Crappy website

[Francis Nugent Dixon]

Hi from Beautiful Brittany (I've moved)

Richard,

> My sister (who knows about these things) tells me that my website  
> looks like
> a dog's dinner . . .
>
> Would be very grateful for any feedback comparing this:

This is your site, and you have put a ton of gung-ho and guts into it.
So, be proud of it, but be ready to submit to criticism. That's life !

1 - Tell them what you are going to tell them !
2 - Tell them !
3 - Tell them what you have told them !

Well - maybe you can forget rule 3 !!

Based upon those simple rules  :

1 - Start with an introduction page
(who am I, What am I selling, what have I got to sell).

2 - Separate the levels of information
(if it costs you a few HTML pages, so who cares ?)
(NEVER mix chalk and cheese (even if they are both white)

3 - Based upon rule 1, don't put too much info on page 1
(lead the user into the areas that may take his fancy).

4 - Use menus (they can be so useful)

5 - And this is the most important :

Don't add pages to your site by adding pointers from Page 1.
LOOK CAREFULLY at your PAGE HEIRARCHY (do you have one ?)
and redesign it if necessary.

and finally :

If you have to redesign your page hierarchy, this means that
you DIDN't HAVE a page heirarchy in the first place.

I have learned (with great pain), that building Internet sites
is the same as writing any program - (90% analysis, using some
antiquated material called a pencil and paper, and then 10%
writing and testing). Every time you put up a new HTML page,
you are only proving what you have already carefully designed !

I will now duck because of any sh*t hitting the fan !
(but then, nobody is perfect !)

-Francis