Just Starting out, Need feedback for my site from you guys ..

[yogi_k]

Hi Folks,

I hope you're doing well. Am a just starting out in photography. I have created a non commercial site(as of now) of my own. It is totally in flash and contains a few pics of mine and am also planning to add some articles on basic photography.

I would like some feedback on the design, pages, anything to add worthwhile or to remove. Any kind of feedback/suggestions are more than welcome

This is the site : you'll have to type it manually on your browser due to restrictions on one of the words that appear in my site name

www.kshi_tijyogi.in (please remove the '_' underscore from the name )

Thanks,

[TPF Sponsor]

[yogi_k]

Not even 1 reply in 2 days and 40 views !!!

I was hoping i would get some feedback

[bazooka]

Most people are wary about clicking on links posted by someone with few posts, especially if they have to modify the url and it ends with a non-standard suffix. And you also hurt yourself by saying it's a flash site. Flash is not favorable because it's typically slow, requires a plugin, won't work on some OS's.

[Bitter Jeweler]

I really don't care for the revolving gallery. Sorry.

The site is also cluttered with ads, chats, search boxes, and other fluff that is just not needed.
I didn't even see you had a menu bar, because it's hiding below the facebook and twitter and assortent other links, at the bottom of the page.

Maybe if you made it easier for people to click on the link, like THIS, you might get more responses?

[bazooka]

Being the curious sort, I checked out as well and agree with Bitter. Well, actually I don't understand the revolving gallery at all, don't know how to get it to rotate. The google ads don't jive with the design at all. I can't read the quote at the bottom because it blends with the background.

EDIT: Well, just figured it out how to use it but it's slow and impractical for someone actually wanting to browse through your shots. I'm afraid your site is going to be distracting to the point that people won't remember your photos.

Hope that wasn't too much of a downer.

[yogi_k]

Thanks gyus .. am bad with designing .. the revolving gallery has to go .. would go tomorrow .. cant help with the url its my name ..
So this is what i suppose i should do:

* remove the gallery from the homepage
* involve more detail about the site on the home page
* Google ads have to go down by 50%
* facebook twitter have to go
* Menu bar has to come on top


* Have tried to add some basic info that i know as of now in "My Corner" section .. want your feedback on that .. it is still under work so would request honest feedback as you have given till now

Thanks a lot anyway for the details .. am not too good with html so went forward with flash .. Also this being my first attempt, wasnt sure how it should be ...

With feedbacks .. only way i see is forward ...

Cheers,
K****ij

[yogi_k]

And my name is again ***fied ....

Thanks,
Kshi_tij

[rehab]

in theory a personal portfolio site should have zero ads. learn dreamweaver, hit up godaddy, and and make the investment

[yogi_k]

Thanks Rehab,

Would try to give it a shot .. am bad with computers .. but ready to adapt .. lemme see what i can do mate

[Bitter Jeweler]

HTML isn't hard. Everything you need to know is online.
Even simple javascript rollovers are easy, just google it.

Yeah, personally, your menu needs to be clearly visible, so up top, on the side...
You don't need to loose the facebook and twitter links, just minimize them a little.
Actually going back to look, the postage stamp links are good, I think the "how many people liked this" is a bit big, and frankly, ask yourself if you really need that?

Just keep in mind, that you want an easy flowing, easy to navigate site. Don't make it confusing, or people will leave.
Remember less is more. Simple is elegant. Keep in mind, people are coming to view your talent with photography, not be impressed with your web trickery (flash).
Google ads? meh, do they really pay you? Drop 'em. Web surfers are inundated by ads, why make them see even more to view your art?

See if there are any WYSIWYG HTML editors, for free. Dreamweaver is great, but not free, to my knowledge.

Good luck, and keep us updated.


http://webdesign.about.com/od/htmled...freewyswin.htm

[bazooka]

If you are serious about it, I highly recommend heading over to w3 schools and go through the html and then the css tutorials. It may take you a week or two, but you'll soon be designing html/css sites on notepad. That's the route I took 5 years ago and am very glad I did... all notepad for me. It's more time consuming than WYSIGWYG yes, but I get to take more pride in my work knowing that it's 'handcrafted' and I feel like I have control over my sites. Not to mention you cut your file sizes by a massive amount.

[Double H]

You have too many fonts. They are distracting and fighting with each other. Stay with one font and use varying weights to add emphasis; the font used within the menu is good. If you are really partial to having a stylized font, I would use the font your name is displayed in. Remember less is more. You want the focus to be on your work, not the font. Stay away from drop shadows, especially on small text. It becomes almost impossible to read. Overall, you have too much going on on each pages, and nothing really ties together. I purchased my website template from portfoliositez.com and never looked back. I think it would be even better for someone like yourself with little design/layout skills. Their templates are CMS based with an extremely easy-to-use interface.

[yogi_k]

Thanks a lot guys,

Its my first attempt and am still learning. Have just purchased the domain as of now so took the WIX way to create the site. Points well noted, i also know html sites are better as of now for portfolios and general google searches. Would try to improve the current site as of now till i get more content.
Would try to stick with one common template/font rule for all the pages for symmetry (Thanks Double H). Dont think i would be able to find time for learning html, would be better off buying a template as i get more quality clicks and better content for the site.

So, ill get back to improving this site as of now. And thanks a lot folks, the feedback is really helping

Cheers..

[bazooka]

I think we are all happy you are actually acting on our suggestions!

[Double H]

Thanks a lot guys,

Its my first attempt and am still learning. Have just purchased the domain as of now so took the WIX way to create the site. Points well noted, i also know html sites are better as of now for portfolios and general google searches. Would try to improve the current site as of now till i get more content.
Would try to stick with one common template/font rule for all the pages for symmetry (Thanks Double H). Dont think i would be able to find time for learning html, would be better off buying a template as i get more quality clicks and better content for the site.

So, ill get back to improving this site as of now. And thanks a lot folks, the feedback is really helping

Cheers..

My career background lies mostly with print media, so coding something to make it look like I want takes far too much time. I used to spend hours trying to figure out something so minute, I'd bang my head against the wall. My time was not well spent. Going with my current template has allowed me to be more efficient at running a business and keeping its online presence fresh. My template was ready to go right out of the box with some minor tweaks done right through the browser-based control panel. It takes me a few minutes to add a new gallery, or replace images in a section. I actually enjoy that part now.
Key points for you Yogi;
1. Be consistent, have a general look, think of creating a brand.
2. Less is more. Be sleek and clean.
3. Keep evolving. Your site and portfolio will never be finished, embrace that.