5) Only ask for information you need

Why are some forms so torturously long and involved? Do you really need my nickname, homepage url, age, weight, blood type and sexual orientation? If your business does not utilize street addresses, in other words, if you do everything via Internet, than don’t ask for people’s street address in a web form. The less you ask, less intrusive you are, and more likely your site visitors are comfortable. Maybe you take credit cards online, then of course you’ll need to ask for street addresses, but if you are conducting a marketing campaign where you plan to simply email respondents back in future, just ask for their email address, name and country/state. More people will fill form out and you will alleviate some of concerns people have with Internet today.

6) Offer tips for maintaining privacy, avoiding identity theft and stopping viruses

Here are a few tips: 1) Get latest anti-virus software and make a link to one of them on your site. 2) Get a credit card with a low limit that you use exclusively for web, and only use that one. 3) Check your credit report twice a year to check for identity theft and offer a link to an online credit report service. 4) Don’t open emails from sources you are not familiar with. 5) Turn off preview pain in your email application. 6) Pay attention to Microsoft’s updates, download them, and update your operating system regularly with these updates. You can provide a link to Microsoft’s updates page as well.

And here is crux of this discussion: to truly succeed in any Internet business or endeavor, like in any other undertaking, applying age old, tried and true behaviors, traits, and values, is only answer. The primary one to apply is above modified Golden Rule for 21st Century Web.

By constantly striving to alleviate major concerns of Internet users, we can create a better virtual world that is lasting and that ultimately improves quality of our lives. It will greatly decrease chance that Internet will altogether fail and allow it to continue to grow to its full potential instead.

******************* Jason OConnor is President of Oak Web Works The synthesis of Web marketing, design, and technology Jason is a Web expert, e-strategist, and e-marketer who is trying to affect future of Internet in a highly positive way

http://www.oakwebworks.com

mailto: jason@oakwebworks.com for a FREE site consultation ******************

******************* Jason OConnor is President of Oak Web Works The synthesis of Web marketing, design, and technology Jason is a Web expert, e-strategist, and e-marketer who is trying to affect the future of the Internet in a highly positive way

http://www.oakwebworks.com