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- Bells and Whistles- Do they Help You Get Heard?
Bells and Whistles- Do they Help You Get Heard?
Last night, Matt showed me the build for our autocomplete search. When a user wants to find a charity, the form will suggest what they're looking for. Now, for any veteran programmer, this would qualify as Ajax 101. Still, it was nice to see some of the tools we enjoy on other sites making a cameo on our own.
It made me think though- how much do these Web 2.0 Bells and Whistles help non-profits and for-profit businesses get heard? Now, I know that programming tricks definitely help usability- anything that makes a webpage more like a desktop is a great functionality to have. But do the aesthetic details (the bells and whistles) drive people to your cause?
Take, for example, a site called Dogster. Found at Dogster.com, it's got "Web 2.0" functionality, but the look of the site is more 1.0. There's no tag clouds, typical fonts, or tiny flourishes. Yet the site is a huge success.
I'd love to find out what you think- do the little things help a site reach its audience (profit or non-profit)? Does it matter if a site uses an autocomplete form instead of a simple list?
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It depends on how you use it
It largely depends on how you're using the new technology. AJAX allows a lot of things. If you're just improving the user's experience, such as offering a live search or table sorting, I'd be very surprised if you attract additional users; these technologies are now well understood and won't get you slashdotted. If you're distributing information related to your mission over the web, then I'm all for making your site as usable as possible, but I wouldn't expect extra unique visitors for the effort (more repeat visitors, on the other hand, might expected).
If you use AJAX to offer some rich application, such as snipshot or swivel, then you'll attract users for whom your app solves some problem. I don't know of many nonprofits using AJAX in this way -- it's still in the non-trivial category of programming -- but I know some of the proposed projects approach it. Deploying rich applications that support your mission (and help people help themselves) could actually be a wonderfully cost-effective deployment of resources, if done right.
Web 2.0 goes to the dogs
You mention Dogster... have you looked at DoggySnaps?
Doggysnaps
Yes, yes, Doggysnaps is interesting, though to me it seems much more typically Web 2.0 than Dogster (fonts, tagging, Flickresque exchanges). It's particularly interesting, of course, because of its ownership, which should be especially relevant for anyone on N2.
Early adopters
I suspect the majority of people who pay attention to these features are early adopters, particularly those of us who work in the tech industry, who check out new sites to keep up with what's going on and have a good sense of what can and has been done.
I know I spend a lot of time checking out new sites, including a lot of non-profit sites, but am only likely to stick around if the process is smooth. I have a relatively high threshold for what I pay attention to, and it's easier to pass that threshold if the site's functionality helps me get where I want to go quickly.
Early adopters can then build a lot of buzz and that can help a site reach a critical mass. Clever functionality is no replacement for good content, but it can help people bring people to that content.
The other aspect of 'Web 2.0' that should be taken into account is the 'open data' approach. Not only do RSS and Atom feeds help keep users in touch with your site, but there is the potential future impact of people using your data for mashups, or aggregating it elsewhere, which will raise the profile of your cause even if not of your site.
Early Adopters
That seems right to me: Initially, sites are going to be marketed to to the core in two groups: design groups and an interest group.
Let's say there's an art film about 19th century France. Francophiles and cineastes are the twin audiences, and it's the same for a non-profit site. People who care about charities and people who care about design are the audience. I think you're right- at least one of them has to be on target.
I guess they don't
What functionality is offered, until they get there.
It's the subject matter, surely and perhaps the scope of content. Maybe the best way to get heard would be getting a link from such a popular site?
For a website developer, a dated appearence won't help and for business in general, such features may be expected, though for nonprofits I'm inclined to think that a simpler website indicates more being spent on the effort than the promotion, a suggestion that my contribution might be better deployed.