Content

What is content?

The information contained in the site, including text, visual images, audio, video, etc., tied together by a theme or topic.

Content may be King, but like all monarchies, it needs its Queen to rule effectively.

It's the single most important component of a website (or similar product), but content alone isn't enough. You also need a structure (information and visual design).

Repurposing Content vs. Generating New Content

Repurposing existing content is fine, but press kits and brochures alone make for a meager website. Many sites include a balance of both old and new information developed specifically to take advantage of the medium.

Content developed for a static medium (such as print) often needs to be revised to work in an interactive medium. Likewise, the same is true of CD-ROMs and TV shows that are ported to print (magazines, books, newspapers, etc.). Think about the particulars of the medium and adapt your content accordingly.

Websites with good content:

Online Magazines/Shows

SALON
Monk
Urban Desires
Mediamatic
Feed
Suck
NPR
The Squat
News of the Weird

Political Sites

the White House
The Netizen
The Noam Chomsky Archive
Planet Reebok Human Rights Page
Vote Smart
Political Participation Project
Getting Into Issues-Contents
THOMAS: Legislative Information
The Carter Center
Progress and Freedom Foundation
Statistical Abstract/Census
BillWatch
HotWired: Cyber Rights Under Attack!
Library of Congress
MediaScope
FedWorld
ConspiracyWeb
Military Secrecy
IntelWeb What's New
The Groom Lake Desert Rat
Smitty's UFO Page

Technical Info

vrml.org
VRML (WIRED)
QuickTime Live!
Java site
utexas mac archive
shareware.com
Kai's Power Tips

Interaction/Communication

Abbe Don Interactive
HCI Resources
Visual Literacy Site
Memetics Info1
Memetics Info2
The Noam Chomsky Archive
Institute for Global Communications
Brainstorms

Art

Jenny Holzer Site
Survival Research Laboratories
Guerrilla Girls
George Coates HomeStage
Sundance Film Festival
Warhol Museum
Laurie Anderson Site
2.13.61 Publications
Henry Rollins stuff
UC Berkeley Gallery
The Simpsons
Dilbert
On the Road: Jack Kerouac

Financial Sites

Bank of America
IRS Tax Forms
Working Assets Long Distance

Star Trek

Darmok Dictionary
United Federation of Planets
Star Trek Resources
The Star Trek Archive
ST:TNG
Star Trek Companion
The Endless Star Trek Episode

Travel

Vivid Travel Network
Julie Jett/HotWired
Monk
Shuttle Launch Schedule
NASA
Virtual Tourist

Reference

Bartlett's Quotations
Roget's Thesaurus
Webster's Dictionary Evolving, Multi-Authored
Whole Internet Catalog
42

Miscellaneous

Library of Congress
All-Movie Guide
School House Rock
MIT Hack Gallery
Cybrary of the Holocaust
AOL's Give back to the Net
Beyond 2000
Virtual Vineyards
A Day in the Life of Cyberspace
Vietnam Memorial

Next Step: (Visual) Design

 

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