My new website

[MichaelDean]

Ok...so I spent about 8 hours creating this website in Adobe Air. Let me know what you think of it, and or any recommendations that you have on improving it. I need more pictures and I feel better consistency with displaying my post processing. I don't know if it feels weird to have mixed processing displayed as I do. I'm new to all of this; photography and websites, so I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks..

www.michaeldeanphoto.com

[graciemygirl]

Amazing...people will ask for your rates so you my want to add an INVESTMENTS or Rates page. Very nice!

[computerguru3190]

Some very nice work. I would love to have the time to do something like that. I really need to get on that. And I would pay for a page like that. It is very simple and clean.

[Hikin Mike]

I won't comment about the fact I hate flash and usually leave. I also won't comment about hating music on a site and will leave before trying to find the OFF button.

Since you have a splash page (don't like those either), you need to add some text on your splash page so the search engines can find you. Adding what you do and where your located can help. Changing yout <title> tag on your spash page from 'Michael Dean Photography' to something like 'Your City, Your State - What do you do Photography'. If you don't care about SEO then disregard this post. ;)

[MichaelDean]

Thank you for your feedback. I'll add a rates page. For the last comment, I have meta tags and seo imbeded into the spash page, and have tested it using seo tools. Should I remove the music? What do you guys think? I thought it added life to the pictures, but I don't want it to be an annoyance. As far as flash, I like it because no one can copy and use any of my pictues, and its a better transition slideshow than an animated gif. Let me know about the music though.

[Hikin Mike]

Having metadata tags helps, but you REALLY NEED TEXT for SEO.....trust me. You have "....tested it using seo tools". For what?


Yes, please kill the music. Think about YOUR viewers, not YOU.

[Hikin Mike]

As far as flash, I like it because no one can copy and use any of my pictues, and its a better transition slideshow than an animated gif. Let me know about the music though.

Not true. If it's on the web somebody can steal it. ;)

[Kleppy]

"Prnt Scrn" is a B*tch.:)

[DarkKnight369]

Unless you need a splash page to select a language or something...don't do it. They are worthless.

[Hikin Mike]

Unless you need a splash page to select a language or something...don't do it. They are worthless.

Totally agree, I hate splash pages, it's a wasted click IMO, but for a 100% Flash site he needs some text and using a splash page can help in SEO.

[toonartist]

Thank you for your feedback. I'll add a rates page. For the last comment, I have meta tags and seo imbeded into the spash page, and have tested it using seo tools. Should I remove the music? What do you guys think? I thought it added life to the pictures, but I don't want it to be an annoyance. As far as flash, I like it because no one can copy and use any of my pictues, and its a better transition slideshow than an animated gif. Let me know about the music though.

I would take off the music.

Taste in music is a personal thing and if the person who visits doesn't like it and can't find the off button they will leave.

Also, I instantly turned it off, not because I didn't like it but because I wanted to concentrate on the pictures.

Hope this helps.

Duncan

[DarkKnight369]

Totally agree, I hate splash pages, it's a wasted click IMO, but for a 100% Flash site he needs some text and using a splash page can help in SEO.


The splash page + the flash site that needed to pre-load on my computer and connection is just asking for a high user bail out rate IMO. A splash site in his case would be more appropriate as a selector for versions of the site...like if you had the flash version and an alternate HTML version for low bandwidth/mobile. Although, ideally you would have some sort of auto-detection script for that scenario.

[tunin]

The site great great but the music says "get me out of here".

[DarkKnight369]

I don't understand why people have music on their sites. This isn't the 90's.

[Hikin Mike]

I don't understand why people have music on their sites. This isn't the 90's.

I hated it when it was in the 90's! :lol: :lol:

[DarkKnight369]

Sometimes people just like to do things because they can, not because they should.

[SnapsbyPoteat]

I really like the page... the litte bars on the right lower corner are really distracting though, I'd get rid of them.

