What do you like to see in a site's 'about' page?

The only time I turn to a website’s “about” page is when I have to. And then I want everything that I can easily learn and use there:
Owner name and address or contact information;
Manager / administrator, ditto;
Hours of operation (if it’s a retail or business establishment);
Branch office locations and contacts
Troubleshooting advice and emergency contacts

That sort of thing. And I don’t want it to be such densely packed text that I have to read everything to find anything.

Best is to have such well-designed web pages in the first place that none of that is necessary.

I don’t think the “about page” should have the owner name. address and contact information or anything else similar. That information should be saved for the actual “contact us” button. That would only bog down the page with redundant information that just doesn’t belong there.

It should contain enough information about the company that I am left with a general understanding of what the company does. You don’t want to fill it with too much information; leave a taste in their mouth that makes them want to explore the site. It shouldn’t be overly long; no more than three average size paragraphs. A dash of humor would help.

Be concise and clever; you can never go wrong with that combination.

I can’t think of any “about pages” that stand out….

I love reading about pages. If it is a company, I want to know their mission statement. If it is a communal website (such as Fluther) then I want to learn about the creators and development of the site. If it is a blog, I enjoy reading Frequently Asked Questions or their history. I am a story person. I gobble stories.

I think it should have:
Name of Company
A short description of what the company does
Mission Statement (though that can be more marketing/PR than anything else)

Contacts could be on the bottom of the page or on a separate “Contacts” page. In fact, I prefer the contacts page if there are multiple offices within the company. (for accounts, call 1234567, for events call 2345678, etc.)