Thread: I'm finally ready to come out of the closet

You've gotta be cruel to be kind but constructive would be nice too. I've spent hours trying to get my images smaller and keep them looking crisp. They need to be smaller (especially my header) but I'm running out of ideas.
Honestly though.....would this web page convince you to go fishing?
http://74.86.118.28/~ejyuhupg/

Hi Muzza
The textual content is nice and warm and friendly
and I could very well start hunting for my rods again..................

You need to tweek your top menu page or your content page
as the top is overlapping the content.............can you reduce all that white space a little.

Will take another look when I get back later on.........you have made a good start..........now comes the incessant tweeking..............lol

That's a bugger. I deliberately overlapped the header with the content while trying to keep it clear to read. I thought it was a nice effect - obviously you don't. I was trying to avoid a header with strong boundaries and merging them together. Like I say I thought it worked well but if it puts customers off then it would be a (big) concern.

I'm not sure what "white space" you're referring to. Is it at the top of each page? (i.e. the header?).

realy nice site i did not see the menu bars on top until I read davids I was using the links on the bottom there 2 that need to open in the same menu, that is book a trip and request a quote. You get a 404 error on fishing reports needs a link fixed. Other than that you off to a good start and lets go fishing my favorite past time. Good luck..

Ditto With Joe, I found the menu bar at the top by mistake actually. Need some way to make sure people know it is there, Fix the broken links and I think you are golden, Good Job.

Hi Muzza, Looking good. Really good and I don't even fish. I understand what you were trying to do with the header and the content, but your uneven white space around the beautiful photo already creates an intergration between the header and content. I would move my content down a little so that it just about touches the water. That way you would still achieve your concept of no strong boundaries.
I knew the menu was there (I loved the header so much and the writing got in my way) but I don't feel that it works well and as Joe and Ed did not notice it - there will be others who miss it. What if you moved your phone numbers under the photo of your boat and used the space created, for your menu. There is room to move the testimonial down to allow for your numbers.

Just looked again and if you move your menu out of the header you could move the header up instead of the content down. I think there is enough white at the top - if you don't have to worry about the writing going into the dark of the photo. I would not lose all the white at the top - just nearly to the coloured part of the photo. That saves moving all of the images and content but still shows of the beautiful header.

Hi, just out of curiosity. Is this site yours as well. (Good looking site) Cant quite make out the change???

If that other site IS yours then please
Be advised that SEO's frown upon duplicate sites or duplicate content.

muzza,
great site, navigates well. content easily readable, colors and composition all appealing.
my only problem with it is the nav menu.
it looks like an addon by an amatueur whose webmaster quit. ha!
go with some nice buttons and think about putting them in that left hand column.
to answer your question, yes i think this is professional enough to attract clients interest and keep it.
well done.
charlie

Thanks for all the comments and I'll be trying to implement some of them. I'll just have to play around with some stuff to get it right.

To those that asked, yes the "ArlineFishingCharter" website is mine. I had access to create and modify up to 10 pages but the eDIY guys who control the servers, headers and trailers are hopeless when it comes to getting crucial changes made. It even took a whole year to get them to send me an invoice.

So I decided to move but I had to recreate everything first. Vodahost is cheaper and allows me more pages so I figure I'm on a winner. As soon as this draft is finalised it will be replacing my old one.

Very nice Muzza.
I don't fish, but the images and overall feel of your site is very enticing.

The white writing on either side looks a little cramped.

Muzza,

I am not an authority on anything, but if you are happy with your site on bv then drop the others cause it will hurt you in the long run...

Any amount of caring souls on this forum will help you...drop them...and do your best to make them understand you are done with them...

Because as long as you have a site with them, it is hurting you with bv...

hI muzaa
very nice site i like it..... i would for sure go fishing.....

