Websites are funny old things. Your website is not only a functional repository of information shared with others, it also does so much more. It's a place to express creativity, to engage and be engaged with. It sets the tone and yet waits to be visited!
When thinking about having a website, it is good to consider what aspects of your content you wish to highlight. A good website is like a good garden - it invites you in, wants to surprise you, reveal itself as you explore. At the same time however it needs structure - a gate, a path, fences to denote boundaries. It needs to be clear what you can touch, where you can walk. If you show off all your thoughts and products and ideas at once it looks overgrown and chaotic.
Just in the way children are taught to read as a writer, and write as a reader, you should consider other websites you like as a visitor, and why. Ask yourself what colours appeal to you, what elements excite you - video? Scrolling photos? Music? Minimalist navigation?
Make a list of 5 websites you love and try and identify why. All this pondering and research will help you pull into focus how your website will be liked by others!
5 great websites?
Here’s my current* top 5
https://www.youtube.com/ - its not the prettiest site, but it works so well. It is intuitive, informative and technically delivers. Video is hard to do well, but YouTube has the market cornered.
https://www.lightningmaps.org/ - its so clever! And if the sound is on you can hear the crack as it strikes!
https://www.google.co.uk- It's the site with one 'simple' use... but it hides all sorts of exciting features!
https://uneminiaventure.fr/en - A sweet and yes, very mini adventure, using the scroll feature of the browser in an interesting way!
https://www.creativecruise.nl/ - this is either genius or really annoying. What do you think?
* it changes all the time!
What are your 5 sites and why?
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