'Tis the Season
Is your Web site merry and bright for the holidays?
Is your Web site merry and bright for the holidays?
I’m a Jewish girl with a soft spot for the Christmas holiday season. Although you’d have never seen a twinkling Christmas light dangling from my childhood home, one of my favorite nights of the year was always Christmas Eve.
My dad would pack us into the Chrysler — heater on full throttle — for the annual neighborhood Christmas light critique. From the comfort of the car’s backseat, my older sister and I rated the decorating talents of our Christian neighbors. Usually, by the time we returned to our unlit home, we declared that all the houses — except for ours — should get a 10-plus for their holiday spirit.
Many years later, I still revel in critiquing decorations, measuring them for just the right amount of holiday spirit. This year, however, I’ll shift my critical eye from the exterior of neighbors’ houses to the home pages of Web sites.
For the retailer or consumer goods maker, posting a holiday message is usually critical. Every retailer from Gap to Amazon (which keeps reminding me how late I am in sending my gifts) to Pepsi seems to be promoting a holiday deal. For Pepsi, it’s the “Get Everything Under the Tree” sweepstakes. You, too, have a chance to nab Santa’s big bag of Hasbro toys this year.
But what of the sites that aren’t relying on holiday sales to make it a very merry season? What about those companies or organizations that have the option of posting a holiday message simply because it’s a nice thing to do?
Obviously, it’s your choice whether to post a yuletide message. But there are compelling reasons for acknowledging the season. First, a holiday message shows you’ve actually updated content since that “here’s to summer!” piece posted in July. More important, it’s a chance to connect with people, say thanks, and even remind folks of the season’s human dimension.
Some of the most interesting holiday messages found on Web sites this year come from the politicians. In most cases, we can credit them with getting into the spirit of things, although the execution of the message doesn’t always hit the mark:
Outside of all the .gov sites, most organizations didn’t seem to feel compelled to sit down and craft a message of holiday cheer to either customers or employees this year. Instead, many went to extremes, trying to make inroads with the “special holiday deal.” Typical of this approach is NetCreations’s PostMasterDirect, which I can’t fault for offering me consumer lists for just $0.02 per name during the last two weeks before Christmas. Simple greetings of the season would have sweetened the offer, though.
On that note, I hope this column’s readers enjoy the very best of the season. I thank you for the emails — the complimentary and the critical. Both are immensely helpful (really). To my editors at ClickZ, thank you, too. You keep me on my toes, and, for that, I’m most appreciative.
Granted, my seasonal message probably wouldn’t have rated high for “holiday spirit” with the Solomon girls. Still, my gratitude is genuine. Merry Christmas to all.