Website

A website is a computer-generated document designed for graphic computer interfaces, such as [Page 971]the World Wide Web (WWW). Websites contain combinations of text, images, animations, color, sound, and video. For public relations professionals, websites offer fruitful public presence and visual representation for organizations.

Since the WWW was introduced in 1993, many technological changes have occurred. Increases in bandwidth, computing power, and speed now allow websites to incorporate video, animations, and complex layouts. Most websites now load quickly, and more than 90% of computer users in the United States have high-speed access, or access to the Internet via smartphones or handheld devices.

The Internet has evolved into much more than websites. Historically, when communication professionals talked about websites, they implicitly meant organizational websites. However, starting about the mid-1990s, the Web underwent a transformation as social media, applications, and increased entertainment content led to new uses of websites. Social media and other tools are still “websites,” but they are also a form of “program.” Network television and movies are now readily available on the Internet, and an assortment of content providers offer everything from games for adults, children, and even cats to play on iPads; they also provide access to syndicated content like live streaming sporting and political events.

Any design that can be created for print or video can be duplicated for the Web, and many websites have emerged as content providers. High-resolution graphics and 3D rendering allow communication professionals to easily create content. Software like Amazon's Mobi, and a variety of e-readers led to renewed book and magazine interest as exact copies of millions of books, newspapers, and magazines can be read on laptop computers, handheld devices, smartphones, and text readers (e.g., Kindle, which actually uses a version of HTML—defined below—as the basis for its programming language).

Documents created using HTML may contain text, images, tables, video and audio annotations, numbered and bulleted lists, forms, and subroutines that allow Web designers to add special visual effects, such as expanding menus, textboxes or images, pop-up windows, contingent logic (if … then), and other special effects (e.g., onMouseOver …, onclick …).

The basic programming language for the Web is called Hyper Text Markup Language or HTML. Hyper media or HyperText was first described in 1977, available on a PC in 1987 (as Apple's HyperCard), and written as a computer language for the World Wide Web in 1991.

HyperText refers to the ability to create content that connects to other documents by means of links. HyperText allows for the creation of non-linear narratives. Links can be placed on text or images. Links direct users who click on them to new pages, other locations in the same document or frame, or to open content in new windows or frames—a frame refers to a portion of a larger window.

In their purest form (i.e., using universal formatting standards), websites can be read by every computer platform: Mac, PC, Unix, Android, iPad, Kindle, etc. The original logic of the Web was to enable individuals and organizations to create universally accessible content that looks the same on every computer or handheld device. Textual, visual, and other content was designed to scale to fit different computer monitors, substitute colors and typefaces when necessary, and generally offer a universally accessible user experience.

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