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ISSUE #10
Date: Mar 07 1999 04:33:04 GMT
From: WebWord.com Usability Newsletter <WebWord-owner@listbot.com>
Subject: WebWord.com Newsletter #10
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WebWord.com Newsletter
"Usability & the Internet"
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List Owner
John S. Rhodes
John@WebWord.com
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March 5, 1999 Newsletter #10
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Table of Contents
1. Free Stuff and Web Usability
2. Favorable Review of WebWord.com by TechMailings
3. Why Should (Small) Businesses Go on the Web?
4. Webshoppers: Navigation Frustration!
5. Ergonomics, Workplace Productivity, and User Safety
6. New WebWord Logo
7. Two More Banners Gone From WebWord.com Forever
8. Recommended Book
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ITEM #1
A New Moving WebWord Article is now online:
<http://webword.com/moving/freestuff.html>
Free Stuff and Web Usability
Free stuff for your Web site can increase
traffic and it can improve user interactivity.
However, you must be careful to only add free
stuff that augments the experience(s) of your
users. Also, issues of user privacy are worth
considering.
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ITEM #2
Favorable Review of WebWord.com by TechMailings
<http://www.techmailings.com/review_022399.html>
TechMailings is a rather interesting Web site.
They review various hi-tech e-mail newsletters.
I am pleased to announce that the WebWord Usability
Newsletter, and WebWord.com indirectly, were given
a very favorable review. Also, many people signed
up for the newsletter. Thanks for joining!
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ITEM #3
Why Should (Small) Businesses Go on the Web?
The answer to this question is obvious, right?
Well, perhaps not. A reader recently wrote in to
ask if I had any statistics that support the idea
that going on the Web can increase profits
(particularly for small businesses).
Some folks need numbers, not just testimonials, to
to validate their spending the money to build, host,
and maintain a site. Also, it might not be feasible to
have a site if the business is local only (e.g., a
dentist office).
I don't have any data, and I can't find anything that
is useful. I'd love to hear what others have found.
Please send your feedback to <mailto:john@webword.com>.
Thanks!
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ITEM #4
Webshoppers: Navigation Frustration
Most (83%) potential customers in a recent survey
state that they leave commercial Web sites because
of frustration with navigation. If you think that
you can get away with having good content and great
products only, you are wrong.
The survey also indicates that most users (73%)will
leave a site if it takes more than 2 or 3 clicks to
get to what they want. As you can see, the usability
of your navigation can *significantly* influence sales!
If you're interested, here's the survey:
"Shoppers Do Homework on the Web"
<http://cyberatlas.internet.com/market/retailing/netsmart.html>
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ITEM #5
Ergonomics, Workplace Productivity, and User Safety
Here is USA Today article that is worth a look:
<http://usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/ctb040.htm>
** "Computers are key to workplace productivity, but
improper use can sometimes carry a painful price."
** "No pain is big gain for computer users"
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ITEM #6
New WebWord Logo
As you can see on the WebWord.com home page, a new
logo has been created. It is basically a *much* better
version of what I had before. I want to thank everyone
for their entries.
Runner Up 1
Charlie Nichols
Internet Development Advisor for Dell Online
Runner Up 2
SrA Dave Cantrell
Webmaster, Logistics Information Systems
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The Winner
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Leslie A Smyth <mailto:sbsne@sbsne.com>
DREAM SPINNER DESIGN
<http://www.dreamspinner.com>
Thanks Les! As I'm sure everyone agrees, the
logo looks great.
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ITEM #7
Two More Banners Gone From WebWord.com Forever
Due to more subscribers, I removed 2 more banners
from WebWord.com! So far, 3 banners have been
permanently removed from the site. As I have said
previously, for every 100 subscribers, I will remove
1 banner ad from the WebWord.com site.
If you enjoy reading this newsletter and if you enjoy
WebWord.com, please tell a friend about it. Please
recommend WebWord.com on a discussion list, or place
a link to it on a page of your site.
Or, perhaps you could simply forward this newsletter to
a friend. Then they can decide to subscribe by going to
<http://webword.listbot.com>.
Recommending WebWord.com is easy. Simply go to
<http://webword.com/cgi-bin/birdcast.cgi>
and fill out
a few lines. It really is a snap!
This kind of support makes WebWord.com possible. Thanks
for your help!
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ITEM #8
Recommended Book
"Web Site Usability: A Designer's Guide" by Jared Spool et al.
<http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/155860569X/wedwordcom>
This is a very good book that provides a large amount
of useful usability data. Jared Spool is a big name
Web usability consultant and his data is considered
top quality, second only to Jakob Nielsen’s. If you want
data and tips on making your site more usable, rather
than "cool", you can't go wrong with this book. It is
rather affordable too (about $25).
---- End of WebWord.com Usability Newsletter #10 ------
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