RELEVANCE
In order to stay relevant, many sites must stay up to date. News must be new!
Want to find out how East Stirlingshire Football Club are doing this season? Good luck!
image captured 11/19/
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Since the world is constantly changing, so is the information we use to make decisions in the world. According to inSites, a monthly e-newsletter highlighting Internet industry news,
- According to a UCLA Internet Report, "About 58% of users in 2001 believe that most or all of the information on the Internet is reliable and accurate." Many businesses perceive updating their web site as low-priority work. This viewpoint has led to outdated web sites and a perception that the Web is not a valid information source.
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image captured 11/19/2007 Maybe if they posted thier 2007 / 08 schedule on the team's official website, they would have more than 372 fans* show up for games. *(2007/8 avg as of 11/19/07) |
If a web site can't keep up, and can't be accurate, it is of little value to surfers.
Some practical advice:
- Update regularly. This is pretty self-explanatory. If you promise to provide a regular service, you do your viewers a disservice if you don't follow up your words with actions.
- Know your limitations. If you can't provide a regular service, don't. For example, students are better off without a homework page than having one that isn't kept up to date.
- Make pages "timeless". Fortunately, not all web sites deal with topics where content needs constant updating. With very minor tweaking, most of the material we put online can remain relevant. For example, don't put dates on pages that don't need them. Dated pages can offer a historical context, but if the information is still relevant, a months or years-old date will undermine the validity of the page.