Making a Website...

[ht_murray]

I'm experimenting with websites again. The freewebs thing just wasn't what I wanted. I know it seems stupid, since I have all of one story to put on it, but I want one just for my non fan works.

I discovered this free flash site, and I wonder if anyone would take a peek and tell me if it loads for them?

Erm, the site isn't nearly finished, just a home page and a teeny bio, one thing in the gallery, and a bunch of links that go nowhere. LOL. Also, I forgot a disclaimer, and I probably need to make that artwork less recognizeable. Bleh, but it's not on search engine's so hopefully no one's looking for it unless i link them.

I know I need to fix the Library link on the home page (but you can link to the gallery through the gallery buttons on any other page) and the font is a lot smaller than it looked in the editor. But I'm just wondering if the flash aspect works for y'all or if it's annoying. You can hover over the buttons and some of the images and see what the flash does.

On the other hand, maybe I'm the only one who can bring up the page. Let me know I might have done it all wrong. Go figure.

http://www.wix.com/burstynout/HT-Menu-Paper

ETA: Gallery is NSFW. LOL!

Comments

[sams1ra.livejournal.com]

Awwwww, there's a wee!You on a horse! And the gallery is not work safe (0_o)
The links page needs some work, but yeah, it loads for me.

*smishes wee!you*

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

lOL, totally forgot about the NSFW warning. *glomps you* That's what I get for fighting with my comp up until I'm already late. LOL.

[sams1ra.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to add - I don't know if anyone else had this problem, or if it's just a coinsidence, but ever since I went on your site I've been mega-spammed. Which is totally weird, cuz I didn't log in or put my e-mail anywhere...
*is weirded out*

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I dunno. No one's mentioned it. And I've been over there a gajillion times and haven't had any spam. *shrugs*

[sams1ra.livejournal.com]

*deletes spam*
Computers hate me... *pouts*

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

LOL, I always get spammed a bunch after I go on Myspace or Facebook. I'll give 'em social networking, sneaky bastards! *grumble*

[jane-eyre.livejournal.com]

The page loads fine for me, and it looks good.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Aww thank you. My comp so isn't happy about it. It's taken to just turning itself out while I'm in the middle of editing a page. Too much work for it's little old self. I so need a new one.

I'm just glad it works.

Y'know there's also an embed code that lets you embed the whole website in a live journal post. Now why the heck would anyone do that? I can't figure the point. Maybe it'll go on a profile? *ponders*

[redheadforever.livejournal.com]

It's obviously not finished (the bio and some other parts don't load (I hit every button to just test) but interesting. Not so easy for me to read, but I guess you didn't plan it for that but for artistic content, and it's certainly got that.

Murray? Now you've deserted the ranks of the Mishawives for The Chaddinator? *plotzes*

Red
hugs Dean harder

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know. Most of the buttons aren't linked to anything, and most of the text that's up there is just what was in the template. The text was bigger and easier to read in the editor than it is now that it's published. I will definitely be making it bigger.

And Murray... Well, I wanted an asexual penname, and Marie is most definitely feminine. I suppose that makes me a bad female, but if the flowers and the horses don't look like a girl's website, why should I spell it out for them, eh?

Thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it.

[datenshiblue.livejournal.com]

Okay, forgive me for taking a real critical look but I'm a web designer by profession. Hope truth is okay. ;-)

The script font on the main page on the right is too small/difficult to read. The color used for the links/navigation on the right needs to be a more contrasting color, also difficult to read.

It loads fine on Firefox.

It loads okay on IE.

Safari loads everything about twice as slow as the other browsers. The link to Torquere so slow in Safari that I gave up waiting for it.

Loads okay in Opera.

You have a typo in your bio ;). ("litle" ;D)

The readability is a pretty serious problem, see if you can play around with colors on those links.

Also, your name, HT Murray, needs to be a lot more prominent than it is, also a color and/or font issue. On the main page it at least shows up twice but it's not as prominent as "Pressed in the Pages", which is what people will remember. I'm thinking it would be preferable for them to remember the author's name over that.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you! That's exactly what I needed.

And yeah, in the editor, the text and everything was twice the size it is once it's published. I have never used a flash editor before, and the instructions they give are sketchy at best, so I've mostly been guessing and goshing, and when something looks kind of the way I imagined it, I stop messing with it.

