I've always thought of a favicon as a must, particularly for a website's Firefox users. Yet, when I go to review many of the sites posted here, they don't even attempt at one. I find it a really easy way to tell a good site from a bad one. And now Google has changed theirs, it's got a whole new relevence as an idea with a future. So why aren't people using it?

Your thoughts, people?

I personally think quite a bit aren't using it because they don't know better. Take this forum for instance. They have the default VBulletin favicon, something I have emailed them in the past about. It wouldn't be hard to make and upload one. They aren't necessary, but I find them VERY good for bookmarking and identifying.

I try to create a good quality, unique favicon for all of my sites. (Since my current projects are fairly recent, only DC has one, but I'm aware of it.) and I absolutely hate sifting through my bookmarks trying to remember what site was what.

Favicons are like gravatars and themes and logos. They add to your brand and make you more recognizable. I don't know why anybody would refuse to have one. Possibly because they don't know how to make one or where to upload it.

I think favicons are very necessary if you want to have a consistent brand presentation and experience. It looks tacky if you have a default CMS favicon. I wasn't a real big fan of Google changing their favicon because I'm a heavy tab user and now I don't know which tabs are my search results tabs anymore because of the new logo.

Agree, it is an integrated part of the branding process, A good Favicon does make a different maybe unconsciously for those who are surfing your site. In the Internet every bit counts especially given the competition you get from tens of thousands of similar sites.

Originally Posted by VirtuosiMedia

I think favicons are very necessary if you want to have a consistent brand presentation and experience. It looks tacky if you have a default CMS favicon. I wasn't a real big fan of Google changing their favicon because I'm a heavy tab user and now I don't know which tabs are my search results tabs anymore because of the new logo.

Its a great marker sifting through your bookmarks, just like shifting through a thread on a forum you are checking out the other person avatar picture. It is a must for me, and no its not just for Firefox users - I happen to use both FF & IE and want fav's on any site I visit with either browser.

I won't say they're necessary, but they are very useful from a branding perspective. I agree that most people who don't use them either didn't know how or didn't think about it. Favicons are easy to create and they continue to help reinforce your brand.

I agree - definitely looks more professional to have one.

It's hard to believe that my job (when I had one) included creating web sites (I was a web applications developer). It doesn't take long to become obsolete.

I don't use favicons because I didn't realize that people found them so important! When I first heard about them, I tried one out, and it was cute, and I promptly forgot about it.

Thanks to this forum I'm being dragged into the 21st century.

Tucsonsam,

I think it's even more important these days with Tab Browsing!

I don't find them to be necessary either, and I don't think people even pay them much attention. I also don't think having one, or not, is any measure of the professionalism of a web site.

I agree they're not necessary and I'll even agree that if you ask people if they notice them they would tell you they don't. I also agree their existence is not the measure of professionalism in web design.

But I do think people notice them more than they realize. It could be on a subconscious level, but it reinforces your brand. It's such an easy thing to create that I don't know why people wouldn't create one. They're also helpful in finding one in a series of bookmarks or tabs.

Again necessary? No. Useful? Yes.

I don't believe they're necessary either. I am using IE6 and most of the time they don't even show up.

they're particularly useful when you're sifting through your bookmarks and a favicon certainly stands out!
coaster - they don't show up in IE6 because it's a piece of crap and has buggy support for favicons!
as an extension of your branding i think they are a useful continuation and i always include them in my sites