New Site

http://www.homepage-host.uni.cc/p/squirrelplay/index.php
I just started my site last saturday, so thier's not much content. But I would like to know what you think of the over all layout. Things I know that I need changing are the style sheet changer (will convert to php), and the red style sheet hover link colors. I plan to add my own xhtml/css tutorial as well once I get that finished.

<off topic>
ithium hosting, is the admin still around? I sent an email to him a few days ago about hosting for my brothers boy scout website. I haven't heard anything and was wondering if he's just on vacation or something.
</off topic>

He took a trip to do some work for a bit and relax, it's still around, we deal with it all the time:)

I'll PM you the forum link and you can post in there and ask...

About the site:
I find the blue/purple links and text on the dark gray are VERY hard to read, I actually almost skipped over it! I would maybe go to white or something that pops more, or flip it around

I would also recommend putting all the links and info in one side -- the fact that you have a top/left/right is throwing me off, and I'd imagine other users as well. Some of the posts would benefit having some padding away from the black border to the text, some empty space helps ease reading.

It's a clean layout and you've done a good job! I think that unifying the links so that everything stays very linear would be helpful.

As far as code:
You should just drop all the <br /> tags. You can make things links and paragraphs, etc. Things like:

<div id="info">
<strong>Name:</strong>Dave
<br />
<strong>Education:</strong>Attending High School(11th)
<br />
<strong>Hobbies:</strong>Web design(isn't this pretty?), skateboarding.
<br />
<strong>AIM:</strong><img src="http://big.oscar.aol.com/squirelplayintag?on_url=http://www.aol.com:80/aim/gr/online.gif&off_url=http://www.aol.com:80/aim/gr/offline.gif" alt="aol instant messanger"/> <a href="aim:goim?screenname=squirelplayintag">squirelplayintag</a>
<br />
<strong>Yahoo!:</strong><img src="http://opi.yahoo.com/online?u=squirellplayingtag&m=g&t=0" alt="yahoo" /><a href="http://edit.yahoo.com/config/send_webmesg?.target=quirellplayingtag&.src=pg">squirellplayingtag</a>
<br />
<a href="feedback.php">Email Me.</a>
</div>


could be:

<ul id="info">
<li><strong>Name:</strong>Dave</li>
<li><strong>Education:</strong>Attending High School(11th)</li>
<li><strong>Hobbies:</strong>Web design(isn't this pretty?), skateboarding.</li>
<li><strong>AIM:</strong><img src="http://big.oscar.aol.com/squirelplayintag?on_url=http://www.aol.com:80/aim/gr/online.gif&off_url=http://www.aol.com:80/aim/gr/offline.gif" alt="aol instant messanger"/> <a href="aim:goim?screenname=squirelplayintag">squirelplayintag</a></li>
<li><strong>Yahoo!:</strong><img src="http://opi.yahoo.com/online?u=squirellplayingtag&m=g&t=0" alt="yahoo" /><a href="http://edit.yahoo.com/config/send_webmesg?.target=quirellplayingtag&.src=pg">squirellplayingtag</a></li>
<li><a href="feedback.php">Email Me.</a></li>
</ul>


Which would be much easier to read later, and would look better in text only browsers or older browsers. Then all the spans for the posts could be a header tag for the date, and then a paragraph for the post... that would make things very nice under the hood too:) I'm glad you're using strong instead of b, that's great :thumbsup: it's the little things that are important.

Ahh I shall use all of your suggestions.
I find the blue/purple links and text on the dark gray are VERY hard to read, I actually almost skipped over it! I would maybe go to white or something that pops more, or flip it around.

:eek: What browser are you using? The links should not be purple/blue on any page. In fact they should be white and yellow on the gray.

How it should look:
http://www.freewebs.com/squirelplayintag2/preview.png

I'm glad you liked the clean design, that's what I was striving for. It would be xhtml complient if it weren't for the yahoo and aim links. I actually have considered moving the links of the left, but then I'm stuck with what to do with the info since it's only on the first page, which is how I would like to keep it. I'll figure something out, since I do agree, users are not used to the links on the right.

I tried making the links into an unordered list. It didn't turn out too well. I tried taking the padding-left down to 0em and it still keeps it indented much too far. I left it changed for now, but I think it looks better the other way, even for slightly messier code, it's written out with php which is why it is one line.

