Any feedback is good feedback

fundy23 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 12:02 AM

Anything the seasoned vets, or anyone else for that matter, suggest, recommend, or think about my blog is very much welcomed. Thanks in advance

SHFarms · #2 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 12:34 AM

I dont know about others, but on my screen the text you are using is very bold and the letters are not literally but look like they are "smashing together" making it hard to read and it hurts my eyes.. Again it may just be my screen or possibly my eyes..

Very nice graphics and color scheme.

It would give your site a more smooth look if your ads were aligned the same and not some floating to the left and others floating in the center.

I would give your blog a 7.5 out of 10 stars ->needs minor improvement from my point of view.

Good job, and good luck.

fundy23 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 12:48 AM

It's interesting that you say that about the font because someone else told me that the normal font was hurting their eyes too . lol I tried the bold just to see how it would look. In comparison, I didn't like it as much either and am going to change it. There aren't a lot of options as far as font style goes unless I can install them somehow? Bit of a rookie here so I'm not sure

SHFarms · #4 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 12:51 AM

This article is about adding custom fonts to your wordpress site, hope it helps.

http://www.mesmerlab.com/add-custom-...ordpress-site/

fundy23 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHFarms

This article is about adding custom fonts to your wordpress site, hope it helps.

http://www.mesmerlab.com/add-custom-...ordpress-site/

Thanks! I'll have a look at it, problably some time tomorrow. Getting late here and I need to get to bed.

SHFarms · #6 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 01:50 AM

No problem, hopefully its helpful, if not just google "custom wordpress fonts" or something along those lines and pull up other related articles.

And good night..

Pretzel · #7 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 04:25 AM

I love the design and colors! Nicely chosen theme, lots of warmth to it.

I'm not sure I like the 'About me' link at the top left of your page. It kind of feels out of place to me. Especially as you already have an about me link in your sidebar.

I agree with SHFarms about the ads. It would be nicer if they were all aligned. I haven't really read the content, but the font does seem like it could be bothering when reading lots. You could may be play with different fonts, different sizes or the background color (may be something slightly off white). Don't know. Something to enhance it...

Keep up the good work!

vlad11 · #8 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 08:15 AM

Nice looking site. I like the color you've chosen. One thing though...i think the url would look better without the "/wordpress" added at the end.

SHFarms · #9 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 09:52 AM

Now that I look at it, pretzel is right, the about me link is above your catagories/content and the point to going there at first is learning about poker, and not you, but if they like your content and would that to get to know the author better, they can visit your about me page.

MesmerLab · #10 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHFarms

This article is about adding custom fonts to your wordpress site, hope it helps.

Hey thanks for the mention! If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

- jason

fundy23 · #11 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHFarms

Now that I look at it, pretzel is right, the about me link is above your catagories/content and the point to going there at first is learning about poker, and not you, but if they like your content and would that to get to know the author better, they can visit your about me page.

The "About Me" part at the top left came with the theme. I'm trying to figure out how to have it taken down because it was one of the first things I noticed too. Being the rook that I am, I haven't found where to delete it yet

MesmerLab · #12 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 01:59 PM

Ok, so I've reviewed your site now. I should have waited on that first post, but I haven't had my coffee yet.

Here's my notes on your site in no particular order:

Navigation font is too small. Use a larger font and Verdana or Arial
Body text is also too small. It could be a result of using Century Gothic. Maybe try Times Roman or Trebuchet (both are web-safe).
Increase line-height in the body text. Typically I add about 20-25% more than the font size. So if I'm using 12 point text, I use 16 point line height. This spreads out the lines vertically so they're easier to read.
The red text, (Preclicking the action buttons, etc.) could be used as a heading. It will be easier for the visitor to scan the article and find what they need. Try wrapping those phrases in an H2 tag. This helps with SEO also.
Something to consider is using the 'MORE' tag in your articles. I typically insert it after a couple paragraphs. What it does is inserts a break in your article. So on your home page the visitor will only see a part of your article. This makes it easier for them to scan through the titles and a few words to see what they want to read. Look at my home page for an example.
One possible solution with the ad space would be to narrow both sidebars. It seems your menu and other non-ad stuff could still fit, and it would get rid of some of the extra space. This would also allow more central space for the articles.
One last tip, create more paragraphs in your articles. Online reading is easier in small chunks that don't fully comply with the grammar you were taught in school. Think of it in blinks. Typically when someone blinks, they are taking a split second to compile the information they just read, viewed, heard, or any other type of input. This allows the brain a short moment to understand the information. Once you think of your articles in that way, you'll sort of see where the natural paragraph breaks will come in.

So if you have any questions, just ask.

fundy23 · #13 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 02:59 PM

OK, I'll go point by point:

Navigation Font: Again, came with the theme and am not sure how to change it. Also, I don't have those styles of font as I need to install them at some point. I just haven't uploaded the plug in yet.

Body Text: See above

Increase Line Height: Huh?

Red Text: Point taken with using them as headings. I'll do that. Wrap in H2 tag? MORE tag? Again...huh? lol

Paragraphs: Yeah, it may take time for me to adjust to that because I've always been taught that you start a new paragraph when you're starting a new thought.

Overall: I really appreciate the advice as well so thanks a lot for taking the time.

fundy23 · #14 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 03:02 PM

Ohh...never mind about the more tag. I see that one.

MesmerLab · #15 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 03:16 PM

Ok, I'm going to get into some things that might be a little technical, but they'll really help your website development skills.

First off, if you're not already using it, get Firefox and install it. This is arguably the best browser for website development.

Next, get the Firebug extension for Firefox. This lets you inspect each element on your page. Once you have that installed, you can right-click on any part of your site and choose 'Inspect Element'. Firebug will open a panel on the bottom of your site and show you the HTML and CSS for that specific element. It also shows you exactly what line in the CSS file is affecting the element. That makes it easy to go in and modify.

So for now, get that stuff and play around with Firebug.

Next step would be to edit the stylesheet, either within the Wordpress interface or with an external text editor like Notepad++. I use that and FileZilla (FTP program).

WB Sponsors