Meryl's Notes Blog

I remember when I started reading Covey’s Seven Habits and couldn’t get into it. Admitting this doesn’t make me look good, does it? It’s been years since I originally opened the book. Maybe it would have a different impact on me now or maybe not. I’m a highly self-motivated person, perhaps that works well for me and Covey’s concepts clash.

CIO Update provides what it believes are the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Web SItes. The list, like Covey’s book, attempts to use broad themes rather than simple quick fixes. Habits #1 and 2 are obvious. Habit #3’s summary is on target, but the rule doesn’t mesh up with the summary. It needs more detail.

Habit #4 would be better as, “Share with the customer what the company values.” This habit talks about site registration. The information the company gains from the registration is valuable, but it’s a nuisance for the customer. So how can you make registration valuable to the customer? The answer to this is your answer for #4.

Habit #5 is not well written, but it’s essentially saying, “Knowing what your customers don’t know… provides value.” That’s a good one. Habits #6 and #7 are fine as they are. The 7 Habits for Web Sites makes a good starting point. It could use refining to become more valuable and applicable to most sites.