Bryan Eisenberg demonstrates in an article on Clickz - Unwritten Internet Rules - how silly (unwritten) laws are starting to find their ways into the online world. Bryan says that:
Solid rules and best practices are great for managing well-established systems and keep social order. Online, following unwritten rules can be a recipe for rotten conversion.
Here are some of his favourite unwritten Internet rules:
Unwritten Rule 1: When in doubt, create a link that reads "click here."
Unwritten Rule 2: Use lots of "more info" links.
Unwritten Rule 3: Use as many vague hyperlinks as possible, such as "read more," "continue reading," and "next."
Unwritten Rule 4: Write for search engines.
Unwritten Rule 5: Short copy is better online. Or: Long copy is better online.
Why are they such silly rules? Check out Bryan's article to find out.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m glad to see that the unwritten rule of a few years ago (“use lots of ‘under construction’ notices”) seems to have been forgotten about these days…
Thanks for that Richard
It is quite true what you say – I’m trying to rack my brains on the last time I saw this on a home page but I ofen see sub-sections within sites which do this. I can’t understand why web developers don’t let clients know this is bad practice.