REVIEW REQUEST: M1K3.net

Looks ok to me, took a while to load on my boringly slow computer though, this sentence didn't seem to make much sense to me either???
"We encourage you to allow us developed your needs for the ever-so-growing eWorld!

Ok, thanks. More reviews?

I checked it on opera6 (has load time, speed etc)
you have 312kb of stuff on the main page, taking just over 3 minutes on dialup at 2kb/s and the top image isn't displaying in opera.
In IE the page loaded as it should but in Opera I had to wait for over 2 mins before anything appeared.
It doesn't align properly in Opera, the featured client and special section is to long for the gap and there is two red lines at the bottom left section, not sure where they come from.

are you using frontpage to make this site?

things like your 'web services' and 'forum services' are in an image (fuzzy) which is 38.9kb you should use text for this.
break your tables down, not good to have one big nested table, break the table into two or three section (banner, content, footer) or at minimum banner, content - gives the viewer something to look at/read while the rest is loading.

IN opera the top nav doesn't show so is bad to navigate (links only at bottom)
does it look profesinall? the red is very bright which takes away from the profesional look. that banner does get annoying after a while and the top section is the same throughout which is really big (long) on 800x600 so makes you scroll down

you have on your company page we design for the next millennium so you don't have to upgrade to better quality! I suggest then you start using CSS and XHTML to get into this millennium

I agree with Busy that it's too red, good that it's not blue for a change, but red gives off the wrong signals when it's on it's own like this. I also agree that the header section is too big, at 800*600 (which is still the most popular resolution) it takes up over half the screen with the content stuffed to the bottom.

It's not a bad start, I would personally rethink the colours and that flash header but that's up to you. You definitely need to sort out the load times and use CSS throughout.

quite a nice site, i like it! Only thing is, the navigation for people without flash is stuffed right down to the bottom, and also these people will see nothing at all for a header, so the site title etc. isn't gonna be there.

I think the three sections titled "Extras" "Featured Clients" and "Specials" should be moved below the main text content of your pages or even to the left. Your content needs to be closer to the top not only so your visitors will be able to find the important stuff at first glance but so that the search engines will have something besides images to index. The Home button at the bottom is pointing to aocgaming.com/m1k3.

Is it easy to navigate? You should have a Home button somewhere near the top.

Fast loading or slow loading? Slow for me on dial-up.

Nice looking? It is a good start but needs some work.

is there Too much movement in the header? The movement isn't really the problem here. It is the real estate that it takes up.

Forgive me for doodling but here is a screenshot of a few things that I would change. The size of the header has been reduced and some of the space in the header has been made use of by moving your navigation down. (loose the flash and just do a static image for the header maybe??) The news, extras and clients could go on the left side which will move the main content up to where it should be.

Also, you have an image on the home page where you explain your "web services" and "forum services". Don't use images like this. You have several important keywords/phrases (web services, web design, advertising and promotion, programming, forum installation, etc.) here that the search eninges will not be able to read. Use text here.

Quote: DaveyBoy said
Only thing is, the navigation for people without flash is stuffed right down to the bottom, and also these people will see nothing at all for a header, so the site title etc. isn't gonna be there.

:eek: Is this the same person who said "standards? i don't care about standards..."
We may have a convert here.

Make your links at the bottom text instead of images.

This took forever to load on my crappy computer.

Also, i got a short blast of music when the flash thing loaded up and i'd left my speakers up loud from a late date gaming session and it almost blew my ears out... Please... no music on websites, its one of the biggest no no's out there.

Also, why do you need a support board? Surly you speak to your clients with email and telephone?

Quote: Originally posted by disaster-master
:eek: Is this the same person who said "standards? i don't care about standards..."
We may have a convert here.

lol, well thats totally different to what i was talking about when i mentioned standards i was talking about browsers, not something like flash which is a universal feature of most browsers now. Not converted me i'm afraid

Quote: Please... no music on websites, its one of the biggest no no's out there.

That was what I was going to say, too - I had my speakers up to hear a voice e-mail from my dad before and whoa! made me jump a foot.

The overall idea is nice, but I, too have a slow dial up connection and it took quite a while to load. That example disaster-master made is great - keeps your look but makes it much more user-friendly.

Ok, i love disaters Screeny, I'll work with that and see what i come up with. thanks

I swear I've seen that design before... is it a template from template monster or something...?

http://www.m1k3.net/indexx.php

I've been doing a lot to it, it has CSS and a new look. I got rid of the flash and smaller banner and the chromeish middle for the 800x600 users. this layout is not complete, i got tired and had to go to bed. but is this along the lines of what you guys like?

Funny - I was just looking at the original and was going to suggest a more neutral page background to tone down there red. Looks nice. Don't use the grey background for other areas though - it blurs the line between content and white space.

What's the rationale behind the M1K3 name? Do you have to have the M there? 1K3 has more of a ring to it - it would be more memorable.

