SIGIA-L Mail Archives: RE: SIGIA-L: Site Map vs. Site Index
RE: SIGIA-L: Site Map vs. Site Index
From: Louis Rosenfeld (lou_at_louisrosenfeld.com)
Date: Tue Jan 15 2002 - 12:40:21 EST
Imagine that: Samantha Bailey, fan of the site index. Somehow that's not
at all surprising. ;-)
In defense of the site map, it does provide a compact version of the site
hierarchy, which can provide useful perspective on what's contained in the
site (especially when compared to clicking through from a list of major
categories on a main page). I don't think site indices are as useful for
such overviews, though they are better for known-item finding and for
revealing site content at a more granular level. Site maps are cheaper to
develop and maintain, BTW.
Interesting side note: we all couple site maps and site indices, but
wouldn't it be just as fair to compare site maps to search engines, or to
guides, or to wizards? Ultimately they're all unique IA components, each
with benefits and disadvantages that are only apparent when you consider the
context of their usage.
Samantha Bailey wrote:
>
> I'm inclined not to be a big fan of a site map, for more or less
> the reason
> you state--if the hierarchy and categories are clear, it may not be a huge
> value-add to replicate them. (On the other hand, with a highly complex
> portal-type site (like Yahoo), perhaps there is a value to bringing all
> these disparate elements under one roof). Reservations about site maps
> aside, I'm a huge fan of the site index, from the perspective
> that all sites
> should have more than one route/path to access information. This is
> something I've posted here before, but I'll add it below in case anyone is
> interested.
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