Genres and the WEB: Is the personal home page the first uniquely digital genre?

Abstract

Genre conventions emerge across discourse communities over time to support the communication of ideas and information in socially and cognitively compatible forms. Digital genres frequently borrow heavily from the paper world even though the media optimally support different forms, structures, and interactions. This research sought to determine the existence and form of a truly digital genre. Results from a survey of user perceptions of the form and content of web home pages reveal a significant correlation between commonly found elements of home pages and user preferences and expectations of type. These data support the argument that the personal home page has rapidly evolved into a recognizable form with stable, user-preferred elements and thus may be considered the first truly digital genre.