Keep it Simple!
By Karl Moore Portals appear to be the
hot-thing on the Net these days. Every
time you start your browser, companies
want you to go straight to their site.
And they'll do ANYTHING to prove it...
Everyone is getting in
on it. Yahoo!, Excite, DejaNews - even
Microsoft. Each employ hundreds to
maintain their regular news spots,
finance information sections and crummy
link features.
Yet I take a totally
different approach - you don't need money
to setup a good website! And that's good,
because I don't have much of it. I
literally invested a few hundreds bucks
to get OnlineSpy.com (www.onlinespy.com)
up and running. And within a few weeks,
it's become an Internet hit!
It's essentially a
start page containing simple 'forms' to
the best content on the Net - allowing
you to create maps, play music, read the
latest news, research other Net users,
use the encyclopaedia, find pictures or
videos, search for lyrics or download
software. And it's all on one singular
page.
But, I hear you cry -
why has it become so popular? Because it
follows Moore's Three-Step-Success Law:
- Keep it Simple!
If a user needs to press a
button, tell them to. Not all
users are red-hot surfers! Make
it easy to understand and don't
overcomplicate the simplest of
tasks.
- Keep it Cool!
Don't fall behind on the times
with that 70's web backdrop. Use
something more up-to-date - and
keep a consistent theme. If your
site uses pastel colors - stick
with it throughout the entire
site. If it uses primary colors,
make sure it dazzles the viewer!
- Keep it Personal!
Whether
you're copying someone else's
idea or secretly using their
graphic (they'll never know!) -
it's no good. Do it all yourself
- from start to finish. Not only
will you feel proud of a true
accomplishment, but you'll also
know exactly how your site is
composed, through and through.
Even down to which graphic
package you used to create that
fancy logo.
And that's it. Using
your original idea and Moore's Law -
you'll soon be black and blue with hits.
Brought
to you by: World Wide Information Outlet
- http://certificate.net/wwio/, your
source of FREEWare Content online.
KARL MOORE is a
technology journalist from the United
Kingdom. He writes regular columns for
Micro Mart http://www.micromart.co.uk, WinPlanet http://www.winplanet.com and
InternetDay http://www.internetday.com. He also
hosts a question/answer slot for BBC
Radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/
E-Mail: KarlMoore@theoffice.net
Web: http://www.karlmoore.com
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