Hi Muzza,
I liked the other header more. But this one is a super photo as well.
Just noticed a typo on the first page of your recipes. Under whether to fillet or not. You have wether and I bet you can imagine some Aussie males comments.
The other area of text i noticed something that your editing missed. (You can edit 100 times and still miss something if you are doing it yourself) In the Paihia Paintball section you have 'Stag do, work Do, sports Do or just a group' If you keep it the same way both the second & third do would start with lower case. My suggestion would be to change it to 'Stag, work and sport events or just a group of friends' The reason being, i think that 'a do' might be New Zealand & Aus English, although I am not sure.

Originally Posted by Muzza

Thanks for all the comments and I'll be trying to implement some of them. I'll just have to play around with some stuff to get it right.

To those that asked, yes the "ArlineFishingCharter" website is mine. I had access to create and modify up to 10 pages but the eDIY guys who control the servers, headers and trailers are hopeless when it comes to getting crucial changes made. It even took a whole year to get them to send me an invoice.

So I decided to move but I had to recreate everything first. Vodahost is cheaper and allows me more pages so I figure I'm on a winner. As soon as this draft is finalised it will be replacing my old one.

Muzza

If you OWN that domain name then you have several options open to you:

1) Transfer the domain name to vodahost servers.
2) Point the dns of that domain name to vodahost servers.
3) Redirect that domain name to your new site (good for SEO's)
4) Change the home page to "SITE CLOSED" or 1 large LINK to your new site.

Hi, like the new feel. Just need to bring the page down to 950-100-wide to stop the side scroll, & the menu needs to go to the left to center in the left column.

Originally Posted by davidundalicia

Muzza

If you OWN that domain name then you have several options open to you:

1) Transfer the domain name to vodahost servers.
2) Point the dns of that domain name to vodahost servers.
3) Redirect that domain name to your new site (good for SEO's)
4) Change the home page to "SITE CLOSED" or 1 large LINK to your new site.

No, my intention is to transfer the domain and then overwrite it with what I'm testing now (when I am happy with it)

Originally Posted by Collectors-info

Hi, like the new feel. Just need to bring the page down to 950-100-wide to stop the side scroll, & the menu needs to go to the left to centre in the left column.

Hi Chris,

Can you check to see if this is still happening. All pages are set for 1000 wide but everytime I do a cut'n'paste the definition changes if the paste wanders over the boundary. Wish I could lock the definition in.

Oh and one last thing. I have deliberately moved the menu slightly to the right so that it overlaps the photo. I've played around with the look and in my humble but often accurate opinion this gets the best result. (Did I mention my modesty too?)

Originally Posted by bysandra

Hi Muzza,
I liked the other header more. But this one is a super photo as well.
Just noticed a typo on the first page of your recipes. Under whether to fillet or not. You have wether and I bet you can imagine some Aussie males comments.
The other area of text i noticed something that your editing missed. (You can edit 100 times and still miss something if you are doing it yourself) In the Paihia Paintball section you have 'Stag do, work Do, sports Do or just a group' If you keep it the same way both the second & third do would start with lower case. My suggestion would be to change it to 'Stag, work and sport events or just a group of friends' The reason being, i think that 'a do' might be New Zealand & Aus English, although I am not sure.

Thanks Sandra. Have taken your advice. Definitely a Kiwi saying and the audience for that link would probably be Kiwi only but you never know. It's better to make it clear.

As for the photo in my header .... Hows this for an option?

That's looking better on the 1000 wide part. You also need to go to your menu & right click & bring to the front as its dropping down behind the Free Phone (NZ).

Thanks Chris, I had just moved the contact details in front of the menu because the link to my email wasn't working. Didn't spot that the menu was then disappearing behind the phone number. Thanks, all sorted now.

That looks better.

Hi Muzza,
That one would be my choice. I just want to be out there. (The thing is I don't fish so my choice might not be the best) i have a friend who used to sail there regularly. I think it might be one of the things she misses most. And btw we have plenty of 'doooos' accross the water. Had to spell it like that dos sounded like an operating system or counting in another language.

Thanks guys ('n' Girls). Constructive feedback is always appreciated

hi nice page. I like the idea of the menu overlaping the image. but your logo on the right hand top looks a bit chopped can you overlap that too on the image to give it a completeness.

Thanks for the suggestion onionpai. I gave it a try but I prefer my original version