I came across Browse Sad the other day. Their goal is to get web developers grayscale their entire site (filter:grayscale) for IE6 users, while asking them to upgrade their browser. I can empathize with them; IE6 prevents us developers from using all the great web stuff that have come out in the past 9 years. But I feel their approach is a bit aggressive.
The following code will display a subtle message on the bottom of the browser asking the user to update to Google Chrome or Firefox. It’s small, and can be easily ignored, but is till noticable
<!--[if lt IE 8]> <div style="padding:0.5em; background-color:#ccc; border:1px solid #555; border-bottom:0px; position:fixed; bottom:0px; right:0px; z-index:9999;"> <strong>Want a better browsing experience?</strong> Upgrade to a modern web browser today, for Free! Download <a target="_blank" href="http://www.google.com/chrome/">Google Chrome</a> or <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/">Mozilla Firefox</a>. </div> <![endif]-->
Another note about browsesad: They want you to change your behavior because it’s inconveniencing me. That’s not how you persuade people. You need to let them know why they will benefit from this action. It’s not that people are selfish, it’s just that you need to get their attention, and get them excited enough to take action. And there are very strong reasons to upgrade your browser: better performance, better security, and more features.
