Ask Mr. D - "Sticky Sites"

Dear Mr. D,

I keep running across the terms "sticky
sites" and "sticky visitors." About the only
thing I have learned about this "sticky stuff"
is that it is a good thing for site owners to
make their sites "sticky."

Can you tell me what this is all about?
How can I make my site sticky?

Signed,

Just Wondering,

________________________

Dear Just Wondering,

A sticky visitor is one that returns to
a website often. A sticky site is a site
that has some feature or features that
causes their visitors to developed an
affection, affinity or addiction to the site
that compels him or her to return there
often.

Sites like Yahoo and GeoCities have
become giants on the Internet because
of their "stickiness."

What makes a site sticky? There are
many features you can add to your
website to make it sticky. Below I have
listed several of the proven ones.

Chat rooms
Message boards
Email accounts
Search engines
Reward programs

When deciding how to make your visitors
return again and again, think of what would
make you want to return to a site like yours.
You may come up with something that's very
new and unique.