WEAVING TALES, WEAVING WEBSITES:
Websites 101

Alternative Representations

You may have noticed that when you "mouse over" certain images, a text description of that image appears near your cursor. These are alternative representations of the image. It's not a requirement to include an alternative representation for every image you place on your Web page — in fact, you wouldn't want to include one for images that are strictly for decoration purposes (like stylized bullets, for example) — but the most significant images on your pages should probably include one.

Why include an alternative representation for an image?

• It will display as your page is loading (before the image itself appears). On a slower-loading page, this gives the visitor a "hint" of what's to come.
   
• It will display for those visitors who have set their browsers so that pictures/images are not automatically loaded.
   
• Some visually-impaired visitors are able to use voice-enabled software to "view" websites. When this type of voice software encounters an image, it reads the alternative representation text.

Here's how to add some alternative representation text to an image:

1. Right-click on the image and select Picture Properties... as we did previously.
    
   
    
2. When the Picture Properties window appears, click in the Text box under Alternative representations.
    
3. Type in the desired alternative representation text for this image, and click OK.

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R. Hardy Garrison / Tell-Tale (de)Sign