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If consumers don't want to stay on your site, you have wasted your time.. This covers some basic Netiquette for your site. Business Netiquette, as its name implies, is the standard of behavior
that governs the commercial development and usage of the internet. The evolving
rules of conduct are particularly important in this context because the digital
environment of the internet makes it impossible to separate business and
consumer real estate. Virtual town centers, virtual malls, and internationally
aggregated office parks reside in essentially the same space as personal home
pages, educational and research networks, and government and nonprofit
organizations.
The business community must respect that, for all its vast commercial
potential, the Net is also a personal place--home, neighborhood, or city for
millions. The rules of Business Netiquette is an attempt to provide general
guidelines for keeping the relationship between consumers and businesses a
healthy, happy one. The potential that makes the internet such an attractive
and fertile area for commercial cultivation carries with it a responsibility.
Companies would do well to remember that, on the Net, the individual user is
always in control and always has choices.
In keeping with the collaborative nature of the internet, these rules
represent the input of many people who have developed their own standards of
business conduct on the internet.
The Rules of Business Netiquette
- Be sensitive to customers with older systems.Offer a text-only option
for viewing your site on the main page.
- Remember that your customers are paying to be online. Provide fast
and easy access to your information and content. Don't abuse their time.
- Organize material logically from the customer's point of view.
Ideally, the home page will be the main page on a site. Be sure to include
clear directions for navigating the site on the main page.
- Keep in mind that the main page of a site serves a variety of
functions. It's a map, a front door, and a marketing message all in one.
- Use the main page to set the tone and personality of the site, but do
so selectively. The tone of the Web site should correlate with the personality
of the company.
- If appropriate, include a time and date stamp.It helps to keep the
site current.
- When using icons, particularly those embedded in a graphic design,
make sure that they are easy to see and that their function is obvious. Test
the design on 10 to 20 users to make sure your customers will understand.
- Include alt text for all icon links.
- Avoid offending users new to the internet by using heavily laced
jargon.
- Do not use bells and whistles just because you can. As bandwidth
increases this issue will become less relevant. Until then heavy use of
graphics, video, and audio programs is time-consuming for the user.
By sticking to these 10 guidelines we believe you can improve your
client number and profit. |
