The Web Server Times

Welcome to TWF Roy.

Could you please have a look at some of the other sites posted in this critique section and post your review of them and then I'm sure all the other members will help you out with a review of your site in return.

I have just tried to look at your site but it wouldn't open. Is it down? Could just be my connection playing up at the moment though so I'll check back in a bit for you.

Cable
1024x768
IE6.0

It loaded very fast, and it is nicely simple, without being boring. I like the top left 'ring and cube' combo, it looks very nice. One thing i don't like is the bevelling on the buttons. I don't think you are gaining anything from having them like that really and the text inside the buttons doesn't look very sharp (that is the drawback of using some of the fonts at small sizes when you anti-alias them). I quite like the effect on the mouseovers, although it could be toned down a bit, like not quite so bright. Still, a very nice effect!

As far as the main body of the site goes, verdana is an ideal font for this kind of site and it looks very neat and tidy. I was going to suggest some CSS for the links, but actually i think they look ok in the default blue. Maybe you'd wanna change the visited links though, cos the purple isn't very attractive - thats nothing to do with your design, more the defaults of the browser

Overall, this site is nicely presented, does its job with no fuss and is attractive to the eye too! I'd try to sort out the text on the navigation buttons though as its probably the only thing really letting it down.

Good job!

Your navigation could use some work. It's hard to read.
You might want to consider tabbed navigation w/ left hand navigation menu. This kind of breaks it up to the visitor.

I like the archive section, very straight forward and easy to use.

The menu choices were a little confusing, they seem to be somewhat ambiguous. Can you be more specific in your page names?

for example "Net Security" could mean a whole bunch of different things. Are you talking firewall, LANs, Web Servers, or everything?

Thanks for the quick replies.

I got the idea for the site from the fact that I knew many people (including myself) who were wearing several IT hats: webmaster, web designer, network administrator. (Phew!) This situation had come about due to the numerous layoffs in numerous IT departments. So it occurred to me to create a site that was devoted to various issues that arise with servers - design, security, VPN, portals, extranets, etc.

Maybe this isn't such a hot concept? Maybe I should just devote the site to one discipline like security or design? It's just that I have this image of one or two people running an entire server room...

Roy

I would ad some pictures. Servers or something. =)

I don't know why, but I really like your header. Something very neat and precise (?) about it. Unfortunately, the blurred edges and the not-so-clear anti-aliasing in the nav spoils it.

I like the simple look you're going for.

Good job.

hey Roy - I'm more of a copyeditor than a web designer, so I'll focus on that aspect of yer site

on the front page:

Are you a webmaster? - you say in one of yer posts here that yer looking to sell to people who "wear more than one hat" - it may that some potential customers don't, at least from their perspective, fit that role - I realize this may sound off-target, because you seem to be talking about people who are webmasters but have other responsibilities as well - I'm just suggesting that some readers may say to themselve, "not really" in response to this Q - that sort 'a gets you off on the wrong foot - I'm not saying they'll stop reading, but they may start to distance themselves from yer pitch

This site concerns itself with the web server, ... - I'd go with something like, "The Web Server Times ..." and then a verb (phrase) with a little more punch - maybe "specializes in" "targets" "zeros in on"

... the box that links your site or business, or both, ... - I think I see what yer getting at, but this seems unnecessarily complicated - yes, there are some businesses that are so-called "traditional brick-and-mortar" which also have a site - and then there are those that sort of exist only in cyberspace - dunno if that's yer point, but if it is, I'd say it's still the site that's "linked" - do ya see what I mean? - I'd think about, "... the box that links your site to the World Wide Web."

as I've indicated, "world wide web" is typically (first letter) capitalized

We feature articles on how to manage it, secure it, and design pages that ... - I think this reads better as ".. how to manage and secure it, and how to design ..." - that's got a redundant "how to" you may want to avoid, so there may well be something better, but maybe you see mmy point

"sell".) - I guess Brits would leave that period outside the quote, but I'd probably move it inside assuming a mostly American audience

The current downsizings and reorganizations that are taking place in the IT industry are affecting large ... - I'd delete "that"

(And, of course, if there's an article or opinion that you'd like to contribute ... - I'd delete "that" and take this sentence out of parentheses - and I'd think about dropping the first comma

