New Landing Page

[Vasili]

Re: New Landing Page

It's definitely is a good idea to have IE, Opera, FireFox (very reluctantly), and even Slimbrowser in your toolbox to "proof" your web pages. Safari is for MAC especially, so if that is something you need to do, then by all means include it.

I mention Slimbrowser also (my personal default) because like all Mozilla type products (which includes Firefox) it departs from the NetScape model and allows you a much freer experience overall that is much more stable and "friendly" than FireFox ever could hope to be, IMO.

Chrome? I dunno .... I personally tend to avoid all things Google for a littany of reasons. Chrome's hapahazard evolution speaks volumes as to why is was eventually deemed unsuitable even for their phone platform ....

[Muzza]

Re: New Landing Page

I had a look at Slimbrowser. Apparently McAfee think that these guys have a bit of a problem with spyware.

I quote "In our tests, we found downloads on this site that some people consider adware, spyware or other potentially unwanted programs."

I submitted the latest download to them to test and will check back in a couple of days. Until then I suppose it's just a case of buyer beware. Personally I don't want to take a chance until I know more.

[Vasili]

Re: New Landing Page

MacAfee is the worst, IMO. I dropped then in '98 after they allowed 3 home units to self-destruct because of their "professional protection" expertise .... Nobody regards MacAfee's "evaluations" too highly across the net anymore, as they come across too self-serving. Amazing they still seed comments and all ....
I used to use Norton, but went to caInternet Security Suite because they prove to do it all better than anyone else. I also dig the customizations, advanced features, and meaningful interactives!

[KeithN]

Re: New Landing Page

Well, the revised website based on Vasili's mockup is up and running ready for the Sunday Papers. Phew, what a task it's proved to be. First task this morning was to download Firefox. Whata disaster. It refused to initialise, then took me an hour to clear it all out and start again with IE.

I've broken up much of the narrative into bite-size pages, hopefully to grab the eye and make it easier to digest. Have I succeeded?
I have taken a shortcut by including a link (SYSTEM) to a site where the whole thing is explained in more detail. Does this work? Or does it confuse the matter? I am afraid visitors might get lost on the other site.
Let's see how it pans out. I'm exhausted now, so I'm off to join my friends at the bar. I'll await judgement later.
Cheers
Keith

[KeithN]

Re: New Landing Page

Week two has shown a steadily increasing number of visitors to the site, but a decline in the number of respondents, so some of the changes were clearly not doing their stuff. I have been busy with other things this week, but after a week away, I can see ways of improving the initial impact of each page. I will keep nibbling away at it and see how the changes alter the response. The web stats at Blue Voda are brilliant, and bear some study.
I would welcome a new review of the site to see how a fresh visitor sees it.

[Vasili]

Re: New Landing Page

Remarkable progress, Keith -- really!
You may wish to put a few final touches to making sure the "white page panels" are sized properly (width and height) so they fully fit to the margins of your green page borders and the bottom to the footer. *It is easy to do even if you make them a bit bigger than need be, if when you're done you "bring to front" the other elements so the white shapes "hide under" them invisibly.

And ... thank you for the "Credit" mentions on you 'web design' page. Totally unexpected, but exemplary demonstration of class and integrity!
..

[KeithN]

Re: New Landing Page

Thank you all. I could hardly claim all the credit after all the advice and help I received.
I have had a lot of brain-ache sorting out the layers. "Bring to the front" or "Send to the back" sometimes needs lots of repetition to get a result, and sometimes reveals new problems with other elements. Is it not possible to number the layers, as in AutoCAD?
I must say I am extremely impressed with Blue Voda, as it has put me back in control of my own marketing after years of relying on others to interpret my intentions. That is the most valuable thing I can think of.