His and her Web sites
It's long been known that men and women often have different tastes when it comes to entertainment and media, particularly magazines, television and movies. A recent study at a Welsh university shows that men and women also have distinct preferences in Web sites.
The Key Website Research Highlights on Gender Bias from the University of Glamorgan concludes that "men and women really are poles apart when it comes to what catches their eye on the Internet." For the study, researchers looked at personal Web sites created by 30 men and 30 women and found obvious differences in their use of language, visuals and navigation. Men tended to use straight lines rather than curves, fewer background and typeface colors, more formal typography, and language with fewer abbreviations. Men also were more prone to "promote themselves and their abilities heavily," the study found.
A selection of those Web sites was then shown to a mixed gender group who were asked to rate the appeal of the sites. In nearly every case the women preferred the Web sites designed by women and men showed a clear preference for sites created by men, the study found.
I wonder what it means if I prefer humble Web sites with no lines, curves, colors or typeface?
Elinor Mills covers Internet security and privacy. She joined CNET News in 2005 after working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Portugal and writing for The Industry Standard, the IDG News Service, and the Associated Press. E-mail Elinor.
