Monday July 13, 2009

WebAwards Reveals Trends in Web Development

CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 13, 2009 -- For the seventh year in a row, MarketComm President Stern Dixon has served as a judge for the International WebAwards. The competition is the world's premiere Web marketing contest with entries from around the globe. From his review of sites developed during the prior year, Dixon compiled this list of site development trends:

• Integration of Online Channels. Most larger companies are reaching audiences through a variety of online channels, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs, and providing cross-access to each. They're not just duplicating content on multiple channels, but using the channel that provides the best tool to reach the right people in each case.



• Increasing use of syndication. Larger sites are providing syndicated content for users to access via news aggregators. Most likely found on B-to-B sites, larger companies and public companies



• Email list building takes center stage. More sites are pushing registration for email news than ever. Sadly too many sites continue to ask people to register without obvious incentives or a clear opt-in/opt-out/privacy statement on their registration page



• Increasing use of rich media. More video testimonials from customers; more statements from CEOs; and more integration of rich media throughout. At the same time, more rich media is making it harder to quickly move through many sites and developers seem less inclined to share download/buffer times and progress. More rich media is not necessarily good for Web users -- even broadband-supported users.
  
  
• Fewer Flash introductions. Thanksfully, I judged fewer sites with Flash introductions and those that did use Flash on the home page tended to embed it so I could at least check out the home content and navigation while the loading took place.



• More Flash games. Sites directed to children, especially, tended to feature more Flash games and animation. The bad news, the rich media I saw was richer than ever -- increasing buffer times. On the nice side, developers are offering more distractions to take your mind off the loading -- one site gives you a ball you can catch and throw. Still, you really have to be motivated to wait several minutes to access content that could have simply been text and images.



• More politics on the Web. Politicians have realized that there are more ways than email news to stay in touch with constituents and forward their agenda. Check out what one Chicago Commish is doing.

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