Controversial - Rubbish Web Sites

Dec 30, 2004 129 Replies

All very true, a badly designed (or very slow) web site is far worse for PR etc. than a simple one giving only basic contact details. The index (home) page should be quick to load and navigable without and images or other (flash) type graphics. Slow, complicated or 'plugin' depended index pages are just as likely to send people elsewhere.

Because there is less opportunity for making silly mistakes in cut/paste I think it IS actually quicker.

At least have a look at the sample photo albums.

Mark Thornton

I'm not suggesting anything, just putting a few ideas forward. You don't have to put rubbish pictures on line but as others have already suggested, a list of thumbnails with a link to a higher res picture is the correct way to list things, a list of 50 or so high res pictures is not because the page will take too long to load.

I don't know where you get your figures from (< 100K is crap?). The following link is to a page on my site with a 55Kish picture of a motorbike and although not perfect, is almost certainly OK for 99% of the product pictures you'd ever put on a web site:

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This does however assume that you use the correct image format for pictures, i.e. jpegs for photos and png for line-art/solid colour images.

Cheers

Luke

Google confirms that my memory is accurate:

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It is part of their Universal Service Obligation

"The present requirement for low speed data transmission is, we believe, interpreted as data transfer at 2400 bits per second;"

Mark Thornton

Hi Luke,

You are offering advice on web site design, and you think bright green is a suitable background colour? !!!

Let me guess - your eyes are less than 30 years old?

regards,

Martin.

---------- email: snipped-for-privacy@templot.com web:

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Say no to ID cards and the database state:
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"Luke Briner" wrote

But with respect your images are not much bigger than my thumbnails.

Take a look at my images

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and compare.

May not be your cup of tea, but they're as small as I'm interested in showing.

John.

My broadband equipment is not powered from my phone line!

All. what about Cable and I have just changed from a Wireless Microwave setup

And please do not forget the ALT tags on the images...

Well, I'll put it this way, that seems a tad low for a guaranteed data link, if you see what I'm getting at ?!.... :~)

Your '73 page takes me back to happy youthful train-spotting days on the ex GN line out of KX :~)))

Was the picture of the prototype HST taken whilst on it's first test run into KX, I have a cine film of it's run in the summer (very late July or very early Aug.), I actually prefer the styling of the prototype to the production series...

Just a suggestion John, but helpful to those on slow or (download) limited connections, how about including the image file size along with the descriptions ?

To be fair, he does have 'alt' tags, it's just that there isn't anything in them ! Could be worse, if there wasn't alt="", many 'text to speech' browsers would be rendering "zzr.jpeg" !

Only just younger!!! My site is not commercial and was thrown together in about an hour. If I was selling stuff then I'd spend a bit more time on it and change the colours to something more corporate. At the minute they represent my general state of mind : )

All the things that people have suggested make good sites (like alt tags!!) and my site doesn't have most of them and is about as basic as possible.

Cheers guys

Luke

":::Jerry::::" wrote

Not a chance - unless you're volunteering to mark a start by downloading the

3,000+ images and recording their size.

John.

I'm in New Zealand - Telecom's "obligation" doesn't mention data transfer rates.

It's 8:20am 1st January 2005 here - I guess you lot still have the transition and the gaining of hangovers to get through!

Regards, Greg.P.

the 2400bps is the standard rate for a fax machine look in the conditions for that "obligation"

Andrew Carr

You are probably correct. The people who design the web sites for clubs are probably experienced designers who also happen to be hobby rail modellers. They gladly put their proffesional expertiese at the disposal of their club for no other reaon than to further it's interests.

Commercial organisations don't have that experience, and often they don't want to buy it in.

Peter Bridge

Its the job of the IT chap as He knows the code But nothing about art and design.

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