Your pages are empty. Your site is bare. All content is dully centered, a bland landscape of black and white lettering. It offers no appeal. It provides no rewards. You think it’s instead an experiment in tedium —and it has unfortunately succeeded. Your visitors must despise such simplicity, unwilling to linger more than the necessary. In addition, your blog offers no distractions for your guests — it merely offers data and that is not what you wished to do.
The desire was always to generate intrigue. You wanted to craft a site that would be admired by all, not noted for its stark presentation. Therefore, you believe that add-ons are essential. They will add quick drama and instant satisfaction and they can’t fail.
So you stuff the pages with additional tools; using guestbooks, chat rooms, translators, games, polls and more. The intention is to create an interactive and engaging experience. Unfortunately, the result is one of chaos.
The value of add-ons cannot be denied. They can also be frustrating, though, when they’re offered in excess. Too much of a good thing does not suddenly transform it into greatness. It instead becomes aggravating, with your readers forced to pay the price.
Too often do individuals seek to rectify simple sites through add-ons. While this is a notion born from good sense, it can often become an indulgence. Pages can become overwhelmed with these tools; and this can force their loading times to slow and their browser compatibility to falter (some may be unreadable by certain networks, causing limited access). This will not please users — it will only annoy them.
The purpose of most sites is to provide information. Any additional services are therefore to be offered sparingly. Occasional additional functions can enhance an experience, such as search options or commenting abilities. Too many, however, will only vex users.
Use moderation with these techniques and strive for clarity, not creative excess.