With advanced HTML editors, it has become a simple task to design and launch a Web site. Professional Web site designers can bring graphic design elements to Web sites, and some conventions have evolved over the brief history of the Web, such as the use of links and tabs. Regardless of the design elements, visitors to sites are interested in the content of those sites, and increasingly sophisticated Internet users are also becoming critical visitors inquiring as to who sponsors a site and who stands to gain from the information presented on a site. This research considers two Web sites in five key areas--authority, accuracy, objectivity, timeliness and coverage--and proposes that the combination of the content of these areas affects the interpretation of a Web site's message.
The South Carolina Wildlife Federation has a Web site at http://www.scwf.org. The federation is a nonprofit organization that seeks to integrate wildlife habitat conservation into the lives of South Carolina residents and businesses. The federation works closely with state and local agencies--both government and nongovernmental agencies--as well as local organizations such as schools to educate and provide resources for habitat conservation.
Green Landscaping and Irrigation has a Web site at www.greenlandscaping.com. This is a company that provides landscaping services to residential and commercial customers, and its Web site promotes that activity. Green Landscaping and Irrigation is a for-profit company.
There is a large amount of information on the wildlife federation site presented in a straightforward manner. Grammar and spelling are accurate, and the many links take the visitor to other well organized sites. This lends credence to the organization's site as a whole since it appears professional and gives the information an air of authority.
Green Landscaping and Irrigation has a s
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