Today's post is a bit of a rant. Everything I rant about below I have actually suffered through on actual artist websites. I apologize in advance for the following rant......
[RANT BEGINS]
DO NOT DO THE FOLLOWING THINGS ON YOUR ARTIST WEBSITE:
1. Right Click disablers
People aren't trying to steal your web-quality images, but you're really annoying the rest of us who use the right-click for all kinds of options, including navigating websites. (By the way, people can get your images even if you have a right-click disabler....so why have it?)
2. Music
This isn't a gallery opening. Please don't make me listen to the music
you like. If I want to visit your site while listening to heavy metal....let me.
3. Resizing the Browser Window
Do not resize my browser window. I use a tabbed browser that fills my whole screen and keep several tabs open simultaneously. If you resize my browser window, it messes everything up and I will leave and never ever purchase your artwork.
3. Flash
Oh please,please,please don't use flash, Don't make me wait for stuff to load. Plus having to use flash's annoying little scroll bars to read text is really, really annoying when we have a technology that works great for text called html. Also, flash really sucks on a mobile device.
4. Excessive Javascript
This is similar to flash - don't make things animate, jump around. Don't override regular html links and make them javascript links. Just keep it simple and let your artwork shine. (It's OK to use a little bit for statistics trackers and the like).
4. Out of date information
Please don't make me read about the exhibits you had in 2002 on a "current exhibits" page. I'll just wonder if you've done anything since then. Make sure your information is current please.
5. Blurry images
If I'm actually going to purchase your artwork, it would be nice to know what it actually looks like.
6. Broken Links
If links don't work, then why have them? I don't have all day to figure our where you meant for links to point.
7. Huge High-resolution images for backgrounds
In fact, don't use anything except a color for the background. Why do you want to clutter up the page? You wouldn't hang one of your artworks on top of another one of your artworks in real life.....so don't do it online!
8. Hard to Find Navigation Links
Please just use plain text html navigation links. I'm not impressed that you can make your links look "shiny."
9. No Prices
Don't make me guess how much to pay you.
10. Unreadable Text
Please make your text large, and with enough contrast to easily read.
[RANT ENDS]
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Clint Watson
Software Craftsman and Art Fanatic
PS - You can try our sister service,
FineArtStudioOnline, if you want an easy way to set up a no-flash, plain-html, no-music web site that doesn't have a right-click disabler and lets you display your prices.
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