Topic: site relaunched (Page 1 of 1)

umm im just new here here's my site http://darksouls.wyvernsymmetry.com/sulliedmind i would like to hear from you guys

I guess I'll take this opportunity to note how fuckin annoyed i am with people making their first post to the asylum in the site reviews section.
All to often people come running in..... "hey hey... I'm leet... look at my site".... then they get a pleasant wafting of reality from one or two people here... and then they're never to return.
However.... all things considered... this is a place where people come for help... so with that in mind... I guess i'll press on and give my input just for the fuck of it.
It's a reasonable assumption that you were referred here by "wyvern".... nice to know that a good word is being spread around.

A bit of a fair warning.... I'm not in a good mood this evening....
Those whom discourage word usage that resembes.... "fuck" and "shit" .... should tread lightly.... or even exit now for that matter.

*clicks site link*
-beat beat-

~sigh~
Why the splash page?... and a crappy one at that? It's a waste of my time and yours.... dump it.
*moving on to the actual site*

Okay.... you've succeeded in completely confusing me already.
Did I not just read on that atrocious splash page that this site is best viewed at 1024x768 ? How come so little of the page is being used?

As a visitor... I have no clue what the site is about at this point.... save for the fact that I've seen a crappy splash page that resembles whatever is in the background of the main content area of this site..... plus there are two cartoon characters that look completely out of place who's text bubbles have spelling mistakes in them (after further review... those aren't spelling mistakes.... those are actually R's that look all fucked up), and i can't find the slightest bit of humour in whatever nonsense they are mentioning.

So hey... the nav is at the top. weeee! +1 for usability.
Easy now... easy now..... calm down...
Let's not get ahead of ourselves.... everyone take a deep breath... and lets move on.

* overall layout has no appeal to me what-so-ever.
* the mouseover colour on links is not a great choice.
* the link to the "main" section should be the furthest one to the left as opposed to being the furthest to the right.
* in the "about" section i get a horizontal scrolly.... it's kind of annoying. Plus... when i mouse over the "Click here yaddya", the placement of the words changes. silly.
* that seems like such a small area to do bloggin in.... you have a planety of room to spare.... use it.
* is the "digest" link only supposed to say "Powered by x-news" right now?
* the link in the writer's section brings me right back to the about section. Why don't you just kill the "about" section... and not in the writer's section that you are the creator of the site... then you won't have to mess goin back and forth in there.
* mmm... pop up for the "gbook"... i don't like that.... but hey... i see that a lot.
* the text in the portfolio section kinda tricked me. i thought i was still waiting for images to load... instead i had to scroll down. hmm.. wierd. Mebbe i'm just tired and that's why i didn't notice.

All in all... I don't particularly enjoy the colour scheme you got flowin' here. It doesn't grab my attention... and i don't find it pleasant to the eye.
I really think the entire layout needs to be addressed in that only a very small portion of the page is actually consumed. Perhaps if you work up another layout..... look to make it "liguid" so that it'll adjust to the size of the browser window.

It certainly seems that you have an understanding of the processes of creation when it comes to building a site..... but the ideas and execution needs some help getting off the runway.
There's no need to piss and moan, or be discouraged....
These are just my opinions..... most people don't listen anyway.

If you happen to stick around for a while....... and you do some updating.... be sure to let us have a gander....
Most of us enjoy seeing the trial and error processes of someone who really wants to create something provoking to the web public.

Cheers man... keep at it.

nn4.76 didnt load for me (just as well by the sounds of it!)

well said Michael

I'm not in quite as bad a mood as Michael ~hands over some polar beer and shrooms to Michael~

I'm not a big fan of splash pages. It serves no purpose. Give it a reason for living or else just kill the poor thing.

I agree that things are real crowded. There is just way too much space wasted on the cartoon. Open up the design some ... it is in desparate need of elbow room.

The abundance of spelling and grammar mistakes all over the place makes me cringe. If you are aiming for even just a little bit of professionalism you need to go through and do some house cleaning.

The biggest problem is the lack of a clear purpose to the site IMHO. What's the mission? Why in the world would I want to visit? Dunno.

On the other hand, I don't mind the colors, and except for the crowded look, the site is nice. Take the theme you have going now and take it a few more steps down the road.

Don't get discouraged by the comments you get here!! Most of us here prefer to just dispense with the "you're great" crap and tell you like it is instead.

I do hope you stop by to say howdy again. Just take your black pills and you'll be fine ...

*gasp* Content.....need content....(falls over dead)

-Wil

*jigz takes the black pills, swallowed it, uurrppp----shouts to michael give me that beer!!!* holy crap! can you drop by again when you're in the good mood? hehe just kiddin! umm ic yeah now i can see my mistakes i know the fucking spelling sucks, i'll renovate it someday! i've decided to kill the splash page (i'll just remove it later)! You're right it has no point! Maybe i've been exposed to those type of people who likes splash pages! Also about the 1024x768 i need to change that. hmmm...and oh yeah the digest page has no content right now. I can't find any writers! geezz! Umm one question what is the best idea to let the visitors know what's d site all about? hehe maybe i should change the "project digest" to "project nonsense" Well i was about to write the history of the site--how everything turned out to be so odd--until you made realize that visitors might just leave right away if they notice it.

