiden's personal homepage, Emily Reith's personal page and Sarah Borcher's homepage. These three pages are all examples which represent different college students. They are of different ages: Jeff, a freshman; Emily, a sophomore; and Sarah, a s...

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...commercial, must have are purpose, focus, coherence and links. Without these four necessary factors, it is nearly impossible to have a successful homepage.

Works Cited

Burgess, John. "Glitch Reveals the Power of the Internet." _The Washington Post_ 31 Jan. 1994, WB17.

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Dyer, Gillian. "Advertising As Communication". New York: Routledge, 1982.

Holiday Inns, Inc. Homepage

Hotchkiss, George Burton, M.A. _An Outline of Advertising_. New York: The Macmilan Company, 1933.

"Internet Ads: The Debate Goes On." Advertising Age 2 May 1994: 23.

Rotzoll, Kim B., James E. Haefner, and Charles H. Sandage. _Advertising in Contemporary Society_. Cincinnati: South-western Publishing Co., 1990.

"Web Sites Top List of Internet Advertisers." _Los Angeles Times_ 11 Dec. 1995, D3.

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