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Microsoft MVP

 

RE: Please Critque

 
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All Forums >> Web Design >> Site Critiques >> RE: Please Critque
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Donkey

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/28/2005 8:06:42   
quote:

ORIGINAL: dwitcher

Seems like validating a website is not necessary....for examplem ebay has 222 errors, mine has 9, this one has 7. What is the deal with having your website validated?
You are quite right, I should throw in a few more mistakes for the hell of it, why not see if you can beat ebay. There is no point in striving for excellence when you can get away with sloppy work.

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Tailslide

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/28/2005 8:42:51   
quote:

ORIGINAL: Donkey
You are quite right, I should throw in a few more mistakes for the hell of it, why not see if you can beat ebay. There is no point in striving for excellence when you can get away with sloppy work.


:):)

dwitcher,

Validation isn't an end in itself - it's a way of ensuring the code you're using is correct according to the latest recommendations - if you care about such things. If you don't care about that angle then it's a good way of spotting coding errors that may cause you problems now or in the future especially with cross-browser issues.

There are many sites that don't validate - some are still coded well by professionals who know what they're doing - which goes back to the "validation isn't an end in itself" thing. If you really know what you're doing then feel free to ignore validation totally, secure in the knowledge that your site is well coded. The question is are you really sure you know what you're doing?

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Taz

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/28/2005 9:06:26   
quote:

ORIGINAL: Donkey

quote:

ORIGINAL: dwitcher

Seems like validating a website is not necessary....for examplem ebay has 222 errors, mine has 9, this one has 7. What is the deal with having your website validated?
You are quite right, I should throw in a few more mistakes for the hell of it, why not see if you can beat ebay. There is no point in striving for excellence when you can get away with sloppy work.

:):):)

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Giomanach

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/28/2005 9:32:31   
pssst....theres some copy & paste from Office programs in there as well (check the testimonials page) - Big no-no

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Taz

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/28/2005 9:33:30   
Paint me pink and call me shocked!

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dwitcher

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/28/2005 11:27:25   
I sence some sarcasim....anyways, I never said I knew professionally what I am doing, but I do know how to make a website. And why cant I copy and paste from office? I did not want to change what they wrote, and those are from emails, not microsoft word. I do use Outlook for my emails if that is what you are talking about. I really do not understand the sarcasim from this site. I was just proving a point but it seems like everyone has a response to my point being made. Also if you would like to know, I am working on the errors that I have to have my site validated, so please enough with the jokes. And if you all have not noticed, I am more graphic design based then I am coding a website.

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Taz

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/28/2005 11:41:46   
Here is a good tip, if you must copy and paste from Word or whatever, paste it into notepad or some other text editor, doing it directly can result in unwanted additions or changed symbols/code.

As for validation, take my word for it, validating your work will help you learn faster and work better, by seeing what mistakes you are making you can then go about not making them next time around.

Yes, there is some sarcasm in this thread, but it's tongue in cheek sarcasm. Don't get offended, also try and listen to advice that is being given to you, we don't waste our time telling you things if they are not worth knowing.

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spitfire

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/28/2005 11:56:32   
quote:

you could end up with a web design business (somehow) producing sites for major sporting organisations that look great on their computers, but terrible on others. Like this one: http://www.australianopengolf.com/


Nicole, you are so right but be fair... [sarcasm] it takes considerable skill to code for IE in quirks mode and even more skill to produce a table-based site that is such a mess not only in Firefox, but also Opera and Netscape. [/sarcasm] Then again the site and portfolio sites belonging to the golf site's developer, display a similar cavalier attitude to standards. It is intensely annoying, yet there are many developers with very big names on their client lists that turn out similar stuff. How do they do it? Expensive marketing? The client likes it because he paid a lot of money for it! Caveat emptor and all that.

quote:

Seems like validating a website is not necessary....for examplem ebay has 222 errors, mine has 9, this one has 7. What is the deal with having your website validated?

As Tailslide says, you don't have to validate, you really don't. There are many sites belonging to some senior people on sitepoint.com that, clearly, never went near a validator at any time during development or after going live. Yet those sites are good, some are stunning even, and they work cross-browser (well IE and Firefox at least). But those people are skilled at what they do. They have been developing websites for a long time and know, somehow instinctively, what works and what does not. It would save you many years before your instinct becomes as well honed as theirs if you use the validators to help you write good code in the first place.

