Website Update - Critiques Welcome

[bcap]

Hello alll,

I posted here a few days ago with my website. I have made some alterations, according to your guys's feedback.

The site is not the main site right now - as I am still waiting on a few shots to be taken this weekend. Specifically, the pic for the main page (a shot of our "team") and a few more employee shots.

The website is currently sitting at www.memoriesinmotionnf.ca/2/

Please ignore the fact that the "Gallery" section is not working (as I have no yet transferred my few gigs of photo galleries to the new site), and the "Events" page is ... well, incomplete (I just need to add in some events to the db).

So again - the picture on the main page is just a placeholder. It will be replaced with a "team" pic of Memories In Motion - this weekend.

Thanks all

Bryan

[Hawg Hanner]

This is just my opinion...but while the layout and structure is nice, it has way too much verbiage and far too photos. If you are selling photography as a service, it is my honest opinion that you need to wow them with your photographic abilities and shorten your marketing messages so they resonate more. I don't feel the average person is going to read through all of the verbiage. You need message points and highlights. The average person has the attention span of a gnat when surfing the Internet.

Sew in more, larger images. If the images are good and ample enough, it won't matter much what you say. They'll just want you.

[delhi]

well since as you say it's still "under construction", better wait for the final product. Good format. Simple to navigate. Did I say NO FLASH!!! :D

[bcap]

You still think there is too much text? I kept it off the main page and kept thing simple.

If people want to read more about the company for example, they visit the "About" page. If they didn't want to ready anything, they wouldn't have visited the "About" page.

It is mainly aimed at organizations (executives) to check out and see what we offer.

Anyone else still think theres too much verbage?

[bcap]

The only place I can see me cutting some down is having different sections on the contact page.

Having only the contact info on there and then links to FAQ or Feedback, sound better?

[matt1987]

it is my honest opinion that you need to wow them with your photographic abilities and shorten your marketing messages so they resonate more. I don't feel the average person is going to read through all of the verbiage.

i second that!
a website viewer likes to skim through information. so especially as a photographer, you should appeal to the viewers by pictures, not by words

[Hawg Hanner]

Check out other photographer web sites online...I think you'll see what I'm talking about.

[PhotosGuy]

You still think there is too much text? Me, too. I'm not going to read it.
This:
We have affiliations with over a dozen local organizations and are the official photographers for Niagara Falls Red Raiders Basketball, Port Colborne Youth Basketball and Greater Niagara Baseball Association. Over the past season, we have dealt with over 3000 young athletes in the Niagara Region.

Feel free to take the time to browse the site and please don't hesitate to contact us for any more information.

Thanks for visiting.

Could be changed to this:
Affiliations:
- Niagara Falls Red Raiders Basketball
- Port Colborne Youth Basketball
- Greater Niagara Baseball Association.
- Maybe continue the list.

Thanks for visiting.
contact us

[holrd]

Instead of using just your email addresses in plain view, with mailto tag, you should consider a simple php script and a form. This will protect yourself from spam bots. THey look for that mailto tag and pounce on it. By hiding you email in the php they dont have that opportunity to spam you. Its very very very easy to add. I did a simple mock up last night in about 20 minutes. I have never ever written a line of php.


<form action="contact.php" method="post">
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" summary="feedback form">
<tr align="left"><td>Name</td><td><input type="text" name="name" size="50" /></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td>Email address</td><td><input type="text" name="email" size="50" /></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td>Subject</td><td><input type="text" name="subject" size="50" /></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td valign="top">Message</td><td><textarea rows="15" cols="40" name="comments"></textarea></td></tr>
<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><input type="submit" value="Contact" /></td></tr>
</table>
</form>

pretty straight forward on that end


<?
$mailto = ' ---PUT YOUR EMAIL ADDY HERE !~!--- ' ;


$subject = "Contact" ;

$formurl = "---PUT THE URL, WITH HTTP://, OF YOUR CONTACT FORM PAGE HERE. (BASIC WHAT PAGE YOU PUT THE FORM ON) " ;
$errorurl = "CREATE AN ERROR PAGE AND PLACE THE URL HERE" ;
$thankyouurl = "PLACE THE URL OF A THANK YOU PAGE HERE. YOU COULD INCLUDE THE REDIRCT CODE TOO, THIS WOULD DIRECT THEM TO WHERE YOU WANT." ;

$uself = 0;

// -------------------- END OF CONFIGURABLE SECTION ---------------

$headersep = (!isset( $uself ) || ($uself == 0)) ? "\r\n" : "\n" ;
$name = $_POST['name'] ;
$email = $_POST['email'] ;
$sunject=$_POST['subject'];
$message = $_POST['message'] ;
$http_referrer = getenv( "HTTP_REFERER" );

if (!isset($_POST['email'])) {
header( "Location: $formurl" );
exit ;
}
if (empty($name) || empty($email) || empty($comments)) {
header( "Location: $errorurl" );
exit ;
}
if ( ereg( "[\r\n]", $name ) || ereg( "[\r\n]", $email ) ) {
header( "Location: $errorurl" );
exit ;
}

if (get_magic_quotes_gpc()) {
$comments = stripslashes( $comments );
}

$messageproper =

"This message was sent from:\n" .
"$http_referrer\n" .
"------------------------------------------------------------\n" .
"Name of sender: $name\n" .
"Email of sender: $email\n" .
"Subject: $subject\n".
"------------------------- COMMENTS -------------------------\n\n" .
$comments .
"\n\n------------------------------------------------------------\n" ;

mail($mailto, $subject, $messageproper,
"From: \"$name\" <$email>" . $headersep . "Reply-To: \"$name\" <$email>" . $headersep . "X-Mailer: chfeedback.php 2.07" );
header( "Location: $thankyouurl" );
exit ;

?>


you could also change the name of contact.php to what ever you like, then make sure you change the action tag in the form. this is what directs the form to you. This script send you a nice little email with all the fields. PM me or Email me at holrd@ryanhollis.com if you have any questions.

[bcap]

Do you guys think this is too complicated?

www.memoriesinmotionnf.ca/2/schedule.php

[PhotosGuy]

It gets right to the point for me. Your customers should be glad they don't have to search far for their event.