[resplence]

I'm doing a website for a web magazine about diversified interests, and the main menu points to each of those sections. The layout doesn't really have a logo, as both the site's title/name/logo was designed as the first item of the main menu, functioning as a 'home' link as well.

The site doesn't have an introductory text either. Beneath the main menu comes the articles and other kinds of content.

So I was wondering if I could... put the <ul> inside the <h1>!

Yes, not the <h1> inside the first <li>, but actually have the <h1> as a list.

Think about it. You've probably seen those sites where the main navigation is a paragraph in which the links to the sections are actually simple highlighted keywords. I don't think many would argue that something like that could not be marked up as a <h1>.

I think the strongest argument is simply that, in HTML, a block element cannot contain another block element. But that would be purely technical, and not semantic. I know its awkward for a header to contain a list, but personally, in this case I don't see anything wrong, semantically speaking, with marking up an unordered list as the foremost header, unless you want to get really anal as to the dictionary meaning of the word "header".

After all, isn't the header supposed to be a unique element that marks up the most important descriptor in a page? Wouldn't that, in the case of this particular homepage, be the navigation menu? If it were a running paragraph instead of a list it would be acceptable? Why?

So, what do you guys think I should do?

a) Mark up the <ul> inside the <h1>;
b) Mark up the menu as a <h1>, but as pure text (Home, Videos, Pictures, Etc), and use extra markup to hide the commas;
c) Mark up the menu as a menu and leave the page without a <h1>

I'm really in a tight spot here, any insight would be appreciated.

[pgo]

a) is invalid and makes absolutely no semantic sense. So that's out. b) isn't really a heading, now is it?

c) is the only answer. Use an <h1> for the main heading of each page. If you have one.

You're not thinking semantically no matter what you claim. You're thinking, "how do I cram an <h1> in there somewhere?"

[resplence]

Thanks for the input. Even though 'it makes no sense' doesn't actually say much. Any accompanying reasonings would aggregate value to opinions.

[illvibe]

He said 'it makes no semantic sense', which actually says enough.

[resplence]

Right.

[pgo]

"Making sense" is what semantics is...