Don't take offence at the comments. All those that seem to be highly critical are made (on the whole) with the future of web development in mind and to try to help you to set yourself up for a good future in the business. Oh yes... and they do say that valid code is a good start in Search Engine Optimisation.:)

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LoriL1212

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/28/2005 21:46:26   
quote:

ORIGINAL: Nicoleoz
Like this one: http://www.australianopengolf.com/


That is REALLY bad...

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Nicole

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/28/2005 22:02:28   
Indeed it is, considering that's the major event for that sport in Australia, in other words it's their "showcase", and they "showcase" it like that online?

I'm interested in Spitfire's comments

quote:

How do they do it? Expensive marketing? The client likes it because he paid a lot of money for it! Caveat emptor and all that.


There were no contact details on that site though (perhaps there was but it was hidden beneath an image or something special for non-IE users? So my email went to the Australian Golf Union.

Edit: This weeks tournament is the Australian PGA appparently. Not sure if it's a different designer but the site looks better......................................until you resize the text :)

http://championship.pga.org.au/

< Message edited by Nicoleoz -- 11/28/2005 22:10:33 >


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spitfire

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 5:01:22   

quote:


This weeks tournament is the Australian PGA appparently. Not sure if it's a different designer but the site looks better......................................until you resize the text :)

If not the same designer, at least from the same school of design. "Pixel-based fonts stop cretins resizing the text and ruining my carefully crafted page. So, there.":)

Nicole is on a mission - good for you for following up.:)

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ladybutterfly

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 7:51:42   
dwitcher,

I am a webdesigner and yes, these are comments by critics, not critiques. Critiques use tact and suggestions, not insults or rude comments. So, disregard. Listen to this as I am a professional designer. What you charge is what you charge. Some people pay more - or less, some people charge more or less. Fifty dollars an hour ($500 for that site) is not really that bad, especially if the customer suggested it and they liked what they got.

What's important is that they got what they wanted. And liked it. If you suggested in good conscience something different and they didn't want it, then oh well. The customer is always right. Most often my customers take my advice, as I never sell or suggest anything soley for profit. I always offer my professional opinion. But, if they insist - hey, they're paying and who am I to argue?

So, here is a critique. The site is not bad. It is what I call "home-made", which is not an insult, it's just a level of design I label for my site reviews. There are so many websites like this on the Internet, that yours is probably not going to stand out or look bad.

Other than the screen resolution, which you say your client insists on, it's okay. I think, though that you should inform them that the current resolution is not good for those who have their monitors set at a lower screen width (and most people do). Many find it irritating to have to scroll horizontally to read every line. And if users are annoyed, they'll leave - fast.

What you might want to suggest to them is to correct it using 100% margins in your columns (or at least the middle) - that way, no matter what the resolution, the font and text will expand to the width of the window, so it will be perfect for anyone. There are plenty of tutorials out there if you don't know how to do this.

So there it is. Keep your head up. And keep trying. We all didn't start out as pros. We get better with experience. Sometimes I look back at my first designs (which I received so many complements on back then) and think, "Uhh, did I design that?"

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LoriL1212

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 8:53:01   
quote:

ORIGINAL: Nicoleoz

Edit: This weeks tournament is the Australian PGA appparently. Not sure if it's a different designer but the site looks better......................................until you resize the text :)

http://championship.pga.org.au/


Still looks bad in Firefox to me.

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Tailslide

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 9:12:26   
quote:

ORIGINAL: ladybutterfly

dwitcher,

I am a webdesigner and yes, these are comments by critics, not critiques. Critiques use tact and suggestions, not insults or rude comments. So, disregard. Listen to this as I am a professional designer.


A lot of people on here are professional designers! Don't disregard all the comments just because you feel a couple of them were tactless either - there's good suggestions in there about validation and standards etc.

It's good that you want to learn more and improve your skills - it's an ongoing project for all of us believe me!

Your site isn't terrible - it does however lack the polish and coding skills that you'd expect from a professional site at professional designer rates. If your client is willing to pay $50 for your work then it's not your problem - however be aware that if your client becomes aware that they have overpaid you in the future it may cause you problems then and you are unlikely to get repeat business or recommendations out of them.