... have it delivered by email weekly, ... - a very minor point, but you use "e-mail" (twice) in the form - might wanna be consistent with it

another minor thing - Click here to search the site: - they're not really "clicking" there - not sure how this might be rewritten - something like, "Use this .." but better

on Network Security Management:

Then, there are the truly malicious types ... - I'd probably drop that comma

... whatever he or she thinks he can sell on the Internet's black market. - you've already said "he/she" so I'd say you don't want "he can sell" - maybe "... whatever he or she thinks can be sold ..." - I've used the passive voice because the focus of the clause would now be on the object(s) (data, etc) rather than the (deleted) subject (he) - personally, I use "internet" but I think it's probably a bad idea because the people who care about which version you use will probably want the cap

to prepare against such criminals - nothing really wrong with this, but I'd go with something like "thwart" "stymie" "defeat" "foil" "outwit" - too bad ya can't use "arrest"

To MMI:

This is the first critique I've had from a copywriter. Many thanks for your suggestions.

>>Are you a webmaster? - you say in one of yer posts here that yer looking to sell to people who "wear more than one hat" - it may that some potential customers don't, at least from their perspective, fit that role <<

Good point. I went with this approach because in my area, numerous dot-coms were failing and numerous IT departments were being downsized. The Web Server Times was designed for people affected by these changes, but I'm still not sure that they are a good "target audience" for a web site.

>>The current downsizings and reorganizations that are taking place in the IT industry are affecting large ... - I'd delete "that"

To some visitors, the whole sentence sounds negative, but, again, I'm trying to attract the attention of the multi-hatted systems administrator.

>>"sell".) - I guess Brits would leave that period outside the quote, but I'd probably move it inside assuming a mostly American audience<<

You're right. It was a slip on my part. Did you major in English? (I did.)

Thanks again,

Roy

hey Roy

I can't say I have any kind of informed opinion about how to address yer intended audience, other than to state the obvious: that it's a very important issue - I figure this kind of stuff is pretty complicated because often there isn't a single audience than can be easily segmented and narrowly defined - typically, there's a "core" audience and then peripheral ones - one issue I'd raise is this: won't most of yer potential customers know what a server is? - I'm not saying that yer being expressly "condescending" or anything by describing its function as you do, but some might get that impression - or if nothing else, think that yer addressing an audience less experienced and knowlegeable than they are, and thereby begin to conclude they can't benefit from what yer selling

I guess I'd just say, and it seems you already feel this way, that you need to put a lot of thought into this - a good side of this (and I realize I'm not telling you anything you don't already know) is that the issue isn't simply how you write up yer introduction - to sell yer service effectively, you need to have a solid idea of who is likely to buy - once you have that in mind, the writing should come fairly easily, esp. since you appear to have a good measure of skill in that area

one idea you might consider would be to seek out advice from an "expert" - you know the usual list: COC types, SCORE, biz development fora, whatever - I'm usually reluctant, for some reason, to pursue that kind of thing - but then I'm also a dreadful businessperson as well

on deleting "that," I didn't mean the sentnce; I meant the word "that" in, ah, ..., that sentence

not an English major - Poli Sci - born troublemaker

and ya gotta be careful thinking of mme as a copywriter (unless that was just a slip) - I can copyedit, but if I could copywrite I figure I'd have a little more money in the bank :roll:

The only thing i noticed was the fuzzy fonts on th navbuttons; when i click on the navbar it changes to the page and the button is a bit diffrent(to let you know where your at i assume) - this slight diffrence could be more noticeable...

Hi Roy

I see alot of beauty in simple design. Yours is a content oriented site.

This reply is not meant to be a critique (other than nav bar), but an observation. I am on mac platform viewing in IE 5.1. When I mouse over the "editorials" bar - only the top line of gif file shows. The rest is transparent, the white background. I see a little streak of yellow in top left corner. It has something to do with the mouseover effect. The gif file is not corrupted. In addy window, after .com, I enter imgs/network-administration.gif and can view the gif file in whole.

I know nothing of java script. It must work properly on windows platform or someone else would have commented. When I click the link, it sends me to the proper page.

I do like the overall design, but the left nav bar could be improved. Current page dims but may be unnoticed to first time visitors. No way of knowing what pages visited in current session.

Good site and I will revisit.

Ron