Re: Rip it to shreds please

From: David Yancey <dyancey_at_proactics.com>
Date: Tue 24 Aug 2004 21:56:44 -0500

Hi Cliff - -

I like the colors, because, as you will soon see, we are about to launch
a SMB-focused site with a blue and gold scheme, too - - hopefully a
case of great minds, etc... ;)
 
But you emphasized in your post the importance of using the website to
secure new Apogee subscriptions, so I_ll confine my comments to this
one area.

Since newsletter signups are a priority, why not say so to the new visitor
more clearly:

- with an Apogee button on the top menu
- leading to a short but sweet signup pitch page
- and with a sample issue on its own page, reachable from another
_Learn more about the Apogee_ link at the bottom, where you invite
people to subscribe.

Putting a signup capture segment in the bottom template footer is a
good idea, but creates a problem: when a new subscriber hits
_subscribe_, they are taken to a thank you page with the *same
template footer* at the bottom. A normal person will very likely
wonder if this means her/his subscription entry failed! If they try
again, guess what the result will be...

Templates are great, but here is a case where an exception is sorely
needed.

I signed up one of my email addresses for Apogee, and was a bit
surprised to learn later that it is not a _double opt in_ list. Personally,
I think double opt in is a standard all commercial, business and
professional sites need to adopt these days.

David Yancey
http://www.vivante.com





Received on Tue Aug 24 2004 - 21:56:44 CDT