Time for a Critique

[Dreamer]

Hi Everyone,

I have been working on my powweb hosted site for years it seems like an forever ongoing process of this and that tweaking of scripts.. I haven't asked for a critique in a long time. I would like to know how people view it as a new visitor.. So here goes.. Please critique me :)

www.dreamersreality.com (http://www.DreamersReality.com)

Thanks in advance...

Becky
aka Dreamer

[Kitchensink108]

-Get rid of the background image. Don't use a tiled background with bright colors, it hurts the eyes.
-You might consider making a banner image. I usually think just putting the site name in plain text is boring.
-Condense your leftnav. You should easily be able to make it small enough so you don' t need to scroll down on 1024x768.
-I suggest not putting a poem on the homepage, but that's just my opinion.
-Chatrooms and guestbooks generally aren't worth having. Sometimes forums are, but often not.
-All pages should have the same look&feel and navigation system.
-The Utilities and Programs page seems random.

[Dreamer]

Q: Do you think this background would be better if used throughout the site as the background theme?

http://www.dreamersreality.com/index2.php

Thanks for the input

I am always trying to better the page but still keep it with an artistic flare and flavor.. I will be working on the banner idea.. The "programs and utilties" and "links" pages have been long neglected and need some serious revamping...

[tpoynton]

I think it's better, and agree with what has been said above. I still think it would be better to add visual interest through a nice banner instead of using a background image. And, to reiterate what has been said, condense the left nav.

[AJain]

Personally I would recommend removing the background and keeping it a simple colour, it distracts me from the rest of the page. Whenever I scroll the page it feels like the page is floating I'm not sure if I like it or don't like it, haha I'm trying to figure that out.

Otherwise it looks good I like the second version with the improved menu system.
Goodjob keep it up! :)

[YvetteKuhns]

I agree with the above comments. You don't need a guestbook AND a forum. Both will probably get more spam than legitimate posts. There is also a blog where comments can be made. Looks like more work to me. The guestbook is hosted elsewhere, so that doesn't add anything as far as search engines are concerned unless you are posting links back to your original website. That sounds more like a spam tactic.

I clicked the link to the blog and realized that I needed to click the Back button in the browser to get back to the original website. The blog should open in a new window or have a link back to the original website. I had to click the Back button every time I clicked a link!

Design ONE page with a header banner at the top, navigation links on the left, copyright info at the bottom and main/changing contents in the center. Use that as a template for each page. I hate busy backgrounds. I really couldn't concentrate to read.

The Store link shows poems and shirts with PayPal shopping cart links. There is no information about the seller, policies, contact info, or accepted forms of payment. I would guess that the website owner is selling his/her own poems using PayPal, but my husband wouldn't even know that it is PayPal. Of course, he wouldn't buy poetry, either. ;) When trying to sell items, you must create a safe, comfortable shopping environment. Would you buy something on the Internet from someone without having contact information? I wouldn't.

Don't dilute your website's contents with items that are off-topic. There are links to programs and other stuff which is cluttering the website and making it even more personal and less professional. If you want a personal website and a professional website (to sell items), keep them separate. You can have more than one website on your PowWeb account.

There is even a chat. Is this a personal chat or what? Yes, this website has a little of everything. Try to focus. I had a client who did the same thing you did. Anything she liked, she would throw into her website until she admitted she got carried away. We had to refocus.

You want artistic images and that is fine. Just don't use a busy background behind words. I think of clouds for dreamers who daydream as they look out a window. That might look better in your banner. Your navigation buttons could have nicer fonts and colors for a more attractive appearance. And please move the link to learn about the author to the top of the navigation links menu. I had to scroll to find it UNDER the copyright info!

I love poetry and music and would like to see a website that is more attractive to get more people motivated to visit, revisit and recommend this website. Consider linking to m3u files that call mp3 files instead of directly linking to mp3s. Also consider opening in a new window, so the song can play as visitors view other web pages.

[Dreamer]

Thank you all again for your critiques on my work.. I am taking everything into consideration and applying your thoughts into the pages as I am working to improve the workings of the site...

This site started out as a personal site and has morphed into the site it is today.. So some of the original stuff that was from the personal side has been left there.

I am going to be doing a bit of house cleaning on some of those things.. I have removed the links and the programs and utilities pages since those are pretty much out of date anyway at this time..
I have removed the meta tags and changed the background colors to the lighter shade
to help with the reading of the site.
I have moved the about the "about the author" up to the side links but not up top since the site is not directly about me in general but about all the poets which to me is where the focus is. But it will be easier to find the link now rather than only hidden at the bottom of the page.

The blog is the newest area of the site and not fine tuned yet. I will be adding links on the comments pages to help get back to the site and/or make it open in its own window as suggested. There are links on the right hand side to get back from the main blog page.

Looking at the store area I see what you mean about it.. IT needs some work to look more professional . The sales were mostly put there for the main users of the site.. Who asked for those items. I never really intended for it to be a big selling store. I would quickly put myself out of business if it was... (Sold three items just since you posted Yvette) If I decide to go into sales on the site any further I will be making it more professional looking with more contact info as suggested..

I will be working on the banner ideas and seeing what I can come up with..

Again.. Thank you all for you input it is greatly appreciated and very helpful.. Now if I can just get google to cooperate better I will being doing great...

Becky
www.DreamersReality.com