Hey WaPo, throw some more of that story above the fold, will ya?
As a cultist of the circus that never ends called politics, I was intrigued to read a story this morning called McCain May Act Soon on VP Pick in the Washington Post (I’m a sucker for this kind of stuff, but that’s another topic for another time).
When I arrived at the story, my eyes were treated to the following:
• A Washington Post online header
• A 728×90 banner ad
• Main navigation
• Search bar
• Subnavigation
• A row devoted to links to “read,” “watch,” and comments link
• A row devoted to links related to the story
• A 300×250 video unit
• A 160×600 skyscraper ad
Oh yeah, there was also the actual McCain story… somewhere in that mix. In fact, one solitary sentence of the actual story made it above the fold on my monstrously large 17-inch laptop monitor:
Anxious to counter the blanket media coverage that has followed Sen. Barack Obama on his overseas journey, Sen. John McCain is weighing whether to announce his running mate in the coming weeks before the spotlight shifts to China and the opening of the Olympic Games next month.
47 words.
I understand the “related video” was about McCain as well (eating bratwurst at a German restaurant during a campaign stop in Ohio) but that’s not what I was looking for at that moment.
As an information consumer, I made a specific choice, opting in to read a specific story.
I’m a huge fan of making money on content online and cool and innovative content features. But when a user makes a choice and has an expectation of what they will see when they venture “behind the curtain,” you have to deliver.
So I guess I’m saying: maybe try to squeeze in a little space for two sentences above the fold?
Is that too much to ask, or am I just cranky of a Friday’s morn?
