FAO BlueBear

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recedo

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Your comments about my website led me to completely re-do the layout, please have a look and tell me what you think now. The Flash, and the pop-up container have gone, I've now used DHTML (from some web source) to create a frame that acts like an IFRAME, but without the stupid borders that you can't get rid of etc, oh yeah and my own hover over scrollbars! I still need to add quite a bit of the content though!

Anyone else tell me what you think too, I realise it's not a webmaster forum, but I forgot his email address and he inspired me to make the changes!

Cheers
Simon

http://www.malevolus.com
 
I remember back in the days when I made webpages the concept was to make them user friendly for everyone. If there was content which required higher resolution viewing or an updated browser that was fine because we always had default pages for folks that had older equipment. Your message seems to say hey, you need this, either get it or screw you. Another thing I don't quite like is you hiding the links to the message boards and the chat room. The Malevolus wording is also difficult to read. Having catchy things is good but you can't sacrifice ease of use for it. You need to keep your audience in mind when you do web pages or just advertise in general. IMHO
 
I agree

Yeah, I should have worded that a bit better, and I am working on a plain old html with minimal graphics version.

Although the link to the messageboards etc is hidden there is infact another on inside the main site. I take it you found it into that? Or have I really hidden it too well!!

Are you talking about the wording at the top of the page? If so I'm also trying to think of something else to do with the text that isn't really boring and 'flat'. I use my usual inner bevel on all of the text, I might just leave it with that in a bright green or something.

So, you think maybe the links on the splash page I should change to being visable all the time instead of a rollover? I want to keep the splash page though so our regular visitors can easily go to the members section instead of having to go through the main site (if they can't remember the url!)

I've just added some more content, although some of my downloads don't seem to work and I can't suss out why yet!! Hummm?!?

Thanks for the ideas, I'd appreciate more, with regards to the splash page mainly, and maybe the colour of the text on the main menu... I don't really like the purple, I just knew it would be seen over the top of the green as it is green inverted...

Cheers
Simon
 
Not good if you want to attract people...

I use Netscape... this is what I see "This website requires the following, IE 4 or above, Cookies Enabled (they are by default), and a screen resolution 0f 800 x 600 (Will work on higher). If you do not have any of the above then get them or change to the correct settings."


My immediate reaction to this is "fuck-you I'm not changing my settings, nor am I downloading another browser!"

Pissing off potential surfers is not a good idea... and good web-design dictates you design for the lowest common denominator of surfers you wish to attract... there are a lot of Netscape users out there that do not like and refuse to use IE...!

I would re-design the site for browser-compatibility instead of the flash if I were you, Simon....

JMHO....

Cheers!

Bruce
 
hummm!

Although I do have that message I believe that the site should work with netscape 6 and above, if I am right!! As mentioned in an above message I think that that is a bity rude and will be changin that. Also there is actually NO flash now!!!

Also after a lot of research I have found that IE 4 or above IS actually the Lowest common denominator! Through a few tracking codes and actually asking people!

As I have just said, sort of, did you actually try the site in netscape?? It should work!! The Dhtml script, one of the main parts has two sections, one for IE and one for NS! The message is actually the same as it always has been and is not actually 100% true!! It's not updated! I should update it really, but I haven't got netscape at the moment because it crashes too much (besides the point) so I can't actually test it, apart from at college! If netscape wont work with rollovers and a simple dhtml script that just uses layers then I suggest you find something else!! Even opera works for that doesn't it? and that has the cool dancers (or am I thinking of another cool browser - It migjht be media dome come to think of it! )

So, once again, the flash has GONE!! Please check back to see iif it works with netscape, if so then I will DELETE the message about only working with IE. I have also come to believe that the most common screen resolution is actually 800X600, and that most monitors can handle it. The fact that I had NO visitors/1550 to my html ONLY section before showed me that the majority of people had the right stuff..

Simon

By the way if none of that has made sense!! I am sorry because I have just got back from a party and have had a few to drink! As we do in the UK!! - So give me some abuse in the morning! I will take your points into consideration and will m,ake appropreate actiuons, but please check to see if it works in netscape! and once again THERE IS NO, YES NO, FLASH ON THE SITE NOW!!! It's mainly rollovers! and a few bits of DHTML magic, please feel free to riht click and check the code for the 2 versions, foe IE and Netscape, the m essage is old, onece again!! BYE!!!

si8mon
 
I'm running Netscape 6.2 (the absolute latest)... I see the 1st page, but there are no links or anything for me to advance anywhere else.

And of course, the "no-netscape" disclaimer!


Bruce
 
mmmm

I guess I have hidden it too well then!! IN the image there are 2 rollovers, one link to the main website and one to the members section. Can you not get that? The rollovers were created in fireworks I assume they work in netscape! If so click on the enter website part and it'll open a similar page.
 
As a former web developer, I have to say that Nutscrape is the bane of our profession. Netscape may follow web standards closer, but it's a pain in the ass to get web pages to look nice on it, nevermind the fact that complex Javascript will make it roll over and die. I haven't done much serious web development in a while (software development nowadays), so maybe Netscape is better now, but it seems somewhat unlikely - I know it still renders slow as hell.
 
Q.E.D

I used to use netscape at college, but the network admin decidd to change it to IE because it was slow and seemed to not be able to format pages properly, even sites like yahoo and other big names couldn't be formatted properly.

I've got nothing against it but the majority of people who visit my site have IE (found that out through livestats) and therefore it was mainly aimed at IE users!
 
