( NEED HELP ) Please critique my site. Thanks!

Alex Cain wrote:

 > "David Venn-Brown" <davidvb.TakeThisOut@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
 > news:rP6Oa.99$fI5.3896@nnrp1.ozemail.com.au...
 >
  >>Alex Cain wrote:
  >>
   >>>http://www.rspw.net
   >>>
   >>>
   >>>Someone please go here and tell me what I'm doing wrong.
   >>>
   >>>
  >>
  >>* Build the site layout around the banner graphic - that's the best part
  >>of your site (although I'd consider using a different colour to
  >>highlight the "Home" bit. You might also consider using images of some
  >>of the more prominent wrestlers).
 >
 > I can't -- someone threatened to sue me if I did.

Damn copyright.

  >>So I would look towards a mainly
  >>white/grey/black site with another colour (red/orange/brown) used
  >>_sparingly_ for highlights.
 >
 >
 > this could be done in Frontpage, right?

I see you've changed the site a lot since, but, no. You'll need a
graphics package. Jasp PaintShopPro is a common one; I use Corel PhotoPaint.

BTW, a major cause of your problems is frontpage.

  >>* Related to above: cut down the number of colours and stick to a
  >>central theme; it makes the site look more professional and easier on
  >>the eye.
  >>
  >>* Lose the frames... there is no need for them.
 >
 >
 > What do you mean there's no need for frames? All the best sites have
 > frames! This way my viewers can navigate as they please. There's no clumsy
 > interface that could lead them somewhere else.

Frames were originally intended so pages could, well, suck.

What you have got (either design) does *not need frames*. Frames let you
present more than one piece of information at a time. So, if you were to
make your menu stay fixed while the rest of the page scrolled, you would
have a case for frames (although a better effect could be gained on
non-IE browsers using CSS).

Frames are bad because they are unaccessible to many people, and most
importantly search engines will not index your site.

Perhaps you are getting confused with tables? Again, you do not
technically need tables, but your use of tables is not a problem at the
moment. Yes, a lot of good sites use tables.

CSS layout (look up CSS at <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.w3.org," target="_blank">http://www.w3.org,</a> it's right near the HTML
section) can do the same things better, but it's relatively new and a
lot of people are afraid of CSS layouts, especially those at Microsoft.

  >>* Lose the text "Navigation"... IMO the user doesn't need to be told
  >>that. You have used a standard navigation technique that even the
  >>dumbest user is used to.
 >
 > But I spent two hours making that.

Welcome to the internet... a permament drain on time.

  >>* Related to the top two: change the colour of your links in the
  >>navigation and get rid of the gaps between the links. Make the Polls,
  >>User Info links, etc stand out using <hr> tags instead.
  >>
  >>* The site does not take full advantage of the screen (there's lots of
  >>blank space on each side.
  >>
  >>* If you do not know HTML and/or CSS: learn it. Else, do something to
  >>that markup.
  >>
 >
 > What's a markup? I think you mean the site right?

As John said, markup is the actual stuff that makes the browser display
the site as you see it. It *gives meaning* to your content (as opposed
to formatting it, that is the job of CSS).

In your browser, go view>source to look at this markup for your site. If
you want your site to be the best it can, you will need to learn how to
do HTML. It isn't hard. Do a search for "html tutorial" on google.

When you have some grasp of HTML, do a search for "css tutorial" on
google to learn the basics of CSS.

Then go to <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://glish.com/css" target="_blank">http://glish.com/css</a> to learn how to use css to make the page
layout.

 > Your ideas are good and I will work on them a bit. Keep checking back and
 > let me know what you think.

New design is better though.

* Open the file rspwblue.css and put this at the top:

body {
  margin:0px;
  padding:0px;
}

This will make your site go right to the edge of the page. At the moment
the banner does not go right to the edge of the screen and there is a
thin blue strip around the site which detracts from the effect.

* Make the text in the links below the heading a little bit bigger.

Apart from that, just get rid of the frames, and it's a rather good site.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->