Web Design Site Review - www.waterwerx.com
I don't know if this is just me or not, but the main page took a long time to load. I think this might be because you've put all of your content in one big table, which means that the browser has to download everything in that table before it can display any part of it.
I don't have any real problems with your overall design. I do, however have some problems with the content (this is purely opinion, of course). What's with the poll? I just don't understand why you have a poll about something that has absolutely nothing to do with your site for absolutely no reason. Also, why do you have this portal-type stuff on here like links to news services, shopping, and search engines that everybody already knows about? Are you a web design site or a portal? Will a lot of people find your site before they discover the popular portals? Why does a web design site need a forum? Why would somebody use your forums rather than the high-traffic ones at say, Yahoo! (and it looks like all the posts in there are from the same person - hey, that's you! It also says that there are 23 posts in General discussion but I only see one!)
The recommended downloads - I think you should pick something a little more creative or obscure for this. Everybody knows about IE5 - their banners are everywhere. Anybody who hasn't downloaded it must have a good reason not to.
Is "Buy" a web site the best term? I don't know if that makes sense...
One more thing - the logo in the side frame should be a link back to the main page.
JP Stones posted this at 17:22 — 20th August 1999.
They have: 2,390 posts
Joined: Nov 1998
I do not think the poll is appropriate for your site.
The design itself is nice, you might ad mouseovers to the left nav buttons...
JP
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The Webmaster Promotion and Resource Center.
Visit: http://www.what-next.com
Brian Farkas posted this at 20:07 — 20th August 1999.
They have: 1,015 posts
Joined: Apr 1999
I agree that the design is nice, but you really don't need to make it no frames. Actually, less than 1% of the browsers today don't support frames. I usually don't like them because they aren't used effectively enough, but at your site they seem to work out just fine. So, frames really aren't a bad thing... if used correctly, and contrary to some people's beliefs, they are supported by the vast majority of browsers on the `net.
Brian
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waterwerx posted this at 20:33 — 20th August 1999.
They have: 4 posts
Joined: Jul 1999
Well, the problem with frames that I was talking about was pointed out to me by someone on one of the mailing lists I'm on. It's when someone wants to bookmark your page that it gets 'hairy'. No matter what the visitor does,if they click "Add to Favorites" or "Add Bookmark" it will bookmark the main frame page. Personally, I don't see the problem in that unless it's a huge site that has thousands of pages and you had to wade through several levels to get to the desired page. I don't really think it's a problem with my page as it is, but I am going to develop a no frames version to have handy should I decide to use it.
As for the comments that Megs posted, the reason you only see 1 msg even though there are 20-something posts is because it defaults to show only those posts sent in the last 20 days. Also, the site is new and has not had time to be exposed to a vast audience yet. And, NO, I do not think that anyone is going to find me before a large portal site, but I am trying to add a bit of interactivity and some content. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone has a good nose for digging up the good sites... I don't want to just SELL to the person as soon as they happen upon the page. Personally, I prefer to visit a site that has something more to offer than just a "buy this from us right now". It's not much different from walking into a store...you have to sell a certain amount of "ambiance" if you will to the person, too. A customer could be at the site of someone who does great work, be it programming, web design or otherwise, and if the site doesn't act as a "representative" they may never know it. I do agree about the poll though. I intend to change it to a topic that is relevant to the page. Also, I have loaded the site on numerous computers and never had a problem with the loading time, so I am not sure why it took a long time for it to load for you.
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Carly Franklin, Owner - Waterwerx Web Creations
Opening the World's Eyes to Your Business
JP Stones posted this at 22:36 — 20th August 1999.
They have: 2,390 posts
Joined: Nov 1998
Actually, the main poblem with frames is search engine related, a framed site is harder to index properly and thus suffers in the rankings - head over to the promotion section for a more detailed explanation of this...
JP
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The Webmaster Promotion and Resource Center.
Visit: http://www.what-next.com
waterwerx posted this at 01:23 — 21st August 1999.
They have: 4 posts
Joined: Jul 1999
I'd appreciate any ideas anyone could give me on making the site better. I am already, however, in the process of making it a NO FRAMES site, as I am already aware of the hazards of using frames. Any helpful hints will be appreciated!
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Carly Franklin, Owner - Waterwerx Web Creations
Opening the World's Eyes to Your Business
dyc posted this at 22:54 — 21st August 1999.
They have: 64 posts
Joined: Jul 1999
In agreement with most of Megs' content comments. Also like the designs. I do have one opinion of my own, though
: get rid of the entry "splash" page. I just don't like those pages. They simply don't server any purpose other than showing you a logo and making you wait. Logo-showing is already performed on your other pages, and making people wait isn't a very good thing. I know you'll find on them on many other pages, and I know many people will say they're a good idea - they're certainly not a design taboo or anything like that - but I just don't like them!
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