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Every web interaction is filled with anticipation. The site visitor is hoping for something. The site owner, similarly has a desired outcome. Sometimes the parties are aligned, and other times there is a gap. This is what I refer to as TENSION, and this is an critical part of the process.

What a business wants…

held captive

What a visitor has…

the mouse, the smartphone, the browser, the search engine…..

user experience

A Little More on Tension

Say what you want, but this natural tension has been around for a long time, think about when radio first arrived, and then television, and yes you could go back further too.

Media’s goal is to provide value, either directly through the value provided in the program which would be called “entertainment”, or via said entertainment to then monetize around it, which would either be through impressions for rent (advertising) or via a more direct engagement (such as here on this site).

So where is the good part? Well, this tension forces the media provider to provide value, otherwise the visitor simply moves on to the next, which could be a different piece of entertainment, your competitor, or possibly even a different medium entirely. Good for the visitor in that they get better content. Good for the creator in that they are constantly pushing to deliver something of value.

Images: Warner Brothers & Looney Tunes