The Big Red Fez: How To Make Any Web Site Better Reviews

• An Appealing Concept

  
  By A26JGAM6GZMM4V on 2003-06-09
  Author of several brisk, witty, and informative business books, Seth Godin has a unique gift for locking in on a core concept and then explaining why and how it can guide and inform thinking about an important business issue. In this volume, he focuses on "how to make any Web site better." His dual metaphors explain the meaning and significance of the title. Preferring a marketer's version of a Web site to that of an engineer, he suggests that "One of the best ways to remind yourself about what's really going on [when someone visits a Web site] is to think of a monkey in a big red fez...The best way to motivate the monkey [to take a desired action], of course, is to use a banana. Whenever a monkey walks into a new situation, all it wants to know is, 'Where's the banana?' If the banana isn't easy to see, easy to get and obvious, the monkey is going to lose interest. But if you can make it clear to the monkey what's in it for him, odds are he'll do what you want." Obviously, the monkey is the Web site visitor and the banana is the incentive mechanism.

  Godin uses a number of different real-world Web sites to illustrate what is and is not effective; he also explains why. (Presumably many of those responsible for the ineffective Web sites have read this book and made the necessary revisions since it first appeared about 18 months ago.) One of the book's most interesting points concerns the quite different mentalities of the engineer and the marketer. The former assumes that smart people have plenty of time, know precisely what they want from their online surfing, and can make a considered decision if provided with sufficient data. In stunning contrast, the marketer assumes that people are busy, ill informed, impatient, not very thoughtful and eager to click on to something RIGHT NOW. The marketer also believes that if you don't give the visitor the right object (or objective) to click on to immediately, the visitor will hit the "Back" button and leave.

  I presume to add another difference: I think that most visually complicated Web sites resemble the front page of the U.S.A. Today newspaper (especially the Friday/Saturday/Sunday edition) whereas the most effective Web sites resemble the most effective billboards along a highway. Percentages vary but research studies suggest that online surfers spend about 90% of their time visiting the same ten Web sites Also, that after a unsatisfying experience, the percentage is even higher; that is, approximately 95% of online surfers never return to that Web site.

  One substantial benefit this book provides which I did not anticipate when I began to read it is that the same principles which Godin recommends to increase a Web site's effectiveness are also relevant to the design of marketing and sales collateral materials such as direct mail solicitations and printed brochures. Because of the immense clutter through which messages of various kinds struggle to reach their destination, and because this clutter is certain to become even greater, Godin's concept of what he calls a "purple cow" (explained in a book of the same name) has compelling importance: become and then remain remarkable for as long as possible. Web sites, letterhead, business cards, products, services...indeed contact and communication in any form...must attract and reward attention or are certain to fail. Period.

  Those who are responsible for Web sites or who heavily depend on Web sites to help achieve their business objectives are strongly urged to check out all of those which Godin features in his book. Also be alert to various lists of award-winning Web sites, especially those selected by online surfers rather than by technicians. For example, the finalists in competition for the 1st Annual Web Site Award sponsored by WIRED magazine.

  One final point: This year's Purple Cow may well be a Plaid Kangaroo in 2004.
  
  

• All about the banana

  
  By A3VS0J5Y6X2724 on 2001-04-14
  Here's a good start if you're looking for some quick and pithy insights into what works on a web site and what don't. Lacking in depth but not in perspective, Seth Godin delivers on his promise of giving 45 brief critiques on web sites, good and bad.

  Two quick equally brief observations:

  1. Mr. Godin has a wealth of direct marketing knowledge using both online and more traditional techniques. Both the reader and the writer would be better served if there was more substance in this book. A terribly quick read, this book misses the opportunity to tell more.

  That said, the Internet is the greatest direct marketing medium ever, but that ain't all it is. While the direct marketer in me understands the need for the banana, sometimes the site needs to do something other than sell. Some of these sites and emails look much better as informational programs than they do as sales pitches.

  2. How could Adobe take its ubiquitous, powerful and intuitive Adobe Reader product and mangle it into this "eBook Reader?" Ugh! We'd all be better off with a standard PDF version of this book (like "Unleashing the IdeaVirus). I'd pay more than the three bucks for a truly readable copy.
  
