What quality reviews are you going to get from people who see you 1. didn't follow the guidelines before posting your request, and 2. when you were politely asked to follow them, your answer is the one you gave above. To me that came off very rude.
Why would people post reviews knowing you already ignore other posts on here, and may most likely ignore their posts as well?
-Greg
sodaplane posted this at 16:07 — 29th December 2003.
Hey bud, my word is good in over 45 states AND 5 countries. If I say I will post some reviews, I will! Seems like you guys really beat some of these reviews into the ground anyways, so, I will try and catch a new one if and when it comes along. But you won't see me posting right now or through the day because I have a day job that requires I leave right now.
I would love to see some comments by tonight from those members who are not worried about getting something in return from helping me.
Thank you!
Kyle Jackson
openmind posted this at 17:19 — 29th December 2003.
The guidelines are simply in place to build the community. The critique section of the forum is the most heavily used and it is unfair to decide to ignore the guidelines and then expect a response to your request.
Rules are rules and it's not much to ask to request you review other peoples sites before reviewing your own.
You sya that the reviews are often quite hard. That is the whole point of a review, to point out mistakes and offer constructive criticism on the site.
If you don't wish to review others sites or feel that you are unwilling to follow request to review others sites before adding your own comments, then you should not post your request.
I took a look at your site and I do have some comments that I shall happily share with you in the future!
sodaplane wrote: Hey bud, my word is good in over 45 states AND 5 countries.
Excuse me while I laugh a little. I find it amazing how every single person on the internet is 6 feet tall, dates a super model, and is an international business person with contacts in every major city across the globe.
Suzanne posted this at 17:35 — 29th December 2003.
While the site hangs together fine, I found myself with one pressing question that wasn't answered -- why would I buy one?
The grey and clean nature of the site may actually work to the detriment of your product (which I have seen as beer planes as well?) -- something so, pardon the phrase, kitschy really does seem out of place in the austere surrounds of your design.
I would expect to find a sodaplane in a bar (household or public), in a child's room as part of a mobile, perhaps, or in a theme room. In order to get the sale, you need to provide that sort of "image" to the consumer, the reason for the sale, the advantage in purchasing one.
Also, the list of brands page is dull (more dull). Images of the cans themselves may spruce that up.
On the whole, the darkness of the page design and the photos left me feeling constricted and slightly oppressed, which isn't consistent with the item you're selling, so while the design and layout are functionally great, they are not great for this purpose/product.
sodaplane posted this at 01:39 — 30th December 2003.
It would be a bit of work, but, do you think a dark red theme would be better? What color do you imagine it? Are the shades of color appropriate for the sections (as in the navigation bar being darker, etc etc) ?
Suzanne posted this at 02:53 — 30th December 2003.
I think, on the whole, if you improve the lighting in your photos it would be a big improvement, but honestly it feels tight with the fixed sizing and straight lines. Something more organic + reason for buying would help.
sodaplane posted this at 03:04 — 30th December 2003.
heh, they look fun. Good enough reason to buy one, I guess. Then again, what might be more fun is building one myself... Suzanne's right: give us a reason to buy one.
The photos look fine on my monitor, and I'm just under 50b/50c.
The PayPal thing at the bottom looks odd being aligned to the left. Maybe try centering or just putting a full-width box around it.
Might be a good idea to use a logo too. It'll help with branding/consistency, and if done properly, even say something about the product.
Generally looks neat, clean and to the point.
sodaplane posted this at 06:29 — 30th December 2003.
Sounds great guys (and girls too, of course), thanks for all the help. A logo is out of the question probably unless I can get something simple. I am no artist.
Hmm, a reason to buy one. I have been making these for four years and still don't know why people buy them. Getting a couple orders though, the revisions musta helped.
andymac50 posted this at 07:51 — 2nd January 2004.
Hi There....I love the concept and would invite you to sell them on my new auction site which is launching soon.
As far as design....I would consider the placement of a large picture on the main page and maybe the smaller thumbnails under it. Then have the key points in bullet style on the left side.
