mearso.com

Recently been having discussions in a variety of places, about the words. Mainly words, because that is what people generally mean when they talk about websites. The rather nebulous term ‘content ‘ is often used to imply a diverse range of formats and media to be brought into use on a site, when a more useful starting point is the words.

I’ve often been asked to build sites way before the words are ready. Many times before it’s been decided who will write them, and why. I just know (or hope) that there will be some.

The problem with this way of building sites is that it mean whatever site I build it has to function as a generic container rather than dovetailing nicely with the words. The key thing here, is that once the words have been written, there is meaning, and a message. Those essential raw materials are usually the reason people come to the site, and has been the case with a site I saw recently, people came despite the design.

I use http://www.southwaleschess.co.uk/SWI/ , not to pick on it, but as an example of content that is useful, reasonably timely and relevant to a particular audience. That’s a pretty good summary of a site that works. That site is pretty poor on an aesthetic and functional level, yet still manages to work, is a good illustration of that tired old maxim ‘content is king’.