WikiLeaks - Freedom of information or has it gone too far??

By now everyone is aware of the WikiLeaks scandal. Confidential government documents went global after they were put up on the wikileaks website recently and now governments worldwide are outraged. The founder of the site is being sought under criminal charges, governments (particularly the US government, as the documents were mostly from the US) are scrambling to maintain international relationships (many of the documents released private feelings on a variety of foreign dignitaries) and the people of the world are left questioning whether they should have a right to this information. Should everyone have access to these documents or did the site go too far and put too much at risk? I am really not sure of the answer but I think it does highlight an important issue. That the web has created a paradigm shift in power structures - people now have power and have the ability to influence and affect an international audience and governments can't stop this from happening.

Click here to find out more information on the WikiLeaks!

Site Diagrams

Before the creation of a site (through html code or programs such as dreamweaver, etc) it is important that a site diagram be constructed. This diagram is simply a basic outlay of the structure of the site. I found it very useful when designing my first website (coming soon!) as it helped me visualize how the user would navigate through the site and provided for a very easy breakdown of simple site elements. It only takes a minute and can save a lot of time in the long-run if you run into any confusion!

Here's an example of my site diagram (created using Word but you can also use any paint program or even do it by hand)!

Website Structures

Websites are constructed using three basic architectures:

1. Sequences - simplest way, only option is to proceed to 'next page'
2. Hierarchies - most common site structure, user starts at homepage and navigates throughout the site with a navigation bar
3. Web structures - few restrictions on movement through site, links highly common and move user throughout site

Example of a Sequence Design - Website Design Tutorial 

The bottom of each page has a selection option to bring user to the following page. This design is most often used in teaching or training sites.









Example of a Hierarchy Design - CIT Website

Users are brought to this homepage, where they have a clear selection of categories to browse in the navigation panels.









Example of a Web Design - Wikipedia

Wikipedia entries allow the user to navigate through the site as desired. Highlighted links to other information are highly common and can redirect the user to new information sources. Wikis are the most common users of the web structure.