[WEB4LIB] Re: Why don't people use e-mail reference?

[Andrew I. Mutch]

One area to explore is the question, "how convenient is it for people to
ask an e-mail reference question from your web page?"  

Do you highlight this feature on your web page or is it hidden in small
type at the bottom of the page or on an interior page?

Do you provide users with an easy-to-fill-out form or do you rely upon a
mailto: link that may not be cleared labeled as such?

On several personal web pages I host, I've used the FormMail script from
Matt's Script Archive:

http://www.worldwidemart.com/scripts/

to provide an easy and convenient way for visitors
to submit comment.  This allows visitors to submit a question, even if the
browser they are using doesn't support or allow e-mail.  I've also
provided a prominent graphic or link to this page so that visitors can
easily find this feature. See:

http://tln.lib.mi.us/~amutch/jen/

How quickly did you find the link on that page?

I've found that this has generated a fair amount of questions and comments
- far more than I expected - and I attribute it mainly to the fact that
I highlighted this feature and the script provides an easy to fill-out
form.  If you are finding that you aren't getting a lot of mail - try
making this feature more visible and see if it makes a difference.

Andrew Mutch
Library Systems Technician
Waterford Township Public Library
Waterford, MI