Web Site Help!

[Jaymz77]

I have done flash based web design for years and I really like the layout of the site. I would only comment on the thumbnail scroll bar, it seems to want to run from my mouse and in my experience you dont want to frustrate your viewer with somwthing like that, have you web guy slow the auto scroll feature to allow the user to more easily select the thumbnail. Also, the click sound when you roll over a button could be alittl e less "click" and maybe a nice soft sound because you have so many buttons in a small area. Other than that, great site!

 

[elsaspet]

If I load a site, and it plays music at me, I leave that site and do not return. 90% of the time I've got music playing when I 'm on the net, so a site that plays music automatically creates an annoying noise. There is no reason for a site to play music at all IMO if it's not a site for a musician, or someone selling music.

If that were the case, all the movies you would see would be sans music.
Yeah, you could do it without all that pesky music, but it's not the same.
And if you leave a photogs site because of music, you are leaving over half of them. (Referring to pro photogs selling a service to the public)
Just a different look at things.........

 

[dpolston]

(I have a lot of notes for the guru... and thanks everyone BTW)


I seem to get the feeling that you are really bothered by the music and the BIG mute button beside it it too cumbersome to have to click.

I do admit that there are layout things I need to change and will and I really to cherish your thoughts.

 

[elsaspet]

Oh, one thing I forgot.
Who is your target audience?
That will make a big difference too.
If it's a soccer/stay at home mom, the site size might be just fine.
If you are selling to a younger/ more tech savvy croud, you will want big and flashy.
Good luck. I can't wait to see the final product.

 

[Bevel Heaven]

imagine this........

mom or dad just got baby to sleep and finally have time to get online and do a search - they find your site... Click the link and MUSIC followed up with BABY CRYING and bam - you just lost your sale....... for me anyways. I would be so pissed I wouldn;t ever bother coming back to your site.

I lost the music thing on my websites immediately after I was given the same scenerio.... Mute button or not, it is too late by then for some [many] people.

My encouraging suggestion is to instead put a speaker button somewhere so that if someone WANTS to hear music, then click and hear it. If you really like it that much. For me, ther is enough that is subjective on your or my website without introducing something else for customers to either love or hate.... So I stopped having music on my sites......

 

[elsaspet]

And now, imagine this:

My client don't have babies. They are only newly engaged and often don't live at the same house as each other.
They log into my site, and the music is flowing. Soft at first, and then some really toe tapping stuff. The photos match what is going on with the music. It get's them all reaved up. (Imagine Top Gun without that now famous music). Anyhoo, they are now all into it, and BAM, by impulse they pick up the phones with their hearts RACING! I just got myself another meeting!

Or.....they click off the music because it's drowning out Grey's Anatomy.

If they are at work, I'd hope they would have the sense to turn the speakers off.
Anyhoo, like I said, it depends on the market.

 

[elsaspet]

I lost the music thing on my websites immediately after I was given the same scenerio.... Mute button or not, it is too late by then for some [many] people.

......

BTW-Good God, can you image these people as clients? Ugg. If that was enough for them to call and biatch, then I wouldn't want them anyway.


Here is the long and short of it, IMO, and only from having done it both ways.

The music has paid off bigtime for me. I rarely have a booking client that didn't mention how much they loved the music on the site.
It depends largely however, on your market. If you are selling to uptight people with little babies, maybe this won't work for you.
If you are selling to people who spend a lot of time on the net, it just might work in your favor.

There is a TON of competition out there. If I could have fireworks blast out of the screen, I'd probably do it.
You want to get their attention. You want to make their hearts race. You NEED to get them in the ether.

If you aren't, then maybe you are losing your business to people like me, who are doing everything but playing the harmonica to court them.

 

[AprilRamone]

This is just my opinion, but I think with the popularity of Myspace and the fact that almost EVERYONE on there has loud music blaring as soon as you get to their page and you can't even turn it off until it loads that most people who use the net with their volume control unmuted expect to hear something a lot of the time. And, if they aren't smart enough to put their speakers on mute while at work, well I can't help them there lol

Also, if someone is specifically looking up photographers in their area I'm sure some of the other photogs have music on their sites and they will have already muted their computers if it bothered them. And, if your site was first they saw, then you are doubly lucky because I know I spend more time on the very first site I see when browsing then I do on subsequent sites.

