Just need a vent that might help some website owners, or maybe others disagree with me. I do some editing work for one of the big online web directories. I review websites to make sure that they are relevant and working correctly etc.... I get a bit frustrated when I go to a web site and the home page requires me to click enter to get there. What is that? am I entering a secret space? if you want me to visit your website don't put the gate keeper there. Just my opinion but we are al so busy clicking all over to find what we are looking for do we really need to click an extra time because a site owner wants to shroud their site in mystery or make you feel like you are entering a secret place? I am asking here because I am editing embroidery related sites.

orginally this was a benefit if you had dailup and a site was pic heavy. It gave you the option to not load the site
wooh cute is SLOW TODAY took 3 minutes for this to show up as I typed

I have to agree with Megs. This is really quite petty..
It takes less then a micro second to click on Enter.
And no, their sites are not shrouded in mystery guarded by gate keepers. Nothing as melodramatic as that. Just different.
It has never bothered me. And why should it?

Alice I think this is just too petty to even bother thinking about.
Surely the content is far more important than one extra keystroke.
Meg (the Cutie, not the moderator)

I agree. I want to find what I need as fast as possible even if it's not embroidery. I also like sites that have a search engine.

Hi Alice,
I think that was a practice when the internet used my less band width, the front page would have that Enter message - an extra step. Now, it is no longer needed, and I agree it is annoying! It's antiquated, Sometimes when the domain was hosted one place and the actual site was hosted at a different place that was a way of handling that... And, of course, any of the pay to enter sites used that... like porn sites...
The best practice is the simplest - we don't want to make it too hard for the visitors :-)

Yep, the easier the better. More important to have a secure 'payment' system etc.

Most of the sites I encounter that have this "title page" are older sites that have been around quite a while. That was obviously the way it was done when they were set up.
I find those sites with fancy backgrounds (the wallpaper) and flashing pictures much more annoying. And those that have a "click here for a larger picture" and then up pops a new window with exactly the same size picture, which was not large enough to satisfactorily see in the first place!
But really, one extra click takes that much time? You might just be missing some nice designs.

2 comments

by debi197 01 Dec 2012

with dial up, that one extra click can mean up to 5 minutes to load. especially if it is pic intensive. i usually spend about 15-20 minutes in the a.m. drinking my coffee, and reading comments in cute. if i have to go off site to look at something, i don't usually have that much time as i need to start getting ready for work. so if it has a click to enter, i don't bother. There are too many sites that i can get into with out that frustration.

debi

by jofrog2000 02 Dec 2012

Wow, that's some really bad dial up. I started with dial up a long time ago, and never had a site take that much time to load. Here's hoping a faster connection is in your future.

Alice,
If you are referring to top100 sites when you click on a link to vote for a site the entrance page that you must click to enter is a requirement. It is that click to enter that adds one to the ranking count for the referring site. My site http://embroidery.gotop100.com/ does not require the click to enter if you just use the link above but any time it is to vote for a referring site it does. There is no other way to make the voting work. I do hope that no one is offended by the voting entrance pages.

There are many sites of all kinds (not just embroidery) that have those entrance pages and I don't particularly care for those either. In the Google Webmaster Tools it specifically states not to use them. It causes problems for Google somehow in indexing the sites. I don't remember just now what the problem was exactly. You probably know more about it than I since you do a lot of website maintenance.

Marcelle

Yep. That click to enter thing annoys me to no end. Half the time I have to search around the page to find the "enter" box to click as well. It's an annoyance, but it doesn't block me from entering the site, especially if it is a site I know and like.

I also agree that having to give your email address in order to see the designs a site is selling makes leave the site immediately. This is something new that I'm just beginning to encounter on sites.

I agree with you. Arlene

I'm good for one less click. It doesn't make it anymore inviting.

I think the sites that have the "enter here" button or whatever you have to click on is trying to stop web crawlers and keep out the spammers. Just my opinion.

1 comment

by fannyfurkin 30 Nov 2012

maybe, but I bet it doesn't work.

I admit that I like to get in and get out of a website. But I don't mind the pretty inviting picture of 'enter here" I can certainly understand the frustration of those who do not have a fast internet connection.

It seems such sites are "trying to be cute" but like the rest of you, I usually go elsewhere. Who wants to spend the day clicking?

I agree with you. They wanna sell something and should not waste the time of their "wanna-be--customers" with give them the feeling as if they enter a secret kingdom or join a special club :o(
Let's see how ong they stay at the market with that politics *lol*
Greetings, Bettina

1 comment

by fannyfurkin 30 Nov 2012

Sometimes my thoughts are not quite in tune with other peoples. but it would seem that most people so fare agree with me about this.

I love the ones that want you to sign up to see their stuff, are you kidding!!! give my email just to see if I want to buy from you. I don't think so no business here that's for sure.

1 comment

by fannyfurkin 30 Nov 2012

I have not come across that for embroidery sites, but I have for other things, most annoying.

as someone who only has dial-up internet service available, it is truly frustrating.

Dial up is slow. By the time the Enter here page has finally loaded, i am getting frustrated. Then I see the Enter here button. That is when i hit the Red X and close the page.

If i can't get a glimpse of what is available to peak my interest right away, i don't have the patience to wait for another page to finish loading.

debi

1 comment

by fannyfurkin 30 Nov 2012

I have fast internet and I couldn't be bothered. It would be so much worse with dial up.

You are right I find it strange too that they want you to visit their website and then they make you feel like an entruder entering the site. Hugs Joyce

3 comments

by fannyfurkin 30 Nov 2012

An intruder? sort of, but like you are being honoured if you enter. For goodness sake, we website owners want you to come in sit down put your feet up and hopefully spend some money. Not feel like you are not welcome. For Heavens sake, if I could give my website visitors a cup of tea and a tim tam I would do that.

by ansalu 30 Nov 2012

Oh Alice for that mysterious tim tam (was it last year we had that nice post about the taste?) I would really come and sit on your couch ;o)

by fannyfurkin 30 Nov 2012

Yes I think it was last year that the tim tam conversation was going on.