First Web Page

[e85andyou]

I would like to know your opinions. This is the first web page I have ever put together and I do not know many of the programming languages. I programmed this site using almost complete HTML.

http://www.e85andyou.com

 

[eod696]

It sucks, but everyone's first page does. Get used to harsh criticism, it can be the most helpful tips you've ever gotten if you can get over the rudeness. Also, as you expand your programming knowledge, be sure to spend alot of time exploring css and php. Javascript is old school, if I were you, I wouldn't waste my time on it. Most little things jscript can do can be handled by css, and most big things can be handled by flash and or php. Avoid strictly flash sites though, they're heavy on bandwidth and really distort your views when designing. Also, paroose design communities and weblogs for ideas. Here's a few of my personal favs

http://www.alistapart.com (lots of great articles on design)
http://www.phirebrush.com (more art than design, but still some good ideas)
http://www.sxc.hu (a good free photo site for design elements)
http://www.htmlgoodies.com (a great tutorial resource for novice html/css/jscript programmers)
http://www.hotscripts.com (lots of great php and other such scripts for free download)
http://www.abstractfonts.com (great fonts for use in images for logos and such)

And if you feel frisky, try some of these content management systems out, they help expedite publishing and create a user friendly backend interface for your website:

http://cms.fuzzylime.co.uk/
http://www.phpnuke.org
http://www.drupal.org

And a really good forum to use, phpbb, http://www.phpbb.com

These are some great resources that have been pivotal in my design and development over the years. Find which ones you like and can understand, some are probably over your head right now though. As you get deeper into webdesign you'll come to understand them alot easier. Remember what I said though, php and css, those two coupled with html makeup some of the best websites on the web. The most important things for you right now are probable http://www.htmlgoodies.com and leraning css, which you can do here: http://www.csstutorial.net/. Just bookmark the rest of these for when the time is right.

 

[e85andyou]

I posted this site to see what people would say like that. I have several top 10 websites on the net and they are all simple web designs such as the one listed which I slapped together for a client. They love it and payed me $1,000 for it I just love posting simple web pages. For some reason everyone I talk to on web design hates my designs but customers prefer simple extremely easy to navigate designs. Try doing polls on the look of your designs. Some of the "best designs" placed out there by many designers really just suck to the average person. I think people need to start dumbing down their designs and think about the average user not what the over active imagination would like to see. I know many people that if they go to a sight and there is to many visuals and advertisement they simply click back and go to the next site. The other issue is that many people are catagorizing their links with CSS which is nice and all but many people just prefer the old way of clicking a link on the left side. The other issue is many "top designers" are using way to many programs to create these sites. I am an old school programmer, yes I know I still use Notepad. However, by doing so I am able to use keywords that many now use imagery to do so, which inadvertently lowers your page rank in most cases. I just though I would toss in my opinion as well.

In conclusion sites do not need complex coding to become popular and make money they simply need to appeal to the customer with easy navigation and easy to read data.

 

[shcKr-]

lol, americans must be slightly behind on what looks good, as in the uk noone would ever pay $1000/£500 for a website that looked like that

 

[eod696]

Lets see some of your top ten websites so you might enlighten us overzealous designers. And people are stupid, they'll pay a thousand bucks for any website, because alot of people think its a good rate for an entire site, no matter what it looks like, and no matter where they are, be it the UK or the US or India for that matter. If its true that the average user prefer's a text based, default font, image light, bright and contrasting color scheme like the one you're showing, then why is it that major companies don't invest their $15,000 in you to design their websites? For instance reebok (http://www.reebok.com/US/#), heavy flash, heavy graphic, strong interactive interface. Or sprite (http://www.sprite.com) another heavy flash, heavy graphic design, this time augmented with audio clips. Or how about cnn (http://www.cnn.com/)? CSS/HTML/PHP or ASP or CGI or some hardcore scripting language in the background, probably PHP, along with alot of high quality, heavy images. If what you say is true, then these companies, moreso than most, should know to make their websites more simplistic, with harsher color schemes, and less bandwidth eating materials. Yet they dont...why is that? Why is it that they pay bookoos of money to world class designers to come up with these over complicated websites, when they have the money to throw away on polling and surveying their customer base to find out what's expected from their website before they create it?

But most importantly, out of all my questions for you e85andyou, is how many more hits do you think this website is getting (http://www.ethanolrfa.org/resource/made/) than your own, when both sites are distributing the same content, and your design is much simpler and easier to navigate? I'm guessing 100 fold, but thats my few years experience in design talking. I'm sure you're a much more seasoned veteran when it comes to design, seeing as you've stumbled upon the epiphany of "simpler is better."

