[thelist] Re: iframes

rudy r937 at interlog.com
Sun Jan 19 07:17:01 CST 2003


our list guidelines clearly state that when you post to thelist with a
comment that is not itself related to web development, you are required to
add a web development tip, to "pay" for the fact that you have increased the
noise without adding to the signal

this is only fair!!

<tip type="tips">
it is not necessary to include a tip when asking a web development question
</tip>

all "payment" tips should be topical, i.e. related to web development, which
the above wasn't

also, i've seen people include a tip when asking a question, and you don't
really need to, as long as the question itself is topical

and since everything so far in this post has not been topical, but rather
about list behaviour, it's time for me to pay up...

<tip type="information architecture">
Understanding Information Architecture
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/technology/p1042357331.php
</tip>

<tip type="print version of an article">
when creating a print version of an article, don't just remove the site's
chrome (although that in itself is a welcome and necessary feature, easily
accomplished with style sheets), but please also try to make the print
version more usable -- for example, if the article has been split up into
multiple pieces (so that more ads can be served? i can think of no other
justification), the print version should combine the pieces, and if this
cannot be done (and i cannot imagine why not, except laziness or edict by
someone who doesn't get the web), then at least please don't have the first
print version piece link to the next chromed piece, please make sure your
links are clearly marked as such, for example as text links that says "next
page" or some such (not some dubious graphic that only vaguely resembles a
link, without a proper alt tag to boot), and worst of all, don't call each
link to the print version of that piece "print this story"
</tip>

i suppose the javascript print command popping up on a print version is to
be expected, but it's an annoyance nevertheless

why an outfit called "online journalism review" would make so many usability
mistakes on a simple concept like printable articles is astounding


rudy




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