[thelist] OT: Slower Modems,does it matter?

[aardvark]

> From: "Bob Boisvert" <webdad at tampabay.rr.com>
[...]
> Is this a general feeling among clients and do they actually care
> about how fast or slow the downloading of their web site takes for
> people with slower modem?.

depends on the client... i had one client say that he needed giant
spec-sheets on the web as PDFs... he felt that 480k was
acceptable...

then he went home one night on his AOL account and began to
use the site... the spec sheet took forever...

he called me the next day saying that the file took too long to
download and what was i going to do...

he's a smart guy, and a regular web user... but once his context
changed, it was a whole different story... IOW, clients can change
their minds quickly, so help them make a good decision... ask
them about their browsing habits vs what they know about their
audience, because often their opinions are very personal ones, and
not based on hard data...

i addressed this by reminding him that his audience
overwhelmingly visits during the day on fast connections...

now, most of the answers you've gotten are anecdotal experiences
about list members' browsing habits...

so i'll add to that...

i have a fast connection here at work... i spend 10 hours a day at
the office (12 hours during the week)... i go home and get online
and often work until 2am on a 56k modem...

so how do i get around the bandwidth issues?  i surf with multiple
windows, always downloading many pages while reading another...
it's when i get all my research done...

i kill bandwidth use by:
- using a special .host file to kill all ad banners and pop-ups
- turning off JS
- turning off Flash
- turning off plug-ins
- turning off images

consequently, i can see the content of sites as quickly at home as
if i were on a connection here at work...