Just completed new site - would appreciate your opinions.

[Yoddy]

Well, I've been working on this for a while and it now all works - but as for the design and layout ??

www.yodbod.com

Most of my work has been centered around getting the scripts working. I don't count myself as a designer, so I'd really appreciate your opinions on how I should improve it.

Feel free to place adverts on it as well because it is fully functional - I intend to start promoting it soon.

Thanks

[Caj Darkmoon]

The concept is intriguing. It's one of those things that seems odd at first but could very well end up being really popular.

The design... seems kind of cheap and frontpage-esque. Everything's very simple, not in the way of being minimalist, but in the way of being kind of bland. The nav buttons are very 90's and again, frontpage-esque.

Traditionally a copyright statement is at the bottom of the page... doesn't necessarily have to be, just seems odd being somewhere else.

But, like I said, I really like the idea.

[Yoddy]

Thanks for the input.
The style was supposed to be more mimalist but I had to add a few extra bits. I have never used frontpage - everything has been placed by hand with the help of HTML-kit code editor.

Any thoughts on how to get rid of the blandness without making it too complex - I want it to stay simple.
I could change the white background to a soft blue - bright pink ! Any thoughts ?

[Arkette]

Actually, after what you said about your design skills I was pleasantly surprised. For a site of this type it's actually not that bad. Ok the Logo could stand a coat of looking at by a pro G.D. and the button styling really stinks, but all in all, not bad. One thing you really do need to tackle is the text overflow on some of the buttons; 'Events Calendar' for example.
F.Y.I. I viewed using Firefox on win2k S.R.1024x768

[Shani]

From what I gather, this is similar in style/concept to Craig's List. And, you can't get much more minimalist.

I am more from a design background. I would hesitate to use this site due to its design. <disclaimer>Just because you don't want to hear it does not mean I am not trying to help.</disclaimer>

The site looks cheap. It looks like it was designed by someone who does not design. Which is true. As a USER, I tend to think reputable companies hire people to do things they themselves cannot do. In this case, it's a designer to organize the layout, styling and flow.

There is no cohesion to the layout. Each part is stuck on the page, independent from everything else. Even the navigation is disjointed. It uses several different blues, green, yellow, red. And the rollovers!

I have no idea what I am supposed to do, where to start. I look at the site, and I am instantly confused. Should I post a free advert? What if I don't want an advert, how do I search what you have? How can I trust that I won't get spammed?

I hope my review is not overly harsh. The concept is good. But you are a long ways from other similar sites.

[Yoddy]

Hi
Again thanks for the input
you said that

One thing you really do need to tackle is the text overflow on some of the buttons; 'Events Calendar' for example.
F.Y.I. I viewed using Firefox on win2k S.R.1024x768

I view in IE6 and Moz FF and Opera and dont see any problems - maybe my screen size is different ? In Moz where do I change my screen size so I can see what you are seeing ? thanks.

Also:

Even the navigation is disjointed. It uses several different blues, green, yellow, red. And the rollovers!

I guess I should make all the "buttons" same color - the rollovers - do you mean the color is awfull or what is it ?
And:

I have no idea what I am supposed to do, where to start. I look at the site, and I am instantly confused. Should I post a free advert? What if I don't want an advert, how do I search what you have?

I thought the menu was pretty obvious - what shall I do ? I could put a big red arrow saying "CLICK THE MENU BUTTONS TO SEE ADVERTS"
I take your point about everything hanging independant - I just like white space:classic:
I'll try a background colour - or what do you suggest ?. When I get some money maybe I'll hire a designer to redesign the whole thing. But as I can't do that right now - I want to improve on what I have - so really any suggestions would be great - thank you

[Shani]

First of all, white space is not the problem. I like white space, and white space is a general term and not necessarily white. So, making a background color would not change that. You can have white space while still putting everything together, WDF is a good example.

In reference to the rollovers, yes it's a color thing. The pink, again does not seem to go with everything else. And I clicked on an ad, that rollover is green and illegible, and another is blue-on-blue and also illegible.

My suggestions... choose a few colors and stick to them. You want all your links to be the same color (usability gurus will say each link is three colors: normal, hover, visited). Use another color for headers & highlights.

Find a better way to seperate the navigations. For example, if you like the buttons, make ALL the navigation in buttons, but have them in different shades. Or, if you like the round boxes, kill the buttons. Then, put the ads in those boxes. That groups them together.

Likewise, you would do the same with the content. Enclose the new ads in a rounded box. All the boxes should be the same width. I've actually done site similar to that in style.

The idea behind whitespace is to make it into a nice, pleasant shape. To do that, all the other parts have to be balanced and well-placed.

Okay, and for the logo, make sure it's in the same colors those you choose. (Or better yet, do the logo first and then choose the colors from that.)

Good luck!

[Yoddy]

Thank you for going into a bit more detail.
I really appreacite the time you took.

My intention with the Ad Manager containing just normal looking hyper links was to distinguish them from the section buttons. Anyway - point taken about the different use of colour and dimension - I will try and get them all looking the same. However - THIS site WDF does it similarly - the "Post Reply" is rounded box and bigger than"Continue with More Options" whereas the other links are simple blue hyperlinks - except "Private Message" and "Veiw Reputation" which are in black for some reason.
I have to go away this weekend so I will make some changes based on what you said and some other ideas I thought of. I'll upload it as soon as I get back (probably wednesday).
PS: hope I dont so?und too defensive because I'd really appreciate any more thoughts. - I would like and up with a decent design despite it being a DIY job

Thanks

[georgemckeon]

Nice. I liked it. Tried to place an add, went ok with minor items wrong.
Because there are no adds on the site, it is hard to fully critique. May I suggest that you obtain a load of business cards and the local paper and insert adds for evaluation. Thank you for your effort.

[shannonlp]

When I looked at the site I noticed a large gap between the middle content. I am on dialup ( I know I'm on vacation :-( no broadband) It does look pretty simple but that doesn't really mean anything for the type of site it should be simple. I normally don't like black background unless it is for some sort of artistic site. (Just a personal pref)
Craiglist is an excellent example of a simple site that does this very well.
One question can I advaertise on your site being based in the US?