On 3 January 2012 21:25, Hayden O'Sullivan <hay...@haydensites.com.au>wrote:
> Hi all,**** > > I believe that a mailto: link is a good idea when the link text is either > an email address or something like "send us an email". In other contexts, > such as "contact us" it is a bad idea. > I take it you mean that an email link should say exactly what it is, i.e. "Contact: ...mailto:m...@mydomain.com'>m...@mydomain.com</..." rather than 'contact us' being the hyperlink. > **** > > ** ** > > I doubt that the user will feel disconnected when their email program open > *s*, *provided that they are aware that they will be sending an email*. > In my experience, contact forms are a bad idea, *unless you can guarantee > a non-automated response within 24 hours*. It doesn't need to be a > solution/answer, but most web users that I know who are not computer savvy > mistrust forms, as there are a number of sites with contact forms which > apparently have no one receiving the responses. > I agree > **** > > ** ** > > Just my two cents,**** > > Hayden**** > > ** ** > > *From:* li...@webstandardsgroup.org [mailto:li...@webstandardsgroup.org] *On > Behalf Of *Chris Price > *Sent:* Wednesday, 4 January 2012 6:51 AM > *To:* wsg@webstandardsgroup.org > *Subject:* [WSG] The mailto link**** > > ** ** > > Hi**** > > ** ** > > I've been discussing the mailto link with other designers on LinkedIn and > wonder what the opinions of other standards based designers are.**** > > ** ** > > The original question had to do with the contact form. I suggested that > many people don't like contact forms and prefer to email directly from > their mail client.**** > > ** ** > > One response was that an email link follow through to a contact form as > some users will be disconcerted when their default mail client opens > unexpectedly. The point being that the savvy user will know to copy the > email address and paste it in their client if they don't want to use the > form. I use Gmail and tend to copy the email but I'm not copying the > visible link I'm using the browser's option of copying the actual link.*** > * > > ** ** > > My argument is that I don't expect an email link to take me to another > page and I instinctively feel I'm being led by the nose to do what the web > designer wants not what I expect to happen. My rule of thumb is that a web > page should do what's expected rather than what's expedient. Its not my job > to cater for people's inadequacies, that's the browser's job.**** > > ** ** > > Another suggestion was that we should cater to the desires of the client. > Unfortunately this could be likened to having a car designed by the > salesman rather than the car manufacturer. I don't think there is a simple > way to get the mailto link to open in a web based client (though there may > be browser specific options).**** > > > ******************************************************************* > List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm > Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm > Help: memberh...@webstandardsgroup.org > ******************************************************************* **** > > ******************************************************************* > List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm > Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm > Help: memberh...@webstandardsgroup.org > ******************************************************************* > ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: memberh...@webstandardsgroup.org *******************************************************************
