He Loves Ugly Sites?!

The minute I hit post on my last blog I received a call from a friend telling me he loves ugly sites. Nuts, right?! He finds ugly design more interesting than all of the other sites he visits on a regular basis. Sure, his bank and email offer normal sites, but visiting random sites actually entertains him and makes him laugh. By random I mean sites that were purposely designed with odd colors, random layouts, and insane flash techniques.

Yes folks, I have actually had contact with an individual that prefers to visit the sites with poor design versus the well-planned out pages. One can only assume that entertainment is a HUGE factor when visiting anything that is less that eye-appealing. Why else would you bother?

Alright, let's take a second to focus back on the fact that this is the weekend and it is time to relax. Do you find yourself spending more time online during the weekend versus the work week? Or, does your schedule differ from the standard 9-5 Monday thru Friday job and the weekend is your only time to explore content online? In either case, I look forward to hearing from you.

You and Only You

And, it's all about you. Thankfully, I have a lot of friends that like to share ugly sites they have come across. Although I like to thank these friends from the very beginning I think some of them simply Google "bad design" and send me everything they come across.

Bad design is bad sign, but in some cases these designs are uploaded on purpose. What do I mean by that? Well, bad design can be uploaded by well-practiced designer to show how they can fix ugly websites. In short, some designers choose to upload the most ugly design practices in order to show how they can fix these issues. These designers want you to hire them. Sure, this may seem odd to the casual searcher, but many ugly sites are actually designed by some of the most experienced designers. Weird, right?!?

When you come across an ugly site take the time to explore why this site was posted. I LOVE hearing about and exploring your suggestions, but lets only try to determine why legitimate sites opt for ugly design. Understanding how horrible design can impact your brand will help you determine what website options you should explore. Finding a niche for your brand will help in your overall profitability.

Make That Money Man!

These days, why are there so many websites? The answer can be rather simple. People create sites to make money. Advertising can be a very lucrative business for some site owners and those owners are well aware of the amount of money they can generate. So, next time you visit an ugly site ask yourself why that site is so ugly. Was it poor design or very effective marketing?

I think understanding marketing can help a bit. You can't succeed without an angle and some choose to have a very ugly and horrific looking angle. These days people will discuss poor design just as much as they discuss good design. Honestly, you can't set the bar for good design without taking poor design into account. The bad makes the good look even better and the good helps enforce why the bad is just that ugly.

At the end of the day we all need to make money if you are doing so on a poorly designed site... well, good for you. You probably save tons in website start up costs. Well done. On the other hand, if your site is that unfriendly how many people do you think will spend time there?

I Do!

Receiving an invite for a wedding prompted me to return to this site and relive the experience all over again. It makes you glad that you are not a bridesmaid or a friend of a bride that would actually submit you to this torture. To be honest, I have always wondered what it would feel like to be trapped in a dress with enormous shoulder "poofs" and a long neon train. Alright, maybe not that curious.

It is hard for me to determine what is worse. The design or these dresses. I think that might be a conversation that could go round and round for decades. In any case, revisiting this site was just as much fun and just as interesting at it was the first time.

If you are a bride would you visit this shop or frequent these online images? Again, it all comes down to taste and if this is working for this bridal boutique, I think we should not question why or how. That again could cause a intense discussion that might not have a definitive answer.

Have a good day all and continue to look for those ugly sites in and outside of your search for the perfect wedding day attire.

Your Email Address

It goes without saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What is ugly to some is beautiful to others and for those of us that spend time online we realize our vision of beauty can differ from site to site. Ugly sites are always debatable.

Some of the most popular sites that we frequent often are the most ugliest to others. Your bank website, favorite shopping forum, or even your favorite place to get information may be the ugliest site on the web to others. In any case, when we visit our favorite sites we are likely to give our email address over to the company for future updates or information. Stop and think how many times you type in your email address to buy a product, receive email blasts, or log into a site to check your email.

Today, more than ever, many individuals are getting emails from their banks, grocery stores, and other trusted businesses informing them that their information has been comprised. Ugly sites and beautiful sites are both prone to attract hackers on a mission to obtain, exploit, and sell your information. Everything from email addresses to your social security number can be stolen from professional hackers. Regardless of what sites you choose to make fun of, do your best to safeguard your information.

A Contest?

On my search for the most ugly and mind-blowing website I have come across a variety of contests that promote this type thing. Yep, I said contest. So, while I am not promoting or condoning any of this behavior I just wanted you to know that those type of things are out there. I mean if that is your thing.

Some create ugly websites not knowing there are ugly and others create them knowing that attention will be driven to their sites because of it. Regardless of what type of design you opt to try you have to make sure your company and your website is protected. Malware, spyware, and viruses are not fun. If they are happening on your work computer or system they can cause even greater damage.

Business information and customer information must be safeguarded. Please, please, please, make sure your consumer and corporate information is protected regardless of what design choices you make on your site. This is not to say that a ugly website won't draw my attention! These comments are just to say that regardless of your website or business it is your job to protect your information and your consumers.