Internet users make up their minds about the quality of a website in the blink of an eye, a study shows. Researchers found that the brain makes decisions in just a twentieth of a second of viewing a webpage. They were surprised as they believed it would take at least 10 times longer to form an opinion. The study, published in the journal Behaviour and Information Technology, also suggests that first impressions have a lasting impact. Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Most websites are produced by men but women prefer female design. Websites could be missing their target audiences because their design is biased towards what appeals to men, researchers have found. A University of Glamorgan team found out what features appealed to the sexes by looking at the make-up of personal website sites by 30 men and 30 women. It showed men liked straighter lines, fewer colours and more formal language. When the factors were compared with other websites, 94% were found to display a "masculine orientation". The 23 factors considered in judging the differences between women's and men's websites were grouped into three main areas - language, visuals and navigation. There is no doubt about the strength of men's and women's preference for sites produced by people of their own sex Researcher Dr Rod Gunn Where men preferred straight lines, women had chosen more rounded shapes, the research found. Women also liked to use more colours in text and in backgrounds than men, but men were found to use more formal or expert language and fewer abbreviations than women. Men were also found to promote themselves and their abilities more heavily in their websites than women. The research team then showed 32 websites belonging to higher education organisations to both sexes, who had to rate their appeal on a scale. In almost every case, the team discovered, men preferred sites designed by men and women like those created by women. Source: news.bbc.co.uk P.S. Bill Jacobson . Net websites use both men and women to design your site. Call us to review how we can accomodate your audience.

Do your website visitors feel that it is easy or hard to find information on your website? Encourage customers and colleagues to critique your site. Monitoring your site statistics will help you see what information on your site is being most accessed. Ask visitors for feedback on your site. People do respond. Monitor the questions you most receive from site visitors. Web sites do need to change. They aren't meant to be created and left to rust.

You do not have to depend on those with "technical skills" to manage and update your website content. Content Management Software, such as what we offer in all of our hosting packages, enables you to create, edit and publish the content that feels right to you. After all, you are your own "Content Manager." You know your business, your organization and most likely know some ways in which a website can improve your communication efforts. Take Control of Your Website!

Computer monitors are still not as easy to read as ink on paper. Rather than long, wordy pages, use the advantages of hyperlinks to present a summary of the topic or article, with a link to the full article in another page (similar to what newspapers do in their main page, with the added benefit for web users that it is easier to click on a link than to turn a page). Give your visitors fast and easy access to your information.