Consequences if replace status bar with scrolling text.

Potential JavaScript SEO problem with status bar.

[LaserEyes]

For a variety of reasons I'd like to replace the default browser status bar information with a scrolling text. I found the following JavaScript on this board, but am not able to determine if there may be any SEO consequences (good or bad) with this technique.

The question is; would this cose cause problems with Google or other search engines?

Here is the scrolling text script:

<Script LANGUAGE="JavaScript">
<!-- hide this from older browsers

var Count = 0;
var Text = "This is the line that you edit.";
var Speed = 90;
var timerID = null;
var TimerRunning = false;

var i = 0;
while (i ++ < 140)
Text = " " + Text;

function Scroll(){
window.status = Text.substring(Count++, Text.length);
if (Count == Text.length)
Count = 0;
timerID = setTimeout("Scroll()", Speed);
TimerRunning = true;
}

function Start(){
Stop();
Scroll();
}

function Stop(){
if(TimerRunning)
clearTimeout(timerID);
TimerRunning = false;
}

Start();

// end hide -->
</Script>

[OutdoorMan]

I don't know if the script could cause you SEO problems, but my personal oppinion is that scripts like these isn't very userfriendly -- useually these scripts hides the webadresses shown in the status bar, when people points the mouse over a link.

[jdMorgan]

You can put the script in an external file and call it from your page if you want to avoid pushing down your content for SEO reasons.

A larger concern is that more and more browsers such as FireFox support disabling this kind of thing for security reasons. For example, I wouldn't see your scrolling text, because I don't allow my status bar to be changed by Web sites -- I need it to check links when I hover over them.

I have also selected to disable almost all of the other "cool" and annoying features of the JS DOM -- My browser is set so that it won't open non-resizable windows or windows without menus, scrollbars, or controls, or allow a script to move windows or hide them. It might help to understand that I consider it to be *my* browser, not yours, and prefer that it be left alone. You can do what you like inside the window, but the chrome is mine to adjust as I please. Disable right-click [webmasterworld.com] won't work on this browser, either. Almost everything is locked down by the browser about:config settings.

Bottom line? Don't put anything important in the status bar -- That's not what it is for. Thanks!

Jim