I would also look at building the beer cans....but I am also wondering what the soda companies are thinking about the idea....copyright/license issues....then again they may love the idea and you could some way sell them back to them as prizes or something.
Andy
DontFart.com
Don't Fart Around... Find It Here!
(launching soon!)
openmind posted this at 11:33 — 30th December 2003.
It certainly is a unique product, not one I've seen before but that could be because I live in a cave!
That uniqueness has got to be your USP. If you can make a play on that, people will really sit up and take notice. The colour schem you have chosen doesn't fit in with your product. I would have suggested something much lighter to represent air/fun. The photos are good quality but they too seem a little dark on my comp.
The site does seem a little restrictive with all those hard edges and straight fixed sized table. Maybe try softening them up some and using images to break up the rigidity of the site.
Not sure what your target key phrases are for the SE's or if you have done any optimization yet but I tried a few on Google and you weren't in the top 30. Where will you get most of your traffic from? Try to add some keywords into your pictures through the alt tag and also into the body copy.
Is PayPal the only method for someone to pay you? Maybe you should add an alternative such as WorldPay for people who don't like PayPal (and there are quite a few!). If you stick with just PayPal, I wouldn't make it so obvious that you readily accept it. Just keep the credit card symbols in place. That way you won't put the PayPal haters off as soon as they hit your site!
On the point of your cart, two things:
1) After adding adding an item to your cart, it would be cleaner if when people click "continue shopping" they get taken directly back to the page they were viewing rather than an amniguous page as it is now.
2) Once you get to your payment screen there is no way back at all to the site without hitting the back button.
Hope you find these comments helpful, a great product you got there and I'm sure it will sell well!
Abhishek Reddy posted this at 08:47 — 30th December 2003.
You're right, people will still buy them as long as the products are good. That's what it boils down to finally. Even a logo may be non-essential (that's debatable).
But I think the issue is more about enhancing the way the content is presented than anything else. I didn't actually read much of the text on any of the pages. Instead, I skimmed. What might help is to make your text skim- and scan-friendly, by highlighting key words, listing stuff short bulleted form, etc. And to make it even better, target your message to the reader, by discussing why the reader should want a sodaplane, what the benefits are, and all that.
In this respect, your website is already doing some things well. Like providing images (which are worth a thousand words) clearly, and generally keeping trim. So it's not all bad; but, like all things, can be made better.
The Webmistress posted this at 10:32 — 30th December 2003.
Generally quite a nice site but far too grey for my liking. I would add an accent colour to brighten things up a bit and definitely change the logo - it kind of takes over the other text and should be on every page.
I also agree that the photos let the site down a little as they do seem a bit dull.
Overall nice job
Julia - if life was meant to be easy Michael Angelo would have painted the floor....
sodaplane posted this at 04:37 — 31st December 2003.
flipper, can you tell me what search terms you tried? I use overture and am always trying to add more terms to it, even though overture is not on google.
openmind posted this at 09:56 — 31st December 2003.
No, the thread stays open. Others may still want to review the site for you and we hope that you stick around and continue to review others sites and be a part of the community here
Julia - if life was meant to be easy Michael Angelo would have painted the floor....
The search words you guys have mentioned are American based, we on the other side of the world don't say "soda can", it's a "coke can" or "can of coke" (or whatever band name), or if it's beer, it can be beer can, but we have a number of names for them.
what about words like: airplane, aeroplane, toy, inventive, collectable, different, handmade, cans ...
I'd search for "plane made of cans"
I like the layout but don't think it's suited to this item - to dark, who is your market dirrected to? kids or adults, if one or the other, make it playful for kids, show what can be done with them (we all flew toy planes in the air making engine noises) and if for adults go for more basic look but target the kids angle.
"your kid has ps2, they have the rugrats, they have this and that but do they have 'the soda can plane'? don't let your kid be the last on the block to have a piece of drinking history, buy one now and be the envy of the street. But wait theres more, buy 5 planes and we'll throw in a free, yes free can of your favorite soda, but wait theres more, be one of the first 100 buyers and we'll send you all the left over parts as well - soe conditions may apply"
small print: these planes have not been tested on animals or small children, sharp edges may result in cuts, do not fly within government departments and be sure to recylce if you ever crash, plane noises not included.
sodaplane posted this at 00:07 — 1st January 2004.
