1What is online journalism? - Ayo Menulis FISIP UAJY

204 Journalism Online
readers to move their heads slightly or strain their eye
muscles to track over the long lines of text.
So avoid edge-to-edge lines of text. It is the reason why
newspapers and magazines have always used column widths.
Although it is more difficult to do on the web, the widespread use
of tables now gives designers more control over line length and,
therefore, readability.
Now you have all the main ingredients to lay your page out. So
what are you going to opt for, something unique and groundbreaking
or tried and tested? The warring natives, as ever are not
helpful. ‘Try splash screens,’ says one. ‘Splash screens must die,’
says another. Terrific.
Once again, you need to go back to your journalistic roots.
There is a magpie in every journalist, constantly seeking shiny
nuggets of information to hoard away for a rainy day. It is the same
with web design. Just as journalists are urged to read, read and
read, you should surf, surf and surf, looking for design ideas.
When you do, you will find that there are surprisingly few
fundamentally new ones. As Jakob Nielsen says, if 90% of web sites
are doing it, maybe you should too. At least to get you going.
Common web layouts
The two most common examples of web layout are the L (or
inverted L) and the I (or sometimes a T).
The L and inverted L layout is used a lot on sites such as news
sites, which require a large amount of navigation upfront to enable
the user to see what is available. It uses asymmetrical balance as
the main construct of the page.
The I and the T layout works well on a site that has a lot of, but
a limited range of, content. If your site does not have such a
specific focus and offers a wider range of services, try placing the
main content down the middle of the screen with extra navigation
at each side, making a T shape. The navigation on the left is
usually reserved for navigation within a site and that on the right
for navigation within a section or story.
If a page requires scrolling, the navigation is often repeated,
providing the I pattern.