The RPM Information Network at http://rpmconsulting.com has just updated the GIS Website Ratings for February, 2000. This year, we have added a suite of format tests to help webmasters improve their document, table and form structure and image syntax. This makes pages load more correctly and faster. Virtually every site rated contains some type of error, and some are particularly sloppy. Most often the culprit is image syntax, usually the failure to place WIDTH, HEIGHT and ALT tags. When WIDTH and HEIGHT are not set, pages take longer to load because it takes time for the browser to recognize image layout. The ALT tag is important so that users who don't see the images can still know what they are. This effects not only users with older and non-graphical browsers and those with images turned off, but particularly those who are visually impaired or who are using cutting-edge technology to access the web by phone with a screen reader. Now, on to the fun part. Lycos (a Top 25 site) and MapQuest continue to lead the way. The Power of the Portal is much in evidence here -- while MapQuest has an astounding 159,000+ links in, it is not as popular as Lycos with a fraction as many links in. Lesson being, find a portal and marry it. Among the top 1,000 sites, two amazing map servers -- Microsoft Terraserver and the new National Geographics Map Machine -- are prominent. ESRI and Intergraph are more frequently visited than MapInfo or Bentley among the major GIS companies. The Census Bureau and the USGS continue to be the content kings. The Census site has regained a Top 2,500 position, and the USGS is now approaching 75,000 links in. Elsewhere of note, Directions Magazine has cracked the Top 100,000 sites. And in perhaps the biggest lesson of all, visits to our own site have dropped because we have not taken the time to tell people about it and invite them to visit. So, consider yourself invited to http://rpmconsulting.com where we always look forward to your visits, comments and contributions. -- Steve ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put "unsubscribe MAPINFO-L" in the message body, or contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
