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Alt Tags - no wait - Effective Alt Tags

Consider the following examples.

Graphic	Type and Context
	Type: Filler Context: These three little Egyptian people appeared as a decorative graphic on a page about papyrus. They were merely used as a visual break in the text. Effective Alt Tag: "Three Egyptian People" or "Egyptian Guys" or "Walk Like an Egyptian"
	Type: Filler Context: The face of a kachina doll decorates the site for the Kachina Bed & Breakfast in Santa Fe, NM. While it adds a sense of style to the site, the graphic isn't really doing much. Effective Alt Tag: "Kachina Face" or "Kachina Doll" or include what type of kachina it is
	Type: Simple content - photo Context: An instructor wanted this on his personal web page because he loves the outdoors. The graphic is really only there as a pretty picture and to convey a bit of the instructor's personality. Effective Alt Tag: "Old log cabin covered in deep snow" or "Winter scene with log cabin in snow" or "Dave's favorite getaway - a cabin buried in snow"
	Type: Simple content - logo Context: The widely-recognized Nike swoosh appears on the company's website. Effective Alt Tag: "Nike logo" or "Nike swoosh" or "Orange Nike logo"
	Type: Action Context: This photo of McKee Hall is used as a navigation link on the NCLID virtual university campus. Clicking on it takes the user to a listing of courses which links to the classes. Effective Alt Tag: "Go to class" or "Find your class" or "Go to classroom building for course listings"
	Type: Action Context: This standard blue rectangular button with the label Contact Us is probably something you have encountered on many websites. Clicking on the graphic allows you to do something, such as view another page with Contact Info or send an email. Effective Alt Tag: "Click to send us an email" or "Get our contact information"
So c'mon - get creative and explicit with your alt tags. Think "What is that graphic conveying to a sighted person that a visually-impaired user will be missing out on?" Whatever you are trying to convey by the graphic's presence needs to be conveyed verbally in the alt tag as well. Now it's time for you to try . . .