Your Opinion!!

[pHase1]

I want to get some feedback before I turn this into my boss for approval. Tell me what you think.

before = http://www.nwnews.com
after = http://nwnews.walkling.net

About the only thing I am definatly going to change is the banner. I am redoing it in flash. SO that will be different. I like the looks, but not the tabs. Make people think they are links to other pages and that was not my intention.

ALSO, let me know if it opens weird on your browser. I have only tested it in IE, so I have no idea about Opera, NetSCRAPE, or any of the others...

 

[RyanJayG]

it certainly navigates better... I like it.

 

[jersey_emt]

Looks good but I would avoid flash for something as simple as a banner with a few links. Very few people overall have broadband connections, and even small flash files are fairly large for a dialup user. I'd actually make it more text and less image...and you can use some basic VBScript commands to make effects similar to what you would be doing with flash.

 

[pHase1]

I like it, keep em coming!!!

 

[jersey_emt]

Looks good but I would avoid flash for something as simple as a banner with a few links. Very few people overall have broadband connections, and even small flash files are fairly large for a dialup user. I'd actually make it more text and less image...and you can use some basic VBScript onMouseOver commands to make effects similar to what you would be doing with flash.

Just re-read your original post...yes i thought the tabs in the banner were supposed to be links. That needs to be changed...but like I said why use Flash?

 

[RyanJayG]

oh, and no obvious problems with Mozilla

 

[pHase1]

Why Flash? 1, I am learning how to use it (and it gives me the practice) & 2, I think it would make the site look better. But that I will not know until I put it in place.

If it creates a bottle neck for people on slow connections, I will definalty look at other alternatives to Flash (i.e. static picture, etc.)

 

[jersey_emt]

Pictures and text don't have to be static. Like for example here's a site my company designed:

www.target-specialty.com

Most of the dynamic content is VBScript...it can do a lot of the things you would be doing in Flash for navigation, but file sizes remain small.

 

[pHase1]

Thats looks nice. You keep refrencing VBScript, do you mean JavaScript. Looking at the source code it looks like JavaScript.

Regardless, you are right. I can accomplish the same results (to a degree) with Java or VB Script and keep the file size down, but if the only image on the index is the logo. I don't think I will run into an issue.

Right now, according to DreamWeaver, it takes 7 sec. to load page as it is now @ ~56k. So I have a little room for movemnet when it comes to load times. Heck, it takes me longer to load pages on this site and I am on a t-1...

Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate your feedback.

 

[jersey_emt]

Sorry that one was done in javascript....nearly all of the scripting on our sites is done in VBScript, but I guess whoever worked on that page likes javascript. I just picked that one from our site list at random, picked the wrong one to prove my point lol

I prefer VBScript, and it can do the same things.

 

[jersey_emt]

Also my brain is fried after writing in VBScript for 6 hours straight today at work...it's like it's burned into my head

 

[pingdum]

The second one looks way more professional.

 

[flat_black]

I like the look of the second one, and I would say a resounding no to Flash. Also, I'd either mute the red tone in the page, or make it a dark blue, from the surrounding theme, as red stands out WAY, way too much. It looks good, otherwise; I like the Wiki/Blog style interface, too. =)

Oh, and it works fine in Mozilla Firefox, too.

 

[pHase1]

Thank you!

 

[pHase1]

OK, I ditched the red and kicked it up a notch and created the gradient from blue to white.

I wans't digging the red too much either, but I wanted more opinion 1st.

 

[pHase1]

And if anyone else wants to add a gradient bg to the tables, here is the code:
< td style="FILTER: progid: DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Gradient(startColorStr='#4E6883', endColorStr='#FFFFFF', gradientType='1')" > < /td>

and remove the space between {progid: & DXImage}

 

[jersey_emt]

And if anyone else wants to add a gradient bg to the tables, here is the code:
< td style="FILTER: progidXImageTransform.Microsoft.Gradient(startColorStr='#4E6883', endColorStr='#FFFFFF', gradientType='1')" > < /td>

LOL there's a smilie in your code!!

 

[flat_black]

Very nice! Much better than before. =) But that code you use for the gradient will only work for IE/Opera, so you know. *nods* Mozilla may be able to parse it, but Safari can't, as it would seem; Most of the table headers look blank, with white text on white under Safari.