My Site

Hmmmm. Interesting site and you are right. It is different. Anyway.....a few of the main things that I noticed are:

I wouldn't use the flashing buttons (enter on the intro page and the next button).

The drop shadows that you have used on the title boxes are a bit too much. Maybe tone the shadows down a bit. The very first page needs some color.

The titles to each page need to be centered I think and maybe get rid of the horizontal line underneath them that separates the title from the body of the pages.

The flashing text that you have used for the titles and several of the links are a tad annoying. I wouldn't use the flashing effect. Especially on the title of each page.

The blue table that you have for your left navigation looks like it is out there all by itself. It may be the buttons that you have used that makes it look weird....not sure. Consider using just text links instead of the buttons.

Do you have some sort of graphics program that you could use to clean up the photos a bit? And maybe place a thin black border around them.

The site is not lacking content at all and I think that you have presented the material in an organized fashion. Those link buttons still bother me though. And the titles to each page. Need to do something different here. Maybe someone else can make some suggestions.

You need some small text links at the bottom of each page. Personally I wouldn't use the "next" button.

Your link buttons are also not consistent on each page. They should be in the same order on each page. There is no link to the "Introduction" page.

These are just my opinions while doing a quick look over of your site. Keep up the good work. I am sure you will get some other good critiques here.

Good luck!
DM

Thans a lot, let me explain some.....

The program that I used to create all of the buttons can be fond here: http://webservices.adobe.com/banner/main.html I have no idea how to work Paint Shop Pro or any of those other programs, I don't have enough time to site and read how to work them.

The program that I have used to make the site is Netscape Composer. I'm not sure if you are familiar with it, but I haven't really explored around it, so I'm not sure what it is all capable of.

The blue naviation on the side is simply just a colored cell in a table. I used it to look more professional along with the buttons in that cell. I was told numerous times that the plain text links looked horrible.

I know nothing about cleaning up the photos.

I will get rid of the 'Next' button at the bottom of the pages, make te links on the side consistent on each page, and get rid o the animated titles at the top of he pages.

Thanks for the help, anything else?

MIP1956
http://johnmaloney.org

I don't know if it's me or what, but the navigation sucks. The bar on the left is ok, but when I click eg. sitemap it goes off. Why?

I find static navigation to be the key in good webdesign. Content may change, but the situation & appearance of navigation should look the same on every page.

I've seen this site somewhere before. It is a fine example of the Internet empowering the people and giving eveyone an equal opportunity to present their point of view.

On a site this content heavy, you want to make sure your users don't get lost. I did once or twice myself.

A good clear and consistent navigation is crucial. You have the makings of one along the left but it has problems.

Image quality aside, the worst thing about it for me is the fact that the button for the active page disappears entirely. I find this very disconcerting. I would recommend that you keep the active page button but disable the link and alter the colour. This gives the user a quick and easy reference point.

Make sure that this navigation table is on EVERY page.

I also suggest that you review some of the text and break it into smaller paragraphs. Users just can't or won't digest blocks of text this large on the web.

In terms of general design, get your page headings centered and non-animated. I did notice something flashing up in the top corner of each page but at first, I dismissed as an ad of some sort.

Best of luck to you. You've obviously put an enormous amount of effort into this immensely personal project!

It always bugs me when I have to Enter a site. Am I not already there? Is the door locked and you have to buzz me in? Or am I made to read something or see a flash presentation before I enter. My point is (after a long bit of sarcasm) that on your site, it is plain not needed.

I don't understand a few things like the Golden Web Award. Did this site actually win an award or is that an ad? I definitely agree on the navigation of the site. It is a bit cumbersome. The buttons are not good. They should be all the same size. I really don't know if I would use buttons at all. Maybe just some links. You also have several dead links and some images that do not load.

Quote: Originally posted by mairving
I don't understand a few things like the Golden Web Award. Did this site actually win an award or is that an ad? I definitely agree on the navigation of the site. It is a bit cumbersome. The buttons are not good. They should be all the same size. I really don't know if I would use buttons at all. Maybe just some links. You also have several dead links and some images that do not load.

Yes the award was won.

It would be nice to get some exact direction on what to do with the navigation. I realize the button don't fly, but from prior experience I have been told that text links look horrible. Where are the dead links and images that don't load? Thanks.

Dead links are links that don't go anywhere. I usually check for dead links at netmechanic.com. It is fast and free.

Images that don't load means that some of the pictures that you have on the site are not showing fully. I think I may know the reason. I saved one of the pictures of Tracy and it came up as being 716X730 pixels. This means that you used the height/width tags to resize the picture instead of manually resizing it. Your image tag says that the picture is 150X195. That little picture is a whopping 1531K in file size. If you resized it manually it would probably be well under 100K. That is why the pictures take so dang long to load or not load fully. I didn't check all the pictures on the site but I imagine that this is what you have done with all of them.

One more thing that hasn't been brought up in reference to your navigation. At the top of the blue table you have the following;

"To navigate around this site please use the Nextbutton at the bottom of most pages or use the"

I would definitely take that off after you have fixed your link buttons so that they are consistent. You shouldn't have to tell someone how to navigate your site. After you fix the links it won't be necessary to tell them how.

DM

Hey mate!

I think that splash pages are a dying thing in the past and there are two things that they r useful for..

1) preloading images that are on the main site
2) browser requirements etc

Anyway..onto your main page, it's a very simple and basic design overall the design looks ok if your a 'beginner' you have a clear navigational system that is split up into sections and you have a clear place for the content of the page to go.

Maybe you should make the table to go further up towards the top of the page to make it look better

By the way your content is very interesting I'll give it a read sometime!

Thanks,
Adam.

oh btw whats the difference between Homocide and Genocide, I'm English and we dont use those terms over here

Homicide is the killing of one human being by another.

Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group. Basically what the Nazi Party did to the Jews, blacks, homosexuals, etc. during WWII.

I see thanks mate

I agree about the splash page, it really doesn't do the site any favours. The main site needs a design idea as at the moment I find it all a bit disjointed.

On the main page there is far too much white space at the top, move everything up to the top.

The picture just looks as though it's been put there as an after thought, it doesn't look part of the design. The banner needs improving as well. Looks old & tired and it shouldn't be a jpeg as the text looks blurred, this should be a gif which will make the text look cleaner. As it is it really doesn't do anything for me.

The navigation bar would look better if the blue went right to the edge of the page and from right at the top as again at the moment it kinda looks disjointed. The buttons are ok but make them all a uniform size and the text above them really isn't necessary.

I personally would loose the drop shadows and the animation as they both make the site look unprofessional.

Ill never understand why people use splash pages, and why does anyone want design comments on a site of this nature?

Given the subject matter what does it matter

While I did not delve into your content, I did give your navigation a look. Standing back (About 20 feet) I thought to myself with a push on my chin and decided that the way it is presented the buttons are presumptuous. Instead of trying to delve into MY phyche about why I said that, try this.

If you need help e-mail me. Give me the user and pass and I will impliment something for you.

K