The architecture of sites ranges from highly sophisticated to incredibly simple. Simple sites are often homepages that detail the significance of JFK and his assassination to their life (JFK: A Citizen's Story). These personal narratives do not offer the experiences less amateurish sites achieve but contribute in a way beyond the “grand narrative”. Coverage is not uniformly hierarchical or non-sequential but is consistently web like. Very few sites are “closed” rather they link to further resources not only within their site but also to the broader online community and print media. Linking on the Web is not the same as footnoting a monograph. A footnote may attribute a source but a link invites the user to engage with the text as part of an evolving narrative.

Sites are generally easy to navigate, most of the professional and enthusiast sites even including search functionality. Links arranged categorically for site management were user friendly as were pages of links to further resources. What is distinctive about the coverage of The JFK assassination is its active attempts for the user to visit other sites, not necessarily of the same view but a broad spectrum of opinions presented. The user then has the choice to become as informed as they wish, the issue of saturation or satisfaction when faced with a plethora of information is thus encountered. The phenomenon of data smog strongly exists within the school of history both online and in the psychical text regarding the assassination of JFK.

User’s movement within a site is managed according to content. An index page, chronicling contents is presented in a top-down structure. Moving through connected information involves navigating back and forth between the content. There is a relative equilibrium between paratactic and hypotactic structure. The former involves the movement between linked pages in a smooth transition. The latter links out to a page of the relative information creating the option of moving further away from the meta-text or returning to the original source. As previously stated, the majority of sites were “open” systems. Another attribute common to numerous sites is the indexical referencing of external sources. The web coverage attempts to achieve fluidity of sources and information within the community but retains a certain compartmentalisation.

[ Introduction I Production I Coverage I Authority I Architecture I Primary Sources I Rhetoric I Fluidity I Overview ]