Thoughts in Web Design : SellingCrossing.com

Thoughts in Web Design : SellingCrossing.com

The format or structure of a website design can tell you much of the plan or lack of plans of a particular company.

I stumbled across http://www.sellingcrossing.com/ the other day and found that they are another example of being very purposeful in showing significant reasons why to look further into their offerings.

Websites can change in a blink. When I looked at it recently, I found it to really concentrate on the "above the fold" with very strong bullet points and graphics to emphasize certain key points:

Trust America's Top Job-Opening Research Institution With Your Job Search The only job-opening research institution in the world whose mission is to track down every job opening through research, offering:
A comprehensive collection of over 1 million researched job openings
Job openings from all Fortune 500 companies
Job openings from virtually every employer career webpage in America
Job openings from virtually every job board in America
More than 500 highly trained job-opening research analysts reviewing jobs Tell us where to send your access instructions:

Where did I get the above key points? Right from the top of the webpage!

One half of the top banner posting these points has a building which is titled "Pasadena CA Research Facility" The web designers worked hard to integrate the colors of the website with this substantial looking building. No its not a skyscraper. Its a place of work. There is much pull in its look to me. This building is full of serious minded people who will help me in my job search efforts.

Scroll down below the "fold" of the browser page and you will see much more detail of what they are going to do, who they work with and what tools they offer to help in your sales related career.

You scroll back to the top of the web page and only then notice the navigation links. They are there for your use, but they were not intended to be emphasized or explored until you took a look at the overall view of the front webpage design.

This is a just a surface look at the presentation of the website. Whether it is well designed with all the hidden tags or website design elements that make search engines excited is a completely different story.

Take a look at http://www.sellingcrossing.com/ . It might give you inspiration for your next communication presentation.

Regards,

Dexter

Spotted Owls and where do they fit in burning forest?

Spotted Owls and where do they fit in burning forest?

It seems that the spotted owl never really goes away. We have been assured that its an endangered species, but somehow it maintains its numbers to come back in full flight for the news at certain critical points.

Lately the South Lake Tahoe fire has been featured prominently in the news. However quite a bit of press has been involved once again about the plight, flight and habitat of this creature of the woods.

Here is quite an interesting transcript of a Rush Limbaugh show discussing the topic.

Rush Limbaugh's recent take on the Spotted Owl

To me this is a perfect example of how a primary news story ... The South Lake Tahoe Fire... gets hijacked by a secondary story... The spotted owl.

I understand Rush's points in the transcript. However it seems that he is catering as well the maneuvering of the main story to a subtopic by by certain interested parties. Worrying about one creature type in an ecosystem by a huge fire. Who is representing the plight of the non-migrating Northwest Mushroom?

So this discussion about owls simply directs additional press and attention to the subtopic rather than the main topic. The South Lake Tahoe fire is being commented on as being the worst fire that has been seen in over a century! This is of course not only referring to the current crisis , but the additional fire potential in the area. But somehow the spotted owl seems to be nabbing quite a bit of press and attention.

So as the various owl types are being discussed:

Spotted Owls - Dragged into all kinds of debates about their degree of being endangered, and its habitat requirements. The result of which changed many aspects of human habitat and livelihood through extreme changes in forest policy. Guess what? Various groups are learning that they may have been wrong on some of its requirements. Will these groups help undo the damage to human habitat and livelihood?

Non-Spotted Owls - I haven't heard too much about these owls lately. Except for the old television and magazine ads for Cigars... I only see some cameo appearances in movies. Are they they intellectual elite in the Owl World?

The Barred Owl - a Google search today reveals that "barred owl" appears on some 479,000 web pages. I must admit that I don't follow owl species as closely as possible, but I understand that they really "LIKE" the spotted owl. They "LIKE" (this is a family oriented blog) so much that they want to cross breed the Spotted owl out of existence. No they are not the Horned Owl or the Horny Owl. Its the Barred Owl. Do Barred Owls publish web pages to get leads on potential locations for Spotted Owls?

So the fire rages on. Hopefully it will shortly be put under control. Incidentally over two hundred structures and countless other types of property destroyed so far. Unfortunately this means that many people no matter what position they have on the topic of Spotted Owls or the Northwest Forest Plan will be far to busy trying to save people and property before worrying about how many owls survived the conflagration.

The owls will somehow determine at the next owl convention how many survived the fire. Are there any owl rescue services out there?

So this blog has been hijacked as well. It was really just a thinly disguised ploy to get Barred Owls more attention. I don't know how many BarredOwl/Spotted Owl Dating services are out there. No doubt someone will ask for funding to make that happen.

Flash! I just went to http://www.godaddy.com/ to do a quick domain check. Guess What?

BARREDOWLDATING.COM

Is still available as a domain site!

No I didn't register the domain. Okay the first person to register it and take advantage of it can thank me in some small way. I know the Barred Owls may thank you. Perhaps you will get a grumble from the Spotted owls.

'Til Next time!



Stay Tuned.

How much Confusion can you have with just a few words?