Mouseovers on the navbar need work. That shadow effect just isn't working. Try a colour change maybe. (or just darken the existing colour?). In your portfolio, don't put the name of the site overtop of the screenshot. It defeats the purpose of even having a screenshot since you can't even see it underneath that type. Also, if you're going to use cropped screenshots like that make sure that they're focusing on an important part of the design.

Looking at the "Services" page - why do these look like bulleted lists, but not quite? The list tags (ul, ol, li etc.) are there for a reason - use them!

That said, I do like the choice of red (striking, unusual, eye-catching choice) and the header graphic looks good (if a bit big.)

Quote: Originally posted by andy206uk
I swear I've seen that design before... is it a template from template monster or something...?

So... is it a template?

I think it is, but my friend said he didnt need it anymore..let me try to find the link to it on template monster, i've changed it around a lot.

ahhh ... found it! http://templatemonster.com/show.php?templ=2044&cat_type=cat&type=1&arg1=3&arg2=&order=date

It's much diffrent..in my eyes.

megan, thanks, them suggestons are very good! i will use them! about the services page, ill come back to that once i get the design looking good in each res.

thanks guys.

ahhhh... i thought i recognised it... I was browsing the site for inspiration a few weeks back

I think the templates are provided on a per site license. You might be breaching their terms and conditions by using it... might be worth looking into...

why would a web design company need to use a template in the first place?

"So... is it a template?"

LOL!!!!! I was looking for that answer, myself! : )

Ok guys, F off if your going to flame me. this is bs. it's a nice template i got from TM and I modified it. enough said.

weren't flaming you dude, we all just wondered if it was a template and i simply asked why you needed to use one.

I don't think OddLaw came here to be ridiculed for using a template. He came here for help so enough about the template. Lots of people use templates. Everyone in this old world isn't proficient in HTML and sometimes you have to start somewhere be it with a personal site or a web design business. Nuff said??

Quote: I don't think OddLaw came here to be ridiculed for using a template.

Oddlaw - I used templates to learn for about 2 years at someone's suggestion - nothing wrong with it as long as you don't infringe any copyrights by using them illegally. Don't be so touchy about it. And Andy206uk was just looking our for your best interests when he mentioned breach of contract. I just don't see where you were flamed.

disaster-master, unless I missed a thread, where was Oddlaw ridiculed? From what I've read, he was merely asked and cautioned. I was curious as well because his layout looked very familar to me as well.

Now I'm a bit disgruntled - why the heck are we being put on the defensive for merely asking if this was from a template!? Isn't a forum for Q & A - or must we walk on eggshells for constant fear of "offending" someone? That's absurd.

Quote: From what I've read, he was merely asked and cautioned

Yes he was asked (several times) and yes andy206uk cautioned him on breaching terms and conditions as he should have. Oddlaw answered the question was clearly insulted by the continuation of the questioning after he answered and frankly I don't much blame him. It appeared to me that it was the makings of a riducule session and not a critique.

No we do not walk on eggshells here and the only one who was being put on the defensive was oddlaw. People posting in this critique section should not have to explain why they use templates IMO unless they want to volunteer that info....don't you agree?

I guess my motherly instincts kicked in when I felt that this 16 year old aspiring web desinger was being put on the spot for trying to make something of himself in this old dog eat dog world we live in. No hard feelings here and I hope that goes for you guys and gals too.

davey boys comment..

ok...to continue on with what Megan said about the bulleted lists. In the part where you have:

●Web Design starting at only $250!
●Advertisement and Promotion only $15 / free with any purchase over $200
●Advanced and Semi Programming starting at $50!

Change your code to make this a list like so:

• Web Design starting at only $250!
• Advertisement and Promotion only $15 / free with any purchase over $200
• Advanced and Semi Programming starting at $50!

Here is a short tutorial on how to do these.

I know how to do them, but I don't like how they look, how they put a big space eek!

That space is good! It helps to improve readability by separating types of content from each other. It's the same with the space between paragraphs - if it wasn't there readability would be compromised. If you really hate it that much you could always try CSS to make the space smaller. Remember that HTML is a structural markup language - it's important to mark things up with the appropriate label according to what they are. Lists should be marked up as lists, paragraphs as paragraphs, headers as headers, tables as tables (ideally!) and so on.

Acutally, you should really work on some of your coding here. Try running a validator to find mistakes.

why does this forum concentrate so much on moanign about people's coding i hate that, just say whether the thing looks good or not!

The whole point is to have good, validated code so that the site works properly. Design is very important but it's not much good having a great looking site that falls apart when it's viewed online is there!

thats true, but theres no need to nit-pick EVERY little part of someone's code, none at all.

Fine if it displays wrong, then take a look at the code and say what is wrong, don't say that someone's code is 'wrong' just because they've done things differently to how you would. (like megan with the bullets)

DaveyBoy, you don't agree with standards that are being encouraged and adopted for the good of the professionals working in this field, for the good of the software developers, and for the good of the browser developers. That much is abundantly clear.

