> Maybe you're right. But what difference does it make if a lot of these
> "non-techies" use another browser than Netscape if they can't navigate
> it? In that case, they will never see your site anyway. From what I've
> read and heard, most webmasters (including me) register a 70-75% usage of
> Netscape, based on agent log statistics. So, that's the reality for me
> and a lot of others. If we can see in our statistics that some other
> browser is gaining popularity, we will update our reality.
>
My point was that you need to think about and understand your target
audience, and how they will get to your homepage. If you are counting on
visitors who have the fluency to navigate using tools like Lycos etc.,
then I agree that by far the greatest percentage will be using Netscape.
However, if you are positioning your homepages in other ways (for example
by paying for an ad on Spry's homepage -- assuming they accepted such
ads and you could afford it :-) then the percentages will be vastly
different. From my background in marketing, I can think of one or two
other ways that people might find a homepage besides using an online
search tool. Since newbies and business people are my target market, I
can't afford not to make my HTML accessible to them. If I was targeting
techies or academics, I'd say stick with Netscape tags (if you don't care
about those who are using lynx etc.).
Our main client uses Internet in a Box -- so we make darn sure our pages
look decent in Air Mosaic, as well as Netscape.
The bottom line: not everyone is going to use the Web the same way (or
for the same reasons) as you do. Know thy user.
Yours,
Steve Habib Rose
Clear Nets
The HTML CyberClass
HomePage Associates