Internet Trends

Do you notice the little things that come and go over your years of surfing? These trend observations are an attempt to guess the likelihood of surfers to click, hover, or exit an Internet resource containing the item. Despite the professional looking chart, these trends are not based on any scientific analysis. They simply represent Clickfire’s opinion of what’s hot, lukewarm, and cold. If you disagree or have thoughts, please let us know.

How to Interpret

Click – Use these items in web design, Internet marketing, and domain and directory naming.

Hover – Don’t name your children these, but they still have good popularity.

Exit – Think again before developing web content or promoting anything under this category.

Item	C l i c k	H o v e r	E x i t	Last Move	Smart Aleck Comment
Affiliate programs					Little guys continue to use these to pay the bills or have a shot at big cash.
Bill Gates bashing
Blogs					Much has been blogged about weblogs. It’s too early to know if blogging just a fad or another emerging media that will one day rival other forms of media.
Content syndication					A line of JavaScript or an RSS feed can bring fresh content to your visitors daily.
Contextual Ads				n/a	Google is envied for pioneering an innovative form of advertising called “AdSense.”
Counters					In the old days you didn’t have a website unless a web counter appeared on your main page. Now webmasters check their server stats behind the scenes.
CSS					Websites developed with cascading style sheets should download faster.
The word, “Cyber”					Pass the shovel. It’s over.
Dashed lines					Strange how something that’s been around for so long suddenly becomes chic.
The letter, “E” in front .com’s.					What’s in an “E” name? Not as much as used to be.
eBay					eBay is still strong
Firewalls
Flash				n/a	Observation: the primary sites that use flash are web designer sites
Free eBooks					The most puzzling thing about free eBooks is why they exist. They just contain information, right? I thought that was what the web was for.
The phrase, “Free Download”					Oh, I get to download something for free! Really? Sign me up! Shareware marketers use the phrase to get potential customers to download their shareware, which is not free.
Flash					Feeling rejected by search engines, but looking good.
The HTML Writers Guild					The most value comes from being able to place the official logo on your website.
Google Dance					Google’s search technology has improved Internet life. Dance with the one who brung ya.
Java applets
Keywords meta tag					To the chagrin of some Internet marketers, only one or two major search engines are said to still use them. We’re going to miss you.
Linux
Netscape					AOL’d
PHP/MySQL					With a few scripts, a database, and a dollar a month web host, you’ll rule the WWW.
Pop-up ads					Referred to in the politically correct vernacular as “interstitials,” these could be called the “make-your visitors-hate-you-tool.”
Pop-up killer software					Pop-up killer utilities are flourishing. Browser pop-up management is already upon us (Mozilla).
Reciprocal linking					Thanks to the Google search engine, this component of measuring page importance also makes for building good business relationships.
Table borders wider than one pixel
Spam filters					The name itself is endearing.
Standalone client app vs. browser					“It won’t work.” “Have you got the latest version?” “I don’t know.” “Where do I check?” “Go to Help, About.” “Okay, I have v 1.3. Is that the latest version?” “I don’t know.”
Text and text links					Give the search engines what they want.
Wireless enabled sites					3G is coming.
The letter “X”					For all the attention this letter gets, it better do something quick, because it’s beginning to age. Regards to Generation X, Windows XP, and all Xtreme overuse.
XML					Browsers are on their way to fully supporting the X technologies.
VRML					Once hot in reality circles, now virtually unheard of.
The term, “Webmaster resources”					But, what else would you call it?
“Welcome to” title on main page					Sayonara