Something that I've always been nervous about, is whether or not Bytesize is a turnoff to the general public. Namely, the fact that it plays by default when you visit the front page.
The player is programmed to remember your settings, so if you hit the STOP button and leave, the player will no longer auto-play. A lot of general internet users probably never figure that out, though.
So it makes me wonder... Are there a lot of people who come to the NG front page, get bombarded with audio, and simply leave rather than stick around? Does anyone know of any examples of this happening to people? Please share... I'm looking for some real serious feedback, since the result could be dramatic for bytesize - defaulting to OFF means a lot of people will never enjoy all the cartoons there. Also, maybe some people take MORE interest in NG after being forced to watch a sample of what goes on here. It's hard to get feedback here on NG, because everyone who posts here is obviously a fan of the site, and not someone who left. :)
Thoughts?
Nillions
Well, maybe it's your choice of audio. Although the Endless Handbag Loop is a great track, it's a bit loud and quite sudden. Perhaps if you were to change the audio to something a bit more soothing, then people won't be frightened off. And give it a while before any animations play, let them explore the front page first, give them, say, 30 seconds or so?