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[goodcow]

This week I'm working on the films section of my website, currently at www.goodcowfilms.com/films/

Goals:
- Make it easier to navigate
- Kill the frames
- Make many things use phpincludes to facilitate easier changes in the future
- Put up a bunch of really old, horrible videos (but I believe in archiving everything, so...)
- Put up about six new videos from this past year
- Add 480p versions of anything that was sourced from that resolution
- Have a basic CSS reference in the template so later, if I bother to use CSS, I can also do so

So here's what I have so far, and I'm generally happy, but I'm never really good at websites, so I thought I'd throw this out here for public opinion before I proceed:

This isn't to look for bugs yet, just general layout and navigational opinions.

Main page:
http://www.goodcowfilms.com/new_films/movies.htm
- So far, it's the five Metal Cow Solid 2 films that all have their links pointing to the new design. Anything below that, with the big gap inbetween, is old stuff I have to convert to this new format.
- The top navigation with images won't work. (they point to dead links, or old pages)
- Text only listing page hasn't been designed yet

Individual title page:
http://www.goodcowfilms.com/new_films/html/metal_cow_solid_2.wmv.htm
- The new individual title page, with related links so people can access more content, a longer description, and many more pictures.
- The "breadcrumbs" point to the old content for now (films as opposed to new_films)

"HD" download page:
http://www.goodcowfilms.com/new_films/download/720_html/metal_cow_solid_2.wmv.htm
- "Please be considerate" warning page before any of the 480p downloads as they look amazing, but are huge. The passworded folder thing hasn't been configured yet. This page, for example, uses five phpincludes.

1) navigation
2) cow warning text (so I can modify it across all pages easily)
3) password image (again, modify all)
4) copyright/amazon ad
5) underneath copyright (nothing now, but there for future expansion)

So again, I'm generally happy, but I want to throw this out for public opinion before I proceed for the other 50 or so videos. Any suggestions or comments are welcomed.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Photon]

Well, for starters none of your pages are valid html:

http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http://www.goodcowfilms.com/new_films/movies.htm
http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=h....com/new_films/html/metal_cow_solid_2.wmv.htm
http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=h...s/download/720_html/metal_cow_solid_2.wmv.htm

 

[goodcow]

Well, for starters none of your pages are valid html:

http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http://www.goodcowfilms.com/new_films/movies.htm
http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=h....com/new_films/html/metal_cow_solid_2.wmv.htm
http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=h...s/download/720_html/metal_cow_solid_2.wmv.htm

Neither is this thread:
http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=h...automatically)&doctype=(detect+automatically)

It displays fine in IE and Mozilla, and I don't know HTML, so I don't give a shit about w3.org. I just want to know if the layout is nicer, or if people have suggestions.

 

[Odnetnin]

you should not use your mug in any of the navigation tabs. And the cow thing... lose it

 

[Matlock]

Well, for starters none of your pages are valid html:

http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http://www.goodcowfilms.com/new_films/movies.htm
http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=h....com/new_films/html/metal_cow_solid_2.wmv.htm
http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=h...s/download/720_html/metal_cow_solid_2.wmv.htm

 

[acoustix]

I would make your top menu bar MUCH smaller, it almost takes up half the screen. Also consider using more links for the main page, its kinda big.

 

[goodcow]

I would make your top menu bar MUCH smaller, it almost takes up half the screen. Also consider using more links for the main page, its kinda big.

What resolution are you running in?

Also, I'm condensing that page in terms of text and content, but that won't be the default page anymore, the default page will just have the five or so newest things. But that "all movies" page WILL be long, because it'll have everything. (with an optional link to a text only listing)

 

[NetMapel]

Decent site design, and I absolutely adore the MGS2 cow video

 

[goodcow]

Decent site design, and I absolutely adore the MGS2 cow video

Thanks, but what suggestions would you give to elevate it from decent to something better?

 

[acoustix]

What resolution are you running in?

Also, I'm condensing that page in terms of text and content, but that won't be the default page anymore, the default page will just have the five or so newest things. But that "all movies" page WILL be long, because it'll have everything. (with an optional link to a text only listing)

lol, Im on my gf's comp and I forgot I was on 800x600. Even on 1024x768 its still kinda big tho.

IMO your main page should always be fairly simple. If that big page is gonna be an all movies page I would suggest mabye having an A-Z link set-up for convienence.

 

[goodcow]

lol, Im on my gf's comp and I forgot I was on 800x600. Even on 1024x768 its still kinda big tho.

IMO your main page should always be fairly simple. If that big page is gonna be an all movies page I would suggest mabye having an A-Z link set-up for convienence.

The main page is going to be "updates" (which I haven't worked on yet), and will have just the last five or so additions, and a link to the text only of everything.

I hadn't though about alphabetizing it though... I was going to do it chronologically. I guess I'll do both.

 

[NetMapel]

Top menu definitely needs to be smaller, and do not use your own picture on there Put your cow pictures up there instead. Maybe instead of inverted colour without mouseoever, have it greyscaled (well, redscaled to fit the background colour) instead ? Inverted colour just looks weird...

 

[Phoenix]

Color palette wise its very 'busy'/ The menu bar at the top seems to be too big and the frame on frame scrolling is so 1990

 

[goodcow]

Color palette wise its very 'busy'/ The menu bar at the top seems to be too big and the frame on frame scrolling is so 1990

Alright, I'll reduce the menu bar size. Trim the top and bottom frame perfs, and just get rid of the goodcowfilms.com logo I suppose, since the breadcrumbs on each page identify it anyway. (along with the videoblip on each film)

But what does frame on frame scrolling mean?

 

[Phoenix]

Alright, I'll reduce the menu bar size. Trim the top and bottom frame perfs, and just get rid of the goodcowfilms.com logo I suppose, since the breadcrumbs on each page identify it anyway. (along with the videoblip on each film)

But what does frame on frame scrolling mean?

The frame above the bottom scolling frame. Because there is so much in the top frame, the bottom scroll frame just makes the whole thing extra busy as you scroll through it.