How much Confusion can you have with just a few words?
A $20,000.00 valued blog entry. No I didn't I didn't get it. Maybe its worth a few for you! :)

I am not much of a gambler, let alone one who plays those instant Scratcher type games. I live in the State of Oregon which has a number of games, including those "Scratcher" type games seen in different States.

So it was with some surprise that a friend purchased one of these "scratcher" type games at the local grocery store and gave it to me as a present. Here is a scan of the front of that game card. I read the instructions several times on the back and played the game as I thought it was intended. I was startled to find that within the first few scratches of the game, I had apparently picked the top prize! Well I wasn't going to jump up and down until I saw the check!

So I made scan copies of the ticket for my documentation in case I was a top winner. So it was with some surprise that I found that I had won a $2.00 prize rather than the top prize when the game card was validated by the store clerk. So there had to be a lesson to be learned while almost feeling like I won quite a bit of money. So with my $2.00 win, I purchased a new card, that did not win. ( So how about a blog of this experience)

It turns out that both the graphics in the front of the game and the instruction were vague on how I determined what my "coordinates" that I would pick to scratch on the grid on the bottom portion of the game. I thought I had control of the choices. In reality the game had intended me to scratch off a section labeled "Your Coordinates Top Prize $20,000.!" and use those labeled coordinates to scratch the bottom section. Not only was I fooled, but a second person looking at the front of the instructions and back of the instructions did not see that the upper section should be scratched off. You can see by my scan, that I did not scratch that top part off.

Here are the current instructions on the card:
PLAY INSTRUCTIONS:
Scratch “YOUR COORDINATES” one square at a time, to reveal your 10 coordinates on the Jetsons’ Grid. If you uncover three of the same symbol win prize indicated in the prize legend. You can win Multiple times on a ticket.

I sent a polite email today 2-9-2007 and called the state lottery offices. The person who answered the telephone was very pleasant , understanding and agreed there seemed to be an issue with the instructions. She appreciated the fact that I had contacted them and gave them a suggestion for updating the game instructions. http://www.oregonlottery.org/

So I will keep you posted if I get any additional response from the state lottery officials.

Here are my suggested updated instructions for this game

PLAY INSTRUCTIONS:
Scratch off the section labeled “Your Coordinates Top Prize $20,000” This section has the 10 coordinates to scratch off the Jetsons' Grid. Scratch off one at a time the squares on the Jetsons' Grid that correspond to the 10 coordinates you revealed at the top. . If you uncover three of the same symbol on the Jetsons’ Grid, you will win prize indicated in the prize legend. You can win Multiple times on a ticket.

So I am not a sore loser. I am glad to understand the intent of the game.

Certainly this is an example where just a few words off on a few instructions along with unclear graphics could lead people astray. I am good natured about the issue, people do make mistakes all the time. But this is an example where just a few changes in some instructions could really make or break a person's day.

I know that the Oregon Lottery would not intend to confuse, so its only a matter a time that they will correct the issue, especially if they here more feedback on confusing games.

No doubt you may experienced this yourself at some time. Have you taken the time to write a short note to point out such issues?

I hope that if you do play a scratcher ticket, that you win all the rules, implied, direct or indirect.

I never expected to write about a non winning ticket. But you never know what you will come across to discuss on communication issues.

All the best
Dexter

Body Language of Animals Do they Translate?

Body Language of Animals Do they Translate?

I know we try to see humanity in all different things of life. Humanizing animals is an example where we can relate to the animal in some way as we translate actions or behaviors they do in a way that would make sense to us if we were wearing their "body suit".

I have a duck named Daisy who cares to share my backyard of my home. She has quite a personality. ( I say this right after the preceding paragraph) There are a number of routines she goes through. She seems to for example have quite a "thing" for the Australian Sheep dog named Max. Well he looks like a large duck, except he has two extra legs, fur, a nose which doesn't quite look like a yellow bill, and he weighs around 75 pounds. Otherwise he looks like a duck! ( At least I think that is what Daisy tells me) I see her frequently paddling after Max, trying to give him a poke in the posterior or try to settle down and sun her self by Max. Max the dog has at times tolerated this behavior, but I swear if he thinks he is being observed... He has to leave and act as if it is an insult. (Is this all my perception, or is he really getting prepared for dog poker such as described in an earlier post?)

Daisy lately has been going through a morning routine of standing upright and performing an odd little march, walk or strut. She would look more like a penguin if she waddled. But this walk is straight and true. So one day I had the honor capturing her on film with her little act. She is now posted on video.google.com and youtube.com So long after she passes into the next realm, her walk can be enjoyed by everyone out there.

Daisy does her job providing entertainment every day. Whether or not the audience is watching or not. I suppose that is a lesson we can learn from a real professional in the business. Sometimes when you post information on the web, you have to assume both extremes.. You are sharing information whether or not the audience is watching.

Goose Stepping Duck

Daisy Duck is a local legend in Southern Oregon. (At Least that is what she told me.) It is rumored that she twirled the baton in traditional mid-western High School Marching band. When interviewed, she only said "QUACK". She still does a great a goose step with or without the baton.