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Though I learned much at Shakespeares knee, the twoyears I worked for the undergraduate literary magazineat the University of Utah were almost as valuable.Every night, I took home fat manila folders full ofpoetry and fiction that were horribly instructive intheir badness. Example: a parody of "Little Women,"swapping out the main characters for Smurfs.Last week, we talked about positive web page role models.However, knowing what NOT to do is just as effective. Sothis week our different pedagogical model is called "Learn FromWeb Pages that Suck."A wise-looking fellow, Vincent Flanders, has kindlyfurnished the internet community withhttp://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/ "Where you learn goodWeb design by looking at bad Web design." Like Sightings, Flanders offers frequent updates to his site-though his iscalled "The Daily Sucker," which features live examplesof new ways to do bad things. Todays sucker ishttp://www.bah.com/welcome_pages/0301/index.html Whatis so offensive about this site? I can tell you what bothers me:frames; cramped-up, busy text sure to induce a seizure;and no clear explanation as to what they actually do. Flandersnotes that theres no "home" button on the pages (huge mistake).His overall assessment is that "the above site uses toomany frames in a bad way but disguises the fact by itsprofessional look."Today must be a good day for bad sites, because he hasa second sucker up, a government page that is all tooelf-explanatory in its suckness:http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/fs-1037/For a real trial by fire, take Vincents tour ofthings that suck. These are sucky pages that Flandersput together himself, which include "pretentiousfront pages," "too many wrong things," going overboardwith special effects, free backgrounds that suck, and bad text:http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/begin.htmHe also has a great article on "Mystery Meat Navigation"-that is, links and design that leave a users brain addledand unable to complete a credit-card transaction. According toFlanders, recent research indicates that ""39 percent oftest shoppers failed in their buying attempts because siteswere too difficult to navigate." We all know that you dontwant that to happen, yes? So at the very least, read thisexcellent and funny piece on how not to confuse the daylightsout of your visitors:http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/badnavigation.htmlFlanders is also the author of "Web Pages that Suck,"which you can probably find at your friendly local independentbookstore. Though its a good, classic text about howweb sites go wrong, youll want to visit his pages as well,because according to Vincent Flanders (and hes the man)humans with access to computers are discovering new ways3:01 PM 3/29/01to suck even as we speak-so read up, and dont beone of them!

About the Author

Stefene Russell will do acomplete analysis of your site, including personalizedtips on copy and design at http://fixmywebsite.com/analysis.htmWhether youre an e-business or a content provider, findut how to make your site professional and effective.Read Stefenes free web site tips at http://FixMyWebsite.comReach her at stefene@drnunley.com or 801-328-9006.