[thelist] Site observation please

[Green, Janet]

>>>Nielsen has one called "Pretentious Front Page" that sort of fits your
scenario.<<<

and

>>>first thought - i'm not a 'splash page entry' type of person - i hate
having to click through those things - not sure that i've ever visited
a site that actually needed one<<<

My own personal opinion here is that a lot of people still think of the web
as a big online brochure, and therefore need an attention-grabbing cover to
get the reader to look at the rest of the brochure. What they don't consider
is that the web-using public is a lot more impatient (shrinking attention
spans, slow-w-w or clogged internet connections, etc.) than a person holding
a printed brochure in their hands. The web user has been sitting in front of
his/her computer, waiting for information to download, and when all they get
is a splash page with no info, they get irritated at the apparent waste of
time. 

The second version of the church site definitely provides information
immediately - with great big cues about where to go for more on specific
topics. It's more user-friendly, audience-oriented, and on-target with the
image the church is trying to portray. 

Janet