The Seabourns

Keith Seabourn

Preparing Online Video

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I regularly read Jakob Neilsen’s useit.com usability reports. If you are doing much on the web, you should sign up also.

Today’s was very interesting. Neilsen discussed a study that tracked eyeballs as people watched an online video clip. The maps were very insightful.

Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox for December 5 is now online at:
> http://www.useit.com/alertbox/video.html

Summary:
Eyetracking data show that users are easily distracted when watching video on websites, especially when the video shows a talking head and is optimized for broadcast rather than online viewing.

Missionaries run out of gas too

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Last week, I traveled to Seattle and Vancouver (Canada) to spend time with the terrific folks who lead TruthMedia. They do a tremedous job in internet evangelism, involving hundreds as internet missionaries. I ran out of gas as I reached the airport for my flight to get there.

Yep, missionaries do run out of gas also. There’s nothing more practical than keeping gas in the tank!

Now, let me rush to defend myself, lest I embarrass myself more than I already have. Our gas gauge hasn’t worked for years on our 1993 van. So I use the odometer (that little thing that records the miles driven!). I reset the trip mileage to 000 every time I fill up. Well, I usually reset it. Sometimes, I forget for a day or so, then I have to remember that it’s not quite accurate.

Then I can drive until it says 360, which is 20 miles/gallon in an 18 gallon tank. So I should refill by 340 or 350, but being a male, I have gone to 360 just to prove my calculations are correct.

This time, the van let me down. I ran out of gas at only 330! Can you imagine that!??

I’m pulling into the parking lot when the van starts sputtering. I furiously pump the gas pedal to keep it going a little further while frantically searching for an empty parking spot. I sputter down one row with no empty spaces (where did all these people travel to!!!???) and am turning the corner when the van sputters for the last time just as I see an empty spot ahead. I put it into neutral and open my door to push, but the good old van doesn’t disappoint. It slowly rolls to a stop in the parking spot, and I don’t even have to press on the brakes!

How’s that for excellent planning?!!!

Actually, I didn’t feel so smart at all. Rather, I felt a tremendous flood of God’s grace providing an empty spot just as the the van gave its last sputter.

This embarrassing story might have been safely hidden from all. But I’ve shared it with our children, a few other friends, and we also had our friends Peter and Annette Biendit, longtime friends from Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church in Dallas, visit this weekend. Since several have now heard the story, I felt I should be sure to present it in the best possible light before word spreads!!!

I’m sure there are many spiritual applications, but the simple fact is that I did run out of gas. I think I’ll leave it at that!

Maintenance or Mission?

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I read an interesting blog post this morning. Matt Soper wrote about a conference he recently attended. His post, Where the Power Is, was thought-provoking.

Some of his most provoking thoughts:

My point is that my early Christian years directed me towards the Great Commission and an evangelistic commitment in my faith life. How curious that five years of school and thirteen years of “church work” actually softened that commitment. How sad that “church life” often (indeed, usually) leads us into maintenance and away from mission.

…

One speaker at the conference delineated three types of “issues” churches spend their time on: 1) the essentials (kerygma), 2) convictions (doctrine emanating from the essentials), and 3) preferences (matters of style and taste). Now which do you think occupies most of our time and, alas, disagreement in the local church?

It’s not only “church life” that can lead to maintenance and away from mission. It is a constant work in my own soul to stay focused on the mission, not just get by with maintenance. Years ago, a mentor taught me that “The main thing is to always keep the main thing the main thing.”

Yours for staying true to the mission,
Keith

Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2005

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I recommend that everyone involved in web design, web applications, etc. read this article.

Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2005

Summary:

The oldies continue to be goodies — or rather, baddies — in the list of design stupidities that irked users the most in 2005.

Take something you’ve designed for your church, your personal site, an evangelistic outreach, publicizing an event, or whatever, and run through this list of 10 and see how your creation fares. Learn from it.

I am.

Importance of getting the details right

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I read Jakob Nielsen’s latest Usability Alertbox posting. He reports on a Cornell study in which the top two results on Google were interchanged (#1 became listed as #2 and #2 listed as the first). As you might expect, the most people always clicked on the first results listing. So when interchanged, users still clicked the top listing (#2 in Google’s ranking scheme). But not as many.

That was the surprising part of the study to me. You can read the statistical details, but the top listing received 8% fewer clicks after the interchange. This means that people do read the listings before clicking. Even though most click the top listing, it is important to us as website developers to get the details right. The microcontent, as Nielsen calls it. These are things like the page title, the meta description data, and other elements that search engines use (or sometimes use).

It’s critically important to be listed #1, at the top of the results listings. But it’s also important to get page details correct like Title, Description, and have a meaningful URL.