Down the Web Hole…

 

To find a poorly designed website is a dangerous proposal; to actually enter into that site can very well turn one’s mind into cyber-mush.

And it’s with this knowledge, I tread carefully.  I slowly open my Internet browser as I would my brother-in-law’s refrigerator.  Yuck…what’s that smell?

 

 

As I peruse the electronic shelves for the leftovers of our society’s virtual sustenance, I guard my brainwaves as I would my 7-year-old son in heavy traffic; lest they be trampled by the confusion and disorder that many of these long-lost sites can lead one into.

 

I fear for my psyche, but press forward.   After looking into one webhole after another, I finally find a site that I feel confident enough to enter.    (I’ve heard of people stumbling into one of these mega-byte cracks and never backing out again).  I pray that I will not be one of these unfortunate souls.

 

The site I unearthed was called “CATS” …  and if you dare to brave this dangerous domain, you can enter it via http://www.cat-domain.com/   For those of you who are adrenalin junkies, you may want to turn the volume up on your computer.  I only hope that you too can live to tell about your experience.  I bid you god-speed.

 

 

The first thing that comes to mind when I open the page is OMG these colors are obnoxious.  The bright and unstable text spelling “CATS” flashes in the middle of the screen.   Then the music starts….  I think it’s a piece of 1970’s music still in wrapped in tinfoil somewhere on the left side of the back shelf.  Arrgh! 

 

 

But I am brave, so I hold my breath and move my mouse – all the while running from the “CATS ARE COOL!” words chasing behind me.

 

The black landscape has me disoriented, but I find my way to the next page with a link called “Site Menu” and a small drop-down menu box appears…I choose “Main Page” and it’s worse than I thought. 

 

 

Still surrounded by blackness, I see a picture of a Black Panther and the music “Eye of the Tiger” comes out of nowhere, reminding me of the true danger I’m in.  I move my mouse and thank God that nothing chases me. 

 

 

For some reason the creator of this site feels compelled to tell me that they’re “Proud to be an American” and they wave a flag in my face.   I duck just in time… Whew! 

 

 

I see large yellow words with the heading “What are Cats? ”.  Hypnotized by the rhythm of the music, I place my mouse over the picture of the panther.  I am instantly rewarded by a dismal cartoon of a cat playing with a roll of toilet paper.   I dare to click my mouse…. To my delirious delight, I am immediately teleported to the website “Action Cat… free postcards”.  This new site offers the visitor a dizzying array of animated animals doing stupid stuff.  As soon as I get my bearings, I back out fast and return to the panther page, again it’s playing “Eye of the Tiger”.  I cringe.

 

 

I catch my breath and click back into the first page from which I entered, and again I’m chased by the “CATS ARE COOL!”… but I don’t panic this time – after all, I’m a seasoned Vet.  I go back over to the “Site Menu” and choose “Long Hair Breeds”… and it’s a whole new mess.

 

 

I won’t bore you with each demon I encountered in this dark and wretched abyss, but I will tell-tale of the pitfalls one should avoid.

 

• The colors on this site are awful.  The dark background with the red or blue text is very hard on the eyes and makes it almost impossible to read through.  

• The information is not easily accessible.  You have to keep scrolling and scrolling and scrolling to read the rest of the information and once you’re into the page you have nowhere to go…except down.  

• The subject matter doesn’t match the setting; it should be light and fun, but instead, it has a dark and disturbing feel to it.

• The music automatically plays (and it’s awful)…  together with the fact that there’s no choice to “skip intro” it’s maddening.

• The banner across the top OF EACH PAGE tells, in bright glowing letters, who hosts the site… and we care, why?

• Overall, this site is a scrolling, blinking and flashing mess…step with caution.