Your comments please!

[alambert]

Hi Folks,

This is my first “real” site, well the framework for it anyway, very little of the content has been added at this time. I have stacks of stuff my family has asked me to add and don’t want to start adding stuff until I get the framework down pat. The Google ads are a little tacky but we are hoping the will generate enough cash to pay for the hosting of the site. As you can tell its basically a family website and place for my dad to share ideas and write some articles to share with the world.

I would love to get your feedback. Please don’t hold back, I can take it. Any suggestions, critiques are appreciated.

Alan
www.thelamberts.com

[Beiji]

I like most of your color choices - the shades of green and the rust color. I'm not sure the blue compliments the other colors.

I question placing ads on a family website. Ostensibly, mainly family members will be using the site. That's not going to generate much revenue. And they're your family - why subject them to ads! I'd reconsider the google search too.

When you go to a page of recipes, photos, or how-tos, have some content on that page, not just links. You could use the sidebar on the right to link to additional content - that would be the area where you replace the ads. ; )

[alambert]

Thanks for your input. What blue are you referring too? As far as I know I have 3 shades of green and 1 of red? Did I make a mistake somewhere or does your browsers show part as blue? You’ve got me curious.
The site is basically a 2 part thing. A Family site and my dad wants to write articles and how-to’s that he hopes will get used by the general public. He hopes the ads will pay for the hosting cost and maybe the occasional dinner and Burger King.
I like your additional content idea. I will ad that to the next “release”.

[Beiji]

Alan:
The blue I mentioned seeing is in your header.

Well, good luck with making money from the ads. Since it's something your dad feels strongly about, it's probably better to leave them in.

[minute44]

"Lots of cool stuff" eh?

Where?

Honestly, I found the site rather boring and also found myself confused. Is this a family business, a family blog, a photography site... what? With no information on the home page you kinda make people scratch their heads. Not good.

Google ads are unsightly.

[solidgold]

hmm, the server seems to be down...

[Ferro]

If you centered the site, that would be an improvement, rather than it hiding over there on the left.......
Also - have a look at your coding, lots of errors....

[dcice]

just replying to 'simon annsten' regarding logo design. Is the logo shadow you require on http://www.dccdesign.co.uk and http://www.the-computershop.com thanks for your time.

regards

[alambert]

Thanks for your responses. I took your advice and some from some other fine folks and centered the site, fixed the busted Wii link, (which is legit btw) added and footer and completed the <title> tag.

I have a site map, highlighting active link, dumping the frames and going to external CSS, solving validating problems, and making the main logo a link, all on the TODO list. I added some Graphics and photos, see recipes > Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup for a sample of my plans for all the articles.
.
If you have time please take a look at the changes so far and let me know what you think!

Thanks again for the excellent feedback.
Alan

[alambert]

Hi minute44,
Thanks for your feedback As I mentioned in my original post its mostly frame work right now. All the “cool stuff”, at least cool in my Dads mind, hasn’t been added. I didn’t want to add 100s of items until I have the frame work down. I took your suggestion and rewrote the home page to explain the sites purpose a little better, it could still use some work but I’m not English major.
Also as I mentioned its a
"Family website and place for my dad to share ideas and write some articles to share with the world"
He’s basically bored and I already owned thelamberts.com so we diced to use the name. I don’t guess it really matter if we get hits for the articles and recipes from folks searching Google. So your right its sort of a "family business, a family blog, a photography " combo.
Sorry you where bored, hopefully my target audience wont be!
As for the Ads they are unsightly… but unfortunately they are sort of the key point in the effort. We hope to target people searching for help with rental properties, photography and recipes.
I thank you again for your honest feedback and invite you to comment on the changes I have made.

"Lots of cool stuff" eh?
Where?

Honestly, I found the site rather boring and also found myself confused. Is this a family business, a family blog, a photography site... what? With no information on the home page you kinda make people scratch their heads. Not good.

Google ads are unsightly.