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Busy posted this at 08:13 — 29th December 2003.
He has: 6,151 posts
Joined: May 2001
can you review a few other sites as per the posting agreement please, thanks
sodaplane posted this at 09:00 — 29th December 2003.
They have: 22 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
Perhaps after I judge the value of the comments that I receive I will do just that.
Greg K posted this at 15:39 — 29th December 2003.
He has: 2,145 posts
Joined: Nov 2003
Ok, ask yourself this.
What quality reviews are you going to get from people who see you 1. didn't follow the guidelines before posting your request, and 2. when you were politely asked to follow them, your answer is the one you gave above. To me that came off very rude.
Why would people post reviews knowing you already ignore other posts on here, and may most likely ignore their posts as well?
-Greg
sodaplane posted this at 16:07 — 29th December 2003.
They have: 22 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
Hey bud, my word is good in over 45 states AND 5 countries. If I say I will post some reviews, I will! Seems like you guys really beat some of these reviews into the ground anyways, so, I will try and catch a new one if and when it comes along. But you won't see me posting right now or through the day because I have a day job that requires I leave right now.
I would love to see some comments by tonight from those members who are not worried about getting something in return from helping me.
Thank you!
Kyle Jackson
openmind posted this at 17:19 — 29th December 2003.
He has: 945 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
No one is doubting your word here.
The guidelines are simply in place to build the community. The critique section of the forum is the most heavily used and it is unfair to decide to ignore the guidelines and then expect a response to your request.
Rules are rules and it's not much to ask to request you review other peoples sites before reviewing your own.
You sya that the reviews are often quite hard. That is the whole point of a review, to point out mistakes and offer constructive criticism on the site.
If you don't wish to review others sites or feel that you are unwilling to follow request to review others sites before adding your own comments, then you should not post your request.
I took a look at your site and I do have some comments that I shall happily share with you in the future!
mjs416 posted this at 14:44 — 31st December 2003.
They have: 127 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
Excuse me while I laugh a little. I find it amazing how every single person on the internet is 6 feet tall, dates a super model, and is an international business person with contacts in every major city across the globe.
Suzanne posted this at 17:35 — 29th December 2003.
She has: 5,507 posts
Joined: Feb 2000
I, too, have valuable comments for you, and would be pleased to share them with you in the future.
sodaplane posted this at 01:05 — 30th December 2003.
They have: 22 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
There ya go!
Suzanne posted this at 01:23 — 30th December 2003.
She has: 5,507 posts
Joined: Feb 2000
Good solid comments, too, much appreciated.
While the site hangs together fine, I found myself with one pressing question that wasn't answered -- why would I buy one?
The grey and clean nature of the site may actually work to the detriment of your product (which I have seen as beer planes as well?) -- something so, pardon the phrase, kitschy really does seem out of place in the austere surrounds of your design.
I would expect to find a sodaplane in a bar (household or public), in a child's room as part of a mobile, perhaps, or in a theme room. In order to get the sale, you need to provide that sort of "image" to the consumer, the reason for the sale, the advantage in purchasing one.
Also, the list of brands page is dull (more dull). Images of the cans themselves may spruce that up.
On the whole, the darkness of the page design and the photos left me feeling constricted and slightly oppressed, which isn't consistent with the item you're selling, so while the design and layout are functionally great, they are not great for this purpose/product.
sodaplane posted this at 01:39 — 30th December 2003.
They have: 22 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
thanks! I just finished redoing the brands page based on some other feedback I had received, hopefully it is a little better now than it was.
sodaplane posted this at 01:42 — 30th December 2003.
They have: 22 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
It would be a bit of work, but, do you think a dark red theme would be better? What color do you imagine it? Are the shades of color appropriate for the sections (as in the navigation bar being darker, etc etc) ?
Suzanne posted this at 02:53 — 30th December 2003.
