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Re: Strong vs. Bold

for

From: Terence de Giere
Date: Jul 12, 2002 9:57AM

Think of the page in terms of audio rendering. Use STRONG if words in
question are words that would be emphasized when speaking the page
content. Example: DO NOT SMOKE when pumping gasoline. The words DO NOT
SMOKE would use the STRONG element rather than B (bold text). Use B if
the text is just decorative. Do not use STRONG or B to create the effect
of headings - use H1, H2, H3, etc., for headings.

Depending on the context, it is not always clear, such as in an
advertizement where there is a tendency to emphasize everyting, how much
to use STRONG. The EM element (emphasis) is typically rendered in italic
text, and has a similar relationship in comparison with the use of the I
element (italic text).

With CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) , one could eliminate B and I in the
HTML (using SPAN to provide a means to enclose decoratively formatted
text instead) and use STRONG and EM for true emphasis, with STRONG
being a greater emphasis than EM.

There are other HTML elements that can also by browser default render in
bold or italics, for example Headings typically render in bold, CITE
renders in italics. Use these elements for their intended purpose rather
than for format. Visual users rely on the visual context to determine
which is which. Audio users, assuming the browser supports identifying
the elements when rendering the page, might even find it easier to tell
the difference if the page is coded correctly. Audio rendering of pages
by screen reader or audio browser may not always identify the underlying
structures even if capable of it - the default settings usually are in
the direction of brevity for fastest reading, but the user may change
the defaults to provide more details of the rendering, which of course
increases the number of words and the time to listen to the page.

Other advantages when using CSS is that decorative bold or italic text
versus STRONG or EM tagged text can be given a different format using
very simple CSS code.

Some editors, like HomeSite allow one to set whether STRONG or B will be
used to create bold and italic text rather than B or I or to keep them
distinct. Some like HotMetal Pro, give clear access to both STRONG and
B, but keyboard shortcuts give B and I. Dreamweaver uses B and I with
keyboard shortcuts and toolbar, but gives access to STRONG and EM from
the regular menus. One should avoid editors that do not allow a choice.

Terence de Giere
<EMAIL REMOVED>


==========================KarolL wrote:

Hello good people;

I see some mention that we should use <strong> raher than <bold> for
emphasis.
Is this a good idea at this point?
Most of the HTML editors seem to use <b>.

Can anyone give me some feedback on which is better to use?

-KarolL



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