< Message edited by Tailslide -- 11/29/2005 9:20:15 >


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spitfire

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 11:36:01   
Dare I ask, in my naïveté ?
Web Design is not one of the "Professions". So it would be helpful if those people who use the term professional designer - could you share what the term means to them and how it differs from the term commercial designer.

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Tailslide

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 11:38:00   
quote:

ORIGINAL: spitfire

Dare I ask, in my naïveté ?
Web Design is not one of the "Professions". So it would be helpful if those people who use the term professional designer - could you share what the term means to them and how it differs from the term commercial designer.



It means I've got a loverly certificate wot I drew up for myself in photoshop - it's got drop shadows and everything!



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spitfire

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 11:48:14   
Eye got a cerciphikat, two:)
Took me seven years to get it - yeah I know - slow learner:)
Trouble is it's now't to do with webs or design or even IT. So that settles it my personal opinon of my worth as a web designer just has to be "paid amateur".:)

Hey, you edited that one quickly.

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Tailslide

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 11:56:32   
yeah I had actually included a sensible answer as well - but thought better of it!

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dpf

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 11:58:14   
quote:

I use fireworks, dreamweaver, and some hand coding....why?
well I was looking at the directions page and it lacks the minimal and mandatory <html> and <head> tags for starters. Fireworks is an excellent graphics program but never designed or intended to be a web page builder. dreamweaver automatically begins with doctype and all necessary html tags such as above so you must have done that page solely in fireworks or hand coding and the basics are not there.

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spitfire

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 11:59:47   
As is your prerogative, old girl. My reply now looks really silly - hey ho - lost my prerogative years ago:)

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Giomanach

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 12:02:48   
quote:

ORIGINAL: dpf

quote:

I use fireworks, dreamweaver, and some hand coding....why?
well I was looking at the directions page and it lacks the minimal and mandatory <html> and <head> tags for starters. Fireworks is an excellent graphics program but never designed or intended to be a web page builder. dreamweaver automatically begins with doctype and all necessary html tags such as above so you must have done that page solely in fireworks or hand coding and the basics are not there.

This may be because I have fireworks 8...but when you export to HTML...it includes (and codes in) XHTML doc type and all the necessary tags.

May be because I have FW8....just used FWMX2004 for making animated gifs :)

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Tailslide

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 12:07:11   
quote:

ORIGINAL: spitfire

As is your prerogative, old girl. My reply now looks really silly - hey ho - lost my prerogative years ago:)


Spit me ol' Merlin Mucker - you look a lot of things, silly ain't one of them!

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womble

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 12:36:26   
Has your certificate got animated gifs on it too Tail? :)

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Taz

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 12:40:15   
quote:

ORIGINAL: womble

Has your certificate got animated gifs on it too Tail? :)


I bet it has, I bet she also has an animated gif as a desktop too...

Oh, wait, that is someone else innit. :)

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Tailslide

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 12:45:17   
Marquees all the way baby!

My desktop is boringly exactly the same as my avatar - Serenity.

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Taz

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 13:47:57   
:)
:)

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womble

 

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RE: Please Critque - 11/29/2005 14:36:47   
quote:

I bet it has, I bet she also has an animated gif as a desktop too...

Oh, wait, that is someone else innit.

A very valid scientific experiment to see what would happen, the results of which were that it's really not a very good idea, and don't try it at home folks! :)

Marquees on your desktop too Tail? Wow! That's style! :)

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reformed hater

 

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RE: Please Critque - 2/17/2006 14:30:57   
WOW this thread is feisty..... being a newbie to getting paid to build and self taught, i think that (given reason by the first comments) the advice was good and will help me not make the horrible mistakes. i mean :)

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womble

 

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RE: Please Critque - 2/17/2006 16:06:51   
We're good at feisty and sarcasm here (especially the pink painted one called 'Shocked' - can't beleive I let that one go without comment - I must have been having a seriously bad day - the least I'd have expected from the next intergalatic ruler is neon blue! :))

Seriously though, this is a great place to learn (and to learn what not to do) with a bit of fun and frivolity thrown in too. My first site had marquees and animated gifs - now I only use stationary marquees and gifs. :)

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