She has: 5,507 posts
Joined: Feb 2000
I think, on the whole, if you improve the lighting in your photos it would be a big improvement, but honestly it feels tight with the fixed sizing and straight lines. Something more organic + reason for buying would help.
sodaplane posted this at 03:04 — 30th December 2003.
They have: 22 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
The photos are dark on your computer? Hmm, ain't on mine. I will check on some other monitors in the next couple days.
Suzanne posted this at 03:34 — 30th December 2003.
She has: 5,507 posts
Joined: Feb 2000
They aren't dark, specifically, so much as the contrast is off.
Abhishek Reddy posted this at 05:56 — 30th December 2003.
He has: 3,348 posts
Joined: Jul 2001
heh, they look fun. Good enough reason to buy one, I guess.
Then again, what might be more fun is building one myself... Suzanne's right: give us a reason to buy one.
The photos look fine on my monitor, and I'm just under 50b/50c.
The PayPal thing at the bottom looks odd being aligned to the left. Maybe try centering or just putting a full-width box around it.
Might be a good idea to use a logo too. It'll help with branding/consistency, and if done properly, even say something about the product.
Generally looks neat, clean and to the point.
sodaplane posted this at 06:29 — 30th December 2003.
They have: 22 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
Sounds great guys (and girls too, of course), thanks for all the help. A logo is out of the question probably unless I can get something simple. I am no artist.
Hmm, a reason to buy one. I have been making these for four years and still don't know why people buy them. Getting a couple orders though, the revisions musta helped.
andymac50 posted this at 07:51 — 2nd January 2004.
They have: 20 posts
Joined: May 2003
Hi There....I love the concept and would invite you to sell them on my new auction site which is launching soon.
As far as design....I would consider the placement of a large picture on the main page and maybe the smaller thumbnails under it. Then have the key points in bullet style on the left side.
I would also look at building the beer cans....but I am also wondering what the soda companies are thinking about the idea....copyright/license issues....then again they may love the idea and you could some way sell them back to them as prizes or something.
Andy
DontFart.com
Don't Fart Around... Find It Here!
(launching soon!)
openmind posted this at 11:33 — 30th December 2003.
He has: 945 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
It certainly is a unique product, not one I've seen before but that could be because I live in a cave!
That uniqueness has got to be your USP. If you can make a play on that, people will really sit up and take notice. The colour schem you have chosen doesn't fit in with your product. I would have suggested something much lighter to represent air/fun. The photos are good quality but they too seem a little dark on my comp.
The site does seem a little restrictive with all those hard edges and straight fixed sized table. Maybe try softening them up some and using images to break up the rigidity of the site.
Not sure what your target key phrases are for the SE's or if you have done any optimization yet but I tried a few on Google and you weren't in the top 30. Where will you get most of your traffic from? Try to add some keywords into your pictures through the alt tag and also into the body copy.
Is PayPal the only method for someone to pay you? Maybe you should add an alternative such as WorldPay for people who don't like PayPal (and there are quite a few!). If you stick with just PayPal, I wouldn't make it so obvious that you readily accept it. Just keep the credit card symbols in place. That way you won't put the PayPal haters off as soon as they hit your site!
On the point of your cart, two things:
1) After adding adding an item to your cart, it would be cleaner if when people click "continue shopping" they get taken directly back to the page they were viewing rather than an amniguous page as it is now.
2) Once you get to your payment screen there is no way back at all to the site without hitting the back button.
Hope you find these comments helpful, a great product you got there and I'm sure it will sell well!
Abhishek Reddy posted this at 08:47 — 30th December 2003.
He has: 3,348 posts
Joined: Jul 2001
You're right, people will still buy them as long as the products are good. That's what it boils down to finally. Even a logo may be non-essential (that's debatable).
But I think the issue is more about enhancing the way the content is presented than anything else. I didn't actually read much of the text on any of the pages. Instead, I skimmed. What might help is to make your text skim- and scan-friendly, by highlighting key words, listing stuff short bulleted form, etc. And to make it even better, target your message to the reader, by discussing why the reader should want a sodaplane, what the benefits are, and all that.
