Friday, October 26, 2012

Way Too Much Clutter

It's funny how certain behaviors that we will absolutely not accept in the real world, we'll more than accept when we're living in the cyber world. I know I put up with a few things in the cyber world that I normally wouldn't put up with in the real world, simply because it's a necessary evil. Like applying for jobs online.

However, there is one thing that I will not tolerate in the cyber world, simply because I will not tolerate it in my personal world. And that, my erstwhile friends, is clutter.

I repeat: Clutter.

In my opinion, clutter is the cleanest yet most offensive seven letter word that someone can throw at me. Even though I may joke about the organized chaos that is my world, I don't like clutter.

Especially on the internet.

I have several websites and blogs that I love to visit on a daily/weekly basis, but each time I visit, they take forever and a day to load. Why? Too much clutter.

If you go to a popular news site, say Fox News or NBC for example, you have so many ad plug-ins, Facebook plug-ins, Twitter plug-ins, and just plain old plug-ins on the site that more often than not, my computer will freeze from several to thirty seconds. And more often than not, I usually have to take drastic measures to fix it. Which in this case is bringing the Windows Task Manager into play.

I started using my Task Manager about 1 1/2 years ago, when Norton 360 was making my computer crash more times than SuperDave Osbourne. Even when I was able to temporarily fix the problem by adding 2 Gigs of memory, I never really stopped using it. It really does come in handy when I'm dealing with a website that has so much external crap to it that my CPU usage maxs out at 100% and memory suckage is at 75% (or more).

Because it's becoming increasingly aggravating to deal with this kind of stuff on a daily basis, some of my favorite websites are only visited by me once or twice a week. Which if you think about it, is kind of bad. As a business, not only do you want to attract customers/readers, but you want them to retain them as well.

A non-user friendly website that's chock full of garbage will drive away even the most determined user of your product.

Some of the websites that you might want to thing twice about using are:

The Hartford Courant (local paper)
NBC
Fox News
ESPN
Yahoo

If you notice, I haven't mentioned any blogs. Unlike certain commercial entities who don't do a good job with their digital medium because their forte is not digital, most bloggers are savvy enough to understand and realize that if their page takes too long to load, people aren't going to come around.

I'll finish up this post by asking the incredibly obvious question of everyone: "Do you have any fave websites that drive you batty because they have way too much clutter attached to them?"

15 comments:

  1. Yes. :) Some bloggers dearly love gadgets, but it's all good.

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  2. Now you've got me worried that my blog takes too long to load!

    I've have to say I find it hard reading blogs that are full of adverts.

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  3. Internet businesses should know that people want it and they want it right NOW! My pet peeves are pop-up ads and rollover ads. HATE THEM!!!!

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  4. Lynn: With blogs, usually it is. :D

    I don't think the problem has to do with gadgets on blogs but crass comercialism on blogs. I know that some bloggers are in it for the money, but there is a fine line that one must straddle in this day and age.

    Joe: For what it's worth, I've never had a problem with either your main blog or your picture blog. Those load nice and quick.

    But I do agree with you about a website having too many adverts. Kind of like trying to read a Facebook wall if you have nothing but 120+ games feeding into it (true story with me).

    Debra: Those rollover ads are exceptionally annoying. I'm allowed to really look at only four websites at work, and the rollover ads/videos are simply the death of me and my co-workers.

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  5. This very issued killed my career writing record reviews for the local indy paper. As bands got away from actual websites, more often I was being directed to MySpace pages to get any promo stuff (a rant in and of itself), and that abomination was the worst. In fact, I have to say MySpace killed my interest in seeking out new bands.

    I'm with you on ESPN. Yahoo as well, though all I use it for is mail. I access my Yahoo mail via my phone 99% of the time, so when I actually log into my browser-based account, I'm struck my just how bloated and useless it's become.

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  6. Chris: I lasted all of one hour on MySpace when I found out that the creator of MySpace became your first friend, whether you wanted friends or not.

    As for Yahoo, I can't get completely away from Yahoo. My publisher has their main user group on Yahoo Groups, so I participate there at least a couple times a week.

    Yahoo Groups isn't too bad, but Yahoo Mail annoys the crap out of me so much that there have been times I've come thisclose to throwing my morning coffee at my computer.

    "Bloated and useless" perfectly describes Yahoo and just about every other search engine/mail service out there that isn't Google.

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  7. Uggg yeah I hate it when blogs take forever in a day to load. Then there are those sites that make me want to smack the computer, I tend to avoid them the best I can.

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  8. Thank you, because I HATE THAT STUFF! Firefox gets rid of most of it, but then again, you know you won't have to worry about me going to Fox News ;)

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  9. Pat: We all have those kind of blogs that we enjoy that drive us batty.

    I have a few that I enjoy, but I rarely go to the actual blog to read them. Instead, I read them from the subscriber feeds. Less aggravation and more happiness.

    M: But I thought you LIKED Fox News. :D

    Seriously though, even though I like Fox News, I can't surf it like I used to 'cause of all those plug-ins.

    There are other news sites that I don't touch for mostly the same reason.

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  10. Preach it brother. I have that trouble with many sites and eventually just quit going there.

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  11. Charles: I'm starting to hit that point with a couple of them already.

    Frickin' sucks major moose testicles.

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  12. Wanna hear my pet peeve on blogs?
    Music.
    I really, really, don't want to hear anyone elses music.

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  13. Kim & Victoria: Thanks for stopping by to comment.

    I'm not sure I would agree with your opinion, although I can understand how it could become a pet peeve.

    I actually enjoy listen to music on other people's blogs, whether its their own or someone elses.

    What I don't like is if someone has a blog and all they do is post videos from YouTube along with very short (less than 40 words) post.

    I used to follow a blog like that, but stopped because it became highly unoriginal.

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  14. I don't, but only because it only takes one experience with that crap to turn me off of visiting again.

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  15. Mama Zee: Yeah, usually one is all it takes for me not to visit again.

    But unfortunately, there are some that I simply have to put up with since they are an essential part of my (work) day.

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Go on, give me your best shot. I can take it. If I couldn't, I wouldn't have created this wonderful little blog that you decided to grace with your presence today.

About that comment moderation thingy: While yes, it does say up above I can take it, I only use it to prevent the occasional miscreant from leaving thoughtless and/or clueless comments.

So remember, all of your comments are greatly appreciated and all answers will be given that personal touch that you come to expect and enjoy.

G. B. Miller

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