Welcome to the 21st century. Glad you could join us.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee developed the programs and protocols that became the World Wide Web. He posted the very first web site on August 9, 1991.
Somewhere along the line in 1995 or 1996, I started making web pages for departmental intranets at a couple of places where I contracted. On January 13, 1998 I launched my own first web site, this one you’re visiting now. In February 2000 I took on my first paying web design client.
I work part-time at two different branches of the public library. At one, hardly anyone comes in for anything other than to use the web. At the other, although the patrons still read and watch movies, all the computers are in use from opening to closing time.
Along the way, I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a newbie. Every now and again at the library when a patron complains, “All I can get to is your library web site,” I gently ask where they want to go and tell them they can type the address in the address bar. I suppose that should be a clue, but even that goes over my head.
This morning a client sent an email complaining about a page I did on their site a few weeks back. It was a simple, “Contact us” page listing the staff, their position and an email link. In the interest of simplicity, I made the staff names clickable email links. I can’t count how many of these I’ve done, let alone have used.
The email was words to the effect of, “Replace the web page with the attached Excel file.”
Puzzled, I telephoned. “I just want to be sure I understand. You want me to replace the Contact Our Staff page with a link to download this spreadsheet?”
Client: “Well, I supposed you could do that. What we really want is the email addresses in addition to the names and positions.”
Me: “If that’s what you want, but I really think it looks better having the names as clickable email links.”
Client: “Oh, that would be even better.”
Me: “Uh, that’s what they are now.”
Client: “They are? Let me check.” Sounds of typing and clicking. “Well, how about that! They are links. I didn’t know.”
Thinking to myself: They’re underlined, in a different color than the text, and they reverse background and foreground colors when you hover on them. How could you not know?
Client: “Maybe you should just put a blurb at the top, that people can click the names to send email.”
Me: Bangs head on desk.
October 11th, 2007 at 9:09 pm EDT
Wow, interesting conversation. Sometimes I get ahead of myself talking to clients and think they’re asking a more difficult question than it actually is too.
That report is coming Real Soon Now…