Comments on: You’re so not welcome.

By: Dave Buchanan

Dave Buchanan — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:58:02 +0000

Leaving “Welcome” out of web copy makes good sense. I'd extend that to the information that shows up when you bookmark a website. The information that is saved with a bookmark is a valuable descriptor that is referred to whenever someone clicks on it in their saved bookmarks. Saying “Welcome to…” or anything other than a short description of the page being bookmarked is nonessential information and a waste of valuable space. It forces the user to erase the useless information and put in their own, a needless irritation.

By: Dave Buchanan

Dave Buchanan — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:58:02 +0000

By: Wendy

Wendy — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:26:13 +0000

Brilliant. Agree completely. Now can someone please build a website that waves at me from across the room and offers me cake; I've forgotten my lunch.

By: LoneWebber

LoneWebber — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:30:12 +0000

Q: Does this “don't welcome” rule apply to personal/individual's websites or social organizations instead of for-profit entities? How do you “show” that the page is the “entrance” to information about me/us?

By: theredheadsaid

theredheadsaid — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:26:29 +0000

Welcome messages are from a time when people weren't sure what websites were all about. I agree though : if your web copy is clear and design is intuitive, users will be able to know why they are there and what they should do next.

**But why, oh why, are there still people who on their voice mail, tell me the mechanics of how to leave a message?

By: Tariq

Tariq — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:22:15 +0000

Gerry McGovern would also suggest that titles and descriptions of the content that “you're about to see” should be descriptive in nature, not “smart” or catchy. That way, the user has a better idea of whether or not it is worth their time to check out the article/post/page. If you over-deliver the product (like the Yahoo main page does every day), then you disappoint your users and they won't come back. If your titles/descriptions are too vague or not descriptive enough, then you won't get the user in the first place. I would suggest that the title of this post fits the latter category. That said, if you can manage to both be descriptive and catchy/”smart”, then score for you! Great post content though! It is immensely annoying when web sites provide no real actionable content and instead fill their pages with “welcoming platitudes”. Kudos for spreading the word and trying to make the world more web usable/readable!