The Wrong Stuff: What Not to Put on the Web

The Bad

Remember to focus. Don't try to be everything to everybody. This is the number two problem of personal sites. They haven't defined who or what they are there for. They spew out whatever pops up in whatever areas interest them at the moment. You might see graphics of motorcycles, rock bands, comic book characters, and computer screens all mixed up like a nightmare collage.
"Wait a minute," you protest, "you said that's the number two problem of personal Web sites. What's number one?"
Even worse than a site that's burdened down with everything is one that contains nothing of interest at all. Many personal sites contain next to nothing: lists of CDs or comic books the person owns; pictures of his dog, gerbil, or fish; fuzzy photos of the site's owner goofing around with friends; and so on. Let's face it; except for a small circle of your very closest friends, nobody but nobody (not even your significant other) wants to know that much about you. So why put it on the Web? It's a waste of bandwidth. It's boring.

Legal Issues

 The first amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees every American the right of free speech. This does not guarantee you the right to say anything you want with impunity. People who feel that you have treated them unfairly have legal recourse. You can be sued for libel and/or slander for anything you say online, just as you could if you had printed it on paper. And in this litigious society, it is probably better to err on the side of caution than to strike out boldly and without forethought.
Controversy and debate online are fine, but if you're diplomatic and noninflammatory you'll not only avoid legal battles, you'll attract more sympathizers. After all, you're on the Web to share your ideas, not to entice someone to sue you. Before you post something questionable, consider the following: Even if you're sure you'd win, do you really want to spend your time sitting in court for months on end?
The right to privacy ties in closely with libel and slander issues. If you receive private information about any of your users-through a registration form, for example-you must be very, very careful about how it is used and who has access to it. Though there is no actual law guaranteeing U.S. citizens a right to privacy, there is long-established legal precedent that says it is a basic right implied by the U.S. Constitution. It is best to keep all such information completely private, unless you have asked for and received specific permission to use it publicly.
Perhaps no laws are more openly flaunted on the Web than those concerning copyright and plagiarism. Everyone steals text, graphics, programs, hypertext link lists, HTML code, and everything else from one another pretty freely and openly. However, the most recent U.S. copyright law says that all original creative works in any medium (including electronic) are automatically assigned to their creator when created. No registration is necessary (though it is a good idea, so that ownership can be proven if challenged). Again, it's best to not "borrow" anything at all from anyone else's site, unless you have written permission to do so.
Perhaps no Web-related topic has gotten more press than the issue of adult material on the Web and its accessibility by minors. It is such a hot topic that Congress recently included tough anti-pornography language directed at the Internet in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Although this law is certain to be challenged in the courts, it has made many ISPs very, very nervous about the content of pages posted through their sites. If you plan to post adult material on your site, you certainly should at least make people enter through a disclaimer page. And make sure you have the permission of your ISP beforehand, or you could be kicked unceremoniously offline at the first hint of controversy.