Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[Scott <catfather AT donpoo.net>]

On Jun 30, 2004, at 10:21 AM, Wolfe, Joanna wrote:
> The feature is a scrolling ticker similar to the one on the Durham
> County Government website (left hand column - under This Week) as seen
> at:
> http://www.co.durham.nc.us/
>
> What do you think about this feature?

When I read (actually parse) a web page I'm looking for information 
that pertains to the reason I'm there. Unless the site is a news based 
or stock based type site a scrolling ticker just tends to make me wait 
longer to get the info I need. So I guess the content and focus of the 
site and ticker matters much is what I'm saying.

> Does it make you stop and spend more time on the site?

Chances are I would use google to find the info I need elsewhere rather 
than read the scroll.

> Does it make you draw your eye or cause a distraction?

It does catch the eye. If it's distracting depends on font, size, 
position, speed, etc. The example on this page and the Apple home page 
are not distracting. Maybe if a <blink> tag was added....

> Does it engage you and then make you want to look at more of the
> static links on the page?

For me, no, not really. One of the first things I think of when seeing 
a ticker is "I hope I don't have to wait for that thing to scroll 
through before I find what I want."  The other thought tends to be 
"What if what I want isn't listed in the ticker?".  I guess I tend to 
think of scrolling tickers as the VRU of web pages. :)

Now I'm not against tickers in general. For example, a ticker showing 
news headlines with a static link located by the ticker to see all 
current headlines is a fine idea. The example page lacks that static 
link forcing the end user to read / use the ticker interface which is a 
bad idea for several reasons.

Another example would be at http://www.apple.com/. Notice they have a 
static link next to the ticker that brings you directly to the Hot 
Headlines page.

--
Scott