[Aayci Warrick]

I doubt very many of you know or even care, but I'm making a new website for videos me and my friends make. Our videos haven't been very impressive and we haven't been making them at our highest speed (like 3 every 6 months lol). But anyways, I'm making a new website that I really want to impress people with, my friend who is code savvy and should be making the website couldn't ever find any time or if he did have time was too lazy to work on it, so I took it into my own hands. I've made it decently okay so far, using expression studio 2 to build it. (I may supply a couple of screenshots of what I've gotten done so far).

Here's the reason of the post though, what do you look for in website's, what do you really like about them? Think about the website's you go to everyday and think about why you go to them and why you like them. Is it the forums and the community there, cool features like games or news? or do you just think it's neat. Although some of the stuff may be far above my head to even try at making, your feedback will help alot!

If you could help any with the process of making the website, it'd be appreciated although not successful. unless your special.

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/1900/rssnz7.jpg
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/252/ ... dexnt1.jpg

edit: oh and pr0n on a website may be true to some of you, but please don't let us know that.

[Richard]

Am working with our Mrkting department about how to project and setup our coporate website.

Your main page needs to sell what your site is about et al. which yours does do that.. Although with the colouring scheme and the advertisements it is a bit jumbled up

Can I suggest more contempoary colouring and neutral colourig schemes. This will make it look much more professional.

I am sure there are some web developers here as well as Chantelle who can offer some advice she made a professional one.

[FlapJack23]

Alright, I'm going to pull out my critic hat. :/


I really dislike the background and the logo, because they look to muddy. Try keeping the background a solid color or gradiant. I really like this body scheme, but change the background and logo to go with it.

The layout is decent on the video page, but remember to make the background, logo, and body work together.

It's a decent start, but be sure to keep the design clean and consistent.

[Chantelle]

Well your up and strated so thats a good start!!

I would say from and end users and previous web makers POV there seems to be a general problem with the colouring design your using.

The colouring banners etc.. all too gorish.. this makes the website look like a home made jobby. Like FJ and Rich said, too muddy and such

If your struggling dump using photoshop or anything like that.. Simplicity is absolute key.

Id say theres much to be done with the deisgn structure and lay out especially on the front page.. But id change teh colouring scheme and theme first

Less is more. Change the backgrounds all to white firstly and then make sublte changes this in turn will help you hide your advertisements a little better also.

Tricvk is you want your content to stand out so that needs to be bold on a lighter arrangement.

Look for univseral fonting, lighter and more neutral colour tones, use a master page system so that you have a universal layout

Arrange the videos more tidy in a set format

You can even use a database for this and add them in that way, using a data view system.

[Aayci Warrick]

okay, thanks everyone, but none of those pictures show my home page lol, just the RSS page and video index, the color of the ads and the background will change, White definitely was not working and I hate dislike white backgrounds. The videos are in a set format, the front page does sell the site and say what we do, it is a homemade jobby! lol sorry, I had to point that out, I'm not looking for help with the website design itself, that will improve with time. I'm just wondering what I should put on it!!

Thanks though

Edit: I also do not own photoshop

[Melissa]

Maybe you should show your home page... thats is after all the most important page.

Well you did ask what people look for in websites?

you also said this

"But anyways, I'm making a new website that I really want to impress people with"

Thing is, I agree the colours are horrendous

If someone sent me to that youd thing it was a virus ridden site and close it down straight off. remove most the colouring and make it light much much much more neutraled./. then your 300% better already!!

Just cos its a home made jobby as you say doesnt mean you cannot make a good contempory job of it..

I would use a grid view and database to unify the video links..

[FlapJack23]

I'm just wondering what I should put on it!!

You should start by removing everything unnecessary in the design.

If you're looking for features, you could make a forum, a shoutbox, a blog, and other cool stuff.

[Aayci Warrick]

If you're looking for features

lol yes! that's what I'm looking for, like I said, colors were just changed for editing. The colors I want to have for the site are blue, green, and black but the template I still haven't modified completely came with those ugly greys, like I said, it's in progress.

And I do not understand what people say when they say "database" view or whatever, right now it's in a table grid and adding any other clutter would just seem to be unneccessary(?)

Video index goes to youtube page first, title got screwed when changing names of stylesheets accidently.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/3474 ... agekw9.jpg
Silverlight page, I'm going to make the black in the gradient a little more so it's less distracting when watching the video.
http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/7788 ... agemx1.jpg

[Chantelle]

Well you have now edited your Original Post which makes things ambiguous?

Anyway to your revised question, when you go to a website you go to it for its primary function.. I dont come to KR to read the News etc.

