Question

Topic: Website Critique

Need Feedback On My Site, Please!

Posted by Anonymous on 8/23/2008 at 10:20 AM ET 75 Points
Hey gurus,

Please take a moment to check out my site for my magazine [inactive link removed] and tell me what you think of it.

I do all of the design work myself using Dreamweaver and have grown a lot since the first draft a couple of years ago. However, I'm trying to get some constructive feedback on the design elements, flow, ease of use as well as ideas on how I can get the visitors to come back more consistently (include detailed methods).

Thanks again, and you guys are great!

[Moderator: Inactive link removed from post. 2/14/2011]
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 8/23/2008 at 9:03 PM Member
    Have you considered using a blog format so that your "what's new" section is highlighted? It could exsist in a blog format which would make it feel more personal and up to date. Something like Wordpress gives you a wonderful content management system also. You could get comments back from your visitors so it would start to be a two way conversation rather than a one way street.

    I went to your site expecting news from the current issue but I was unclear about what you wanted me to do on the site. Try to focus on the tasks you would like the visitor to do and create a heirarchy visually. If you have a blog set up people can subscribe to an RSS feed so they will pull in all your updated content whenever they log into their RSS reader. They might visit your site if the postings look interesting. You could blog about the books and other items you have for sale as well.

    A wordpress magazine theme available:
    https://www.darrenhoyt.com/2007/08/05/wordpress-magazine-theme-released/
    https://www.darrenhoyt.com/2007/07/24/in-praise-of-wordpress-template-tags-...

    Check out other magazines online for ideas.

    Some links I found for online magazines:
    https://www.christianapp.org/
    https://www.worldmag.com/
    https://www.salon.com/
    https://www.howdesign.com/GeneralMenu/
    https://www.wired.com/
    https://www.time.com/time/
    https://www.sciencemag.org/

    Hope this helps!!
  • Posted on 8/23/2008 at 9:41 PM Author
    You're the man, shum! Thanks, man. Hey, how easy is it to create an rss feed to my blog? I actually DO have a blog - I just don't use it currently. But I know I need to.
  • Posted by Mikee on 8/24/2008 at 9:21 AM Accepted
    Alex,

    I think the color pallette could use a makeover. There is something about the color combinations that are not appealing although I can't put my finger on it. I would reccomend looking at some of the sites you enjoy the most and see how they use color. There are also template sites that many great examples. Find a color combination that you like and try it out.

    There does not seem to be any continuity from page to page with your type styles, i.e. headings. You should try using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to style your site. This will allow you to make headings match on all the pages, giving it a more professional look. You may even want to find a template that you like, search for css templates, and use it.

    People like to participate. Have a place where people can comment on articles, review something, or discuss things. This will give a reason for people to come back to the site. You may want to create book reviews instead of just putting them in the store. Perhaps allow users to review them as well. This kind of stuff gets people interacting with your site more.

    Keep running the race,
    Mike
  • Posted on 8/24/2008 at 12:05 PM Accepted
    Glad you found my previous posting to be of interest!!

    The RSS is built into the blogging application in Wordpress, I don't know about other blogging applications.

    One of the differences I found with Wordpress is that it allows you to make static pages so you can use it for a website.

    Once you have the blog set up with the RSS feed (there is information on the wordpress site about exporting and importing from other blog applications such as blogger) then you can go to sites like feedburner to register your RSS feed.

    Linking to other blogs in your blog roll can get you viral exposure also. Many of the templates allow for ads which can be a small source of revenue with little investment.

    I designated myself as the administrator while allowing the conductor to be an author (there are 4 levels of authority). She can edit all the content to her heart's desire and I have kept control of the design elements so that there is no chance of her messing anything up. It always looks good no matter what she does because the design stylesheets are set up beautifully.

    BTW I found another magazine site for you to look at:
    https://www.refinedmagazine.com
    They didn't use a blog format but the information architecture is strong. The design is simple with a strong targeted message.

    Best of luck!!
  • Posted on 8/26/2008 at 5:40 PM Author
    I appreciate you guys and shum... don't be surprised if I email you soon for more info about that rss feed idea.
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