P.S. When I went to your site, I personally didn't care for the music. But, the mute button was there plain as day so no problem!

 

[morydd]

Web sites are a different form of media than movies. In movies, I expect sound. If I go to a site about movies, I prepare for sound. I turn off my own music. If I go to a photography site, I expect photographs. Music will make me leave. Video will make me leave. Flashing things will make me leave.
You say you're serious about your part time business. I don't think chasing customers away is a policy you want to pursue. I know where my back button is. I don't bother to hunt for a "mute" button. Music has a lot of emotional connotations that can vary greatly from person to person. Let your photography speak for you. If it's good, that's all the attention grabbing you should need.

 

[Aquarium Dreams]

Whenever I shop, I'm looking for a total sensory experience. I work hard for my money, so if you want it, you better work hard to get it from me. I want visuals, sound, interactivity. Your website better massage my feet and coax me while I cry to sleep at the end of the day. I crave constant sound and motion; please create and control every aspect of the shopping experience for me; a website should be something memories are made of. I have no memories of my own, no desires. I like everything you do, because I don't do anything. Something is better than nothing. I am so empty. Fill me. I am your vessel. I am so lonely.

 

[dpolston]

Whenever I shop, I'm looking for a total sensory experience. I work hard for my money, so if you want it, you better work hard to get it from me. I want visuals, sound, interactivity. Your website better massage my feet and coax me while I cry to sleep at the end of the day. I crave constant sound and motion; please create and control every aspect of the shopping experience for me; a website should be something memories are made of. I have no memories of my own, no desires. I like everything you do, because I don't do anything. Something is better than nothing. I am so empty. Fill me. I am your vessel. I am so lonely.

wow?!?

 

[Aquarium Dreams]

I consider myself a movie director, only I direct forum posts instead of movies.

 

[Bevel Heaven]

:hail:

I consider myself a movie director, only I direct forum posts instead of movies.

oh wow aren;t you the little smarty pants

OK so kids like motion and sound and anything shiney. So kids might like a website like that.

But kids don;t want to spend $ on photography, they want to just snag your stuff offline and use it [hey it is on the internet so it is public domain right?]

So let your photography speak volumes, not the music YOU like [that chances are, your PAYING clients will not like]. or, just do what you want with the music and chances are, you will not get too far with your business venture in the real world. Remember, you want to reach the MAXIMUM number of people with money to spend with YOU as you possibly can... That is your end goal isn;t it? Why even take the chance losing people before they get a chance to even see what you can do?

 

[nicfargo]

I think your website is awesome. It took me awhile to find your "gallery" area on the right side. What I would do though is also have an HTML version as well. Flash is beautiful and all...but not everyone can use it, some people are still on dial-up. Sad, I know. Also, Flash cannot be searched. Someone who does a search in Google is never going to hit your site because it is all Flash. I would make a starting page that gives the option of going to either one, Flash for high speed, HTML for dial-up. Then you kill two birds with one stone.

 

[nicfargo]

Web sites are a different form of media than movies. In movies, I expect sound. If I go to a site about movies, I prepare for sound. I turn off my own music. If I go to a photography site, I expect photographs. Music will make me leave. Video will make me leave. Flashing things will make me leave.
You say you're serious about your part time business. I don't think chasing customers away is a policy you want to pursue. I know where my back button is. I don't bother to hunt for a "mute" button. Music has a lot of emotional connotations that can vary greatly from person to person. Let your photography speak for you. If it's good, that's all the attention grabbing you should need.

I agree and disagree with this. If your website was tailored to just weddings, I'd say music would be a great idea. However since your website is pretty much all encompassing, I'd agree here and say music is probably not needed. If you're going to use it, I'd toss it in an editing prog and bring the levels way down. Nothing worse then not expecting noise and be blown away. If it's quite then no big deal, if I like it I'll turn up my speakers.