The *real* problem, as I see it, comes in one of two forms:* A company with multiple sites that enforces a cookie-cutter *design* across all their sites as part of rolling out a publishing system. As an example, compare Knight Ridder's RealCities (which is moving to an identical design for all its city guides) to Tribune Co. sites (e.g., LATimes.com, Newsday.com, ChicagoTribune.com). Tribune has a single content management system for all these sites, but their designs don't look identical. And LATimes.com and Newsday.com just won Eppy awards.* A cookie cutter *strategy* that doesn't allow local site managers enough leeway to customize their offerings for a local market. The site's appearance is part of that -- I've always felt that a site about a community should "look" like that community in some way -- but more important is the ability to customize the content and services.
