No professional website? Not a real business!

Pretty unbelievable how many people nowadays seem to assume that an online identity is the only legitimate means of representing oneself.

www.abovetopsecret.com...
(Poster, please dont take this personal, its not!)

This post is just one of many, in a thread that is about how there are already no more vaccines left (what should they do, stockpile them when people in africa are dying and healthy volunteers are taking risks and deserve protection first?), but its littered with attempts to derail and instead focus on how this company cant be a real one, since they dont have a "professional" website (LoL!)

Horrible how deluded many people are when it comes to online identity or the lack (in "professionality") thereof in some cases.


This company is working a niche market. They do not depend on online traffic for their income, their publicity, or pretty much anything for that matter. It IS however a requirement in this day and age, and so many companies that have little need for an amazing website, will still get one as its the norm now, and i agree with that, who uses a phonebook anymore right?...

But apparantely, since pfizer (someone in that thread ACTUALLY made the comparison!!) has a better looking website, this business is not real, they are not producing a medicine or are somehow another government invention.



Really? Maybe, they are happy with a static page that displays what they need it to and thats it, INSTEAD OF pretty twitter instagram and facebook follow icons, a nice rolling feed, some "working on vaccines lol!" blogposts and a selfie of the entire team with a sample of ebola in their hands pretending to accidentally drop it.

Serious business requires serious people. Go look on pinterest if you want pretty pictures and colors...





Edit to add: is this whole thing fishy? Obviously. But insinuating that not having a "nice" online identity means "not being real" is really offensive to me as I dont have a serious professional or personal online identity either (forums dont count) and dont feel the need to, just like i dont see a need for one when you have more serious things to do than check how many people like your Zmapp remedy on facebook.

They were awarded 8 million + dollars in July of this year. I think they could at least have something a little nicer up, considering they're one of the only games in town when it comes to this whole Ebola thing.

This website is seriously lacking. However I'm sure it's a reputable company. They seem to be highly specialized, despite their site's appearance.

Essential Oils, Terpenes

No I'm not shilling* Just using this site as an example that sometimes the flashiest, user-friendly site isn't always a sign of commercial reputability.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom
They were awarded 8 million + dollars in July of this year. I think they could at least have something a little nicer up, considering they're one of the only games in town when it comes to this whole Ebola thing.

I will repeat myself

Serious business requires serious people


Im going to venture a guess here, the top scientists that are capable of producing a vaccine, are not the kind of guys playing candy krush on their iphones in the bus, or browsing pinterest for fashionable ideas.

Money has zilt to do with this. They already HAD a website but you simply assume that everyone has their online identity as a priority. Thats exactly what my rant is about!! Not everyone does! And this case its blatantly obvious why not as well!

They received a grant and you want a bunch of old serious guys to go "hey guis, we need a co0ler website ya know!" Instead of buying better equipment, investing in knowledge and expertise,...?

I'd prefer them working on vaccines, which they most likely ran out of because they were distributed asap OR bought by the highest bidder

It's funny because almost all research companies have something similar to that. Unless they are associated with the big names like Pfizer, Bayer, Boehringer Ingleheim, etc... They usually live off government grants and a modest amount of money from either private or public investment pools but they don't have money for mass media and marketing campaigns.

Half of them are used to horrible interfaces of research programs and applications so to them it doesn't even seem like its "badly done", I would worry more when a start up company, especially in the research field, spends millions on advertising and branding, because thats not what makes the companies. They make their case and their worth in white papers, and in peer reviewed journals, if they are focusing all their efforts on flashy media campaigns and websites, what they gel are they doing??

a reply to: boncho

Exactly' most of them spent small fortunes on these websites years ago, but its as if the current generation has already forgotten how fast the internet changed, globalised and opened up. 10years ago sixteen year olds didnt build websites with ease like nowadays.

These companies need to be online for the sake of it, once they are, there is no need to be up to date, and when you're looking at stuff that predates the eyecandy we are being spoiled by on a daily base, its easy to see it as flawed.

Dont forget that before the giants emerged, much of the web besides the high traffic pages looked like this!! Even 5 years ago. Facebook and twitter layouts changed a lot, and smartphones contributed to this change even more. Simplicity, minimalism, accessibility,... Are kind of recent styles for webdesign you know, so dont be surprised the areas of industry that are less involved with the aesthetic, are slow to follow the trend...

Can relate with that. I worked for DEC back in the eighties and we had DecNet that interfaced with ArpaNet and BitNet. We could all talk to any of universities, and Mosaic was coming out and then AOL, which started on a MAC............. Back then you could have had your own domain for little or no money. Fast forward into today and it still has plenty of room for text.

I think it is a testament to just how important websites are in today's professional sphere. Sure, companies don't need flashy websites, but a professional online set up can do much to improve the perception of one's company.

Looking at the website in the thread linked, i think it does need an update. I don't care what line of work the company is in, they should ensure that information is readily and easily available. That requires a fluent website design and social media presence. Yes, information is available on their current website, but it is all over the place and should be categorised properly.

I think it's a testament to how impatient we have become; not to mention the short attention span.

The Internet was initially devised as means of sharing information by Scientist and researchers from all over the globe.
The said website has all information they currently wish to share. That there are no social media buttons has little to no relevancy given the nature of the company. No, you can't add this to your timeline or whatever, you can't 're-tweet' it - goodness! How are all your friends going to know about it?

The Internet was once a place of maturity, now it seems to be little more than a playground for the insecure.

I run a niche website for my dad. It is very basic and has no social media, flash or any toys to play with, however, it's still very successful as the visitors are interested only in the information.

a reply to: daaskapital

But... Why does a website visited by 10 people a year (gross estimate lol) need all that?

More importantly, why does EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE have to be on social media? What does a serious and professional company involved in complicated medical r&d have to promote on facebook? I dont understand...


Is it a pretty website? No. Do they at least HAVE a website? Yes. Can you find everything you need? YES!