((((((((((((((((( WEBREFERENCE UPDATE NEWSLETTER ))))))))))))))))) November 30, 2000
_____________________________SPONSORS_____________________________
This newsletter sponsored by: NetMechanic, Building Dynamic Web Sites 2000, and BOT 2001 Seminar __________________________________________________________________
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http://www.webreference.com <- link to us today http://www.webreference.com/new/ <- newsletter home http://www.webreference.com/new/submit.html <- submit article
New this week on WebReference.com and the Web:
1. TWO GREAT CONTESTS: Signup & Win, Submit & Win! 2. FEATURED ARTICLE: Site Design: You Get What You Pay For 3. NET NEWS: * Did Netscape jump the gun with new browser? * AOL Anywhere Goes Somewhere * New Priceline Probe * ISI Gives Up Administration of .us * Only the Good Sites Die Young?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. TWO GREAT CONTESTS: Signup & Win, Submit & Win!
>Signup & Win!
Sign up for the Webreference Update newsletter, and you could win a killer software bundle from BoxTop Software and Insider Software including ProJPEG, SuperGIF, and SpaceAgent. Each week we'll draw new winners from our new subscribers - you could be next. Already a subscriber? Not a problem - just fill out the form, and you'll be automatically entered to win. Tell your friends!
http://www.webreference.com/new/contest.html
>Submit & Win Macromedia Flash 5 FreeHand 9 Studio!
Submit your article today and you could win Macromedia's powerful new Web design package, Flash 5 FreeHand 9 Studio. If your article makes the cut, and we publish it in this newsletter, you win! See the submission page for details:
http://www.webreference.com/new/submit.html
This week, amid nonstop talk of usability issues - both online and off, Jason Ogle discusses how Web design reflects this issue. Are you providing the right services for the right price?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2. FEATURED ARTICLE: Site Design: You Get What You Pay For
The U.S. election dilemma should serve as an excellent model regarding the importance of good design and usability principles. The person that designed the "butterfly-like ballot" is not even a designer, yet this person was allowed and actually given the go-ahead by the U.S. government to produce these 'historical mark makers' as the ballot standard for a State which has turned into the focal point of a nation.
You may be surprised to discover how much this exact scenario far too often parallels the business of Web site design.
With this in mind, I'd like to present two scenarios and then a question.
Scenario 1:
In the midst of this .com phenomenon, you realize that your company needs to "jump on the bandwagon" and get an effective Web site that will communicate what your company is about, increase your customer base and do business online, etc.
Scenario 2:
You have an existing site and need to find somebody to patch up your "hole in the Web" that maybe doesn't work all that well and looks even worse.
Question:
Do you go to Jack Code, the son of your neighbor down the street who built a Web site for your Aunt Marge's home business for $500? Or do you go to a legitimately established business or Web professional that specializes in Web site design and development and pay a lot more?
Everybody's a Web Designer
Nowadays, HTML Editors like Front Page, GoLive, or Dreamweaver (to name the more popular ones) can be purchased at a computer store for under a few hundred dollars. These programs have a minimal learning curve. Great. GoLive and Dreamweaver are great programs (notice I didn't say anything about FrontPage) that can help enhance and speed up the Web design process. But the problem here is that once somebody buys this software, it's easy for one to think that they are instant Web designers. This is the illusion that exists out there today and is one that businesses are suffering from when a "Jack Code" is hired for a "Web design" project. Sure, getting your business on the Web with a site is very important, but having a badly designed site with non- intuitive navigation representing your business will do more harm than good. First impressions are extremely important in building up your customer base and achieving repeat visits.
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Building Dynamic Web Sites * December 6 * Boston, MA Still building Web sites the old fashioned way with static HTML pages? This one-day crash-course Dec. 6 in Boston will show you how to move from a flat-file nightmare to an easy-to-manage database-driven set up. Sign up by Nov. 15 and SAVE $100. For more information and to register to go: http://seminars.internet.com/webdev/ma00/index.html
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Prime Example
In the same way you wouldn't want Susan Smith (http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/kahan/susan%20smith%20trial.html) babysitting your children, you shouldn't hire this guy: (http://www.humorchannel.com/webtek/) to establish your companies' crucial online presence and brand image on this universally utilized communication tool we call the World Wide Web.