  

• I wish more web developers read this book!

  
  By ACSWBXWY2KBOD on 2001-05-26
  I paid for this book even though it's in a format I've never used before AND I've read Godin's Ideavirus for free. It's definitely worth the nominal charge. Although the Adobe program isn't the most intuitive, the ebook format allows Godin to offer his web design advice more dynamically than he could of in a print or PDF version.

  I was REALLY impressed when, after reading Big Red Fez, I sent him a "riff" on a site and he replied the same day!
  
  

• Book or brochure?

  
  By A1QE9Q73WRGN05 on 2005-06-01
  I find it difficult to believe so many people liked this book:
  The author starts off with 'bad' examples that admittedly have been made on many websites, but are really to obvious to put in a book of which the author is claimed to have 'inimitable wisdom' (back cover).
  Then, towards the end, more examples of 'good' design are given, and most of these did not impress me at all. At some point I even got the feeling this was some sort of brochure (given its size, you can hardly call it a book) written to advertise the websites of Godin's friends and clients.
  
  The enormous amount of research the author must have done is nicely summarized in this quote from page 105: 'Find the sites on the web that are working and copy their organization.'
  
  If you're looking for a good book on this subject, look up Steve Krug or Jakob Nielsen.
  
  

• The Banana

  
  By A2FWB0GKYR32CY on 2001-04-16
  Seth Godin does it once again. In his latest e-book : The big Red Fez - How to make any web site better, Seth once again proves why he is one of the best writers around.

  The book has been written in the interesting and candid tone that everyone has come to expect of Seth. In the book, Seth takes a look at over 40 web sites and examines what they are doing right and what could cause their demise.

  The book comes at a time when the dot.com boom has gone bust and the only companies that will survive will be the ones who understand the consumer right.

  The book is a must read for those who want to improve their web sites and have customers coming back for more.

  The 98 pages are an easy read and you cannot put the book down till you have reached the last page.

  I am sure like all his other books, this one will be a sell out too. What will Seth Godin think of next?
  
  

• Pretty good - Mostly plain old common sense
  By A1K12BFN7Y84F on 2001-06-21
  "Wisdom" has been defined by at least one person as "common sense in an uncommon degree." If that's true, then perhaps Seth Godin is a sage for our time.

  I'm the CEO of a web consultancy (www.mwi.com) and so I was curious to see if this book would bear out what I already know about designing websites. When it comes down to it, a lot of what Seth says isn't anything revelatory, but it makes sense.

  If you already have considerable experience designing on the web, I'd say it's a good read because you might learn one or two things that will help you improve what you do, and at least you can then tell people "Experts say the way we do this is the right way."

  If you have no experience on the web, then this book will be something more than just a review and I would highly recommend it.

  Best of all, it's short and to the point. You can read it in about a half hour.
  
  

• Read it. Avoid some big, obvious and costly mistakes.
  By A53SHTOR46CPY on 2001-04-16
  This is worth the read. Direct marketers are the only honest marketers on the planet. Seth brings a good direct marketing sensibility to Web site design. You'll find lots of errors pointed out which seem very, very obvious but after 7+ years of Web site design are still very, very common. If you only get the "Where's the Banana?" lesson your...and time will be well served. The book is light in lots of areas but it doesn't claim to be otherwise. Mainly oriented to consumer Web sites but the lessons are often applicable to B2B because, like most good direct marketing, the right things to do are obvious. Anyone who has a Flash-heavy Web site should have their heads examined. Happily, Seth makes this point.
  
  
• stating the obvious...
  By A3B1039L2HFKFI on 2001-04-28
  This e-book basically states and restates the obvious. Things we all know but sometimes forget. Don't expect to be treated to some kind of secret valuable knowledge : it is just a compilation of (mainly) registration process mistakes one can find here and there. There are also, far fewer, good examples. Parenthesis : as I write this mini-review, this e-book seems to be number 2 on amazon's sales list. As Seth says, we're all monkeys ;-) Seth justifies the price of this e-book ( he earlier argued that e-books should be free ) first because it is supposed to contain "timely exclusive data"; then because it's "an experiment". While we can contracdict the "experiment" part, don't let the "timely exclusive data" claim fool you, nothing exclusive here. "Unleashing the Idea Virus" by the same author, was free, more innovative and more timely.

