Topic: My new website

[≈*≈]

Hi everyone!

I've been working really hard and learing lots of cool stuff 

I'd like your advice and comments on my new website. Kris and I are using the same company SBI! to build our sites. I'm working on the whole 'space' thing because the template is so narrow. I've added a background that fills the page and was wondering what you all thought. I've only added it to a few pages so far.  I'm always concerned about color and layout. 

I'm learning a lot of html (thanks, Michael). Yesterday, I learned how to set up a slide show!

I have more work to do on my content ... it's a never ending process of updating and adding, so the SE's continue to visit for those all important page rankings

I have about 30 unique visitors per day, and I think after I readjust my content and keywords, I'll have many more ... we'll see.

I'm having a blast doing this ... I love all of the html and figuring out how to read  and manipulate it to do what I want. It's definitely a task I never thought I would see myself doing.

I think that sometimes we get so stuck in our daily routines that we never step out, and away from the box that keeps us secure, yet imprisoned ... only to realize, once Out, that it was merely a cardboard box that we could have ripped through at any time. Easily done, but much hard work ... Why? ... because we like the smell of cardboard

Try something new ... Anything ... each day.

Anyway ... thoughts?  www.unique-babyshower-gifts.com

Thanks ... Ang

P.S. While you're there, do me a favor and subscribe to my RSS feed ... preferably the MyYahoo! feed ( http://my.yahoo.com/ ) ... trying to establish a world wide presence ... Thanks!!

[Michael]

Hi Ang, yes that colour background really does help, and the shadow thing which I have seen on quite a few sites now, does add a feeling of not being so hemmed into the middle strip.

I should tell you, that we who work in html, javascript and php, constantly find code on the internet - want to do something? Find the right words and look it up, snig the best code and make a few adaptations. It's life in web coding. To build your own if far too time consuming. It's all out there.

This site may give you some ideas:
http://www.seomoz.org/article/beginners-guide-to-search-engine-optimization

But this site is the one that web designers have been using since the early 90's - he is the recognised guru of the Usability Model:
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/

I think that sometimes we get so stuck in our daily routines that we never step out, and away from the box that keeps us secure, yet imprisoned ... only to realize, once Out, that it was merely a cardboard box that we could have ripped through at any time.

This struck me like lightening when I was about 24. I realised I lived in a cardboard box built by my own parent's ignorance of so many things. Just because there was no precedence in my family for something, was no barrier for me to go off and do it, read it, live it. Then later in life the box was from my own comfortable identity - some things were those that "I don't do". Why not? I keep saying.

Site is looking good Ang. You could consider the usual stuff like testimonials, customer feedbacks, site seals.

(Sorry, I don't do RSS myself.)

Good luck with it.

PS did I tell you before, the shadows on the menu rollovers are too dark - looks muddy - better to use a colour shadow than a grey one.

[≈*≈]

Thanks Michael! Those sites you listed are packed full of information. I'm hoping one day to be able to use the "upload your own html" option in building another site. I'm planning a travel site 

I have plans for a testimonial page, just haven't got it up yet. I keep fine tuning ... to a fault, maybe ... and need to move on to more of my marketing stuff.

I'd forgotten about the shadow you mentioned on the nav bar and I changed it to the only other option, which is a glow ... I think it looks a lot better!

I didn't like the white space on the left, so I added a side image. I'm hoping it doesn't look too busy. What do you think?

This struck me like lightening when I was about 24. I realised I lived in a cardboard box built by my own parent's ignorance of so many things. Just because there was no precedence in my family for something, was no barrier for me to go off and do it, read it, live it. Then later in life the box was from my own comfortable identity - some things were those that "I don't do". Why not? I keep saying.

Mine has been a series of lightning bolts ... a zap of the uncomfortable keeps me moving ... savoring the journey ... knowing there's no destination.

Thanks again for your input ... much appreciated!

Ang

[Michael]

Yep the glow looks a lot better.

[Butterfly Lightning]

Hi Ang,

I didn't want to reply until I had actually taken time to look properly. I love it, great site... looks like loads of fun and is easy to follow. The content is not so much my sort of thing, I'm not really into babies and all that surrounds them but there are a few people I know my age who have just had them so I will driect them your way.
So is this based on a template as well?

Do you find many have signed up to your RSS, and... how do you add the box in with he links to RSS and also the ones at the bottom with Twitter & Facebook?

[≈*≈]

Hi Ang,

I didn't want to reply until I had actually taken time to look properly. I love it, great site... looks like loads of fun and is easy to follow. The content is not so much my sort of thing, I'm not really into babies and all that surrounds them but there are a few people I know my age who have just had them so I will driect them your way.
So is this based on a template as well?

Do you find many have signed up to your RSS, and... how do you add the box in with he links to RSS and also the ones at the bottom with Twitter & Facebook?

Hey Daniel ... thanks!

Yes, it's a template. SBI! just had a design contest (members participated) and will have a new 3-column template available soon. It's a wider format and looks much nicer.

Within the template I used (custom template) I could add my own top image, side image and background (where the copy goes,not the back,background green). I just put them together in photoshop and uploaded.  But they have a ton of different templates to choose from as well.

My RSS feed through BlogIt!(another included SBI! module), is my second highest page for traffic. And every time I update a page, It automatically adds to my blog page and sends it out through the RSS feed. Pretty cool ... I don't have to make a separate blog, and everyone is automatically updated on what's new.

Same with SocializeIt! (again, included) ... I click a button and what you see at the bottom of the page with twitter, facebook, etc. ... is added to every page, if I wish.

What's cool about SBI! is that you can use the templates and still plug in some html here and there, and they also offer the option of building with your own html. So the skill level can vary from "zero html knowledge" to "advanced".

Their support team is great and they also have a very active forum moderated by veteran SBI!ers, with lots of tips. That's where I picked up my back, background code for the wide green color, And my slide show code. Everyone is eager to help. Heh! ... oops, sorry ... I'm promoting aren't I

Anyway, I'm really excited about it. Not only for the business aspect (which is still in it's infancy), but also for the "learning something new" that I've never dreamed of tackling before.

Balance Can be found on a tight budget send me a message if you have any more questions. I'll pm you my personal email.

Ang