Why do Web pages display today’s date and time? In case you need a clock? In case your watch stops working? In case you’ve fallen down a well but still have wireless service?
Most of the time, including the date and time provides little value and clutters up the page. Of course, the idea is that the current time makes the page look fresh and up-to-date. And maybe that’s fine for a constantly updated, informational page (like a news outlet or a general-information portal). But for everyone else — skip the clock.
I just visited a nicely-designed site with the current date and time included amidst a lot of other clutter — but much of the linked content is out of date or under construction. In this case, the clock is just a tease — we look current (but we’re not). I’m pretty sure annoyed site visitors isn’t the impression they intended.
January 16, 2006
Yabbut ! I can’t think of the number of not-quite-computer-literate folk I’ve hung around who don’t know that Windows provides a clock on the taskbar (even those who don’t auto-hide their taskbar), or if they do know about the clock, they don’t know that a hover produces flyover day / date and double-click produces a calendar.
So I get asked “what’s the date today ?” …
So while I agree on clutter-reduction, one man’s clutter is another man’s carefully piled info stack :-).
Yep.
January 16, 2006
True. But when they need to know the date/time, how many of them would open their Web browser and browse to a Web site to find out?
They’ll still ask you. And the date/time on the Web site will still be clutter.
January 20, 2006
Not many would open their browser and aim for site x — unless it’s a portal. I’ve selected the option on my Integrated Dev’t Environment to display the clock, not because I don’t have 82 clocks elsewhere, but because if that’s where I’m working, then it’s in the foreground, has focus, not occluded, and I can glance at the time. Right now.
So. If your website is aimed at itinerants, sure, skip the clock. But if they live there, and this is their “home” page …
I once went to a website to get the time (hazards of having too many clocks) — http://nist.time.gov/