note about alternative pages

We've been working to create an appropriate "warning" about the use of
alternative pages (technique 2 in C.1).  The following is the text of the
proposed "note" to accompany this technique.  It's a little wordy, but it
seems to capture most of the concerns people have about the use of
alternative pages.

thoughts?
--the editors

 Alternative pages should be used sparingly since authors tend to neglect
updating the alternative page as often as the original page. An out-of-date
page may be as frustrating as one that is inaccessible since, in both
cases, the information presented on the original page is not available.
Automatically generating alternative pages can make it easier to keep up
with updates. However, authors must be careful to ensure that generated
pages always make sense and that each version (original and alternative)
contains the appropriate links such that one may either follow the original
path throughout the site, or the alternative one, or flip back and forth
between the two. Before resorting to an alternative page you may want to
reconsider the design of the original page. A page that is too elaborate
may deter a larger audience than you might expect.

Received on Friday, 23 October 1998 13:52:22 UTC