Website terminology

[koster]

I'm writing a report comparing some of our competitors' websites. I'd like to put in some terminology to show that I know a little about web design! What are the buzz words I should be using?

For example, I want to say what is on the homepage, but I also want to say what is on the part of the homepage that visitors see when they first open it, beforer they've scrolled down. Is there a word for that part of the page?

[rojash]

How do you know what visitors will see before they scroll down? Not everyone has the same resolution monitor, or the same zoom factor set for their browser. If they have a high resolution monitor, or a negative zoom factor, they well may see the entire page, whereas you may need to scroll down.

[MarkRae]

> Is there a word for that part of the page?

The top part.

[bookbinder]

You might find these websites useful:
http://www.raise-your...s.co.uk/glossary.html
http://www.seowebsite...ns_website_terms.html
http://www.w3schools.com/web/web_glossary.asp
http://www.techterms.com/category/internet

The last one seems to be quite good, because it gives a list of terms and explains them in plain English.

[koster]

Rojash,

I'm well aware of the fact that different users will see a website in different ways. Nonetheless, it is extremely important in designing a website to consider what is on the part of the page that the MAJORITY of people will see when they first see the page. I'd be very surprised if there was not a term in marketing or web design to describe that part of the page.

Beso, your comment is unhelpful. If you couldn't contribute anything useful, why did you bother replying?

Bookbinder, thank you very much indeed.

[beso]

Dropping "buzz words" about a subject beyond what one actually knows about it is generally a quick way to look like a tryhard and lose the respect of your audience.

My post was intended to warn you against pretending.

[MarkRae]

Beso is right - this is how you'll come across...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTBsm0LzSP0

[rowanwitch]

Often the most successful writing avoids jargon and is easy to read and understand. Try not to be too clever you will only put your foot in it or look like a plonker if you don't know what you are talking about

[koster]

Beso, MarkRae and Rowanwitch -

Your comments are unhelpful. You do not know anything about what I am writing or who I am writing it for.

If you can't write anything useful in reply, please do not reply at all.

While it's completely true that the most successful writing often avoids jargon, there is also a time and place for the correct vocabulary to assert the writer's credibility.

I asked for some help with the terminology of the subject, not a lecture about plain English.

[rowanwitch]

Sorry if you feel that way but your original post implied tyou were trying to do something you were not too sure of and I think it was reasonable to offer the suggestion of considering a different approach..

I have heard parts of a webpage described like the pages of a newspaper e.g Banner, Headline, etc perhaps that might be a possible set of descriptors for you

[koster]

Thanks Rowanwitch!

Don't forget, if I was sure about things I wouldn't need Answerbank!

Yes, 'banner' is a useful word. I haven't heard 'headline' used to talk about websites, but maybe it is.

[MarkRae]

Not all websites have banners, though. This one doesn't: http://www.google.co.uk/

If you give the impression that actually do know what you're talking about, you run the risk of someone asking you something that you can't possibly answer. At that point, you will lose all credibility with the audience.

Do you favour java beans or ruby on rails...?

[Sipowicz]

Snails or oysters?

[koster]

MarkRae,

Once again, why are you bothering to reply when you don't have anything useful to contribute. Of course not all websites have banners. And your point is?

By the way. I wasn't looking for names of web application frameworks or software components for Java. I was just looking for some useful terminology to talk aboutwebsite design and usability to a semi-technical audience.

[koster]

I found the answer to my original question in this sentence:

"77% of visitors won’t scroll; they’ll just view the content above the fold (i.e. the area of the page that is visible on the screen without scrolling down)."
http://uxdesign.smash...ndings-and-guidelines

Now that I've found the term "above the fold", I can decide whether or not it is too technical for my audience. For example, if I am going to talk about it a lot, I might explain it the first time I use it, like the author did in that article.

The article goes on to say that users' habits have changed and that (because of the variety of available display resolutions, as Rojash said) "above the fold" has become a somewhat outdated term. However, I still think it's a good idea to have the core essentials "above the fold". I can think of plenty of websites that have too much "below the fold". For example, I find the landing page of the Daily Mail website very heavy.

And there, in my last sentence are two items of vocabulary which would not be understood by many audiences ("heavy" and "landing page"). I'm confident though that they'll be understood by the readers of this thread (there's another word, "thread").