Sandor Panton of Top5Jamaica.Com, in association with the Gleaner Online, guides you through what's new, cool and interesting on the Internet. From Jamaica to the wider Caribbean and the rest of the World, this is the 'Week on the Web'.
HAVE IT look as professional as possible. - The online image that you create of yourself or your business is sometimes the only contact an individual will have, so it needs to be as powerful and as clear as possible in order to make a good impression.
It should be easy to use and navigate - Ideally, a surfer should be able to get to the various sections of your website from any page. Don't make it a struggle to navigate or find information; the links and information should be organised in a logical fashion.
Eliminate any unnecessary steps, especially steps that result in 'traps'. (A 'trap' is a dead-end page with no links to other sections of the site, thus forcing the surfer to hit the 'back' button to go back to the page(s) that have the proper links.)
Its load time should not be slow - Load time is the length of time that it takes for a web page to be displayed completely. The longer the load time, the greater the likelihood that a surfer will click the 'back' button or move on to another website because they don't have the patience to wait on the website to load.
Number and size of graphics are two of the main factors that will affect load time. Without graphics, web pages can appear boring; too many, and the load time may be slow. Thus, you have to find the balance.
KATRINA SCAMS
It took only hours for con artists to hit the Internet with email and website scams that invite concerned people to make a contribution to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
It's easy to impersonate an individual or a group over the Internet, so if you want to help by making a contribution online, and want to ensure that it ends up in the right hands, do it via the website of a recognised organisation such as http://www.redcross.org
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK
http://www.emarketer.com - As with previous weeks, I've featured a second site which is not specifically Jamaican, but which should be of interest to some who are business-minded.
The eMarketer website offers extensive research and analysis of data as it relates to e-business, online marketing and emerging technologies.
Top 5 views on Gleaner week ending September 3
1. Reliving a nightmare - Jah Cure's victim tells her story
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20050828/lead/lead2.html - 4,566 views
2. THE MONDAY INTERVIEW: Rodney Davis - New C&W boss ready to shake things up
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20050829/business/business1.html - 4,535 views
3. J'can workers safe - 350 overseas hotel employees escape 'Katrina'
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20050831/lead/lead1.html - 4,530 views
4. CSEC WHIZ-KIDS - 'Very excited ... but shocked'
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20050901/news/news1.html - 4,523 views
5. Roadblock rage - Protests against hikes, decaying infrastructure
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20050830/lead/lead1.html - 4,327 views
Top 5 views on STAR week ending September 3
1. Star Poster Girl
http://www.jamaica-star.com/poster_girl/pg_84.html - 12,166 views
2. Hottie Hottie Girl
http://www.jamaica-star.com/hottie-girls/646.html - 5,527 views
3. Star Poster Girl
http://www.jamaica-star.com/poster_girl/pg_77.html - 5,975 views
4. Hottie Hottie Girl
http://www.jamaica-star.com/hottie-girls/648.html - 5,284 views
5. Hero Guard Killed
http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20050829/news/news1.html - 5,109 views
