[Sigia-l] Subdomain usability

[Kenneth Bryson]

Try a google search for URL usability.  I'd hazard a guess that the same
principles apply to subdomains:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=url+usability&btnG=Google+Search

Ultimately, they need to make sense and can be used in the same fashion
as redirects.  

i.e. support.apple.com and www.apple.com/support go to the same place.

If you need a new server that requires a new name,  and the content to
reside on that server makes sense *semantically*, then give the server
another name.

What doesn't  make sense are the variants such as www2.domain.com or
w3.domain.com as secondary web servers.  If I wanted content from
www2.domain.com/folder/page  but typed in www.domain.com/folder/page and
didn't get what I wanted, I'd be upset  that you expected me to remember
the semantics-poor www2 part of the URL.


-kb


>>> Luca Rosati <ai at trovabile.org> 6/5/2006 12:53 PM >>>
Hi,
is there anyone who knows resources about usabilty of subdomains?

In particular, I'd like to know:
* when (and/or if) is useful to employ a subdomain in a website (for
instance, subdomain.domain.com)
* what kind of problems a subdomain may generate for users, and what
strategies to avoid them.

Thanks in advance,
Luca

-- 

Luca Rosati
http://lucarosati.it 

Organizzare la conoscenza - il mio libro sulla architettura
dell'informazione:
<http://www.tecnichenuove.com/epages/Store.sf/?ObjectPath=/Shops/TN/Products/88-481-1849-6>


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