Sole-Starr and Cole
Site Name: Sole-Starr and Cole
Date Ordered: August 2, 2008
Date Completed: August 31, 2008
Screenshots
First Impressions/ Layout
I have no idea who Sole-Starr or Cole is so I hope your website will give vaulable information to help me understand who these people are. The layout is nice although she looks pregenant in the picture on the right. I unfortuately can't really review the layout because it you did not make it. All I can say is it is a good layout. The colors match well and the coding looks clean and nice. Although I must say your navigation is much too inconspicious. It took me a good ten seconds to find your navigation. Navigation should always be prominant. If it is not on your header then it should be right after your welcome message. The way you have your navigation set up made it difficult to find it as well. It just blended in with your layout because it was horizontal. I personally really like block navigation. I think it looks great and it's very easy to do. You can view a step by step tutorial Here. It will make your navigation prominant and easy for your visitors to find.
15/20
Content
Sole- Sole's Story
This is quite long. Did you write this out yourself? If so, bravo to you. You obviously know a lot about your topics which is extremely refreshing to see. I would however like to suggest prehaps shortening it. Or you could split this section into paragraphs based on episodes. So whatever happened in "un-named episode" would go under that episode's heading. This would be a lot more organized and make it easier on the visitors who just wanted to check a quick fact or two. It would also make this information not as intimidating to the visitor because to be frank when I saw this section I thought 'oh my gosh, I really don't want to read all of this' and decided to pick this review up at a later date.
Sole Graphics- Sole Avatars
Why does this pop up in a new window? I can understand if there were an excessive amount of icons on this page, however there are only four on the entire page. If a visitor were to have pop up blocker on then they may not view this section since it pops up. I would just have it open in your iframe. The icons themselves are good but I see you didn't make them so I can't really comment on them too much.
Sole Graphics- Sole Blends
This also pops up in a new window. However a positive about this section is that it is organized well and you have provided thumbnails. These are all actually very good and if I were a fan would consider using one. My favorite would have to be the first one.
Sole Graphics- Sole Blinkies
I'm not a big fan of blinkies. I don't really like things that constantly flash in my face and distract me from the website I'm on. However props to you for offering an array of graphics because some visitors might be in love with blinkies. I just happen to not be one of them.
Starr- Starr Manning's Biography
I've been taken to a page with a billion words on it. Much like the 'Sole's Story' page and again I ask if you could maybe make this section more visitor friendly. Remember that the paragraph tag is your friend and that whenever you start talking about a new topic then you should start a new paragraph.
Starr Graphics- Starr Blinkies
I've been taken to a freewebs 404- page not found. I suggest fixing that.
Cole- Cole Thornheart's Biography
My thoughts on this section are pretty much exactly the same as my thoughts on Starr's biography.
Cole Quotes- Cole Graphic Quotes/Written Quotes
Thess pages pop up in a new window with no content on it. If there is no content then do not have the page.
Site-Credits
Why is there a sparkling "Courtney" sign at the bottom of this page? It's incredibly out of place and has nothing to do with crediting your sources.
5/7
Graphics
The layout is very nice. Some of the blends are good but some are not so good and the icons could use some work. However I am aware that you did not make them so I can't really put any blame on you.
5/10
Organization
You are fairly organized but I would have liked to see the biographies and history of the ship more organized with headers and prehaps using my suggestion for the history.
13/15
Niceness
You seem extremely nice to your visitors and I always love seeing owners respond to visitors via tagboard/cbox.
10/10
Creativeness
Your site is fairly creative. I can not say that I have seen a site like it before, but I was not looking for one. Overall though I think your site is pretty creative.
6/10
Updates
You seem to update everyday, but there are only two updates displayed on the site. Maybe try having at least five updates on the front page. What if a visitor were to return to your site after having not visited for a few days or even a week; how would they catch up on the past news if you only have two updates displayed?
4/5
Colors
Your colors are nice. They are definietely different, which can be good in some cases. Your case is a good one. I like that you optied for black content and sidebar areas instead of that dark maroon color.
7/10
Extra
Your site is pretty unique but work on getting that wow factor in there.
5/10
Bonus
Saw the button on the sidebar!
5/5
Overall/ Final Thoughts
Your site is ok. The topic is unique, I've never seen a site on Sole before. However work on making your navigation distinguisable from your sidebar content. Try the block navigation tutorial that I provided. If you do not like that at least make the links in a vertical line so they are easier to find. Prehaps try my suggestion for making your biographies and "Sole's Story" easier to read for the visitors. Last, get rid of any pages that do not have content on them.
63/102
Prizes