Thanks i'll drop by again if i did some major changes!

hi ummm i was doing some things and i came up this image i was wondering if it would be nice if i use this as my new layout.
http://darksouls.wyvernsymmetry.com/sulliedmind/layout2.jpg

the borders are just temporary. umm can you help me out, I mean the proper way to set things up like the buttons and stuffs? or the image is just crap?

gah... You're trying to follow a trend I've seen too much and am frankly sick of. The only thing that really, REALLY bugged me though is the way you talk. You sound like a retarded 7 year old which makes me want to stab myself.

jigz: Welcome. I think most of the major points have been covered so I'll just comment on the turning a graphic into a web page. I suppose I've seen it done (and done well occasionally) but you are better off using the image as a guide to the way you want your final web page to look. For starters that background as it is would be one big image and you might want to think of a way to tile it. I can't really tell how a page is going to look and work from an image so if you like the idea then go for it and turn it into a webpage and post the results back here.

While typing this synax posted a message which suggests we need some pills and ECT down here asap.

Emps

synax - thanks for the contribution you've made to this thread, i'm glad you've come to a full comprehension of the concept of constructive criticism. now, if you want to go stab yourself, well, no-one here is stopping you.


jigz - now, your layout 2 - well, forgive me, but it seems to lack detail? i realise that if you go to a lot of effort, to have someone tell you that you should redesign your site, it's a little disheartening, but you can't get much of a review unless your site design has a little more... momentum.
as your your first one, well - the splash page is unneccessary, but you know that already. the colours are nice though, i really like your choices.
like michael, i have absolutely no idea what this site is about. i do know that part of your site is similar to another site. will it be better? will it just be another mindless clone? what is it that you have to offer that will convince me that i should look at your version, and not the original one? get my point?
in some areas, the user experience should be relatively consistent throughout the internet. as such, i think that underlined text that is not a hyperlink is confusing.
your drop-down boxes are distracting - can you please make them the same width?
the pictures in the bottom right look cool - it's a pity that it just aint funny. of course that's my opinion, but honestly, i think it really detracts from the site.
your link mouseovers don't appeal to me either. it's not very inviting to click a link when the text almost disappears.
the only thing that makes your portfolio inviting is its persistence, but honestly, it's more annoying than inviting. why not dedicate a page for it.

wow. looking back, i don't think i've added much else to what anyone else has said - so i'll say again, i hope to see v2, v3, v4... and don't give up.




- - r e i t s m a - -
(tifkab)

Hey Jigz! Are you an 8 years old web designer? If so, I can understand your kiddy site.

To Live is To Die...



[This message has been edited by blacksoulsunday (edited 04-15-2002).]

I find it interesting that people with under fifty posts would make comments like these. If someone's going to insult someone else in a group, they should at least have the respect of the majority of the group first. At least that's what I always thought...

I can see this thread heading south in a hurry ...

couple things that bother me

I'm not hep to the IFrame idea here. Horizontal scrollbars are troublesome...break up the flow of reading.
I'd suggest replacing them with div's that are included on the server, then the content will flow properly.

I'm a little annoyed by the right / top alignment of the content area. If you are going to keep everything within that limited section (that is, not have a liquid layout) I'm OK with that, but center the content on the page.

I agree the cartoon takes up too much space. Not one to comment on its humor value, it is too big regardless.

"My portfolio" also confused me with the links / thumbnails being 'below the fold'.

Navigation seems off. At the top you have buttons, at the bottom you have drop down menus...my eyes aren't real sure where to go. Consistancy would help. Also, this doesn't seem like an appropriate use of drop down menu navigation. A list of those sites would be cleaner.

Pop-up's = bad -- 95% of the time
If you are going to use pop-ups, at least make their style / colors / design consistant with the rest of the site.

Dark grey on dark blue = bad -- 99.9% of the time.
I always prefer something a bit more subtle for hover / mouseover effects on a link...underlining text is good; changing color is good; changing font size, weight or font is bad.

Use of the word 'fag' = bad -- 99% of the time.
I know this is a personal thing, still, I can't stand it. This one word, and this one word alone, stopped me from reading your 'one on one interview'.

Spelling not good...but you already knew that.

Good luck with the rebuild, and bring it back here to show off. I hope you stick around for a whlie...lot's of things to learn here, there are.

mobrul

Slime: I do hope that being here longer doesn't give people a license to be rude!! I think the important thing was that even though taxon wasn't in a good mood it was still a review with some good raised.

I should also point out that quite a few people's first posts are here but more often than not people have lurked here for a while so tend not to be too suprised if someone gives them a review they don't like or if people are a little boisterous (I can only think of a handful of people who never came back).

