By The Way...

Here's an interesting question from an AOL Journaler about a download she's trying to set up:

I'm trying to set up a website to link a 1 minute 11 second video to my journal. The only compression I've done so far that looks and sounds OK is almost 4.4MB. Is that an OK size for 56K modems?

Well, I suppose that depends on what you mean by "okay." It will take quite a few minutes for someone with a 56K modem to download a 4+MB file -- up to 20 minutes depending on a number of factors. If I was on a 56k modem, I probably wouldn't download a file that size unless I had a good reason.

However, as long as you're not forcing the download on anyone (i.e., it starts automatically whether someone has chosen it or not), it's not necessarily something you need to worry about, since it's the reader who will decide to click on the link or not. If you note the size of the document when you provide the link -- and note that people on dial-up connections might have to wait a while for the entire file to download -- then you've done what you're supposed to do: You've let people know what they're getting into when they click the link. What they do next is up to them.

This is an excellent question to ask, as it's a reminder that while broadband use is increasing, many people -- on AOL and off of it -- are still connecting with modems, and it's good etiquette to give them consideration whenever possible. It's one reason, for example, that most of the pictures I put in this AOL Journal are no larger than 40k in size. Any larger than that and it starts taking a fair chunk of time for the whole picture to download. And if people find your Journal simply takes too much time to visit, they may choose not to visit at all. And none of us want that.

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• #1 Comment from wowdeedow 
  11/20/03 3:06 PM | Permalink

  John, thanks for your answer. I was able to make a Real (RM) file of my video that's 615kb, which should be better.
  
  I uploaded it to AOL but didn't know how to link it to my journal. Does it matter that AOL thinks it's a text file?
  
  I saw your reply earlier and thought, before I bother you again I'll try it myself, but I never found the AOL FTP site again, Easy Designer, which I thought might help, doesn't load and I just got more confused.
  
  Sondra