# tell me what you think....



## Shifting (Nov 28, 2002)

of my band's website.

http://www.blackoutrocks.com

quite simple, i know.

don't use Omniweb!  the site requires inline frame support.

just looking for general feedback, i guess.  all design is by me.

any suggestions/criticisms are welcome.


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## Inline_guy (Nov 28, 2002)

I think the site is great!  In fact, I really like it.  I know that praise is not really helpful in the construction of something, but I still really enjoy your site.  And I even enjoy the music.  I like the Slap me Pappy (? I think the was the name ?) song.  Not my normal fan fair when I listen to music, but well done, and very enjoyable.  

Matthew


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## Trip (Nov 28, 2002)

Woohoo! Hey there! Long time no see! Love the site, it's extremely better than the last one you guys had!

Also: when are you guys going to get signed? I want to buy your CDs! Wood Horn forever!!!


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## Shifting (Nov 29, 2002)

thnx for the kind words, guys.  glad you two dig the music as well. 

Trip, hopefully soon.  tomorrow, er, later today is our biggest show yet, and there's supposedly gonna be people from a few labels there.  Never know what might happen.  oh, and i pmed you.


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## Trip (Nov 29, 2002)

Thanks for the PM shifting! I'm "working with it" right now. 
Good luck on the labeling! Just make sure that when you're a rock star you won't forget about your little big fans like me!


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## mdnky (Nov 30, 2002)

Looks really good.

Have you though about centering vertically on the page?  Might make it "feel" better to the visitors. 

The links seem a bit hidden, maybe a mouseover with a slight inner glow (black) on the text or have the over state be a white outline like the logo.  Of course consistency with other links within the site is always nice, but may not fit this one.

I do like how it's simple and effective.  I am a bit uneasy about the whole iFrame deal, esp. since it hasn't been coded in an iFrame/layers combo for NS compatibility.


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## Shifting (Nov 30, 2002)

mdnky- vertical centering would be great...i just don't know how to do that.   i have some ideas, but i don't think they'd work...any suggestions?

rollovers aren't a bad idea.  i don't really like using javascript, but i may play around with the idea...subtle rollovers would be a nice touch.

i'm confused by your iframe comment - what's NS?  i did the iframe the only way i know how to, as a stand-alone html tag.

thanks for your comments man, that's exactly what i was looking for, an honest critique.  you've given me plenty to think about for the site.


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## mdnky (Dec 1, 2002)

Easiest way for vertical centering is to use a single cell table.  Here's a link (take the code if you'd like) with your site centered.

http://homepage.mac.com/mdnky/blackout.html


I understand the feeling on the JavaScript thing.  Rollovers are pretty easy to do and work well across browsers.  What programs are you using for HTML and graphics?  I'm assuming you hand coded the HTML from what I saw of your code.  Looks good.

NS=Netscape    Older versions of Netscape don't handle the iFrame at all, and there's still alot of people using those versions.  You can do a "dual code" using an iFrame for Internet Explorer and Layers for Netscape.  I'll look through my links at work, I found a good how-to on this method that was easy to read and follow a few months ago.


Good luck...remember there's always somthing to be tweaked (that's the fun in it)!


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## Shifting (Dec 1, 2002)

mdnky- wow thanx for that source man.  i was thinking of using a full screen table, but i could never get the vertical align to work....but i didn't know that "middle" worked as part of the valign attribute!  wow, that helps me a lot.....i can fix up my splash page too.  another lesson i just learned is that the center tag negates that, so i think i'll quit using that one...

like i said i'll play around with the rollovers.  yeah i code by hand in TextEdit.  no fancy programs for me.

ah, NS = Netscape.....that should of been obvious.  anyways, i'm not familiar with the whole layers thing.  always something more to learn.

yeah i love html, there's always something else to tweak and perfect.  thanks again for your help man.


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## mdnky (Dec 1, 2002)

I started doing HTML in Notepad many years ago...I used to be very strict on not using any "fancy programs".  Now I have too many sites to keep up, modify, etc.  So Dreamweaver is it.  It writes good code and I can use the "code view" to do things manually or clean it up if I like.  Plus the templates, having the built in file manager, FTP, and Fireworks & Photoshop intergration are nice.

If you get big into doing this, take a look at BBEdit.  It was originally a text-editor on steroids....haven't used in a while but I hear alot of good things from people I know.

Good luck with the site.


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## Shifting (Dec 3, 2002)

hey mdnky, i was playing around with mouseovers, and i came up with this:

http://www.blackoutrocks.com/temp/blackout.html

it's a new design for the menu, and just a temp page, so none of the links work.....just wondering what you thought.


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## Da_iMac_Daddy (Dec 3, 2002)

Very nice roll overs


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## KrinkleCut (Dec 3, 2002)

Well, since you asked for comments...

The red and orange/yellow text is almost impossible to read with any clarity on a black background. In fact, black is a bad background color for text - you have to make the font size huge to make it readable.

Just my 2cents.


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## mdnky (Dec 3, 2002)

Nice effect...what did you do?  Kinda looks like a simple blur of sorts on the over state.

Simple, effective, and provides just enough noticability.  I like it.


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## boi (Dec 3, 2002)

the red links to the left are difficult to read. tone the color down so it sinks into the black bg more or shrink the links and put some sort of border on it.
right now it all blends together-- and that's the only source of navigation.

also-- iframes are cool, but not needed for this site. tables would work fine. it's typically only needed if you've got a lot of text to scroll through and you want it all to be confined to a space.

good job so far-- keep it up.


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## Shifting (Dec 4, 2002)

Da_iMac_Daddy - thanks mang, did the best i could.

KrinkleCut - i appreciate your two cents.  however the majority (plus myself) sees no problems with the whole red on black color scheme.  plus i think it's very fitting for our music and all.

mdnky - glad you like it.  it's just a simple black inner shadow thing i did in Imageready.  i tried a white outline/stroke, but it didn't work too well.  think i'll go ahead with this new menu, once the new links and bio pages are done.   thnx again for your help.

boi - i do feel that iframes are necessary.  mainly for my own peace of mind.  this way, updates for pages are simple - plus, i prefer to load a new frame per link, as opposed to a whole page.  and as the site grows, this will only help me more with upkeep.  plus i DO want all the content confined to a set space.  thnx for your comments.


:edit: also i have another recording project and site i just launched:
http://www.blackoutrocks.com/hatekist/
similar site, iframe, black backround with a red bordered table, etc.  feel free to critique this one if you feel like it.


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