TALKINGSITES WEB SITE AUDIOWritten by Dane Scott
People love pantomimes because they can communicate so cleverly without ever uttering a sound. I find them fascinating. But imagine what world would be like if all our entertainment, conversation, and advertising was done in pantomime. Aside from giving us a new appreciation for clown-white face paint, we'd probably tire of it rather quickly. The truth of matter is, Internet is still very much like great mimist Marcel Marceau. Expressive, colorful, animated, and stone cold silent. Are there exceptions? Certainly. MP3 music sites, some news sites, and a growing number of radio stations are making those little desktop speakers come to life. But for huge majority of sites, including nearly all millions of business sites, silence is deafening. Why is that? There are several reasons, greatest of which is a simple lack of awareness about potential that exists in web audio. Our exposure to audio on web has been so limited up until now that it's difficult to even imagine how to use it. Likewise, most web designers have not been exposed to an understanding of web audio's power and potential, and thus, have never considered recommending it to their clients. Another reason for shortage of audio is huge number of sites which were constructed before web audio was practical, or even a consideration. Why be different? How is addition of audio content valuable to you and your company? It sells. A well-worded, well-produced clip of audio accompanying each clickable product on your site makes those products more exciting, and gives potential purchaser more reasons to buy. It convinces. For example, imagine power of using actual voices of your customers, telling their own testimonial stories about quality of your products and services. It builds image. The style and delivery of a spoken message can make a very personal statement about you as a company. In addition, when your web visitors are greeted by a rich selection of audio options, impression it leaves is that your company is a step-ahead. It is an instant distinction between your web site and your competition's, which is unlikely to have any audio whatsoever. It teaches. Our aural receptors stimulate our brain to action in ways our eyes never will. That's why we're tempted to read aloud when faced with a difficult set of instructions. That same phenomenon occurs in all aural messages, making it easier for customers to comprehend value and buy, remote staff to learn over net, clients to understand technical
| | Top Ten Website MustsWritten by Bonnie Jo Davis
Launching and promoting a successful website is no easy task. There are thousands of books, articles and web sites with advice on how to design your site. In order to help you with basics I compiled a list of "musts" that pertain to all websites no matter how small or how large. Following these steps will keep you ahead of competition. 1. Buy your own domain name instead of using a free web site. Free websites look cheap even if they are well designed and anything that is given away free can disappear without notice at any time. Domain names are relatively cheap and some web site hosts include domain name fee in their package. 2. Find a reliable web site host. Ask for recommendations from friends and family. Look for a host with an established customer base that can provide references to you. Make sure to find out what equipment they use and what backup they use. 3. Have a well thought out privacy policy that is clearly available and easy to find. All but newest of newbies will want to know what you are planning to do with information you collect when they visit your website. This information is especially important if you require visitors to sign-up to access part of your site or to receive an e-mail newsletter. 4. Less flash, no splash. Do not, I repeat, do not use a flash or splash page on your web site. But they're so pretty you say? They may be pretty but they turn off majority of visitors who use a dial up connection to access internet. Okay, you can put an "Exit" option for those with slow connections but don't forget that search engines and web crawlers cannot index flash pages so you may have trouble getting your website indexed. 5. Visible contact information. Do not make your visitors search for your contact information. This will drive away visitors faster than you can say "contact me." A lack of contact information may seem that your organization is not legitimate.
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