[thelist] building websites, instructions on

Liam Delahunty ldelahunty at britstream.com
Tue Nov 12 05:16:01 CST 2002


Chris W. Parker wrote:

>> From: Liam Delahunty
>> The questions I make sure to ask are:
>> 1. Is this sites main focus:
>> a. to make money,
>> b. a brochure,
>
>what is the definition of a brochure? is it just an informational site
>lacking functionality? do you have any examples of brochure type sites?

I would define a brochure site as something that is just intended to inform
the user, rather than (the primary goal being) to solicit feedback, sell
product, etc.

One can have a site with a main focus of one thing, but also have elements
of the other. E.g., Killermont Street, an Aztec Camera/Roddy Frame fan site
(community), that also sells stuff...
http://www.killermontstreet.com (Get the new album Surf it's fab!)

A brochure tends to have hardly any functionality other than contact forms,
and really just imparts information. e.g., http://www.beadybelle.com (get
their album too it's fab!)

>> c. a community,
>> d. an application
>
>when i first read (d) i thought of an application for hire, but you mean
>some sort of functional application like a budget program or something
>right?

I'd say an application is where the user goes and _does stuff_ and gets some
data back. So, you could be talking about a jobs board, property web sites,
etc. Often these will have broadly similar technology to community sites,
but the focus is on the individual user rather than a group of people
sharing data or interacting.

An application can also sell stuff, such as enhanced experiences. For
instance, http://www.friendsreunited.com started as an application and
became a community; they sell memberships where you can post images, and
email others. Newspaper sites sell subscriptions, and advertising, but
really they are primarily a CMS application.

Kind regards,
Liam
:: Play http://www.corx.co.uk/
:: Self http://www.liamdelahunty.com/
:: Work http://www.britstream.com/




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