  So, were do we stand ? Is the e-book useful ? Yes, somewhat, mainly as a guide to review your various web site registration procedures or entry pages. Is the book worth ... ? Your mileage may vary, but it seems that the author is giving the proceeds of the sale to a non-profit organization, so we can't really complain, can we ?

  Not bad, not dishonest, but not earth-shaking either.
  
  

• What the Doctor Ordered
  By A2HLQHS0YIU0XV on 2001-05-21
  The trouble with marketing books and internet based ones in paricular is they give you so many "musts", that by the time you reach the end, you've forgotten the first points that were made and you forget the basic stuff!

  Admittedly, Seth Godin is one of my business heroes, but this has to be worth sending $2.70 of anyone's money to charity!

  One learns best by seeing, not reading. Every point he makes is illustrated with a real-world example taken straight off the Web. Godin pulls no punches and slates some very well-known big names - but, it has to be said, all is reasoned and fair comment. There are accolades too, showing in clear practical steps how to make any commericial Web site better. Don't mess about - just buy it. $2.70? No brainer!
  
  

• Where are the minus stars ratings?
  By on 2003-03-24
  I would give this book minus stars if I could. I was forced to read this by a former employer (don't ask)...and it was waste of time that would have been much better spent reading something like Designing Web Usability by Jakob Nielsen.

  This book is filled with stuff that would only be a revelation to PHBs or dippy marketing people. Seth is such a snake-oil salesman that I don't even know where to begin. If you are someone who actually works on a website's usability, don't waste your time and money on this, spend it on people who have been in the software usability biz for years (Jakob Nielsen), not some johnny-come-lately huckster with no discernible credentials.
  
  

• A Review of the Obvious
  By A35PU6DDT4SJXK on 2003-07-19
  Some things are so obvious that we shouldn't need to be reminded about them. Unfortunately, while how to design a useful web site should be in this category, according to Seth Godin, it isn't.

  In this 100-page book, Godin advocates the simple marketing principal of putting only, as he says it, "one banana" per page - that is only asking the user to do one thing at a time by focusing on the question, `what do you want the user to actually do?' He demonstrates the effectiveness of this principal by having a single main point for each two-page site-review.

  The book also provides a simple metric for designing sites - the further along (or closer to giving you their money / permission / etc.) the more valuable he or she is. As such, the site should direct users along the path to purchase (etc.) not sidetrack them with other suggestions or paths.

  The book is not a collection of general principals, but rather a critique of over fifty actual web pages, some praised, others picked apart. As such, the application of the principals is crystal-clear.

  The book is clear and concise and (like many of Godin's other books) is a must-read for anyone designing, marketing-through, or engineering a website.
  
  

• Hurry!!
  By ACCPYM8CORLGH on 2001-04-15
  If you're looking for a short, simple, straightforward book then this is the one. Filled with great info on where most of us make mistake when building a website, and what we can do about it! If you've read Permission Marketing and Idea Virus then this is a great follow-up book. I read it in one sitting. Get this book fast.... before your competition does!
  
  
• One hour read. Looks like Seth's Personal Notes!
  By AI58Q01PFO1LI on 2001-05-31
  The Big Red Fez: How to Make Any Web Site Better is a short book that describes some of the 'silly' mistakes made by web developers.

  It makes one good point, "Good sites are made by 'concept artists' not IT savvy programmers!" It's a good read however, Adobe's e-Book reader is utterly useless and a constant nuisance. Although the Adobe reader has some cool features including a dictionary, I didn't like the hassle of handling the pages all the time by zooming in and out! The usual PDFs are great!

  The other problem is that sharing the e-Book is difficult among my home computer and office PC. Amazon.com doesn't allow more than one download, on e-Books. (I've not downloaded a Microsoft Reader book, yet.)
  
  

• Do you know where the banana is?
  By AGSLWPZZ47IDC on 2001-12-30
  I am studying marketing on the Net the rough way: testing-testing and testing. I have seen many names come out to the fore of Net marketing and Seth Godin has his own stake on it. If you do not know what to sell and how to sell get this book, read it, and re-read it after 6 months of testing your ideas. If you do know what you're doing with Internet sales then this book will test you in terms of "where is the banana" in your site. It's so simple to guide our web visitors to sale but it is very difficult to realise this simplicity without having spent 1000s of surfing, learning and testing on the Net. Godin is a good teacher. Get the e-book (it's CHEAP), and learn how to use "your bananas"! I did not rated it with 5 because of the large font size that makes the e-book bigger than it is.
  
