1a :
a short news story or graphic accompanying and presenting sidelights of a major story
. b : something incidental : sidelight a sidebar to the essay’s central theme. 2 : a conference between the judge, the lawyers, and sometimes the parties to a case that the jury does not hear.
A sidebar is a block of supplemental text that
appears next to a main article in a magazine
, newspaper, or website. It relates to, expands, and adds value to the article it accompanies.
An example of a sidebar is a more detailed list of notable dates in his presidency printed next to an article about Barack Obama. An example of a sidebar is when
a judge wants to have a prosecutor step over to the side of the courtroom and explain the relevance of a piece of evidence
.
These elements also can provide a way for you to present ideas and concepts related to the chapter but that don’t really fit well in the main text. Further, they offer a neat way to summarize key ideas presented in the main text. A sidebar typically is
a brief article that appears next to the main text
.
In short, a sidebar is
a column placed to the right or left of a webpage’s primary content area
. They’re commonly used to display various types of supplementary information for users, such as: Navigational links to key pages. Ads for products or services.
- A search box.
- Social media icons or links.
- List of blog categories.
- List of recent posts.
- List of recent comments.
- A testimonial.
- Blog subscribe form and RSS link.
- An upcoming event.
| side effect aftereffect | concomitant corollary | leftover offshoot | secondary response side issue | spinoff spin-off |
|---|
First of all, what is a sidebar? It’s
an opportunity for the attorneys to approach the judge and speak to him privately during the course of testimony at trial
. It’s an opportunity to discuss a legal issue that is of significant importance that is out of earshot of the jury.
- Use the logo. …
- Add the relevant icons to the links. …
- Indicate the currently active link. …
- Differentiate group links. …
- Use badges & tooltips to collapsed the sidebar.
- Choose Side Bar Content. Choose content that adds value to the main piece. The Cardinal Rule of Writing Sidebars: don’t duplicate or rehash the article content. …
- Construct the side bar. Write a concise headline using active verbs. Follow the publication’s side bar word count limits.
Text features include all the components of a story or article that are not the main body of text. These include the table of contents, index, glossary, headings, bold words, sidebars, pictures and captions, and labeled diagrams.
In publishing, sidebar is
a term for information placed adjacent to an article in a printed or Web publication
, graphically separate but with contextual connection. The term has long been used in newspaper and magazine page layout.
Top negotiators can also hold one-on-one “sidebar” meetings that are separate from the main talks; this is actually how most deals are struck—
over dinner or drinks
, not across a conference table.
Sidebar menus have been used as
a directory for Related Pages to a Service offering, Navigation items to a specific service or topic
and even just as Links the visitor may be interested in.
While
websites don’t need sidebars
, they might still be a good fit for you. Bloggers in particular, for example, still favour sidebars because they are a great way to introduce themselves to their visitors. In this case, they often include a round headshot followed by a brief bio in their sidebars.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with adding a sidebar. It’ll just be
most useful to desktop & laptop users
. And if it doesn’t add much value, then it may be worth removing it entirely. I find that smaller blogs and simple business websites work best without sidebars.