[HappySnapper90]

Music: it depends on your target audience. Is it going to be more men or women viewing your website looking for wedding or portrait services? Most likely women, and I bet most of the people complaining about the music in this thread were men. ;) I guess a lot of men don't like soft background music.

90% of buyers of my photography at art shows are women, so I cater to them having soothing music playing in my booth. :)

[DarkKnight369]

Music in your booth is one thing, the web is another...

http://practice.findlaw.com/law-practice-management-articles/00006/000190.html

17. Cheesy Music

If potential clients wanted to hear Jimmy Buffet, they'd drive to Key West and listen to him play. Why do web sites love to play cheesy music to entertain us while we learn about the intricacies of a homestead exemption?


http://www.wiliam.com.au/wiliam-blog/your-website-is-bad-and-you-should-feel-bad

Music that cannot be stopped.

Even MySpace has since worked this out. Do not play music on your website unless the user presses the play button his or herself. If you must include the capability to play music make the player easy to locate on the page. There is not much worse than getting two paragraphs into the main text of a website before being hit in the head with a bad MIDI recreation of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

http://www.ccfdesign.com/ASP/WebDesign/Articles/Bad-Design.asp

# Background music: The bane of my internet surfing pleasure. Annoying, noise polluting and often acoustically poor midi files. When I get to a web page that has sound automatically playing in the background, I will often just hit my back button. Sometimes, I take the time to see if there is a way to turn off the sound on that particular site - and if not, I will leave every time. Knowing this (and I know I am not alone), why would you put something on a web page that people don't like. Additionally, background music is often attached to a somewhat large file (which delays your page display time). Please stop this practice - and help me fight it by not remaining on those sites.



http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/11-common-mistakes-blunders-in-web-design/

10. No Background Music, Please!
Users don’t want cool, they seek efficiency. And yes, 99 percent don’t care about the music on your website. Some designers make it worse by putting different background music on every web page.

no background music

Suggestions:
Don’t use background music, but if you must, create a frame for the code and user controls. That way, the music loops continuously, instead of changing each time a new page is loaded within the website. And the user can stop or pause whenever.

Read more: 11 Common Web Design Mistakes (Blunders) | Web 2.0 http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/11-common-mistakes-blunders-in-web-design/#ixzz0hikwlPjf


Get the point?

[HappySnapper90]

[quote=DarkKnight369;9762418Get the point?[/quote]

Yes, that you don't like music. :lol:

[deathcake]

The music - I suggest making it optional and adding a play button.

I really like your work, but just a personal preference here - I suggest experimenting with the "flow" of your portfolio...there is a jump from regular WB to the sepia + selective colour photo of the little girl and then the high saturation photo following it, and then back to regular. If you want to let people know you can do sepia/b&w/selective colour and whatnot, I'd put those in the galleries, and keep the portfolio for photos without effects. From the main portfolio, just show people that you are a good photographer - which you are.

As flash goes, I think your website is good overall. 8 hours well spent. But an alternative html page for people on devices without flash or low connection speeds would really help. You can use CSS to achieve some effects that people usually think are only possible with flash.

[DarkKnight369]

Yes, that you don't like music. :lol:


I am a musician, how can I not like music? :p I never actually listened to the music on the site here in question, I just know its not a good idea.

[NaKiD EyE]

Not true. If it's on the web somebody can steal it. ;)

ain't that the truth... and yeah i have snipping tool that can do just that. lol not that I use it for that though.

[Lizzy7]

Music: it depends on your target audience. Is it going to be more men or women viewing your website looking for wedding or portrait services? Most likely women, and I bet most of the people complaining about the music in this thread were men. ;) I guess a lot of men don't like soft background music.

90% of buyers of my photography at art shows are women, so I cater to them having soothing music playing in my booth. :)

I'm a woman and I really don't like music on photography websites, far too cheesy and makes me leave straightaway :)