rayasroost.com

Anissa · #1 (**permalink**) 07-23-2005, 11:31 AM

I am in the process of adding the rest of the content to the site, but I am looking for some input. I am completely php stupid so it is all done in html and uploaded to the server via FrontPage. I have done all the graphics and navigation myself. The only php sections are the forums, and that is because they came that way with the site.

Anissa

http://www.rayasroost.com

mktplace · #2 (**permalink**) 07-23-2005, 01:00 PM

Anissa,

Maybe it is just my eyes, but the yellow/orange background bars are REAL hard on the eyes.

I would suggest you open your journal into a new window if you want to keep folks on the site.

The fading between pages is cute, but after a couple of pages gets old, and make the pages load slower.

I would highly suggest you turn your email address into a graphic, and lead to a form, which posts to your email, or you will soon (if not already) become innudated with SPAM.

Personally, I would nuke the "Created and Managed by Front Page" logo. Microsoft has enough inbound links ;) Using FrontPage is just fine - don't let any "expert" tell you otherwise!

The home schooling pages don't follow the same "width" format as the rest of the pages, if you are looking for consistency.

Please PM me when you get your meditation page up (or if it is, the link is broken - not working). I am real interested to see what you have there!

You have a lot of content in your forums, but it take a lot of clicks to get to it. Having managed forums before, I would suggest you go to just 2-3 categories, and then as they fill up, break them out into the subcategories based on traffic/interest. You might want to move the useful info to your main website (Where search engines will have an easier time finding it), with links from those pages to "discuss here" which lead to the forum.

You have put in an enormous amount of work here - keep up the faith! Lots of great content and beliefs posted.

sign me: a non-religious spiritualist

webhost1 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-23-2005, 07:09 PM

The organge/red fonts tends to be hard on the eyes, mine anyways.

You might consider moving the Just Me to either the left side or in the middle. It looks very weird where you have it and the amount of space you have given it.

You might consider coding by hand. FrontPage tends to leave extra code in your code that you don't need.

You might want to get rid of the front page logo. Unless they are giving you something it is not worth putting on a page. Using that to find errors is ok but not really that good for coding all your pages in it.

You can always use it to make your pages but look at the code and take out the useless stuff it puts in.

mktplace · #4 (**permalink**) 07-24-2005, 09:13 AM

webhost1,

If you have not used FrontPage 2000 or newer, you are mistaken about extra code - I used to hate FrontPage for that reason, but Microsoft got it (mostly) right, and has fixed those problems. The only time I have to "hand code" HTML anymore is the cut/paste operations to add affiliate code.

Its advanced capabilites FAR outweigh its (trivial, if any) problems now, and lets the average webmeister create a professional website without having to learn HTML, PHP, perl or SHTML to do includes, create/manage forms, etc.

The 2003 version even adds the HTML DTD construct and creates valid HTML per the W3C specification! Its built in spell checker is something most hand coders really need.

We are living on Internet time folks- if you have not reviewed a products latest version, please don't take it upon yourself to bash it based on a previous versions knowledge - it lowers your credability, and holds us all back.

janeth · #5 (**permalink**) 07-24-2005, 05:29 PM

I have to agree on the background colors being hard on the eyes.

The red text is also hard to read and the font for the left hand menu is hard to read.

I can see you have spent a lot of time on the site but I think playing with the colors a little will make a big difference.

webhost1 · #6 (**permalink**) 07-24-2005, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mktplace

We are living on Internet time folks- if you have not reviewed a products latest version, please don't take it upon yourself to bash it based on a previous versions knowledge - it lowers your credability, and holds us all back.

This to me sounds like bashing someone which is not needed. You could of said what you said above this paragraph and things would be ok. Just because someone says that they had this experience does not mean what they say is not true. If you read what this forum is all about you would see that it says please review my web site, which I did. You on the other hand have decided to bash someone for no reason at all except for not liking what a person said.

andrewtcrane · #7 (**permalink**) 07-24-2005, 11:02 PM

Hi Anissa

It seems like you put a lot of thought into this design to express yourself.

I have to agree with the previous posters that the orange and yellow colors are very strong and strain the eyes.

And the page transitions does try one's patience during navigation.

Cheers,
Andrew

MarcieZoob · #8 (**permalink**) 07-25-2005, 06:42 AM

Everything about the site feels very dated to me - the page transitions (please lose those), the navigation font style, the overuse of the dragon icon, the big background gradiant, the grey background behind the text, the font colors...I personally can't get past the design to find out what the site is actually about.

Try something clean and trendy in regard to layout and font styles. You will keep more visitors, I guarantee you.

MuNKyonline · #9 (**permalink**) 07-25-2005, 07:33 AM

I agree fully with Marcie, it does look very dated.

