Welcome...

To our new and returning readers! This issue of WAT directs you to Vincent Flanders' humorous and poignant website Web Pages that Suck. A few weeks ago, Mr. Flanders published his "The Biggest Web Design Mistakes of 2004." This list is a must read, and should ultimately rank up there in your "what not to-do" list along with those 10 things Moses received way back when.

The List...

Here's Vincent's list, but I do recommend that you go to the site and read the full story as well as his cases for, and examples of why these are such big mistakes. Besides discovering that you are guilty of at least a few of these mistakes, you will get a pretty big chuckle out of the site presentation and Mr. Flanders' writing. While I'm including the list below, I am not including any explanation of his mistake names because I know you will benefit more by reading this at the site.

1. Believing people care about you and your web site.
2. A man from Mars can't figure out what your web site is about in less than 4 seconds.
3. Mystical belief in the power of Web Standards, Usability, and tableless CSS.
4. Using design elements that get in the way of your visitors.
5. Using Mystery Meat Navigation.
6. Site lacks Heroin Content.
7. Thinking your web site is your marketing strategy.
8. Navigational failure.
9. Forgetting the purpose of text.
10. Too much material on one page.
11. Confusing web design with a magic trick.
12. Misusing Flash.
13. Misunderstanding graphics.
14. AFFrontPage.

My personal favorite is #14 where you are discouraged from using Microsoft Front Page. As Mr. Flanders points out, "Maybe that explains why Microsoft doesn't use FrontPage to create pages on Microsoft.com -- even the pages discussing FrontPage. If Microsoft doesn't use it, why should you?"

Visit Web Pages That Suck for the full story!

Til next time, Be Well and Market Twisted,
lisa
WebCocktail.com
Serving Up Your Perfect Web Presence