| The site starts out with a graphic that says "welcome visitors to FRO&F". At 35k, the image takes a good 10-20 seconds to load - do we really need to wait that long just to be welcomed? Make us feel welcome by providing good content - which will have a far more lasting impression. Beyond that miscue, however, they largely get it right: a wealth of content (several dozen articles are on the site just within the past few months) and an excellent search interface to the attorney directory are just two of many features that make this site stand out. Curiously, you are required to "register" with the site before viewing in-depth information about practice areas (which the firm calls "Law and Business Centers"). This is curious for two reasons: first, this is the only firm we've seen to require registration for non-sensitive information. Secondly, isn't this just marketing information about the firm? We think you should make it EASIER to view this kind of information, not more difficult. Many people may be uncomfortable registering for this (after all, the firm doesn't have a privacy policy that discloses what they do with the information they collect) - and does the firm really want to deny these people the ability to see this information? While there is some benefit to be gained from collecting some of this data, there are surely less invasive ways than forcing people to register. Once registered, the information is thorough, but hardly so remarkable as to require registration (most other firms provide exactly this kind of information without requiring the revelation of name, phone number, e-mail address, company and other details). |