Well, it's been a while, but I'm back for now. After playing Simon Cowell for other sites, it's time to take my turn in the hot seat.

http://tkm.capitalfocus.org/

Just a quick note...

The headlines are a bit out of sequence. That's why there are no datelines...yet. This is an unfortunate side-effect of the beta script I am using. We hope to have a resolution soon.

Otherwise, have at it!

Interesting site you've got there.

You make enough use of "blurring" that I'll assume it's intentional. I've got to be honest with you, though -- It's a bit hard on the eyes for me. Especially since the blurring isn't consistent.

Take the images at the top of your page.... The Editor is more blurred than any of the other pictures, and The Bombshell is hardly blurred at all. Then there's "non-event" and "tech", which also have different levels of blur. With "bizarre", I'm not sure if there's a level of blur, or if it's just that the colors are vibrating so much the word seems to be blurred.

The same with your logo, though I think that's just the font you've chosen. But maybe it's just me that this bothers....

I also think it'd be a good idea to include links at the end of each article to other articles of the same type. Right now, you've got "Back to List", but that's not necessarily clear to visitors. Maybe if it said "Back to List of [Sub-Topic]" it would be less confusing.

Otherwise, you've got some intriguing information on your site. Looks like some fun and some politics mixed together. Good luck with your site!

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Syren Song Designs ~ http://www.syrensongdesigns.com/
Real Websites for Real People
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Great layout, great content, overall great site...but...I'm with Syren. By the time I had a few pages behind me my eyes were crossing and bugging out. Between the harsh red on each side of the content and the blurred graphics my eyes were straining. I actually had to stop after a few pages because it was so uncomfortable! Wow, I feel somewhat whiney in this post. Sorry.

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Leisa
Wholly Wholesale - Wholesale Auctions - http://whollywholesale.com
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I really hate to say this, but I agree with Leisa and SyrenSong. The layout is clean. And the navigation seems easy enough to follow. In regards to the side bars, I would suggest going with a darker color of red. The current red is a little bright. After looking at the images that SyrenSong was referring too, I would attribute the quality to over sizing low resolution photos which creates that blurry look. When I first saw it I was expecting the images to clear up and show crisp when I moved over them.

That might actually be a good option for you; kind of a cloak-n-dagger look. Overly blurry images so you can barely tell the features; then when you mouse-over them they get clear and focused. Of course that would mean getting higher resolution photos, but I think it would add something special to the site and make it stand out a little more.

I also think that pulling the header off the top of the browser would add to the overall look of the site. A little red up top would encapsulate the content. I try and scroll farther up then I can because the header just kind of runs off the top.

The little headers you have for the sections are a great idea. I would suggest elaborating on them and making them more consistent. The Tech one has the Matrix thing in the background and the THEM has the map, while the others are just solid colors. Play with them a little and create some theme consistency with them. Like the Capital roof with the word Politics to the right of it, a computer mouse with Tech to the right of it, a globe with THEM to the right, etc. Create icons that could be recognizable without the text so in the future you could just use the icons as the element to signify the content.

That’s just my 4 cents worth. Best of luck.

__________________
Scott Brinkerhoff - Art of Zen Studios
Web Design I Design Monk
© 2000-forever - All rights reserved by me - SO THERE!!

Thanks for the tips. I'm not a graphic designer by any stretch, so the graphics were pretty much just what I could do with what I could do it with.

But anyhoo, I'll be attempting to do a bit of graphical revamp soon. Kinda sharpen things up a bit.

Again, thanks for the tips! Glad there wasn't much else wrong.

Nope...wasn't too much else wrong...the main thing I noticed is that the links in grey are so close in color to the normal black text that I couldn't tell at first if they were even links. Maybe you could underline them or something? Other than that, it looks good.

Rick

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http://www.ristmo.com/ -- RISTMO Designs: Professional Web Design at Discount Prices

Yes, the photos need attention.

Because most of the page is on a white background,
the menu area on the left is not as distinct
from the main content area. Maybe having a light grey
background for the left side (if youre keeping with the
grey theme)?

