More on Site Generations
I'll be commenting on your site choices for 2nd and 3rd generation sites based on the definitions provided on the Web Generations page.
The idea behind generations is how the web has taken some leaps forward based on the increases in technology and how designers have used that technology.
I believe David Siegal, author of Creating Killer Web Sites (find a link on the Resources Page) referred to web generations in his original edition, but doesn't much any more because the web has gotten so much more complicated and designers are creating web sites that cross over the definitions he first set down.
Types of Web Sites
Today, web sites are classified differently. Authors Shelly, Cashman and Wells in their book "Dreamweaver MX 2004—Complete Concepts and Techniques" list the following 9 basic types of web sites:
|
Type |
Definition / Content |
Example |
Portal |
Generally synonymous with gateway; a major starting site for users when they get connected to the web, an anchor site, linking to many other sites.
Typical services offered by portal sites include:
- directory of Web sites,
- ability to search for information
- news
- weather information
- e-mail
- stock quotes
- phone and map information
- community forum
|
|
News |
news articles, current events |
|
Informational |
governmental and non-profit agencies are the chief providers of these sites |
|
Business/Marketing |
sells products and services |
|
Education |
formal and informal learning content |
|
Entertainment |
music, video, sports, games and other interactive content |
|
Advocacy |
sites for causes, opinions, and issues |
|
Personal |
individual and family |
|
Blog |
A short form for weblog, a personal journal published on the Web.
Blogs frequently include:
- philosophical reflections
- opinions on the Internet and social issues
- "log" of the author's favorite web links.
Blogs are usually presented in journal style with a new entry each day. |
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As you can see, these are primarily ways of presenting (classifying) content, which is of course why people go to web sites.
Any of these sites could be designed and take advantage of the technological features made available by each of the generations of the web.
The problem with talking about generations is that there is a difference of opinion as to what generation we are in.
The point I want to make here is for you to be aware of the technology and how it has affected the evolution of the web.
In review:
The “Generations” approach to classifying a site mostly looks at the kinds of design created using the technology available at that time.
The “Types” approach to classifying a site mostly looks at the main approach and the content it has.
Both ways can be confusing because sites created today use various types of technology and varying types of content (see Amazon sidebar).
Since 3rd generation web site technology came into being, things have really taken off. A great deal of technological advances have been made.
Flash, for example, was first exploited by the designer to enhance the design and the interactivity of their sites. But that doesn't mean that anyone who uses a Flash object on their site has transformed it to a 3rd or 4th gen site
That is why it is so difficult to classify some sites which use a little of some of the advanced technology.
You could have a 2nd generation web site that uses forms to access a database; that doesn't make it fall into the classification of a 4th generation site.
A point can be made that the design of the Amazon.com home page could have been created with 2nd generation web technology. What makes amazon.com more advanced than that is its use of a database.
Below is an explanation of the subject taken from /www.sitepoint.com/article/php-mysql-tutorial, quoting Build your own Database Driven Website using PHP & MySQL - Third Edition, by Kevin Yank.
Why a Database Drive Website?
"Content is king."
Cliché, yes; but it has never been more true.
Once you've mastered HTML and learned a few neat tricks in JavaScript and Dynamic HTML, you can probably design a pretty impressive-looking Website. But your next task must be to fill that fancy page layout with some real information.
Any site that successfully attracts repeat visitors has to have fresh and constantly updated content. In the world of traditional site building, that means HTML files—and lots of 'em.
The problem is that, more often than not, the people who provide the content for a site are not the same people who handle its design.
Frequently, the content provider doesn't even know HTML. How, then, is the content to get from the provider onto the Website? Not every company can afford to staff a full-time Webmaster, and most Webmasters have better things to do than copying Word files into HTML templates anyway.
Maintenance of a content-driven site can be a real pain, too. Many sites (perhaps yours?) feel locked into a dry, outdated design because rewriting those hundreds of HTML files to reflect a new look would take forever.
Server-side includes (SSIs) can help alleviate the burden a little, but you still end up with hundreds of files that need to be maintained should you wish to make a fundamental change to your site.
The solution to these headaches is database-driven site design.
By achieving complete separation between your site's design and the content you want to present, you can work with each without disturbing the other.
Instead of writing an HTML file for every page of your site, you only need to write a page for each kind of information you want to be able to present. Instead of endlessly pasting new content into your tired page layouts, create a simple content management system that allows the writers to post new content themselves without a lick of HTML!
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