Here are some questions you might want to ask yourself as you consider your web-based project.

Why: What is the purpose of the site?

There are a lot of web pages out there. The fact that anyone can see a page from any distance, that anyone can see every other person's pages... it only emphasizes the fact that, when picking people at random, most people don't know who you are and don't want to. But don't let that get you down.

Why is your page different? Will your page be based on your already-existing connections? A URL that you put on your business card, promotional material, etc. If so, the premise is that, for whatever reason, people came to your site because they are already interested. This is a much easier page to define, because it's already defined -- the page is just another window on you or your organization.

The alternative is more difficult: a page that stands on its own in the vast expanse of the Internet. In this case you need to provide something unique and interesting. Unique and interesting is hard to produce, so you should have a concept before you even start on the rest of this.

What: What kind of atmosphere do you want your website to have?

Examples might include:

• Intimate and personal
• Professional and formal
• Funky or quirky (but you don't want your design to overpower the actual content)
• Conservative and staid
• Modern and slick

This basic feel is essential to how you put your site together. It should present the intended role of the site. That is not the same as saying the site should present you. Which brings us to...

Who: Is the site about you, or just by you?

The site may not even be by any one person, as in the case of an institutional site. So consider -- are you, as a person, the essential subject of the site? A site is usually about something more focused -- a particular product or service, or even just some aspect of you (your art, your writing).

Some people mix these two, presenting, say, professional work with personal photos. I don't think this is a good idea. However, (as you may have noticed from this site), I think your personality and opinions should be present.

In an institutional site (corporate, non-profit, whichever), it's easy to say no one should be expressed in the site. This is dangerous. This is where that awful corporate copy comes into play. The only alternative I've figured out so far is simply writing as little as possible -- saying what you need to say, what you are compelled to say by way of your institutional purpose, and say no more. I'm not sure this is the best way; I'd be quite interested to see sucessful alternatives. But if you don't have anything to say, give your visitors the gift of silence and point them to what you do. (Forgive me, I'm drift into material more appropriate for the philosophy section)