Id strengthen your primary objective on the site make thats the best, catagorise it etc. Add a message board and such or an update news feed or contact us etc.

If you jumbled too much in its hard to tell what your about, unless you intend on expanding on doing other things

____

Re database dont worry about it

What I meant is

Your video page is jumbled and not tidy its just an easier way to maintain a uniform design..

BUT you can still code it anyway, just takes alot longer if your putting alot of items on. Just put the attribute tags in the code of the item

_____
I know you said it is WIP But I must iriterate the design - the current black, green and blue is bad, I mean really bad. If it has to be Id use one and multi tone it.

The gorish choice of colouring will make any website regardless of content look awful.

I have also forwarded my suggestion to a colleage who is a developer who generally concurs with mine and the general suggestions so far.

[Richard]

I thought I were being tactful!!

SInce the question is now

"what do you look for in website's, what do you really like about them"


Well the answer is depends what I am looking for??



Better still tell me what your site is all about

Everything!! tell me what your home page says


THEN

Ill tell you what Id expect to see.

Thats what you need ot do, if your doing market research you need to identify what people want in your product and what the target is, not teh other way around.

[Aayci Warrick]

Thats what you need ot do, if your doing market research you need to identify what people want in your product and what the target is, not teh other way around.

lol it's just a site for people to watch our videos and miscellaneous stuff like that, no products, just selling entertainment for free. And you guys are the target! and since I already know what people like in videos, I need to see what they like about video websites!!!

this is the color scheme I'm probably sticking with, that's the homepage so far, still has alot of work to do

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/5757/defaultcd6.jpg
http://www.blackle.com
We're going green by going black! lol, that and we like the color black

[FlapJack23]

Wait, are you thinking of sticking with this color scheme?

[Aayci Warrick]

si, close to it anyways

[FlapJack23]

Really, please don't go with that scheme for the background and logo. It would look much better with a simple gradient or single color for them.

[Aayci Warrick]

Really, please don't go with that scheme for the background and logo. It would look much better with a simple gradient or single color for them.

I like them, I know they aren't the greatest, but they're good enough for us. What else do you suggest?

[Chantelle]

Sorry got to agree with FJ

I think the colour scheme is absolutley horrendous.. Not just bad ,its completely awful..

It degrades the site 4 fold.. Almost makes you think your gonna contract malware just visting it (as it has that sort of feel about it)

The plain black would be much better.

I think you underestimated the value of the rifght design

[Aayci Warrick]

lol that's okay with me, and do you mean plain black background? or what?

[Melissa]

lol

well I think your the only person who likes it (colour schemes)

Flapjack and Chantelle have both developed web sites so if you want help in other aspects they might help with that.

a plainer colour is much better so if ist all black like your blackie theme then so be it..

I personally dont like dark websites they are just difficult to read and not as comfortable.

I find it intrusive

[saunby]

I agree with whats been said, not to offend here Aayci, but it really doesnt look like the sort of website peopl will think is godd due to the colour not content, make it clean and swish, thats what people look for in websites these days mate

[Melissa]

THe masses has spoken it seems!!

I hope you heed some of the advice..

[Aayci Warrick]

THe masses has spoken it seems!!

lol more like 4 or 5 people

I'm working at being able to leave comments under the video on the pages right now, and also a simple counter. Even though making a counter is simple, I'm not sure on exactly how to set it up. Which should I use html, php, or javascript? If I used php, would that page need to be php?

And as for the comments, I'll need to set up a sort of database set up? right? lol I'm new to this all so help would be much appreciated!

[Chantelle]

To be fair some were pro developers as I shown.. anyway not gonna talk about that


What language is your page as now?

[Melissa]

Yea, that depends on what you made it in already and whats running it.

How have you coded it so far?

[Aayci Warrick]

The client is javascript, and it's html I think, this is the code at the top of the page anyways, I hope it's what you're looking for.

I have recieved some help from flapjack and I'm going to go through a tutorial tonight, but still alot of the things are over my head, can you guys help me with I need to know about setting up a database and mysql and php stuff? This is the tutorial flapjack suggested I look at for creating a comment box:
http://www.phpeasystep.com/workshopview.php?id=12
he said it should work on a html page, but even if it doesn't I should be able to make the page PHP easily?

[Melissa]

Depends on the application complier, you cannot just throw any bit of code in and expect it to work.

If your site is built on javascript then use that. cannot have a mish mash of different languages all over the places


But whether you built it using php or Js either is fine..

I personally used asp.net but thats much more widley used in the business and corporate markets. Dont bother with that unless your looking to make something of a carear out of web development.