I'll make the updates tomarrow. I'm off to bed at the moment. Thanks for the review. :thumbsup:

EDIT: Made some changes. Made both the links and info lists. Made the date a heading, and added a padding on the entries. Changed it so the links are now below the info, on the left.

The other colors are pretty...stunning. Consider providing some other color options that users may actually prefer to the grey scheme, not just other colors for the sake of other colors.

Also, the info on the left side is about 3px past the edge of the screen. That must move away from the edge, regardless of whether or not you move it to the right side. Then again, if you don't care about IE6/pc, it looks good in NS7.1/pc. I like the rounded corners.

If it's just the "&"s that are keeping you from validating this, change them to &amp;. That will work just fine, inside of a link or out, and will enable you to validate the code. That's always a good feeling. I just had the same trouble, changed to &amp;, and now I have received validation, which was all I ever wanted anyhow...
-ts

P.S. I still use IE and don't think I'm a "smacktard," which I am assuming is something negative, though I could be wrong. I'll ask at work tomorrow if people think I'm a "smacktard." Maybe I *am* one and just don't know it. Now I'll never get to sleep...

P.P.S. Oh! September 12th entry, just after your plotical link, change "it" to "it's" or "it is." I can't stop myself from checking grammar!!

I actually meant all the purple/blue text you see in your screenshot (link was not what I meant) -- it's visually difficult to see :)

Mr. tsguitar2004, I think you meant 'political' :)... just supporting your cause :D

And the sig should be "no apostrophies-- just funky text," or perhaps "no apostrophies, just funky text" as ellipses (. . . ) are meant to imply a break or an inconsistency in thought.

I couldn't resist :D

Ditto on the low contrast (and tiny font size). And, energy is measured in joules... (sept. 11 post) :D

<top hat under arm, taking glove off and slapping you both across the face>

<ahem> The exact reason for the ellipsis is too imply a brake in thought; that was the orginal way I wrote it on another posting. I prefer the ellipsis and will keep it that way, as it gets at how I think and talk. The "just funky text" part was an afterthought to my "no apostrophies" comment.

Brady...well, yeah, your right: Its "political." I'll get you yet...

What did I do too deserve such comments?! This is a *site review* not a grammer review! :eek: You all *must* resist. Your better than this! Don't give in too my neurotic grammer habits.
-ts

(All errors here are actual errors I've seen you all write in your postings and just never said anything. So there!)

<top hat under arm, taking glove off and slapping you both across the face>

<ahem> The exact reason for the ellipsis is too imply a brake in thought; that was the orginal way I wrote it on another posting. I prefer the ellipsis and will keep it that way, as it gets at how I think and talk. The "just funky text" part was an afterthought to my "no apostrophies" comment.

Brady...well, yeah, your right: Its "political." I'll get you yet...

What did I do too deserve such comments?! This is a *site review* not a grammer review! :eek: You all *must* resist. Your better than this! Don't give in too my neurotic grammer habits.
-ts

(All errors here are actual errors I've seen you all write in your postings and just never said anything. So there!)

*Stops in his tracks as he's walking by.*

"too imply" -> "to imply", though maybe your "o" key is broken, hm? Hehe.
"your right" -> "you're right". It's a contraction of "you" and "are". (I know grammar words too!)

Again with "Your better than this!". Although, you seem to be clear on the concept, as you go on to say "Don't give in too (there it is again) my neurotic grammer (grammAr) habits."

*Continues walking.*

Oh, and about your site: I'm really not a fan of inset/outside/ridge borders. In fact, I despise them...

I'm with everyone else in that the contrast is very low, and when you have large blocks of text like you do there, <Martha Stewart>that's a bad thing</Martha Stewart>.

And that blog thing is definately misbehaving in Firefox (latest). It's too far to the right and it's covering your content.

*Stops in his tracks as he's walking by.*

"too imply" -> "to imply", though maybe your "o" key is broken, hm? Hehe.
"your right" -> "you're right". It's a contraction of "you" and "are". (I know grammar words too!)

Again with "Your better than this!". Although, you seem to be clear on the concept, as you go on to say "Don't give in too (there it is again) my neurotic grammer (grammAr) habits."

*Continues walking.*
Read my parenthetical notation...and keep walking. :D
-ts

I disregarded that, seeing as you had others in your initial post... Unless those are included? :p

We all make typos ('cept me, I tend to leave out whole which confuses the heck out of people sometimes), but I'll only call someone on something if I see them making the same mistakes over and over. Hehe.

I do love my ellipsis points, though...