When Surfing Requires a Tech Quiz.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)

JUST A FEW SHORT YEARS AGO, BUILDING Web sites was more of a game than a business. Web designers were still experimenting with the medium, and much of their audience consisted of gear-heads and early adopters. If parts of your site didn't work, you could get away with a yellow-and-black GIF image and two magic words: Under Construction.

Times have changed, and the industry has matured to the point where global professional-services firms dominate the Web design industry, and analysts talk seriously about "blue-chip" Internet stocks. Web site practices have changed, too: