Warmest Greetings,

:: Thursday, July 03, 2003 ::

Free speech upheld for bloggers and other online forms of communications >>> Bloggers Gain Libel Protection. Which simply means every time I poke and jab Google, I don't have to fear retaliation. Although acknowledgement of some sort they even know I'm alive would be interesting enough I suppose...

Discussion of the The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling at Cre8asite Forums.

I was lying in bed late last night wishing I had my laptop with me. For some reason, right before I fall asleep is when I get these great ideas for things to write about here. Most of them have nothing whatsoever to do with SEO, the web or usability. Then I think to myself, "Nah, they don't wanna hear about how I feel about blah blah" or "Yuck. That would mean sharing something of myself. CAN'T do that!" Insecurity is so much fun.

Duh. I hate it when studies are done on things I knew were going to happen and warned people about but everyone said "Everything will be just fine, Kim. Shut up."

"Many online consumers think of search engines as online tools that help them to quickly find Web sites most relevant to their keyword queries, particularly when they are unsure of where to surf next. This trust in search engines may make them vulnerable while online, as they are largely unaware such navigation sites often accept fees in exchange for giving advertiser Web pages prominent placement on their search results pages. "

Lately I'm finding that paying for a spot under keywords means zilch as far as relevancy or usability. All the money does is pay for a spot in a search engine. It doesn't mean it really belongs there. It doesn't mean it will have what you had in mind when you typed in those keywords. It doesn't mean when you visit the site it will be designed well or be easy to learn how to use. How many times do you search for a "Free blah blah", find 150 results, click on them, and find what's free is either not there at all, or was a trick to get you to click on the site, or it's hidden somewhere with a link buried under a ton of design obstacles?

I loved this from Consumer WebWatch >>> False Oracles: Consumer Reaction to Learning the Truth About How Search Engines Work
Results of an Ethnographic Study. (Thanks for the lead Kalena!)

Along the same theme is this article, Impatient web searchers measure web sites' appeal in seconds, which we're discussing at Cre8siteForums. James Saunders of the newly launched, affordable user testing site Site-Report brings up some very good points at Cre8asiteForums, including "Some very poor aesthetic designs have great search engine placement." Which is one of my pet peeves.


Congratulations to everyone associated with Cre8asiteForums. The forum has just gone past the 1000th guest mark! (Cre8asite Post here)

If you own a web hosting company or operate a server, this hacker warning for Sunday is urgent. Cre8asiteForums was defaced by these hackers, with other attempts made but we stopped them. I can vouch that it's not a pleasant experience. Protect your site and business.

Defacement contest likely to target Web hosting firms

:: posted by Kim Krause Berg on 7/03/2003 10:25:29 AM

:: Today's Post Permalink | Back to the BLOG Home
:: Website Evaluations
:: Email this Post  
:.................................

Feed Bin

Learn how to make RSS Feed Buttons

Highly Recommended!
(Read review)
Search Engine Marketing Kit, by Dan Thies

• User Centered Design
• Usability Industry Research
• Increase Website Conversions
• Starter Ecommerce Checklist

• Web Design & The Usability Effect
• Usability and SEO Humor

Crooked sunglasses

My artistic friends love this picture.

• About Kim Krause Berg
• My Articles
• Me Again (My Fave Blog Posts)
• August 2005 : Expanding on Usability - An Interview with Kim Krause Berg
• Kim's Wish List

Recent Posts

Promotion got you down or stumped? This site may ...

For the latest update on website accessibility adh...

Bet you thought I was sick or something...actually...

Cre8asiteForums moderator, Sally Falkow, has a wri...

Using CSS to create naviation access keys. Accessk...

More ways to earn money Google AdSense pays you to...

It pays to be small. "Data from the National Sc...

SSS - Still Seeking Submissions to help build up t...

Patience, dear Prudence. Google in a Fog Quot...

When someone says something is dead, that means it...

Monthly Archives

It's That Book Again

Conversions Topic is New York Times Best Seller (Seriously)

Kim is a Member of the Usability Professionals Association

"This report exceeded my expectations. After reading it a few times, I went through and highlighted those parts of your actionable advice that I want to implement right away... I ended up highlighting most of the report. Stellar job. I won't hesitate to recommend you to one of my own clients." -- Andy Hagans of AndyHagans.com

"I have implemented the most obvious changes and I suppose the fact that we've seen an immediate increase in sales/conversions is no coincidence. I'd highly recommend your service to anyone running a serious web based business." -- Steve Clay, Plumeriabay.com

"As soon as we get our hands on one of her usability studies, my clients and I have a better understanding of what needs to be done with their sites to make them the best they can be from their site visitors' perspective."
-- Jill Whalen, HighRankings.com

"This is an exemplary piece of work." -- Rand Fishkin, SEOMoz.org

View more Testimonials | Clients
Learn about Website improvement services.