The Unworthy Saint

Top Failures of Web Site Design:

1) Content – Not enough, too much, out dated, hard to find, not arranged logically

2) Focus on technology over function or message – Having “cool stuff” on your site is not enough, your site must communicate clearly and function smoothly, technology should just enable those things.

3) Wrong use of communication means or playing to the wrong audience – Having a tech savvy site for non-tech savvy customers or, on the other hand, babying tech savvy customers so much that they feel restricted. Or having too small of fonts, having a “dynamic and cool site” when you need a “calm site.”

4) Modeling your website off someone else – Whether it’s your competitor or an organization in a totally different field, it always bad to model your site off someone else’s. Your needs and your client’s needs are unique – start there. Using other people’s stuff stunts growth and inhibits innovation.

5) Using your website as a printed piece – Use the web as the dynamic medium it is. Printed materials, billboards, commercials can’t be targeted like web information can. Make sure you’re communicating in a targeted way.

Some Tips:

Ultimately you should find a web professional you can trust – an english teacher doesn’t fix the transmission on their car, a professional athlete doesn’t milk their own cows… they let professionals in the other field do their job because they know how to do it best, however… here are some tips:

Who are you trying to target with your site? New or existing customers? What percent either way? (and saying 50/50 is a copout and a lie, it’ll be tilted at least slightly one way or the other… and it matters. It’ll affect your design.)

What the logical arrangement of information on a site might be for you, may not be logical for your customers. To get around this I suggest trying to get into the heads of your customers. Profile 3-5 people who would be using your site (names, ages, life stages, etc) and then roleplay – think about “What would I want to know if I were this person, what would I be concerned with, how would I approach the site?”

What are the top three messages you’re trying to convey through your site? In what ways can you convey those?

Broken bones lay at the foot of the trees
Like some sacrifice made to appease
Some God who will not be pleased…
Until he kills us all

And while you sit back and laugh at his twisted task
Perhaps you should take some time to just ask
Whether you’ve been infected with…
His nasty disease

You see sin is the master of us all
Vile and unforgiving since the day of the fall
When satan deceived Eve in the garden…
With delusions of grandeur

When in the end God asks “who did you serve?”
Our reply will condemn us to what we deserve
And unless we plead the blood of Jesus…
We’ll all burn

Birthed from a virgin, Jesus came as a man
He lived a perfect life and died in God’s plan
Was resurrected on the third day…
To conquer sin

Jesus paid the price we could never pay
A perfect sacrifice in every way
He bore the wrath of God on the cross…
And saved our lives

Sin cut skin like a rusty knife
Infection ensued in the form of strife
And death replaced life…
In a single moment

Now blisterd feet make bloodied trails
Day and night hear sobs and wails
As our every human attempt fails…
To break away from this

We’re weary from wandering in a foreign land
Needing a greater Moses’ outstretched hand
To take us into the promise land…
And far away from here

(unfinished)

I’m going to start commenting on fashion a bit here.

From the fall 2007 NY shows I noticed the following Nanette Lepore outfit. I don’t care much for anything but the coat – but this coat is gorgeous. I love the colors and the print. Beautiful.

open wide my door, my door, my Lord
(open wide my door)
to whatever makes me love You more
(open wide my door)
while there’s still light to run towards

—

This was my prayer for this weekend and is my prayer for the future. These lines are taken from the song C-Minor by mewithoutYou