Subscribe to the WebWord.com
Usability Newsletter!
ISSUE #28
22-Aug-99
==================================================
WebWord.com Newsletter
"Usability & the Internet"
==================================================
List Owner
John S. Rhodes
John@WebWord.com
..................................................
August 22, 1999 Newsletter #28
..................................................
Table of Contents
1. Web Usability: Past, Present, and Future
(an exclusive interview with Jakob Nielsen)
2. The Permanent Sponsorship of Web Content
3. Net-Alert is Good for You
4. The Evolution of Amazon
5. Usability News Every Day on WebWord.com
6. 1064 Subscribers and a Year on Web
7. FREE Publicity at WebWord.com
8. What Can You Find at WebWord.com?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ITEM #1
A new WebWord.com Interview is now online:
<http://webword.com/interviews/nielsen.html>
"Web Usability: Past, Present, and Future"
Jakob Nielsen is recognized as *the* guru of web
usability. When people have questions about usability,
the look to him for answers. I recently had a chance to
talk with Dr. Nielsen for about 45 minutes about the
past, present, and future of usability. It was
definitely pleasure speaking with him. Jakob is
intelligent, witty, and he's a genuinely nice fellow.
Here are the questions that I asked:
* How has usability as a concept changed in the last
10 to 20 years?
* What are the core usability concepts? What is
critical to understand?
* What four or five companies are going to make it on
the web? What web sites are excellent?
* What books need to be written? What research needs
to be done?
If you want to have the answers, read the interview at:
<http://webword.com/interviews/nielsen.html>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ITEM #2
A new WebWord.com article is now online:
<http://webword.com/moving/sponsorship.html>
The Permanent Sponsorship of Web Content
Several weeks ago I asked folks if they wanted to
"permanently sponsor" the content of WebWord.com
<http://webword.com/archive/issue026.html>.
Well, it
flopped in a big way. I learned a lot about the idea
of permanent sponsorship of content that I'd like to
share with you. It might be good for branding, and it
might be good if you want a long lasting return on your
advertising money. On the other hand, the idea of an
ad that lasts forever scares people. And, maybe I was
asking for too much money. There's is a lot to consider
with the permananent sponsorship model.
You can read the article here:
<http://webword.com/moving/sponsorship.html>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ITEM #3
Net-Alert is Good for You
Here's the official word on a great newsletter that I
enjoy...
"Net-Altert is an announcement-only mailing list for
users who wish to keep up-to-date with important
issues affecting individual Net users. Topics include
Internet security and privacy, virus and trojan
alerts, pointers to useful online resources and
general Net announcements (new software, tools etc.).
Net-Alerts are issued on a regular (generally weekly)
basis. Net-Alert is edited by Mark Neely."
Mark is a sharp fellow with good ideas. He's provided me
with some solid feedback about WebWord.com and the
principles of usability. And, I like his style.
Subscribing to Mark's Neely's newsletter is easy,
and of course, you can unsubscribe at any time.
<http://www.onelist.com/subscribe/net-alert>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ITEM #4
The Evolution of Amazon
* "Hot Net retailer is beginning to look more like a
venture capital firm"
* "...one must stop viewing Amazon as merely a retailer
and start recognizing that it's evolving into
something else entirely - a budding venture capital
firm with a nearly unbeatable edge."
* "...Amazon can do things that typical venture capital
companies cannot. First, it can provide lots of
Internet traffic - by linking customers to these
start-ups from the Amazon.com home page. Second, it
can provide expertise and valuable, proprietary
software for operating successful e-commerce
storefronts."
Want to read more?
<http://www.digitaldarwinism.com/globeamazon.html>
Visit Amazon.com now...
<http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/wedwordcom>
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ITEM #5
Usability News Every Day on WebWord.com
I recently changed the format of WebWord.com. If you
take a look at the home page <http://webword.com>,
you'll see that I've changed the focus of the site --
I'm now offering you usability news. Every day, give or
take, I'll give you the news that I find that is related
to web usability.
I did this so that you'll visit WebWord.com more often.
I want to increase traffic. Second, I gather this news
anyway, so why not pass it on? Third, I've found that
there is no site that offers web usability news. Some
sites do a great job at other kinds of (related) news,
but none of them focus on usability only. That is what
I know most about, and that is why you have subscribed
to this newsletter. You want the best information
available about usability, and I want to give it to you.
Now you can get the web usability news you want.
The web usability news will be right on the WebWord.com
home page --> http://webword.com If you have ideas,
suggestions, news, feedback, or questions, please
contact me --> mailto:john@webword.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ITEM #6
1064 Subscribers and a Year on Web
As I write this, there are 1064 subscribers to the
WebWord.com Usability Newsletter. You and 1063 other
people are getting this newsletter. If you ask me, this
is great. It means that many people are very serious
about quality usability information. And, it means that
our community is growing.
Also, WebWord.com has been on the web for over one year.
I didn't expect it to grow as fast as it did, at least
not when I started it. Your support has kept me going
and I plan on giving you WebWord.com for a long, long
time.
You can help support WebWord.com in several ways:
1. You can buy books at Amazon.com through my affiliate
link so that I can reduce my hosting and ISP costs
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/wedwordcom
2. You can forward this newsletter to a friend and have
them subsribe to it using this web page
http://webword.listbot.com
3. You can recommend WebWord.com to a friend or
colleague using this simple web form
http://webword.com/cgi-bin/birdcast.cgi
4. You can send me feedback so that I can improve things.
mailto:john@webword.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ITEM #7
FREE Publicity at WebWord.com
Here's a simple idea. You write up a review of a web
site and I'll give you space for an ad on your review
at WebWord.com. Visit a web site, and then write up a
review of the site, including the following details:
1. Why the site is easy to use
2. Why the site is hard to use
3. What should be done to improve the user experience
You are free to include other details of course, but
you must cover these. WebWord.com readers care most
about the usability of the web site.
In return, at the bottom of the review, I'll allow you
to post information about you and your web site. In some
cases, I'll allow you to post an ad (text, not banner).
That's it. If you want to write a usability oriented web
site review, send me a note --> john@webword.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ITEM #8
What Can You Find at WebWord.com?
Articles (Moving WebWord)
<http://webword.com/moving/>
Expert Interviews
<http://webword.com/interviews/>
Recommended Books
<http://webword.com/books/booksindex.html>
Newsletter Archive
<http://webword.com/archive>
Usability Reports
<http://webword.com/reports>
Recommended Web Sites
<http://webword.com/hotsites.html>
Free Stuff
<http://webword.com/freestuff.html>
Friends
<http://webword.com/friends.html>
---- End of WebWord.com Usability Newsletter #28 ------
(c)1998-99 by John S. Rhodes. All rights reserved.
Go Back
to the WebWord.com Newsletter Archive
Subscribe to
WebWord.com Usability Newsletter
Recommend
this newsletter issue to a friend
Visit the WebWord.com
Newsletter Index
|