Communicating Via New Technology: The Twitter or The Egg
Clearly I’ve become infatuated with new technologies that enable better communications (especially with broader audiences). But all of us have fallen into that trap of using technology without first understanding the impact and results we want to get from it.
Jim Canterucci and I just co-authored a blog post on this very point. Essentially we’re asking you to think about which comes first: the Twitter or the egg (and our perspective is it’s the egg because you have to understand the results you’re seeking before you start Tweeting or using any other technology). I also encourage you to check out the rest of Jim’s blog and his offerings. He’s an extremely smart guy I’ve been fortunate enough to find on Twitter. I also encourage you to follow Jim and I on Twitter (@Canterucci and @Figliuolo). Doing so will help you learn how we’re leveraging this new technology to expand our networks and our businesses.
I hope you enjoy the first of what will be several collaborative efforts between Jim and I.
– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
It loaded faster this time, so that’s an improvement. It’s still a bit much, but I don’t know what your priorities are, so I couldn’t tell you where to cut further. If you rank all the things you want users to know when they reach your home page, I think you’ll find some that can be put on another page or section. Also you may have hit an upper limit on 3rd party plug-ins as each additional JavaScript is one more thing that can’t load or be cached effectively.
If you really want a good test of what your site looks like to strangers, open your browser, clear the cache, then load your site with a stop watch and see how long it takes. If the most important thing isn’t up in 15-30 seconds, ask yourself how often you wait for things on the web. Different visitors will have different thresholds. Search engine referrals are notoriously impatient if it doesn’t answer their question quickly. Someone whose got your business card or who has corresponded with you or was referred to you by a person will have more patience.
You might benefit from a quick lesson in usability for the web. The best is Jakob Nielsen, and he writes here: http://www.useit.com/. If I recall he has a book they sell at most big box bookstores on the topic too. If he’s not your style, try Don’t Make Me Think. I can’t remember the author’s name, but it is very clear and to the point. Sometimes I can make my point just by invoking the title.
Good luck.