Joy Of Code - Web Design Training and Consulting
Joy Gems Newsletter

Things I Hate About The Web (Part 2 of 2)

By Bud Kraus
bud@joyofcode.com
Joy Of Code
Creator And Instructor

Originally Published: 2005

Sorry for the delay in getting this on the network. Just too busy. As you'll see next Thursday Joy Gems is going to take a summer vacation. But that's next week.

As I said last week..

"I don't want to make this a useless rant about what drives me nuts about the web. I'd like to think my approach is a little more instructive than that - something that might be on your mind as well. "

Let's face it. This is not an exhaustive list. What could be? And let me not fail to mention there's a lot of the web that I love.

In no particular order I present the things that drive me nuts in a spirit in which it's intended - to have a little fun and say something useful.

Bad Navigation

I mean navigation which is unexpected, inconsistent and poorly placed. If the links are all over the lot, if each page requires that I go looking for the link that I saw in a different location on another page - if I just can't figure out where I am in your site - that's part of what I mean by bad navigation.

Me no like that and it's a guarantee for an early departure from a site.

Under Construction

Most of us have gotten away from the ritual of wasting our visitors' time taking us to a page which is "under construction." We don't care if a page is under construction. Just don't; take us there.

Counters, Guest Books And Validation Stickers

I think all of these are, for lack of a better word, web garbage.

1. Nobody cares how many people have seen a page. (But that doesn't negate the value of web metrics, something every site owner must pay attention to.)

2. Guest Books. C'mon. When was the last you signed one? Have no idea why RYZE or anyone uses them.

3. Stickers (images) that say a page meets this or that standard. Who cares? Just do it. You don't have to tell us. And many of the pages that have such stickers do not meet the standards that they claim to meet.

Time Outs

I know there are valid reasons to have pages time out but I just don't like it. I don't like to have to repeat something I've already done just because something timed out.

Frames

I saved the worst for last and no doubt there are those of you who will point to appropriate uses of Frames. Of course, that's fine with me.

I just can't stand the lack of an exposed, unique URL in the address bar when you navigate a framed site.

How do you tell people where to go in a framed site when referring to a specific page? Here's the email text of telling someone to go to "About Us." (which in itself is a bad idea for content - but that's for another day).

"Go to my home page. Then click on the about us link which is at the bottom right hand site of the page."

Rather than just give them the URL of the page that they can click on from their email

And of course, search engine spiders choke on framed sites - or at least many of them do.

Page 1 of 2