mediajunk

Since I no longer get time to update this website as often as I used to with observations about how the web is changing, let me give you an overview of some of the high-level patterns I've noticed so far this year:

1. More and more sites are moving to a "third generation" design -- that is, designing around CSS rather than tables; designing with user behaviour in mind, rather than simply imitating print marketing materials.

2. Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) are less likely to contain "spam" results than this time last year (even though there's probably a lot more SE Spam on the web than there used to be).

3. Most big sites seem to use a Content Management System (CMS)

4. Many more people are paying for Google Adwords (and the cost of Adwords is going up accordingly).

5. As web users are becoming more savvy, community sites (forums) are benefitting in particular. Users understand their conventions, and know how to use them effectively. Even small, geographically close-knit communities are using online bulletin boards as their communication tool of choice.

6. In general, sites are becoming more usable.

7. Certain websites have made an impression on me this year, particularly:

tripadvisor.com (seems to have hit a critical mass that has allowed it to take off, and now is the first place I check when looking for a hotel)

maps.google.com (not that I ever use this, but it was the first time I experienced what's being called "ajax" technology)

rentacorder.com (and other international outsourcing sites like it)

8. eCommerce is making a big comeback ... and it's probably going to get bigger.

9. More and more of the sites that are showing up highly in organic search results have clearly been optimised (i.e. they are there by design, not luck).

10. The malware plague is spreading fast, is becoming much more covert, and is more calculated in its aims.