Real Deal: "The difference"
Below are some items to consider when looking for a Web Professional to design (or redesign) your Web site. The items below should also reinforce the understanding of why a great site will cost more and ultimately be more effective for your business model.
- Experience/education in visual design principles - Understanding site hierarchy & logical architectural site navigation - When, and when not to yield to the temptation of Media Rich technology - Discussing with the client their online business goals for the future and considering these items when designing the site - The understanding that the designer probably won't be the only one working on the site and building it out with clean code and comment tags and other courtesies in mind (making programmers happy campers) - Successful experience and quantitative results in taking a site from concept to launch - Capabilities in post-launch marketing strategies (search engine positioning, traffic analysis, personal relationship builders, banner ads, the list goes on) - Desire to understand the clients online business goals and who their target audience is inside and out
Web professionals generally go to school and study their butts off to learn and/or refine themselves in a discipline that they love and have a passion for. They also keep themselves inundated with the latest information pertaining to their field - a field that never stands still.
A Web professional has a sincere desire to do the absolute best job that he/she can when it comes to achieving your online business needs and goals.
When you look at the big picture, it should help to eliminate any fear of paying more than $500 for a Web site, and it actually should instill fear when an offer like this is made.
In the online world of user power and instant information in a competitive business world, your company can't afford to look bad on the Web and not have a leg to stand on when it comes to site marketing.
The saying is still true, "You do get what you pay for."
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BOT 2001 Seminar* January 25th at The Fairmont, San Francisco Expert bot/intelligent agent developers, researchers and academics present the latest happenings and give specific information for cost effective solutions to improve business. A rare opportunity to network, share ideas, and put theory and research into practice. Register today - Save $100 if you sign up by December 20th! http://seminars.internet.com/bot/sf01/registration.html
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About the author:
Jason A. Ogle is an Interactive Art Director for the T&O Group (aka http://www.adagency.com) in Irvine, CA. where he focuses on creative Web solutions aiming at client business goals and a desire to exceed expectations. He can be reached at jogle@adagency.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3. NET NEWS: Did Netscape jump the gun with new browser?, AOL Anywhere Goes Somewhere, New Priceline Probe, ISI Gives Up Administration of .us, Only the Good Sites Die Young?
>Did Netscape jump the gun with new browser?
Long heckled for being late to market with its new browser, Netscape Communications is now the target of critics who say the company jumped the gun in releasing the browser this month. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-3935388.html News.com, 001130
>AOL Anywhere Goes Somewhere
America Online Inc. has begun marketing its AOL Mobile Communicator, a new two-way paging device designed for easy access to the AOL instant messaging and e-mail services. http://www.internetnews.com/prod-news/article/0,,9_522991,00.html InternetNews.com, 001130
>New Priceline Probe
Troubled Priceline.com just can't seem to buy a break. Its advertising was called into question, it bailed out of the grocery business, its stock is near an all-time low, and now the Connecticut attorney general's office is investigating its founder for possible labor law violations following layoffs at a related company. http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article/0,,4_523161,00.html InternetNews.com, 001130
>ISI Gives Up Administration of .us
University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute ceased administration of the .us domain Tuesday. VeriSign Global Registry will temporarily assume administration of the domain until a permanent administrator is selected. http://www.internetnews.com/wd-news/article/0,,10_522381,00.html InternetNews.com, 001129
>Only the Good Sites Die Young?
Some of the best-rated sites, as awarded by a handful of Internet shopping guides, have already shuttered their doors. Guidebook authors just shrug and say, hey, some things just slip through the Net. http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,40373,00.html Wired.com, 001130
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WHERE IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE ADMINISTRATOR SITE ON THE WEB? Swynk.com - It provides the single largest independent resource for Microsoft-related BackOfficeä and Windows DNA Server Technologies. You'll find information on SQL Servers. Exchange, SMS, Windows 2000 and more. Sign up for FREE newsletters or join a discussion forum. http://www.swynk.com/
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That's it for this week, see you next time.
Andrew King Managing Editor, WebReference.com update@webreference.com
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