The Fonts are "not typical" of a news layout...
large headline smaller byline and small text.
And the graphics (tech, whatever...etc) detract
from the content becasue of the relative font size.

What might be cool is to have the header pics
out of focus/fuzzy... then clear upon mouseover???

~Roland

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website design | Smith, Sullivan & Company, CPA | video golf lessons | my twitter

I gotta agree with Syren and Leisa..

I've got a bad cold and my eyes hurt, so I'm probably a fair judge of what is visually jarring, so I kept looking at the blurred images, expecting them to change with a mouse-over or SOMETHING!!!!

The difference in the blur level seems to suggest or imply some acitivity that never happens.

At some point I thought the "editor" image changed, but I think it was just my head cold accelerating. Its possible that fuzzy black and white images in conjuction with the overpowering RED actually worsened my condition.

The navigation and all are fine, but absolutely beside the point... if the blurs arent consistent they become nonsensical.

If the background color isnt inviting, no one will stay...

If a person cant bear to look at a site, they most certainly wont stay. You have 5 seconds to capture a viewer, if you dont they will go elsewhere, so there is no point in TRYING to make their eyes hurt.

First point of contention - what is your site all about? You should always have some sort of text touting your mission statement.

2 - Pictures are poor, but I think this has been identified before

3 - Your search box is non-standard. It simply has a textbox with the word 'search...' in it. No 'search' button, no label.

4 - Icons - these looked unprofessional and pokey. Consider revising or removing altogether.

5 - Organzation - it appears as though your site lacks organization. I am guessing that your site contains articles on current events, but these do not appeared to be ordered or organized in any fashion.

6 - Login. What is this for? Why should I create an account? What am I logging in to?

7 - Fonts - you use inconsistent font weights in your article summaries (some bold, some not bold). Consider using a style sheet for consistency, brevity, usability and accessibility.

My single bigget issue with your site is its apparent lack of focus (haha). I do not understand its purpose, I find its lack of organization in terms of content to be disconcerting, and I don't get the 'Sage', 'Agent', or 'Bombshell' references.

But it's kinda cool that you've implemented RSS - that's neat.

Good luck to you.

__________________
Robin Eldred
Web Design & Internet Marketing by Apis Design
Websites that work

Okay...graphics have been revamped for the most part. Background color taken down a notch. Logo redone to give it a more rough, "newspaper" look.

Fonts will be worked on eventually. As for the statement, that can be found in our "FAQ" section. ;) The casual observer should be able to determine that this is about news.

Organization is a difficult issue. As it stands, we're using the beta version of a portal script. It's almost ready to be released, but there are a few organizational bugs that the developers are working on. Same with the search button. Not much I can do about that, with my limited experience in PHP. (Still learning)

Login is pretty much for staff. It has to stay there. We might be adding some free subscription content later. We've only been up a week or so

Great suggestions, guys. Keep 'em coming.

Seeing as how this doesn't serve your visitors and may in fact confuse them, why don't you move it to it's own URL, like http://tkm.capitalfocus.org/login.php.

Just a thought.

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Robin Eldred
Web Design & Internet Marketing by Apis Design
Websites that work

Much better. I do like the new background color as it is much easier on the eyes. I would still suggest working on the icons for the different areas a little.

I personally understand about the sign-in having to be there. When you deal with someone else’s script you can be at their mercy sometimes. It is harder to go in and edit than to create and I really don't see a problem with it. If you can edit the text in the bar from "Login Form" to "Staff Login" it might be clearer for those that don't understand.

I do have an idea for the header. You can take it or leave it. How about on the line where you currently have "The Sage, etc." You have "Our Staff:", reduce the size of the photos slightly, and under them put the titles. But instead of just having the catch names, have first and last as well. (i.e. Jim "The Sage" Polaski (or whatever his last name is))
This might make the header and images a little more understandable.

Just a few more thoughts from the cheap seats. :o)

__________________
Scott Brinkerhoff - Art of Zen Studios
Web Design I Design Monk
© 2000-forever - All rights reserved by me - SO THERE!!