[thelist] re alt tags google vs accessability

[Nick Freear]

I have tried going down the route suggested by the WAI and Bobby
http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/:
[Option 1]

<h2><img src="x.gif" .. alt="University of Birmingham"
longdesc="aboutsite.html#img-crest" />
 <small><a class="longDesc" href="aboutsite.html#img-crest">d</a></small>
</h2>

(not sure how good my 'longdesc' is!)  Although this approach seems useful
for 'illustration' images I'm now trying a cleaner approach for 'logo'
images:
[Option 2]

<h2 id="subTitle"><span class="imgAlt">University of Birmingham</span></h2>

.imgAlt, .longDesc { display: none; }

h2#subTitle {
  background:
url(http://www.bham.ac.uk/externalrelations/images/cwt-university-crest.gif)
no-repeat center center;
  width:  186px;
  height: 65px;
}

This is I hope accessible and useful for search engines, also for
image-links.  The main hole in the design is when the (visual) user has
images disabled but uses the author style sheet - they see nothing!  I'd be
interested in what thelist thinks of 'Option 2'.

> Have a look at http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/html/alt.html for an
overview of the use of ALT tags.
>
A useful article.

Thanks


Nick Freear

http://web.bham.ac.uk/ChamberChoir