[LINK] Internet Law website

Roger Clarke Roger.Clarke@xamax.com.au
Sat, 31 Mar 2001 11:57:30 +1000


Jan Whitaker <jwhit@PrimeNet.Com>
> [Yet another] world-first Internet site http://www.oznetlaw.net ...

Not one, but two, unnecessary front pages
White-text-on-dark-background (9966cc)
Refers to a Fact Sheet button, but there isn't one
The header uses text embedded in gifs
Framed, but the left side is empty and a waste of space (although deeper
    down the site that waste space is replaced by a series of within-site
    links - which are yet more dopey text-embedded-in-gifs)

Maybe the content is better than the user-interface design?

Primary legislation is listed but not hot-linked (*years* after AustLII
    delivered them the ability to do so!)
The Facts Sheets I looked at have no links whatsoever
They also fail to identify and link to other sources of introductions to
    the topics concerned
It appears to be entirely static HTML, with no pre-prepared searches
    (how about pre-canned searches of Yahoo, Looksmart, etc., and most of
    all of AustLII's World Law!!)
At least with my browser set-up:
    it appears that the design may be trying to suppress copy-and-paste
    the top-banner causes wasteful printing of excess pages
Develop a web-site - Metatags (which is a pretty odd document anyway)
    refers to three 'Other Relevant Fact Sheets', which of course aren't
    hyperlinked, and which can't be found on the site-map

Sorry to be negative, but frankly, this site is sub-professional.  It looks
like what could and should have been done in 1995, or as a project by
third-year students (which would have got 7/10 in 1996 and in 2001 would
get either 4.5/10 or more likely an 'improve-and-resubmit' requirement)

[Declaration of interest:  over the last five years, I've put up about as
much information as this, on the fly, in my spare time, without that twerp
Daryl Williams providing me with any funding, and without poor-quality
graphic design getting in the way ...

Yes, I'm getting even crustier in my old age]


Roger Clarke              http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/

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