  
• Love Seth but should have passed on this one
  By on 2003-06-04
  Seth Grodin has some great books. This book goes back to the very basics. If you are not familiar with building websites and making them user friendly then this is a good book.
  As always, it's well written and it has great examples. It's mostly things that those working with websites are already aware of.
  It's a basic beginners book or a book to use if you need backup to show the boss that there's a problem with what is wanted.
  
  
• Good easy simple book
  By A2DU49W6TGU9TU on 2004-08-15
  Seth Godin has writen many good books, and this one is on the easy-simple-useful side of his writings.
  
  I am running a web design (sam-design.com) company and i know these are good stuffs that is really useful to improve your website.
  
  It is important to defferenciate between complicate and useful, these materials are easy to follow, easy to understand, yet very true and useful if you can implement the advices.
  
  I bought several of these and gave to my designers!
  
  
• I run a web design company
  By AF88YVTF8SIG4 on 2006-02-27
  Short, Sweet, Moderatly Informative. His other books are far more revolutionary.
  
  
• Not worth the tree to make the paper
  By A1P5ZZKV7BCY75 on 2006-05-02
  I must say, selling a dated book like this when you're talking about Websites is a shame. Sure some ideas might be timeless but this book uses poor example after poor example to make its point. I read another web book called "Don't make me Think" just before this one. I guess it would be like following Elvis with a kindergarden play. Save your money. Need I say more.
  
  
• Wow!
  By A1ALCNWM20QVA1 on 2001-04-14
  I was pretty skeptical of this book. How much insight can you expect to find in a.. ebook.

  In a word: lots.

  Within 20 pages, I had already filled a legal pad with ideas and changes to be made to our corporate web site. There's no doubt that this common sense approach to web site design (test and measure! says Godin) is going to save my company millions.
  
  

• Everything Old is New Again
  By A24IINVGQL8PGO on 2001-04-15
  I've enjoyed the previous books about Permission Marketing. I also see parallel's with works by Douglas Rushkoff from a few years back. Godin uses the new Adobe format to examine several websites and put critical comments side by side. He reminds us that content drives form and not vice-versa. A bargain booklet at 3 bucks and the proceeds go to a good cause. The e-book format is fascinating. I experimented with the e-book from Rocket and found it great. But then Rocket were taken over and my library was not transferable! At the moment, e-books are going through a bit of a device crisis. And you don't lend out a e-reader as you might do with a book. e-books are not for bedtime reading, a paperback is still the best medium.
  
  
• Stating the very obvious
  By A1G162XY5AZFNW on 2001-11-29
  I love Seth Godin and his book "permission marketing", but "The big Red Fez" were a big disappointment.
  I guess that for a newbie that never had spend any time considering what is good design or participating in a discussion about design and usability this book can be a bit inspiring - for anyone else with a bit more experience in webdesign it states the very obvious without adding anything new to the discussion.

  The Adobe Ebook format S.... , which Godin do know (and comment on)
  
  One star for the content, another star for good writing style, Godin do come across crystal clear and entertaining
  
  

• Look for the big banana
  By A1STWK33TMM7IJ on 2002-04-08
  The Big Red Fez is a quick read. This book covers the many does and don't of web site development from a user experience perspective. Even for the experienced web site designer, The Big Red Fez, back to the basic approach serves as a good reminder that the customer comes first.

  The loudest message from The Big Fed Fez is that the site should be about the customer not the developer, marketer or business manager. There is some good commentary on customer segmentation and how to address customer segmentation. Another useful idea is trying different approaches and measuring the results of each. There are plenty of products that make this approach feasible and the results make the effort worth while. One of the most important activities is measuring is establishing a baseline.

  The Big Red Fez is a quick read, but has many useful ideas and concepts. If you are an engineer, marketer or business owner manager this book provides useful insights into building a great customer experience.
  
