|
Myspace layouts
MySpace Layouts are web page templates used to customize one's profile on
the popular social networking site MySpace.
Layouts are an interesting aspect of MySpace for several reasons:
* Much of the popularity of MySpace is attributed to the freedom that it
gives its users to customize their profiles using HTML, CSS, and Flash;
JavaScript is not allowed.
* Overall, the design quality of MySpace layouts is a subject of much
criticism and consternation in the web community; for example, amongst web
designers.
Structure
The HTML structure of a profile is the same for all users. That structure
contains these notable points:
* Very few DOM elements have IDs, and therefore very few elements are
individually addressable using CSS rules. If you change a CSS rule, you will
typically end up changing the appearance of more than one section. This
makes it quite challenging to fine tune a profile.
* In a typical layout template, a considerable amount of impact is
implemented by setting the background image of the entire page.
* As a result of the use of HTML/CSS Text a cottage industry of web
designers has sprung up around MySpace. Charging anything from $50-$1500 to
design new layouts or profiles on Myspace.
Constraints
Any design for a MySpace layout is subject to these constraints:
* All code (whether HTML, CSS, or Flash) must be entered in the same
sections where normal textual information is entered on a profile: sections
with names like Interests, About Me, Who I'd like to Meet, etc.
* There is no way to modify the DOM tree other than by inserting DOM
elements into the section where the code itself is entered.
* DOM elements are modifiable outside of where the code exists via CSS.
read the
copyright
|