It's nowhere near finished, obviously. I just wanted to see if the flash aspect of it made it a monster to load (I use Safari, and it keeps crashing on me, :P). I hate Firefox, because for some reason, every time I get it set up the way I want it and all my add-ons installed, I shut it down, and when I open it again, it's back to the default settings. I do not know why it hates me. And I.E... I end up with a virus or something every time open that stupid program. So, yeah, Safari, but it's slow on everything.

So thanks a bunch for trying all of those. I hadn't really thought about the Titles and whatnot. The template I was using had the Title more prominent than the artist's name, and I just copied it, but I'll take your advice. :) I'm not really expecting to use it as a marketing site or anything, just want a central place to link all my non fanfic stories.

Incidentally, which link to Torquere did you have a problem with? The one linked in the image, or the one linked in the text? Because I don't think I tried the one linked in the image, but the one linked to the text popped right up in no time.

No forgiveness needed, unless you really want it for something. LOL. *glomp*

[datenshiblue.livejournal.com]

If Safari is slow, an alternate browser for you might be Opera. I used it for a long time before going back to FF.

*I meant to say the links on the LEFT.

It was the link on the image of the cup that was so slow on Safari that I gave up.

If I were you, I'd reverse the author name with the title - put them in the other's places - and see how that works.

Readability is a big issue for me with websites. No matter how pretty they are, and this one is nice and artsy-like, people come to read, not to be awed by the graphics, cause that ooh ahh factor only last about 3 seconds. ;)

The other thing about a flash based website is that (believe it or not) not every has/uses the Flash plugin for their browsers. Also you might see how well it works on other devices that people use to surf the web, like phones n' such. If someone if looking for something to read at am airport or in their doctor's office or whatnot, they might enjoy going to read your stories, if they can get to them.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about Flash plugins. My comp at work does not have one, so if I read my flist at work, all the youtube vids are just blank boxes. LOL. (Methinks some peeps were surfing teh pornz.)

I've really been playing with this way more than I should, because I'm supposed to be writing a bigbang fic. But it was designed as an art or photography site template, and I was curious if I could get it to work for what I wanted. (Most of the others were ugly...:P) Once I got tinkering and found out I could do just about anything with it, I got addicted. I'm a bad, bad girl. Sigh.

So, I'm making a list of things I'm definitely going to tackle when I finish that fic.

First is download Opera. Second is switch the title and author names. Third make all the menus the same on every page and use more contrasting font color on the buttons. Fourth, make everything way bigger than I think it should be so when it shrinks up it will still be readable.

I'm not actually anticipating a lot of traffic, since I have no idea how to advertise other than post the link in my journal and myspace, blah, blah, blah. So, while I know the flash might not load for everyone, I don't think there will be that many anyones to worry about. If it is an issue, though, what would you recommend? I mean, if they don't have a flash player, they won't be able to see if I post a link to an alternate LJ or blog, right? Ah well, with the popularity of Youtube, I'm comfortable going with the assumption that people who read online and spend a lot of time seeking entertainment will most likely have a flash player. As for phones and whatnot, I feel like a dork, because I don't even own a phone. The most complicated device I have is an mp3 player. LOL. Ah! Heather has an iPhone. I'll ask her if she can read it.

Thanks again for the advice. I doubt anyone will see it, but I'm guessing I'll spend a lot of time tinkering with it anyway. So much fun! Glee.

*owes you big time*

[datenshiblue.livejournal.com]

Have fun with it!

You owe me nada. :)

[chocca2.livejournal.com]

I love the design of the site, Tracy. I think most have already picked up on any improvements. Links and site in general seem to work fine for me =)

Oh and that pic of you on the horse? *glomps YOU*

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

LOL, I don't actually remember that picture being taken, which is good, because OMG, it's a long way down. LOL.

And believe it or not, I'm still plugging away at bigbang. They've gone hunting. LOL. Dean's smoking in the tent. Sam's not pleased. Ah, the bickering. *glomps*

[angels3.livejournal.com]

I know I'm late to the party but it loaded for me. :)

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Meep! Thank you. Never late. The party's never over. LOL. (It has to start first...)