On 3 January 2012 20:51, Chris Price <chris.pr...@choctaw.co.uk> wrote: > Hi > > I've been discussing the mailto link with other designers on LinkedIn and > wonder what the opinions of other standards based designers are. > > The original question had to do with the contact form. I suggested that many > people don't like contact forms and prefer to email directly from their mail > client.
A mailto link is a mailto link; a contact form is a contact form. They are two separate entities. I'm not bothered by using either, although I tend not to pursue matters where the on-line presentation is a contact form and no other reasonable form of communication. I prefer to be able to find at least a full address and email on the site, and that the email address pertains to the correct domain. I don't count premium rate telephone numbers as a reasonable form of alternative communication. > > One response was that an email link follow through to a contact form as some > users will be disconcerted when their default mail client opens > unexpectedly. The point being that the savvy user will know to copy the > email address and paste it in their client if they don't want to use the > form. I use Gmail and tend to copy the email but I'm not copying the visible > link I'm using the browser's option of copying the actual link. It has always been the default behaviour of the mailto link to fire the local user mail client; likewise I often lift the actual email address off the site and use it without recourse to a default mail client. > > My argument is that I don't expect an email link to take me to another page > and I instinctively feel I'm being led by the nose to do what the web > designer wants not what I expect to happen. My rule of thumb is that a web > page should do what's expected rather than what's expedient. Its not my job > to cater for people's inadequacies, that's the browser's job. A properly formed mailto link doesn't open up a web page, it triggers the local mail client. I would regard creating a link to a contact form using an email address as the link text to be both a misleading presentation of information, however mild, and a poor use of information. > > Another suggestion was that we should cater to the desires of the client. > Unfortunately this could be likened to having a car designed by the salesman > rather than the car manufacturer. I don't think there is a simple way to get > the mailto link to open in a web based client (though there may be browser > specific options). I think it is quite simple; a contact page, with names, address(es), telephone numbers, email address(es) and a contact form with a select option on the email address to use where multiple email addresses are available. For any business transaction, I would want to see the name of the company, a contact address and a non-premium rate telephone number. Then I can decide how to contact the company particular;y in the event of any problems. For anything else, at least an email address should be provided and contact forms are more acceptable there. I still feel there should be some form of contact address available on the site. Regards Lesley ******************************************************************* List Guidelines: http://webstandardsgroup.org/mail/guidelines.cfm Unsubscribe: http://webstandardsgroup.org/join/unsubscribe.cfm Help: memberh...@webstandardsgroup.org *******************************************************************