And even though Webhost1 got a bashing for making a small comment about Frontpage: Frontpage sucks. It's an awful program and that site was made using Frontpage 2000 which is old and is crap. I used to think it was good untill I found Dreamweaver!

I didn't even see the page transitions as I use Firefox, must have been 'Microsoft only' code again!

Otherwise nice site, I wish people would submit more sites like this rather than portals smothered in google ads!

Anissa · #10 (**permalink**) 07-25-2005, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuNKy

I agree fully with Marcie, it does look very dated.

And even though Webhost1 got a bashing for making a small comment about Frontpage: Frontpage sucks. It's an awful program and that site was made using Frontpage 2000 which is old and is crap. I used to think it was good untill I found Dreamweaver!

I didn't even see the page transitions as I use Firefox, must have been 'Microsoft only' code again!

Otherwise nice site, I wish people would submit more sites like this rather than portals smothered in google ads!

Those of us who are broke can only work with the programs that we have. I am sorry if you hate FrontPage, but it is the only thing that I can afford.

I will endevour to lose the transitions and change the font color. I will use the phoenix pics less, but not get rid of them totally. I will see what I can do about toning down the colors. I guess I have to re-do the whole site. *Sigh*

MuNKyonline · #11 (**permalink**) 07-25-2005, 10:12 AM

My apologies Anissa, that was in no way a dig at you for using Frontpage. I just didn't agree with the comments about it being a good program. Was the wrong place to rant about it.

Please dont redesign your site. I like the pheonix images, just tone down the use of the orange and let me know when you add in the poems, i'd be interested in reading those.

mktplace · #12 (**permalink**) 07-25-2005, 10:29 AM

Anissa,

If you have to do a little redesign (and it looks like you might, as you have lots of stuff coded into the page), consider using CSS for things like colors, font, back gorund images, etc.

That way, if you need to make a wholesale change to the site, you won't have to touch each page.

As a shortcut, you can always create new graphics with the old names and just replace those.

ADAM Web Design · #13 (**permalink**) 07-25-2005, 10:40 AM

I will say this: for an FP-coded site, it's pretty good. I've actually developed something of a sixth sense for detecting Front Page sites on a surface glance at the opening page, and yours didn't immediately trigger it.

I figured it out eventually from the page transitions before I read this thread, but that's actually a good thing.

Your code itself isn't bad for the most part, but it could be cleaned up a bit by hand (much like any graphic editor). There really isn't any substitute for a text editor when it comes to HTML code.

Also, you may want to look at adding more options to your fonts. Not everyone has Century Gothic or Script MT Bold, so you may want to look at putting in three or four alternatives into your font tags.

I'd lose the page transitions any proprietary front Page stuff (I didn't see any, but there are usually some lurking). FP extensions are a serious resource hog on a website and can often get webmasters in trouble with their hosts, even if the hosts support FP extensions, because of this.

As mentioned, that orange and yellow background is pretty harsh. Backgrounds should be subtle and in a lot of cases, non-existent. They're not the focal point of the site.

Other than that, I think it's pretty cool. I like the phoenix logo. That bird rocks.

Anissa · #14 (**permalink**) 07-25-2005, 10:49 AM

What are some fonts that are universal besides Times New Roman (ICK), and Verdana?

webhost1 · #15 (**permalink**) 07-25-2005, 10:56 AM

Try this. Lose your background (the orange, yellow one) and see what it looks like in white. Repost it here for another review and see what others say about it. Keep your second background in your tables.

Anissa · #16 (**permalink**) 07-25-2005, 11:10 AM

I am changing the site as I get the feedback. I have muted the background, but I can get rid of ot completely. I was trying to create a site that was fire-themed. I guess that wasn't such a great idea.

MuNKyonline · #17 (**permalink**) 07-25-2005, 11:24 AM

It's a great idea, just dont use it all over the site. Remember less is more! I dont think you can really use it on the background as it'll be too much. Try making the background one colour, like maybe red. That way the fire that you put in the main content will stand out even more.

The grey speckled effect doesn't do the images justice, try making that a fainter solid-colour that is a slight contrast to the background. That way the images will be clearer and have the smoother edges they deserve!

Paul B · #18 (**permalink**) 07-25-2005, 11:37 AM

Nothing to much wrong with FrontPage.

But what is wrong;
1) The backgrounds, keep to gentile pastils or white.
2) Those curly-wurly headlines: I thought the site was "Baya's Boost"
3) Page transitions. We've seen them so many times before (yawn). They slow the site down and confuse SE spiders.

So, you have the making of a good site, it just looks naff. No need for new software, FP will do nicely, just take care with the colors and use something like this:
http://wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/index-en.html
to match the tones. And stick to black text.

Anissa · #19 (**permalink**) 07-25-2005, 03:51 PM

I re-did the first page. Is that better?

www.rayasroost.com