  

• Small is beautiful... and keeping it simples pays
  By AFI8F9PYH1VJQ on 2003-02-28
  Seth Godin can give you more valuable information on the do's and don'ts of Web site design in this small book - with a 1 picture/1 textpage approach that at first glance makes it similar to a kids' book - than any of the boring 500-page encyclopedias by wannabe web "experts" I've read recently.

  This is a must-read for anyone that USES the Web, let alone for those whose work is making it. As an interactive marketer, you bet I'll be giving this book to my clients each time they want to put their entire company's history in the homepage. Way to go, Seth!
  
  

• Quick and to the point
  By A1YZ4XA3C0WNY3 on 2003-10-27
  There is a reason you are reading these words. There is a reason Amazon is a huge success. In a few simple examples Seth points out some of the ideas of effective web design.

  While this book is in no means comprehensive, it is a small invenstment into the future of your web site and business. At $10 and only a half hour read you only need 1 good example to make the book worthwhile!
  
  

• If you have a website, buy this book.
  By A1QEP46TK3TL4D on 2004-10-14
  If you're trying to do any online commerce, this book would be worth buying even if the purchase price was $200.
  
  The easy-access that has allowed anyone with a computer to have a website of their own has created a huge mass of poorly-designed websites. Unfortunately, the same quality has crept into commercial sites, too....and some of the worst offenders are actual names you'd recognize!
  
  In his wonderfully refreshing and down-to-earth style, Seth Godin speaks candidly about what web visitors are looking for when they visit your site....and why they'll leave in less than three seconds if they don't see it.
  
  It's not a how-to book on HTML, Java or Flash. It has nothing to do with the mechanics of designing a site. It's about what the web visitor SEES and DOESN'T SEE.
  
  This thin little volume will change everything about how you look at web design. Buy it!
  
  
• True to Seth's style
  By A14VKO8XNE2ICZ on 2005-08-12
  As Seth Godin says - there's probably more detailed and less simplistic books around which cover the topic of web design and development - and I have read them too. But this one captures the essence of the REAL needs of a web customer in a simple easy to digest format. I would recommend the book for anyone building the first (or even 10th) website. And perhaps I'd even give it to my customers who frequently ask us to build crazy ideas into their websites.
  Steve Mathew - Managing Director, Fireworkx.com (designer and developer of websites and web systems)
  
  
• Guidelines for Creating a Useful and Profitable Website
  By A1P3UMPEKK4WD8 on 2006-04-09
  Short and sweet list of do's and don'ts for website designers. Most of the guidelines are common sense unless you're a techie or web designer, which is the whole point that the author is trying to make. You need to put on the marketing hat when it comes to profitable web design. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has a website or develops websites and desires to increase their customer retention and profits.
  
  
• Super Seth
  By A3BVDG7B65TNO5 on 2006-07-22
  Typical of Seth Godin's books, The Big Red Fez is easy to read and right on! Although published several years ago, Seth's observations about Website marketing are likely timeless. This book is a must read for the novice as well as a terrific review for seasoned marketers.
  
  
• Old Wine, E-bottle
  By A25WA28QKM0L3J on 2001-04-15
  Cool site-by-site analysis. Its this section that makes this e-book worth the exhorbitantly huge dough you cough up for it :) But seriously, you can see Godin exhalting (albeit in undertones) the concepts he's propounded in his earlier work. A very good read though - the real life examples add that perspective and make you reflect upon mistakes you've made on your site but failed to notice.

  Also, information from this book had heavy quotational value. You have hoards of information to throw around while socializing or in public (to look brighter than you actually are).

  A very good read overall and an absolutely splendid deal. Hell, you can't get Godin's hairstyle for that much, you can get whats in his head though.

  I would have given it a full 5* if it wasn't for my extremely conservative professional background (I'm a bean counter).
  
  

• If only I could have opened it ...
  By A29M2Q0DZAWOZL on 2001-09-15
  I love everything that Seth Godin writes. So when I saw the availability of this e-book, I ordered it immediately. It's heartening to hear that it's a good book, but unfortunately I was never able to open it to judge for myself. I recommend that you take a pass, unless you're rich and adventurous and can afford the $$ and time required.
  
  

• Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers
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• Unleashing the Ideavirus
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