You can hire someone to update your web site with fresh data every day, but this takes money out of your pocket - money that you have worked hard for.

[As you will see below, any discussion of web site style can become quite heated. I have read a great number of web pages devoted to web style, and the vast majority of style authors come across as opinionated and stubborn, with a steadfast belief that they are correct and that anyone who disagrees with them is an idiot. (Needless to say, I am no different.) Furthermore, I have noticed a distinct absence of phrases such as "In my opinion" or "It is my personal belief that". Rather, there is the impression that a particular author's views on the subject brook no argument, are carved in stone, are hand-delivered on gold-embossed, linen stationery by Gods themselves. Of course, as with any generalization, the one above must be viewed with suspicion, as there are certainly style authors who are fair-minded, reasonable and open to other viewpoints. These are the ones I have paid the most attention to. In any case, I have left my ramblings about style in their original form, and may even expand on them some day, when I have more time on my hands and there is nothing else to do, unless people send me money and beg me not to. ;) ]

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As any web designer/author/developer knows, there is a plethora (huge amount) of information available on the Internet regarding web design/authoring/development. There is perhaps even more information regarding style: what it is, what it isn't, what is good style, what is bad style, and what is no style. There are as many strongly voiced opinions of what constitutes good style as there are web designers/authors/developers. I have read many treatises on web style, incorporated some ideas, dismissed others, and ultimately formed my own conclusions. I am not here to add my two cents to the discussion. This page is about my concept of web style and how it applies to my web site development. If you don't agree with my ideas regarding this topic, that's OK. The Internet is still a medium that offers freedom of choice. There are thousands of web designers/authors/developers in the world; there is probably at least one whose concept of style agrees with yours. From this point on, I will refer to web designers/authors/developers simply as web designers, but please keep in mind that I am referring to anyone who creates web sites.

What is Style?

Darned if I know. Ask anyone I know to name the ten most stylish people of their acquaintance, and my name will be conspicuous by its absence. Style is personal, it is subjective, it is not easy to define, at least not to the satisfaction of everyone. But style has certain qualities or attributes that are generally agreed upon by most observers. They are not necessarily visual qualities, or even measurable qualities. For example, here are some of the things I've heard people say about style:

1. Style is timeless - Style is not here today, gone tomorrow. That would be a fad.
2. Style is quiet - Style is not flamboyant, is generally understated. Style does not need to draw attention to itself, yet somehow does.
3. You know style when you see it - This one speaks for itself.
4. Bad style is the same as no style - I don't necessarily agree with this. I believe it is possible to exhibit magnificently bad style. For some individuals, this appears to be a calling, or even a crusade.

Some often overlooked aspects of style are grammar and spelling. Definition number 6 of the main entry for style in the Merriam Webster On-Line dictionary is "a convention with respect to spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and typographic arrangement and display followed in writing or printing". Many folks feel that this definition does not apply to web design, but I believe it does. That's all for now. I may expand on this at some future date. Or not. If people send me enough money, I will continue to refrain from expanding this discussion. Otherwise, look out.