Category: Supplements

By Tisho A Richardson

‘Pop-ups’ are browser windows which open without prompting, displaying new information and/or text when engaged. They have existed since the days of dial-up Internet access and have served to be both useful and annoying, depending on who programmed them. For the most part, modern popups are benign, and are used to prompt users for more information.

Currently, one of the biggest trends with pop-ups is to use them to create scary optical illusions or simulations. The tricks of the eye and the mind have long been documented and many popular ‘parlor tricks’ can now be replicated using the Internet and the power of pop-ups. Standard scary illusions and alerts can be used to grab a viewer’s attention or force them to pay attention when they are otherwise occupied. Some basic tips and methods of using such scary optical illusions include:

Showing that the mind can be tricked to prove a point. Certain tricks of the eye are now commonly established and the doubts created by these tricks are now very popular among conspiracy theorists and image fanatics. Persons who enjoy looking closely at images in order to spot distortions can be proven right or wrong by potentially scary optical illusion pop-ups. Many UFO websites and other conspiracy theory websites use scary pop-ups in order to help visitors understand that what they think they know may in fact not be true.

Startling or frightening the user for an effect. This is particularly popular with Halloween sites. So-called ‘screamers’ which display a scary image or effect in addition to a loud noise are particularly popular, since they are effective at giving the viewer a startle-scare. Unexpected pop-ups, particularly those that wait some time before appearing, are particularly good for this use. The use of such pop-ups has been shown time and time again to be effective in virtual haunted houses.

Surprising the reader in order to get their attention. Many causes and campaigns need to frighten their readers a little bit in order to get them to understand the seriousness of the situation. A pop-up that surprises the reader with graphic images or strong language can be one of the quickest ways of evoking a visceral response. A number of political groups now use this sort of pop up, especially when dealing with medical and social issues which are particularly graphic.

Startling a user who may have fallen asleep. Very long or very boring websites with a large amount of text or a slow video clip may find that they can engage their viewers through the use of a scary pop up illusion or two. Suddenly making the screen appear to melt or change behavior can grab the attention of a sleepy visitor and make them pay attention.

Fooling a visitor into thinking they are viewing a page that they are not. Modern web browsers and broadband connections load pages so quickly that a user may not notice that a pop-up illusion has slipped right in front of their face. By using a scary pop-up illusion in this manner, it is possible to trick a viewer into thinking they are looking at something that isn’t there, an excellent trick for creepy effects for those who want to make an artistic point.

About the Author: For more about, Fun Scary Stuff including

Top Scary Places To Visit

, check out what’s at the SS-TM-YJ Blog.

Source:

isnare.com

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By Erika Pilkington

In the early years of the internet the actual design of a website was either very basic or had to be done using a software package that needed a specialist to use it. Not surprisingly, website designers were in short supply and could command huge fees for their services. All that has changed dramatically and website design is not such a complicated procedure as you might think.

The actual look and feel of a website is more down to personal preferences than current design trends. Internet users want websites that are nice to look at, sure, but they are much more concerned with the ease of use of a website. If a visitor to your professionally designed website cannot find the information that they are looking for quickly and easily they will go elsewhere.

Website designers are similar to fashion designers. Quite often the designs that they come up with are totally impractical or outrageously expensive. Unless you have absolutely no idea of what theme you want applied to your website such as colours and styles you do not need to hire the services of a website designer but can produce the basic outline yourself. Obviously the technical aspects of your website requires an expert but it is becoming more common for website builders to be concerned more with how the site works rather than the aesthetic side of it.

There are a number of free website building sites around these days and these can be a great way for you to play with your design ideas without the expense of hiring a professional. You can also buy relatively cheap software that can produce fairly complex website designs quickly and simply. Drag and drop website design software has become extremely popular. There are also many programs that you can produce your website design with and have it converted to html for uploading to your website.

Personally I have had experience of both sides of the coin. The worst experience was when I was working as a website copywriter for a guy, who shall remain nameless! I first became involved in his website project after he had paid a large sum to a website design team. To be honest, I hated the design that they had produced for the website and it seemed to have taken them an extortionate length of time to produce static pages. The design of a website is very much a personal preference but I was not the only one that hated this particular design. So, the guy decided to hire another person, just for the design while the technical side of his website was being sorted out. He thought it would be easy to apply a different style to the website but he was wrong! The second design seemed to cause problems for the tech guy and eventually had to be dropped. Now on his THIRD website design the website owner decided to find a company who could perform both the design and build aspects of his website. Finally he found a website professional who could deal with both. Unfortunately he had invested so much money in the failed designs that he ended up being unable to fund the final website and the whole project was shelved.

The best advice I can give is that you should be extremely careful if you are hiring two different companies to produce the design and the technical aspects of your site. The two must be able to interact with each other and use the file formats that each other produce. Don’t be deceived into thinking that you have to employ a design professional when you may well be able to do it yourself, cheaper and to your complete satisfaction.

About the Author: My name is Erika Pilkington and I hope you enjoyed this article. I have much more information at my website

saywebsite.com

.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=8712&ca=Internet