I see you're learning about user friendlyness. I still say creating your page only for the majority of those that visit your site is a big mistake. In marketing you don't want to tick off anybody err ANYBODY. It's like shooting yourself in the foot.
The Malevolus wording you could change to a readable font and make it sparkle or something. The hidden links you could show and make them change to something else when you put your mouse over them. There's zillions of eye catchers. Just don't make it so good people wet themselves, hehe. Well, good luck to ya.
 
Simon....

Look at my BBS site... no flash... no unobstrusive graphics to obscure the reason people would go to the site... FOR INFORMATION.

Burying or hiding the info amidst glitz and glitter is not going to help your band's marketing message.

While my BBS site can be considered somewhat boring and doesn't have the trend-du-jour (ie, Flash) on its pages, the message/information is clear, and the site is clearly viewable on any browser....

The "cool" factor should be coming from your band's music, not necessarily the website.

You'll never hear a Label exec EVER say "...yeah, the song's aren't much, but the band has such a slick website, we HAVE to sign 'em!"

Cheers!

Bruce
 
...

First of all, I have got rid of the flash coz it annoyed me! Second the site SHOULD work in netscape OK the message was just left over from an html template for the page, because I can never remember how to link to css files! and the old site definatly didn't work with netscape because it was in the stupid pop-up.

The hidden idea of the links was mildly based around the Nine Inch Nails webiste, or their old one or something. I guess that if you are that famous you can get away with anything, and obviously whoever did that for them was professional!

We're not really looking to get signed, but if it happens then great, so we're not actually trying to impress people with the website. I have had various different complaints and comments from different people and have gone through about 10 different layouts! The one at the moment has proved the most popular out of the lot! That would obviously be for our target audience though, which is good isn't it? I'm studing business at the moment and something that I have learnt about marketing sort of says 'If people people don't like our style of music then the chances are that if they come across the site they won't stay long, whatever the webdesign is like, but if they are interested they would stay longer!' - For instance if I came across a site about football (which I hate!) it could be the best designed site I have ever seen but it wouldn't encourage me to stay, and on the other hand if I come across say a geocities site, done in something like MS word, with overlaying tables etc, with something, say about one of my favourite bands, or something about programming in Dark Basic I would stay and not really pay too much about the design. And I do on many occasions, the badly designed sites often have a lot better content than the well designed ones.

As for hiding the links isn't it a little bit obvious that you've got to put your mouse over it or something? Should I write - 'Put your mouse over the picture to see the links to the different sections of the webiste'? I also liked that idea because I wanted to have a few little Easter Eggs on the site, ie a few pixels in a corner would link to a game, or some sort of quiz stuff like that.

Obviously I WILL be making changes to the site, but the chances are that I will keep the existing layout, as it is the most popular among frequent visitors. I think I will change the Splash page though, and maybe even write something to give people a hint as to what to do.

Simon
 
I went back and tried it with netscape, and it worked fine for me. First thing I did was drag the mouse across the picture in the center, and notived the links. TO me, the biggest anoyance was that it loaded slow. No biggie.

As for flash, its rapidly becoming a standard,
 
ok

OK, so I'll get rid of the IE only notice ASAP and there is nothing I can really do about the loading time, hummm?? It's coz it's a bunch of pics!

As for flash, yes it is becoming a web standard, you can do amazing things with it! A lot of band websites, probably 75% of commercial bands use it! (Thats a guess from my experience!). I did decide not to use flash though, well I might add a few little bits in, but not the main thing as I've had a few unix users who couldn't load it at all...

Thanks for the comments, glad to see it works on netscape ok!!


Cheers
Simon
www.malevolus.com
 
site looks nice. I am a big fan of flash pages if they are done well...I agree with blue bear. the real purpose of the page has to be considered. If all you are doing is making a personal page with some fun stuff on it, make it as inaccessible for some and beautiful for others as you want, but for a business website or promotion of yourself or product, i like to design a site that will look good in all browsers without fancy plugins............

I HATE NUTSCRAPE...just had to let that out...
 
That's OK.......... I hate IE............. (non-standard MS-crap!)

;)
 
when designing a website, one thing you wanna do is install a couple browsers on your system to check the cross-broswer compatibility...

I run IE6, Netscape 6, and Opera to check my pages before I publish them to the net.
 
Blue beer,

I looked at your webpage, first thing I noticed is that the opening speaks of affordable 24 track digital recording...and the equipment page lists 4 adats?

Were have the 8 missing tracks gone?
 
shhhh

I think I've got opera somewhere, and I've got netscape 4ish too and IE 6 (can I also run IE 4 or 5 too somehow??)

Yeah, I like well done flash pages, but not the usual one's that look flashy if you know what I mean? Like with big vector fonts and stuff like that! If they have lots of actionscripting and stuff like that you can make them do some really cool stuff!

Have a look at this site - www.raceracer.com - It's a game site made by a friend from college, now that IS good flash actionscripting! The game doies look very flashy though!

Simon

PS. Keep it quiet by 'I hate netscape too!' Shhhhhh!
 
Downside Studio said:
Blue beer,

I looked at your webpage, first thing I noticed is that the opening speaks of affordable 24 track digital recording...and the equipment page lists 4 adats?

Were have the 8 missing tracks gone?
Click to expand...
The extra ADAT is really a backup unit (and I don't have it routed to the board, although it is in my PB) - but I do use it as an editing/mixing/assembly machine. I really have it in case a machine needs to go out for extended servicing - my basic 24-tracks capability is not crippled then.

But you've got a point though, I should probably take out the # of tracks completely, since I have a DAW integrated into the whole thing as well - making actual track count virtually almost meaningless....

Thanks for the reminder........

Bruce
 
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