In this respect, your website is already doing some things well. Like providing images (which are worth a thousand words) clearly, and generally keeping trim. So it's not all bad; but, like all things, can be made better.
The Webmistress posted this at 10:32 — 30th December 2003.
She has: 5,586 posts
Joined: Feb 2001
Generally quite a nice site but far too grey for my liking. I would add an accent colour to brighten things up a bit and definitely change the logo - it kind of takes over the other text and should be on every page.
I also agree that the photos let the site down a little as they do seem a bit dull.
Overall nice job
Julia - if life was meant to be easy Michael Angelo would have painted the floor....
sodaplane posted this at 04:37 — 31st December 2003.
They have: 22 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
flipper, can you tell me what search terms you tried? I use overture and am always trying to add more terms to it, even though overture is not on google.
openmind posted this at 09:56 — 31st December 2003.
He has: 945 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
I used "can model plane", "soda can model plane" and "aluminium can plane"
Like I said, I don't know what your target phrases are so I was working on what I would enter to serach for your product.
openmind posted this at 14:47 — 31st December 2003.
He has: 945 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
hey mjs, do we know each other?? You just described me to a tee!
Seriously though, the situation was resolved amicably and he has posted some good reviews so we'll leave it there methinks.....
mjs416 posted this at 14:59 — 31st December 2003.
They have: 127 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
Fair enough
sodaplane posted this at 16:48 — 31st December 2003.
They have: 22 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
every small city, too
openmind posted this at 16:50 — 31st December 2003.
He has: 945 posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Please lets not degenerate this thread and try to keep on track with it's purpose, a site review...
sodaplane posted this at 17:41 — 31st December 2003.
They have: 22 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
well I got all the review I need, do I need to somehow close this thread?
The Webmistress posted this at 18:02 — 31st December 2003.
She has: 5,586 posts
Joined: Feb 2001
No, the thread stays open. Others may still want to review the site for you and we hope that you stick around and continue to review others sites and be a part of the community here
Julia - if life was meant to be easy Michael Angelo would have painted the floor....
Busy posted this at 22:58 — 31st December 2003.
He has: 6,151 posts
Joined: May 2001
The search words you guys have mentioned are American based, we on the other side of the world don't say "soda can", it's a "coke can" or "can of coke" (or whatever band name), or if it's beer, it can be beer can, but we have a number of names for them.
what about words like: airplane, aeroplane, toy, inventive, collectable, different, handmade, cans ...
I'd search for "plane made of cans"
I like the layout but don't think it's suited to this item - to dark, who is your market dirrected to? kids or adults, if one or the other, make it playful for kids, show what can be done with them (we all flew toy planes in the air making engine noises) and if for adults go for more basic look but target the kids angle.
"your kid has ps2, they have the rugrats, they have this and that but do they have 'the soda can plane'? don't let your kid be the last on the block to have a piece of drinking history, buy one now and be the envy of the street. But wait theres more, buy 5 planes and we'll throw in a free, yes free can of your favorite soda, but wait theres more, be one of the first 100 buyers and we'll send you all the left over parts as well - soe conditions may apply"
small print: these planes have not been tested on animals or small children, sharp edges may result in cuts, do not fly within government departments and be sure to recylce if you ever crash, plane noises not included.
sodaplane posted this at 00:07 — 1st January 2004.
They have: 22 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
You have an interesting sense of humor and a very 'up' perspective on things.
0pn posted this at 13:51 — 4th January 2004.
They have: 6 posts
Joined: Jan 2004
Nice product. Simple ideas such as a coke can sculpture--who knew?
The critique-Navigtion links like this
http://sodaplane.com/?nav=helpcontact
Often will not get crawled by search engines. You may what to make these pages helpcontact.htm instead.
rosanda posted this at 01:05 — 4th January 2004.
They have: 25 posts
Joined: Nov 2003
simple but very appealing. Love the color combination and the images are very well distributed.. Good job..
sodaplane posted this at 02:33 — 4th January 2004.
They have: 22 posts
Joined: Dec 2003
much thanks rosanda
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