December
7, 2005
In This Issue:
1. When "Clever" Kills
2. In the News - SES recaps, Google too big?,
People vs Technology
3. More News Headlines
4. This Week's Q&A - (empty)
5. Wrapping It Up
_________________
When "Clever" Kills
I always enjoyed, when I was growing up, having
my mom or dad or teacher tell me I was clever.
Maybe I figured out a new way to solve a math
problem, or a faster way to clean my room -- whatever.
It felt good to hear that compliment. I took it
as a synonym for smart, creative, and things like
that.
Clever can be good, but there's a time and place
for it. Your web site is generally not the place
for it -- at least, I should say, not in the foundation
of your site: the navigation.
Have you noticed how many web sites have a page
called "About Us"? How many have a button
called "Products" or "Services"
or some such thing. There's nothing clever about
those names, but they work. Why? Because as web
users, we're all familiar now with what's behind
each of those doors.
When we talk about the need to keep a web site
simple, it's not just the design we're referring
to -- it's the overall approach to navigation,
content, structure, and so forth. Simplicity makes
things easier to understand and easier to use,
and you should always be focusing on ways to make
your web site as easy to use as it can be.
One year we (okay, it was me) made a big mistake
on the old Tri-City Posse baseball team site --
we changed all the button names to something clever.
"News" became the PRESS BOX, "Roster"
became the DUGOUT. Even the online store got a
new, clever name. And no one had any clue what
each button meant. Clever, in this case, was far
from smart. So keep that in mind as you're working
on your web site -- clever has its place, it can
be a nice garnish. Just don't add it to foundation
of your site.
_________________
In The News
Search Engine Strategies
Another big SES conference is happening in Chicago
this week, and some of the attendees are blogging
recaps of many of the sessions. If you want to
read along, here are some links via Search Engine
watch to where each session is being covered.
Check it out, you might find a topic that interests
you and you may learn something new in the process!
SEW Blog: Reports
from SES, Day One
SEW Blog: Reports
from SES, Day Two
Is Google getting too big?
That's the question John Battelle is asking, and
he makes an interesting comparison to Microsoft
in the process. A good read in a "big picture"
sort of way.
Battelle: Thinking
About Google and the Turning Point
People or Technology?
D. Keith Robinson has a nice article for the web
design and development crowd, "Power to the
People." He talks about solving web development
issues, and the importance of not throwing technology
at every problem that comes along.
A List Apart: Power
to the People
_________________
More News Headlines
Here are a few news headlines worth your time
to read. These are just some of the headlines
we've posted to OWTweb.com in recent days.
Can
there be another Google?
December 06, 2005 - News.com
Yahoo
using online behavior to target ads
December 02, 2005 - Reuters
More headlines: http://www.owtweb.com/news/
_________________
This Week's Q&A
Whoops! We are fresh out of reader questions at
the moment. You must all be busy doing holiday
shopping. If you think there's something Net Gains
might be able to help with, now's a good time
to fire away!
(Have a question? Email questions@owtweb.com)
_________________
Wrapping it Up
Thanks for reading, and here's hoping your online
business is doing well. As an FYI, next week's
newsletter will likely be the last one of the
year. More on that next week.
Thanks for reading,
Matt McGee
The OWT Newsletter is a weekly service
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