Site Advice

[Kckazdude]

Well I have created a web page for my company. Being totaly new to Frontpage I need a lot of input here. This is a small site as the people that will normally be veiwing it will be on a slow connection with an even slower computer(mostly an old laptop with a cell phone connection). What I need is every one that sees this please click the link and have a look around. I would like input from you as to if it is clean and appealing enough to you and how fast it loaded for you. Also let me know which browser and resolution you are running so I will know how to gauge everything. I have used several browsers myself but I not fully trusting that I am not puilling the images localy.
Thanx
http://jimspilotcar.netfirms.com/

[murphyz]

The page doesn't load for me - times out after 20 seconds or so. That's with broadband connecton.

Mxx

[SpongeBobby]

I dont know what connection murphyz has, but i have cable and it loaded right up. I also use netfirms, for the space and the cgi support. Altho i tried ftping earlier and it was down, so that might have been why murphyz couldn't access it. You can have a site with many pages, but keep the pictures, and moving stuff to a minimum...except that photo page, i could see them wiht out clicking...and with cell phone conection, they dont wanna wait the 2 minutes or so for each picture to load :)

I use IE6 and my resolution is 1024x768 on a 15inch monitor.

My comments are...this is *my* opinion...........

Good page, if you were making a family page or something, but you live in Memphis, TN. I am sure there are more then one pilot car company. You have everything on the main=page. The link next to Home at the top is hagging out of the box, I would fix that. Since it is a business page and your trying to compete with other businesses. I would pay the 5 dollars a month to netfirms for them to take that VERY annoying flashing banner. I have that same one on my page, and it literally drives me away from it, and it dont look to professional. I would make the page look more 'professional'.. Its not an easy task, but yet not hard. I dont know anything about Frontpage, I use notepad and 1st Page 2000. I would get a nice logo made, a good menu bar with maybe these links, About Us, Services, Contract Info (if you have to get in contract with them.) Contact Us, The photo gallery is hard for me to see the pictures, i know you can click them, but i wanna see whats on them, without having to click everyone. Maybe on the front page stick some past jobs, the details on them. Like I said, that is my opinion.

Good, simple site, but not for a business..

Thanks,

[Kckazdude]

I noticed I wasn't able to access the site this AM myself :( Doesn't really incline me to step up and pay for the hosting now does it. Actualy that may be a future step but I just wanted to gauge ethe response I get from a free page for a bit before I jump in all the way. I do appreciate the input tho. I was thinking on the same lines. I did modify the nav buttons and removed the hit counter. Didn't realize I got a few page stats with the free site. Also changed the photo page layout and increased the size of the thunbs a bit. It is still difficult to see what you are looking at in the thumbs as the photos are taken with a large view so detail is lost a bit. Will still have to click each one to really see what is going on :(
Again thanx for the input.
Bob

[ionsurge]

Works fine for me...

[allida77]

I agree with sponge this is not a buisness site. Get rid of the textured backgrounds and do the things that sponge had suggested. I am on a LAN with ie6 everything loaded fine.

[SpongeBobby]

I liek the changes so far, your headed in the right direction. I know my page in my signature isn't exactly 'business' looking, but its there b/c the ppl in this town (being still stuck in the 1800's) think its a great site..So no big hurry for me to move on. But one is in the works. I dont valadate pages like some do. My page wouldn't pass by any means, i dont see the point in typing a bunch of stuff like height="0" when i dont know the exact height and so ... dont validate mine :p (yet!!) But good changes, do u have any graphic making software? You can get Paint Shop Pro 7 AE from the net, the good thing about it, after the 30 days, it still works (haha!!!).. That is a good beginners tool there. Adobe Photoshop gives better tools and quality, but you have to know your way around it. I hear of FireWorks, but never used it. I used Picture It from MS...heh, i'm not a MS fan..so count that out as a choice from me. :D That's all i can think of at this minute.

Again, good changes...ur stepping there :)



Bobby

[lacrypta]

Originally posted by SpongeBobby

Good, simple site, but not for a business..


it loaded up quick on mine i'm using cable and ie6 with a 800x600 screen resolution 15 inch monitor

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and i agree with SpongeBobby


you need to make it more business like....

[Kckazdude]

Updated again. This time with new layout. Hopefully more business appealing. I am refraining from breaking the info up on the main page into different pages because this way it is all in one place, one download.
Although I do have many differnet graphics proggies I am one of the many graphically challenged people out there. Making a business logo is on the to-do list, just singling it out and putting it to actual life is a long process for me. I have actually done more work on this web site in the last 24 hours than I have in the last 6 months I have toyed with the idea of a web page.
Keep the ideas coming as I am getting different ideas and opinions from each of you which is exactly what I wanted and needed to get the site going.

[SpongeBobby]

Yeah you have done some work on it. Looks good. I'm sure any one of us who do graphics would love to lend a hand for free, or at least i would. I know how 'graphic challenged' some peple are. I have yet, mastered it. But i'm not a newbie. :) I like it, its getting formal business, which is good. How extensive is your HTML background? Hmmmm...i was think, just to see if you like it..
is..make the background white, and stick the logo either center or to the right, a 10 or so pixel wide 100% wide breaking bar (i call them) under that and then on the left stick the 2 links in a table where they are under each other and then you can stick all the info you have on there, in the center...Its just a little simple design that 'popped' to mind.. maybe a 2 pixel or 3 pixel width orange top/left/bottom border of the page. Hmm i dont kno how that would look..non the less i will check it out and if i dont like it, I will edit this post. :)


Thanks for hearing my opinions for the 3rd time


Bobby

p.s. this attachment is just something that popped to mind. You might like it, or might not. Not my best work, but it was put together just too see what it looked like.

[Kckazdude]

That is awesome. Will work on incorporating this into the current design and see what I come up with. The scrolling marque is really cool. I really appreciate the HTML crash course as well. There were a few things I always wondered about but your sample HTML just answered many questions.
Have also decided to come off my "graphically challenged" butt and try to create a small animated gif. I tmay get totally trashed and made into a small logo of some sort tho. Will just have to see where it goes once it is on screen.

[Kckazdude]

Changes have been made, again. Sponge, looking forward to your critique on this design. I do appreciate the help with that HTML text you posted. I haven't been able to incorporate all the ideas I had from it but I am still working on that aspect.
Thanx to all that have offered their input. First attempt at a web page and am going thru a total HTML crash course with it so any advice is taken with resect and appreciation.

[joh6nn]

you have those two separators (<img src="_themes/edge/aedgrule.gif" width="600" height="10">) , but the text extends beyond them, almost out to the edges of the page. you could fix this in one of two ways. you can extend the separators to match the text ( which would probably look as bad as the way it is now ), or you could indent the text to match the separators.

you might want to ditch the WebRing. it doesn't look professional at all.

[sjc_unique]

looks ok mate. very clean and crisp and easy to read. But not very business like. Also looks very basic because your elements and information are always below each each. So you have to scroll down the page. If you were to use tables to design the site you could place things next to each other.

Apparently, scrolling text is condsidered a big NO NO too. Although personally i like it!!

If you need any help with stuff just let us know. am usually free and glad to help.

Thanks

SJC

[hairynugs6382]

I thought the site was direct and to the point. But also a little bland color wise but other than that I like it.

[applesauce]

i think everyone's first website tends to be one long page (mine sure was!), cause that's the way we're used to writing things. if you think of your site more as a filing cabinet with separate files for different aspects of your business, that's where different pages of your website would come in.

have a look around at some websites that you like, and note how they are set up, how they look, the links and pages they have, and you may get more ideas about your own design.

:)
just my opinion