However, part of a critique is the WAY a site is put together, not just how it looks. How it looks is actually a small part of the design. The function of the site, including accessibility, usability, readability, marketing, search engine optimization, et cetera considerably affects how a site does with traffic, for its users, on search engines, et cetera.

The code is "nit-picked" because it's important. Non-standard coding (like the bullets) makes it harder for alternative viewers to gain understand of the relevance of the content. Using standard coding (which can easily be altered visually), provides a strong skeleton.

A critique should, eventually, cover all aspects of the site -- the textual content, the quality of the images, the layout, the function, the standards being used, et cetera.

If you'd lke to discuss this further, we can split this thread off to the web page authoring forum and have a big rousing discussion on the import of standards (or lack thereof). This thread is not the place.

Quote: People posting in this critique section should not have to explain why they use templates IMO unless they want to volunteer that info....don't you agree?

Yes I do, but Oddlaw was out of line in swearing - very childish behavior that offends me but I choose to ignore it for the sake of peace - and could simply have said, "It's none of your business" or "Don't worry about it, I know what I'm doing". Cursing and putting HIMSELF on the defensive and trying to make others out to be the "bad guys" is wrong - and every 16 year old should know this. If he plans on going into business as a webmaster when he's on his own, he's got to learn to "take the heat" so to speak. The business world gets awfully cruel and critical and if one can't take it, they don't belong in it.

TWF E, thanks for the advice, I'll learn to take it.

m1k3.net
I have added a new design. I tried to add everything people told me to do. Pleasd do not comment on me not using CSS or not using lists. I just want to knwo if its a good design and if its easy to navigate.

Merged with original thread (please don't start a new thread while your original thread is still on the front page).

I can't remember if I mentioned this before but I don't think those rollovers have the right effect. It's not enough of a change really, and those shadows look kind of odd. Otherwise it looks pretty good (except for the other things I mentioned earlier).

Here's another thing you probably don't want to hear - your writing could use some work. In some cases it's not quite clear what you mean to say. For example, on the front page you have: "Every employee at Em One Kay Three has developed Services for a great time". To me, "great time" means "I had a great time", not "long time". Even if you said "long time", it would be unclear as to how long you mean. Two years? Five years? Ten years? Very ambiguous. You've also got a lot of incorrect capitalization in that paragraph. If writing isn't your forte you might want to get someone to help you with it (maybe a teacher?). It will go a long way to presenting a professional image to your clients.

First of al I would like to thank everyone who reviewed my old versions of my companys site. You guys reviewed it in great areas and I have managed to catch everyones eye including winning an Web Award over at GoldenWebAwards.com (very small web awards, nothing like webbys)

Anyway I have fixed every error that you guys have critiqued that I thought was important, i think Webmisstriss said use CSS which I did not do. I should have but I decided not to.

Please critique my site except for 2 areas! CSS and SLOW LOAD Thank you much!

I have put a lot of time into it since I have been away and have put a lot of PHP and SQL into the site. Everyone complained about the header being too big, I fixed that but I still think its a little big still but nothing to gripe about. I have managed to get a lot of business here locally in OKC. I have created business cards and have gone on my way to big things and thought I'd come back and see what the big boys and great webmasters thought of my completion.

THANKS FOR YOUR CRITIQUES,
Michael ****, President
[email protected]
m1k3.net

P.S / EDIT: It seems my last name is censord! My last name is D.i.c.k

loads fine for me, every thing seems in working order.

Site design is very nice, not a big fan of flash but all in all a very nice design.

Quality

Merged with original thread so new reviewers can read back on previous posts.

I still think the flash part it too big but really my only other comment is that your header grpahics - menu, welcome, etc - are really blurry and overcompressed, plus they should be gifs not jpgs.

Looks very nice OddLaw.

Capitalize the word "city" at the very bottom where you have your address and remove the period after the state abbreviation.

Darn, I really did like the red. It was so much more original and eye-catching than boring old blue that every third site on the net uses. Oh well, I guess I have a thing for red (in case you can't tell!) I'm not sure if I like how the graphic part changes colour as you navigate. It would be okay if it was more consistently done and applied more to other parts of the design, but it seems rather arbitrary here.

One thing that still really bugs me about this is the way that the two navbars are similar but different. It's kind of confusing, especially since they're not in the same order. I think it's important to be consistent with these things. Also check some of your termiology - you've got three different ways of spelling FAQ - FAQ on teh top navbar, F.A.Q.'s on the left side, and F.A.Q on the page header. Pick one way and use it consistently. Similarly, is it "our services" or "services"?

Screenshots are better but should be clickable and should also have browser chrome removed. I also think it's better to focus in on fixed width sites rather than leaving them at full resolution like that.

Thanks! I changed the address at bottom and made the links in order and consistant.