What Does This Mean to Me, Laura?

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Archive for April, 2009

Why web standards matter and why your library (really) has to care

Author: Laura

April 23, 2009

It’s pretty easy to explain to people why their web sites need certain kinds of standards; take, for example, Section 508, which is essentially the ADA for web sites. Section 508 says that any organization receiving federal funds (hmm…bailout companies, take note) must have an accessible web site. “Accessible” is further defined by specific criteria, but it mostly comes down to making web sites that can be used by the physically impaired.* People understand needing to modify something so everyone can use it equally, without unfair impediments.

However, it can be more difficult to explain why web sites should also be using coding standards. For example, how many people realize that HTML is actually deprecated (i.e., dead**)? HTML was replaced by XHTML and CSS. The last valid version of HTML was released in 1999–10 years ago! And, even if your site is using more current technologies, is it actually validated as standards-compliant? Just using XHTML/CSS is not the same as using valid XHTML/CSS. It’s the difference between having my dad poke at your engine and bringing the car to a certified mechanic.

If your library’s site is still using HTML or non-validated XHTML/CSS, it’s not just a matter of being a technological left-behind. Your site actually has some major issues you may not even be aware of. Here’s just a few:

Older (non-standard) code can be a real obstacle for visitors using mobile devices. What’s the point of designing a cool iPhone app for your library if the entire library’s web site isn’t usable on the same device?
Internet browsers come in all sizes, shapes, and levels of annoyance. Each browser has slightly different rules about how it chooses to render a site. If you look at your library’s site in Internet Explorer and then Firefox, chances are high they don’t look the same. Being standards-compliant can minimize these differences. Keep in mind also that sites often render differently in different versions of browsers. Try looking at your site in Internet Explorer 6 and then Internet 7. Make sure you’re sitting down first.
You may actually be sucking up your visitors’ bandwidth. Standards-compliant sites tend to be cleaner and more compact, without gobbeldygook code soup on the back end. This means they tend to run faster. Don’t have broadband in most homes in your service area? Your library’s site on dial-up might be a nightmare for your patrons.
Generally, you can’t have a site that’s accessible to people with disabilities without it also being code standard-compliant (although, alas, you can have the reverse). If you aren’t using standard code, rest assured that your site is not good for people using adaptive software like voice readers.
Non-standard code actually hurts your search engine rankings. Sites that are standards-compliant are more friendly to those little Google robot spiders crawling through your site to index it.

What does this mean to me, Laura?

If your site is running on HTML, it’s waaaay past time to bring it into the 21st century. <plug type=”shameless’>Contact us at OPLIN to find out how you can get on the waiting list for the Dynamic Website Kits, which are totally standards-compliant.</plug>
If you’re planning a re-design of your library’s site soon, it’s critical that you take standards into consideration. The footloose-and-fancy-free “do whatever works” mentality won’t cut it anymore. To do otherwise can end up making sure that people using alternative browsers (e.g. Opera, Firefox), mobile devices or adaptive software don’t visit your library’s web site.
You can use automatic online and free validators from the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium–they make the international standards for web stuff): Here is the XHTML validator and here is the CSS one.

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*Yes, I know this is a very simple explanation. Want more?

**Yes, I also know that W3C is working on the HTML 5 spec. But I am not holding my breath for a quick release and, if you are, I might have a bridge to sell you.

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Intermediate Twitter: #hashtags

Author: Laura

April 13, 2009

(Thanks to Don Yarman for suggesting this topic–I’m always on the lookout for new fodder. Send your ideas to meanlaura@oplin.org.)

I have to assume that, by now, your library has finally jumped on the Twitter wagon. (See here for additional info about Twitter for libraries.) If your library is doing Twitter correctly, then you are courteously following (most of) your followers back. (And if it’s not, you should be and I think I’ll chat a bit about that in a future Mean Laura post.) You may have noticed some followers using words in their tweets preceeded by the pound (#) sign. These are called hashtags.

Why use a hashtag?

Hashtags are used as an easy way to designate certain topics when using the Twitter search. For example, a couple of weeks ago, I attended the Computers in Library conference in Washington D.C. The official hashtag for the conference was #cil2009. If you use(d) Twitter search with that hashtag, you would be able to get a fascinating real-time picture of what people were saying about the various sessions, and even conversations being held asynchronously via Twitter.

Do they have any effect?

The past several days, we’ve seen the true power of the hashtag with the AmazonFAIL fiasco. Customers have found all kinds of ways to use social media to demonstrate their disapproval of Amazon.com’s move to make all LBGT literature “adult.” (Read the last link to see the gory details.) But on Twitter, the #amazonFAIL hashtag not only identified people’s contributions to this large-scale conversation, but as of this blog post, the topic is actually the most talked-about on Twitter. Clearly, people are very unhappy with Amazon.com and they are not only making it known on an unprecedented scale, but they are doing so at an incredible speed.

What does this mean to me, Laura?

If your library tweets on certain topics regularly, ,it may be helpful to use a hashtag, such as #bookdiscussion. Note, however, that these are called hashTAGS for a reason–just like regular keyword tagging, there is no authoratative source for taxonomy. Just make up a hashtag and use it consistently.
As the Shifted Librarian, Jenny Levine, found out, hashtags seem to have a limited lifespan in Twitter search. Read her blog post for how she gets around this.
Certain events and happenings have “official” hashtags, such as the #cil2009 and #amazonFAIL tags, above. If you’re attending a conference, find out what the official hashtag is before you start tweeting. Sometimes people don’t do this, and you’ll see variations on the tag, rather than one consistent tag. As you might guess, this is less than ideal.
On the other hand, if you go to a conference and the conference folks haven’t set one, be the first to make it up and promote it. People will often use what they see first.
Hashtags are primarily intended for Twitter, but you will also often see them in action on blogs. If you search Technorati, for example, for “cil2009″ (no hash/pound sign), you’ll get a ton of hits.

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Archive for April, 2009

Why web standards matter and why your library (really) has to care

Intermediate Twitter: #hashtags