In the past there was no debate as to what was the ideal screen resolution webmasters should use, namely 800x600. The reason being was that this resolution would accomodate visitors to your site who had the smaller resolution. Then as larger monitors and ultimately advanced video drivers became more available, larger screen resolutions such as 1024x768 began to gain ground as the resolution of choice for most webmasters. And even still during this emergence of large screen displays most if not all commercial sites stuck with the smaller resolution of 800x600 (and still do).
But yet, once again, now that iPhones and other web-enabled handhelds are becoming more prevalent, webmasters who utilize the larger resolutions are going to quick fall out of favor with those visitors viewing from the smaller resolution.
What do you say about screen resolutions?
I think certain aspects of a legitimate website are etched into visitors' minds, such that the visitor identifies the site as worthwhile and legitimate based on these factors, such as advertisements and screen resolution. For example a site whose resolution is 1024x768 and has no advertisements may be interpreted as illigitimate - an around the way site for friends, etc. Whereas a site centered on the screen at 800x600 with quality advertisements may be seen as a legitimate commercial site and worth of attention.
What do you think?
I reopening my site, I'm debating whether or not to stick with 1024x768 or go with 800x600 to accomodate more visitors with smaller screens.