Honestly, I was trying to give you some good tips and places to gather new ideas and better design practices, while introducing you to the harsh criticism you're bound to receive along the way in your designing venture. But, you're probably a high school or middle school student in some design class showing off your class project, and butthurt about the fact that I told you it sucks, when you know its better than anyone elses in your class. Well in the real world, it does suck, but I'm not going to explain why to you, because the design isn't worth saving. You just need to explore the information available and build off what you already know, then create something worthwhile, and try to quit being a smartass. Learn to accept criticism, its the best way to improve your skills, and shoot high, try to recreate whatever you think looks cool. Don't just rip it, draw it up yourself from scratch and add your own little touches to it. Its the best way to learn and progress in designing, and you've got alot of that left to do.

 

[jjpeacha]

I posted this site to see what people would say like that. I have several top 10 websites on the net and they are all simple web designs such as the one listed which I slapped together for a client. They love it and payed me $1,000 for it I just love posting simple web pages. For some reason everyone I talk to on web design hates my designs but customers prefer simple extremely easy to navigate designs. Try doing polls on the look of your designs. Some of the "best designs" placed out there by many designers really just suck to the average person. I think people need to start dumbing down their designs and think about the average user not what the over active imagination would like to see. I know many people that if they go to a sight and there is to many visuals and advertisement they simply click back and go to the next site. The other issue is that many people are catagorizing their links with CSS which is nice and all but many people just prefer the old way of clicking a link on the left side. The other issue is many "top designers" are using way to many programs to create these sites. I am an old school programmer, yes I know I still use Notepad. However, by doing so I am able to use keywords that many now use imagery to do so, which inadvertently lowers your page rank in most cases. I just though I would toss in my opinion as well.

In conclusion sites do not need complex coding to become popular and make money they simply need to appeal to the customer with easy navigation and easy to read data.

Ok this seems a little stupid now. You asked us what we think, and somebody gave you an awesome response. allbeit not the response you were proberly expecting however seeing by your response. You also kind of contradict yourself when you say that this is 'the first web page you ever built' however you have 'several top 10 websites'. I feel sorry for your clients.

All this nonsense about "top designers" using way to many programs. I'll have you know that I use 3 programs: "TextMate" - to code my site, "CSSEdit" - to create my CSS and "Transmit" - to upload it. Now is that too many programs then? They are built to do a job and they do a job well. Many 'Old School Programmers' use these tools as they incorporate the fluidity of being able to fully control the design of your website without having Dreamweaver input it's own code.

I've been a webdesigner for 2/3 years now and have learnt alot along the way. I am now able to code in CSS after learning the old HTML table techniques. After realizing that the world of web had moved on from tables I then taught myself CSS which I am still learning today.

Your site is basic, VERY basic. It uses image maps for the header, which could be very easily done in CSS. What I don't understand it that you say you coded the site yourself but for the image map you use the default dreamweaver term for the map 'map1' - surely if you handcoded it you would have changed the term to something easier such as 'header'?

Anyway, your site sues tables which is very old and won't get you very high in the ways of SEO which you seem to spout on about in your above post. Your site wpn't be the quickest to load in the world due to all the junk code that is in your site. I don't honastly know how you managed to code every page like that - it's a disaster zone.

Like the above person suggested I would learn how to code in CSS, before showing off your site.

 

[pandong]

is it just me or the page just wont load at all?
Edit:
ok.. the site just loads now. all i can say is it's a total eyesore! you call that simple design yet you are using bevelled buttons and stuff?

In conclusion sites do not need complex coding to become popular and make money they simply need to appeal to the customer with easy navigation and easy to read data.

everyone prefer this but your's isn't a good example. i suggest you go back to the drawing board and learn web design as i 'm pretty sure you don't know what you're talking

I have several top 10 websites on the net and they are all simple web designs such as the one listed which I slapped together for a client. They love it and payed me $1,000 for it

f*ck me! are you really serious? if it's true, i feel sorry for these people..

 

[edu2004eu]

The site isn't very user-friendly at all... but that's OK, I guess, since it's your first. I'd recommend using much CSS for your design. Normally I'd give the site a 5/10, but since it's your first, I'd say 7/10. (My first looked bad compared to yours, so you're on the right track)

 

[JuniorD]

sorry, i don't like it much, learn a bit more photoshop. like one of the first guys said, use cms. they're wonderful.