Anyone who surfs
the net has come across one or more websites that bombard
you the moment you arrive with a Flash Intro (a multimedia
display of animation, video, and audio).
The first time
you visit one of these sites, it's interesting and entertaining
and you may even feel a little envious -- wishing you had
a website that was so bright and dazzling. The next time you
visit, you're probably still entertained and think the swirling,
flashing movement is pretty "kewl." The third time
... well, you're feeling just a bit irritated that you have
to wait those extra few seconds before getting to the meat
of the site. And on subsequent visits ... the delay becomes
downright annoying!
We all know that web users are
impatient. I am. You are. When we're surfing for information,
we want it NOW. Waiting for the 'matinee of the moment' to
play can be the difference between staying or leaving a particular
website.
Jakob
Nielsen, who has been called (among other things)
"the world's leading expert on web usability," said
that one of the web's more powerful features is that it lets
users control their own destiny. Do you realize that when
a web designer forces you to sit through a website mini-show,
you're losing this control?
Most of us visit websites for a
purpose. Generally, we want information. On occasion we may
want to buy. Few of us have the desire nor the time to sit
through the website owner's attempts to amuse and captivate
us before we get what we came for.
If you're a budding website designer
and want to try your hand at some 'flash,' you might want
to read this
article by Mr. Nielsen. Even though flash may
be the 'feature du jour,' unless it enhances a site's overall
business presence, it might be better to "just say no"
to that particular design aspect. Remember
... the abundance of choice and the ease of going elsewhere
puts a huge premium on your visitors. Better to offer a website
that's simple yet useful than to lose this precious commodity
to your competition.
Nan Yielding has nearly 10 years experience as an online business owner. She is the owner of Writing-Etc.com and offers internet marketing services and assistance to help website owners attract more customers and increase sales.
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