[thelist] question - homepage? webpage? website

Andrew Clover and at doxdesk.com
Fri Jan 18 12:06:14 CST 2002


Marc Seyon <seyon at delime.com> wrote:

> homepage (home page) - the first or main webpage on a website

That's certainly one common usage, and the word "home" on its own in
navigation would, I think, be universally understood as the 'main' entry
and/or contents page.

However "home page" (and equally the nasty-loking "homepage") has been
interpreted by people as meaning so many different things that I would
personally avoid using it.

1. The browser's starting page.
2. Someone's personal web page. I suppose this usage came about as people
   made their own personalised starting pages with links etc. on and
   pointed their friends at them.
3. The main/index page of said personal pages, as they grew to more than
   one document.
4. By extension, the main page of any web site. ("Welcome to the Cat Lovers'
   Home Page!!!!" (c) 1997)
5. By extension - presumably by people who misunderstood the Welcome
   message - any entire web site.

-- 
Andrew Clover
mailto:and at doxdesk.com
http://and.doxdesk.com/




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