Width of website

No it isn't. What thread are you in?

Faulty assumption - flawed logic. This is a new computer. It didn't come preset at 800 x 600: I set it that way myself. It's not a slow computer and that has nothing at all to do with screen resolution anyway.

More flawed assumptions and faulty logic : Display resolution often has more to do with vision issues than technology. There are a lot of baby boomers out there who have now reached the reading glasses age. But many of them are both techologically sophisticated AND have quite a bit of money. Do you really want to alienate that growing segment of the buying public?

 

I have noticed that many technological companies have started to target the baby boomers, I think Apple is supposed to come out with a Paul McCartny (is that right the Beatles guy ) to appeal the ipod to the baby boomers, also because my generation and younger advertisers believe are a lot harder to advertise to as we have grown up with heavy advertising influence and are practicly immune to weak methods, I think it was in the Dallas Morning News allthough Im not sure but clearly I agree the baby boomers are an easily targeted and equally if not more rewarding target audience for a general site, but minstrel i think the babyboomers are now 50 or something right? So i really dont think that their isn't anybody else outhere with money the 40s and 30s generation must be doing well too, soo basically it is on prefference allthough I would always choose to include all possible clients in the full experience.

 

I'm certainly not suggesting that baby boomers are the only ones with money or that they should be your only target group. However, a lot of us are at a point in life where kids are grown up or goring up and moving out and some are seeing more disposable income and job security than previously. All I'm saying is if you have a target group with money to spend and reading glasses to look at the price tags, don't exclude them from your marketing strategy.

 

I absolutely agree it really depends on your target clientel

 

man, you are a senior here! but to help you refresh your memories: there are two kinds of webmasters on these forums: people that actually sell stuff (or using affiliates), and people depending on clicks on adsense boxes. what your or mine opinions on either of them are is not imporant. Fact is, adsense click sites are huge.

You are an exception to 800x600 screens. trust me, I've seen thousands of computers, and the only ones at 800x600 are OLD or used as console. so my assumption is nut flawed logic, it is based on facts. The fact that you, as a highly experienced user also choose to use 800x600 doesn't change the fact that most 8x6 users are using older equipment.

Point taken. But then again, baby boomers arent banner blind compared to 16 year olds.

But my original point was: If you depend on clicks (and I see some of us here do) make sure your ads are visible in all screens, even in 640x480 screens (as still used in some public libraries).

 

personally I hate sites (with very few exceptions) that fill a 1024*800 screen. In most cases it's information overload

 

15% using 800 X 600 for me yet.

 

I actually find that most of the big sites in my industry design for 1024, but they make the right hand side semi-disposable, meaning if the viewer can't see the far right panel it doesn't ruin their experience.

 

If you're doing a site with a fixed width, I'd suggest 790 in width (it leaves a little leeway, just in case of a scrollbar or whatever else).

 

I keep my windows at a size equivalent to 800x600 despite my resolution so I prefer those width sites. I don't see how you can design a site at 1024 no matter how technically advanced it is. It just doesn't make sense to automatically piss off 25% of your visitors.

I design to get conversions not to make a statement and excluding a large group by making them sidescroll is madness.

 

I design for 800x600. Just because I have a big screen doesn't mean other people do. Also I have a google desktop sidebar taking up some of my screen which alters the maximum browser size.

There could be any number of reasons people would need the site to be smaller.

The main one for me as a web user is that I can take in too much stuff at once. Most sites I visit I land on the homepage and want to go somewhere else on the site straight away. If the page is too big its hard to find your way out of it.

Its rare that I land on the homepage and spend more than a few seconds there and thats great for me and great for site owners because there are few sites that make any money from keeping visitors on the homepage.

 

The majority of high-profile sites have widths between 760 and 780px. As one using 1600x1200 res., I am looking forward to 900 - 1000px width becoming the standard!!

Many cutting edge CSS sites like Style Gala have wide sites.

Ultimately your choice should depend on the intended audience. If the audience consists largely of techies, then a 900-1000px-wide site may be OK. If the audience does not know what a context menu is, then you'd better stick with a 780px width.

S

 

Now there's a snotty, condescending, and ill-informed content if I ever saw one

What the hell does technological competence have to do with your display resolution?

 

always go for the lowest common denominator. just like Fox.

 

Put me in the 800x600 camp. While I dont use that resolution, I build my sites to accomodate as many as I can.

 

The cybercafes in Asian countries are still using 14" monitors. So width must not be greater than 760px.

 

I think it is relevant. It helps you to understand your market if you understand why they are doing something.

 

Some of you guys are talking about monitor size. Monitor size doesn't determine resolution, they are independent of each other.

I still design for 800x600 like others here. One thing that is getting harder if you are a web designer is convincing clients that they we should design their site for 800x600. Most of my clients are using higher resolutions now so they don't understand. I usually have to have them set their monitors to 800x600 and view some sites.

 

"Monitor size doesn't determine resolution, they are independent of each other."

But you have to take care of that.

 

Have to take care of what?