Anyway back to the reviews.

Emps

INDEED!!!

To Live is To Die...

Synax: first of all, i came here for you guys to review my site not my writing skills. Second of all you're right, i think im just following some trends here. So i'll dump that design and make a new one.

Blacksoulsunday: No im not an 8 yo designer. I know your site is cool and im sorry if my site is not as manly as yours.

reitsma: Well, yes a part of my site is very similar to another site--a site w/c is my daily dose. But will it be better? No. There are some differences like: The other site was made for guys only, In my part i made it for both guys and gals, The other site has topics that are sometimes out of range, im only ranging for topics at my level. I like reading and the other site is evolving for something better. And im gonna miss the "reader's digest" thing so i made my own.

So far i've learned lots of things. And im going to stay with that layout for a while and make a new one, applying all the things you guys said here. *gets a paper and points out the details written here*

I'll drop by again.

Thanks,

Emps - although Slime doesn't need any help in defense here.... I figure i'll speak up while i'm browsing around. I think you missed his point. We'll toss out a quick example just to make this simple.

Say i come rollin' into the site reviews forum... and you've posted a URL... and tell ya... Emps... yer site sucks... and walk out the door.
You're probably going to be a slightly offended.... but you're not apt to get extremely defensive about it. You "know" who i am... you've seen me around.... And in some aspects... perhaps you may have an idea of my likes and dislikes before i even give a say so about it.

Enter scenario B.
Some guy with 1 post to the ozone comes rollin in here and says.... Emps... yer site sucks.
Granted.... neither one of us explained ourselves...... you're probably more likely to get defensive about that comment, than mine.
Cuz here's this guy... out of the blue... you don't know him... he doesn't know you.... and he's acting like an asshole.

It's not about the post count really... it's about being used to the company around you... and knowing people.
If a buddy was wearing an ugly shirt.. and yer about to go out to dinner with him to meet some women..... Yer gunna tell him. Dood... that's lame.
Now... say you were on like some sort of random blind date thing.... where you really didn't know this other guy..... are you gunna tell him that his shirt is lame?

Perhaps i've given bad examples... who knows.
But in some respects.... yah.. i guess the post count does give you a little bit more of a right.
It's not the actual post count that makes the difference....
it's people becoming comfortable to the person being around.
~shrug~
take it or leave it.
Mebbe Slime meant something completely different and i'm talking out of my ass yet again.

Cheers anyways folks...

jigz - let us know when you get some new ideas rollin'... we're critical... but you can only improve from it.

Jigz, I can help out man, just ask!

To Live is To Die...

Michael: Point taken. It was probably me just being a pedant!! If I know your work, respect your opinion and possibly know where you are coming from (likes and dislikes) then a 'it sucks' review also actually carries with it an awful lot of extra information (if a friend tells me he doesn't like my shirt but I know he has a taste for denim shirts then all that information should be brought on board when assessing the reviews).

Emps

thanks blacksoulsunday!



[This message has been edited by jigz (edited 04-16-2002).]

BlackSoulSunday:

quote:

---

Jigz, I can help out man, just ask!

---

he did ask. That's why his site is in the review section.
what makes his site as childish as you say it is? what does/does not work - go past shallow insults, and BE SPECIFIC! say what sucks, even say what doesn't.

jigz - i'm loving your peaceful nature, and positive outlook on what have been some useful (and some not so useful) criticisms. Welcome to the asylum, and i hope we see more of you. Feel free to have a browse around, try on a straight jacket, and don't go stealing any pears or pills, and you should be ok.

- - r e i t s m a - -
(tifkab)

He asked for a review, not a help for a whole site redesigning. What I've offered him was a help to redesign his site, that's all.

(reitsma)...don't get too excited, besides, you don't even have a .com

To Live is To Die...





[This message has been edited by blacksoulsunday (edited 04-16-2002).]

*bites tongue*

jeezus...
Thankfully i don't particularly care to bite my tounge. Allow me to take this one reitsma.

blacksoulsunday, this only needs to be said once....
Watch your (fucking) step.
Making these erroneous comments about other people within these threads will get you absolutely no place, in a hurry.
I've seen you do it on more than one occassion in the extremely brief period of time that you've been around here.
Just because a lot of us don't go flashing around signatures that have our URL's on them.... or fill out the little website category in the profile does not mean that we don't have a website or three.
A brief suggestion from the top of my heart...
Stick around a while and feel things out before you start spitballing at everyone.
I won't jump on people's posts because they seem like a negative person...
But i will jump on it if someone is acting like a dipshit.

reitsma has offered up some substance filled feedback here... and you've cast it off into the wind in your quest for idiocy.
He noted that you made numerous "shallow" comments... and he was looking for a bit more substance to those, which of course.... you did not provide.

So do us a favor and take your head out of your ass.

*motions to the moderators*