The Channel Nine website has had a facelift. It’s gone all Rounded and Smooth. Looks nice.
The problem with the site, and it’s not going to be something they can get away from easily, is that there’s just too much on the page. I imagine they’ve got a bundle of commitments that have to be there, and these are fighting each other for the viewer’s eye.
The viewer becomes frazzled, unless they specifically ignore those elements and travel directly to their intended location .. for me, it’s pretty much always the TVGuide .. although of late i’ve been using TVGuide.com.au a lot more. Neither are perfect mind you. But that’s another lame and boring story for another far far far away time.
What’s the deal with these websites? They’re in limbo land, at least, that’s what it seems like to this black duck. Trying to make money. Make money offa the web. How to do it? Hmmm, how to, how to. And yet, they fail to miss the important points, which have dogged most sites for a long time. What is the importance of content? Too much and it’s watered down, too little .. and well, you don’t get traffic.
But is traffic the All Important Goal? And further, is our chief end to be Money, Mammon, or more appropriately, our lusting after it?
Edit:Don’t get me wrong. Capitalism is cool, and commercial success is a fair goal. I was just in a particularly acerbic mood just now.
Edit on the Edit:And apparently I am not having a good wording day .. two just‘s in one sentance. BAD.
There’s an excellent article floating around today, Zen and the Art of Classified Advertising, where the author talks with the man behind craigslist. It’s a pretty cool look at a different thread, a group of people treading a different path. It’s not the only way, for sure, but it’s nice.
Of course, the little voice (crazy little voice) inside does whisper that perhaps there are hidden motives. But of course there are!, there usually always is. It might be a personal tragedy that drives the person on, or a collective goal to dominate a facet of the market.
I’ve been influenced today by lack of sleep .. and by zefrank and his Show.
‘Nuff Crazy Talkin