Hope this time we get better reviews. I left the music, but it's only on the first page along with the annoying following words. Remember HONEST opinons. I won't take it too bad,.
Rich
Still with the mouse droppings following the pointer around?
I must have a low threshold for pain when it comes to these things. In other words, sorry, I bailed at the first hint of this annoyance.
UA100
You're not alone, Keith.
Wolfgang
"Rich" wrote in news:AFW_b.6293$ snipped-for-privacy@nwrddc01.gnilink.net:
I didn't like the howling (YMMV), so I will NOT revisit. Use Mozilla Firebird if you don't like the mouse trails - it didn't show them.
Well...since you asked...
I work part-time as an Internet developer. When I first started learning in
1996, there were a few things that were considered frivolous toys that new and/or amateur designers feel they NEEDED to do. Back then it was adding MIDI files in the background for music and blinking text. They were always frowned upon from a good design standpoint. They still are.The mouse trail, while entertaining for a second to somebody that has never seen it, is equivalent to blinking text. In all honesty, I left the site before the page even finished loading. The music was enough to drive me away.
If this is a personal site where you just want to talk about anything, do what you want. Since I got the impression (in the 1.2 seconds I stuck around) that this is a business site, design elements must be pleasing to the end user AKA "the people that will pay you money for your widgets".
I remember reading a book that said "if you think you need to add one more little gimmick to your page, you have already done too much." Content is king. The music and the mouse trail will not sell your items, but a visually appealing and non-intrusive display of the items will.
I hope this helps. You're brave for standing in front of a firing squad (twice)!
Good luck with your venture, G
You must not have looked at the URLs I left in response to the first post. If you're trying to do this for a business, you have to remember it's not YOUR site; it's the customer's site. They're the one you want to attract and keep there.
- - LRod
Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite
Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999
control, and the mouse trails are irritating as heck.
Jon E
It has music? I won't even bother going then. Last thing I need is for music to suddenly blast when I'm browsing late at night while my wife is asleep or if there is a meeting going on in the office at work. Ed
Wed, Feb 25, 2004, 5:47am (EST+5) snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net (Rich) claims: Hope this time we get better reviews. I left the music, but it's only on the first page along with the annoying following words. Remember HONEST opinons. I won't take it too bad,.
Dump the music. You say: All items are one of a kind!
Every time I see someone saying this, I expect items to be just that - one of a kind. The Empire State Building is one of a kind. I make banks. I paint 'em by hand, colors vary, etc., slight differences, no two exactly alike; but still, the same basic design. I wouldn't feel right calling them one of a kind.
JOAT Georges Clemenceau supposedly said, "War is too important a matter to be left to the military". If this is so, it is then obvious that peace is too precious to be left to politicians.
Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT Web Page Update 28 Feb 2004. Some tunes I like.
Obviously not, which puts him dangerously close to being a spammer.
Rich, in addition to the suggestions of everyone else in the thread:
Scrap the entire site and start over. If you wouldn't pay $10,000 to a publishing company to produce a print catalogue that looked exactly like your sight, (and God, I hope you wouldn't), then you have _no_ reason to think that your sight will attract business simply because it's on the web. It's not 1996. The novelty factor of the web is now zero. You have to actually accord web viewers the same level of professionalism that print advertisers do. Fortunately for you, you don't have to spend much money to achieve that level of professionalism. But you do have to spend the time to know what that level is.
Web viewers are not stupid. It's rather insulting to them to be told "website orders get 20% off (!!!)" when it's obvious that web viewers are your only (potential) customers. Drop your selling price by 20% or don't, but remove the line. Nobody is going to think they're getting a "special" price, okay? Stop treating me like I'm a chump.
You changed your "shop" photo from one of a door, to one of a mess. I know, shops are messy, but you're putting it up on display to show people you're a legitimate "business" here, so at least for the web photos, clean it up.
And seriously now, Dude, is that, like, _laundry_ hanging over your tools? What's with the towels?
Please don't post your _business_ URL here again, unless you've really made some significant changes to your entire site, along the lines of the suggestions you've been given by several folks on this newsgroup. The responders here have done so in order to help you succeed, but generally don't take kindly to those who use any excuse as reason enough to throw their URL out into usenet.
Good luck. Get to work.
Michael
Actually Ed, you're missing out on a real opportunity. Wait 'til she's asleep. Turn the volume on your PC up to MAXimum. Hit the site, and start screaming "CIRCLE THE WAGONS!!!"
But don't plan on breakfast in the morning. ;>
Michael
Geez, who the hell do you think you are to bar people from posting anything? Since we are into giving honest opinions, here's mine: your posting stinks of "asshole."
Gotta love a judgemental know-it-all.
Boy either your all brutal or you need to drink your coffee!
Rich
He might want to switch to decaf.
OK, the noise is very distracting and I had to get out of there quick..
Rich, don't let these guys get to you. It's waaay to easy to be an asshole when you're not in front of the people whose work you're putting down.
When any of these insensitive fools make their own web site and have the balls to point it out for critique, then will they even be at your level.
Also remember, critics are a dime a dozen, people who actually do things, are much harder to find.
For example: Did I ever mention how I think Sam Malloof rocking chairs stink cuz they look like they are taken right out of "BeetleJuice"? Of course I will not mention that I have never even tried to make a rocking chair... Does this statement sound reasonable? No, it's just a s*****ad talking trash. That's what some of these posts regarding your web site are.
MICHEAL BAGLIO said You changed your "shop" photo from one of a door, to one of a mess. I know, shops are messy, but you're putting it up on display to show people you're a legitimate "business" here, so at least for the web photos, clean it up.
And seriously now, Dude, is that, like, _laundry_ hanging over your tools? What's with the towels? My shops not a mess it's small and tight but never a mess. And the "laundry" as you put it are hand towels hanging over my work area for easy reach. Theres a different type of towel for different reasons, alas I don't know why I must explain it but anywho!
I like the site, It not only has to have a "mans" point of view but it must also appeal to women. We just make the things they buy them! We don't like shopping for clothes or dishes so that stuff has little appeal to us.
Rich
Rich,
I think the reactions on this round of "reviews" are more harsh because of one thing. In the first reviews, I thought it was clear the audience hated music and mouse trails. You chose to leave them in, then asked for reviews again. I think this insulted a lot of people. Its like "please take your time to look and then write what you think, but I'm not going to listen to you".
Having said that I'll offer some constructive suggestions. I realize that you do not have a whole lot of control over the site using Verizon supplied tools. But you do have total control over the picture size and quality placed on the site. A little tailoring of the pictures is equivalent of doing final fit and finish of a wood project with good hand tools. The wolf picture does not align with the menu. It looks pasted in. You can use a graphics editor to crop the picture and make it align. There are many graphics editors available for cheap or free. A little work on the photographs could also eliminate the time stamp in the pictures.
I noted that you have a blurb "We also make gun and fishing rod racks. Pictures coming soon!". You might have some afficianados really interested in these. Rather than such an indefinite "coming soon!", how about "Pictures available on 5 March 2004". Unfortunately, the internet community has seen too many "coming soon" and "under construction" notices that mean "We may or may not get these updated".
Congratulations on making your menu a meaningful and useful product index. That's a big improvement!
Best regards, Bob
pot.... kettle....
It made my dog bark a lot.
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