Lighthouse Technologies Newsletter, November 3, 2003

Web Design is a very subjective process. Your idea of what looks
good may differ from the next person's. While wild backgrounds and
flashing text were once considered 'cool', unwritten standards have
evolved into every web designers inventory.

In the following examples I intend to convey a few of those user-
unfriendly examples to you. My purpose is only to get you thinking
about the layout and performance of your website. If you have one
of these examples on your site, and you like it, by all means -
leave it there! These are just examples.

1. Page Counters
Five years ago, every site had a page counter. They proudly
displayed how popular a site had become. The problem is, as many
site owners started to find out, is that these counters can be
easily manipulated. They can start at any number (not just 1), and
they can produce vastly over-inflated numbers. On the other hand,
if your site is not a high-traffic area, do you really want
customers to know that?

2. Javascript Text Scrolling
I remember when this first came out. In fact, I had it on my home
page. Do you remember visiting a website and all the scrolling text
across the bottom? These were usually put in your status bar along
the bottom edge of your browser window. They have become a big no-
no in web design. Users like to see their status bar, or, if they
don't, they turn it off. Either way, this is a useless tool.

3. Excessive Animated .GIF's
In the mid 90's when the Internet boom hit, everyone was getting a
home page. Sites and ISP's would give you FREE space to put up your
information. Soon, webmaster wannabe's everywhere were over
populating the web with crazy animations and bright (obnoxious!)
colors. Today very few sites use these files. They are now
considered a waste of bandwidth. Since most companies pay for their
hosting by how much bandwidth is used, animated GIF's went by the
wayside.

4. Under Construction Signs
There used to be (and probably still are) pages and pages of
different 'under construction' graphics for webmasters to use. Why
is this a problem? Well, isn't the Internet just a big construction
site anyway? Are you and your friends, clients, and other
businesses constantly updating and upgrading their information
online? It also conveys a sense of incompleteness. No business
wants their customers to think they are running on a low budget or
producing an incomplete website. The construction graphic is
extinct!

5. Page Fades
We've all seen those fancy pages that fade in and out, from circles
to spirals and even window-shades. They fall in the category with
the scrolling text - obsolete! Most Internet users are looking for
INFORMATION, not fancy graphics and page transitions.
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Custom Scripts and Websites for Increased Productivity

Lighthouse Technologies is becoming a leader in custom-designed web
scripts for businesses. We've completed some nice website tools for
our clients and are looking for more. What are some examples of
what we have done?

- Written a service database for a home-security company. The
database allows the companies technicians and leadership to check on
open tickets and current status of those open accounts.

- Written a custom script for a legal company that displays new jobs
that are available around the country. The owner can update and
change the current jobs available, as well as upload and notify his
clients when new jobs are available.

Do you need a custom web solution? Contact us today and make that
great idea a reality!
Our email: sales@...
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Thanks for reading, and have a great day! As always, good luck in
your personal and business ventures, both online and offline!

Will Hanke
Lighthouse Technologies
www.techlh.com