Hypertext vs. Papertext: Reaching People World-Wide

Perhaps the greatest reason to publish on the World Wide Web is that it is, in fact, world-wide. Your Web page can be seen by people almost anywhere across the globe. The types of people that can see your Web page from any country in the world fall into two categories: those who work for you and those who don't. Don't count out that first group.

First of all, the World Wide Web can give you global exposure. You certainly can't reach everyone in the world, but that's true even with papertext. And the Web lets you reach a lot more people for a lot less money than with papertext. The WWW gives you the added advantage of giving you exposure to people that you don't even know might be interested in what you have to say. These are the people that you have to work the hardest to draw into your Web page. People who are searching for your page already have a reason to be there, even if your page is boring. But people who are just browsing, won't be attracted to a boring page. However, if you can create a truly interesting and innovative page, you can draw people in and maybe even get them interested in your ideas or products.

The other group, which is also very important, is your own people. Don't count them out of your usefulness. Salespeople on the road can use the WWW to get information from the company. This might include brochures, demos, bug-fixes, etc. You could also go so far as to add a password protected area to your Web site which would not be accessible to anyone but your people. This would give another forum for distributing information to those on the road.

Don't forget when designing your page that you have two to three specific audiences, each of which is looking for different information. The party who is already interested in what you are writing is a semi-captive audience. They already have a reason to be there, and the content is the most important piece of the puzzle. The second main audience that you have is the causal Web browser. And don't count him or her out! The casual Web browser may become a customer or follower after reading your page. But you have to hook them first. They will be looking for an interesting interface to draw them in. The last, and probably most optional, audience you have is your own people. How much attention you pay to them depends on how many of them you have, how often they are away, how often they stay in contact, and what sorts of information they might need. These are all important people to keep in mind as you design your Web site.

Which path would you like to follow?

Next:	Full-Text Path	Linking	WWW & the Internet
Previous:	Full-Text Path	Linking	WWW & the Internet

Return to Introduction	Table of Contents