Ideal Font Size / Text Size

Does anyone have any opinions or perspectives on what an ideal font size is for your site?

I often receive conflicting feedback about font size from users of my sites and people I've consulted for graphic / web design advice. I've noticed that younger users / designers tend to recommend smaller text, saying that make text is too big and looks unprofessional. Older users seem to think my size is ideal. I'm willing to cater to the older users as they may suffer from eye strain and I'm sure the young users can cope just fine.

There's no real standard size but I've noticed a trend towards smaller text size, which I can't really understand. I notice that I personally tend to prefer the larger size, however. I find a lot of sites, like Facebook, and Buzzle, tend to have too small font size. The only mainstream site that I can think of whose font size is too big for my tastes (to the point of looking sloppy) is Squidoo. I like the font size in this forum; I like the size on the CS Monitor, and on EzineArticles. Those sites strike me as ideal. I've noticed that Buzzle has a higher bounce rate than EzineArticles, and I wonder if font size may play a role in it?

Thoughts?

 

Ok this week I would herald the blessings of larger font because of my age. But if you ask me next week with my new prescription glasses with amped up lens strength I will tell you I want the font like the "younger" set.

If you are an "Us Texans always have a plan B" type of webmaster then it may be a benfit to add a widget to your site that allows visitors to choose larger or smaller font by one click.

Then there is always Morse Code: SOS = SaveOurSight typed ...---...

 

Your browser has such a widget. It's usually found under "Tools" or "Page" or something of the sort depending on which browser you are using.

 

I don't know about other browsers but Firefox allows you to change text size on the fly with a single keystroke: CTRL + and CTRL - . I do use this from time to time. But I think most internet users don't use it. I wouldn't add a widget that changes text size though; people concerned about this can adjust it using their browser's functionality.

What do you all think of the font size of this forum though?

 

Somewhere in the middle?

Don't forget to experiment on various screen resolutions as well.