Site Critique: Are they right?

[DonnaL]

Ok... here's the story.... I came on board with this company almost a year ago and they had someone else doing their site (for free)... but because they quit (and I'm here) they gave the job for me to do. Now..... I am completely Old School when it comes to building websites so the only thing I could do is just keep on doing what the previous person had done...... I tried to keep it as simple as possible... and easy to change on a weekly basis. So I changed the site to have frames, all I needed to do is change the top frame for the date and issue number etc. then just upload the .jpgs of the pages to the site. Easy....

Personally I think the site is crap... they "purposely" do not want people reading the paper online because it'll take away from their subscriptions. Now a year has gone by... they have finally added color to the front page (besides the ugly header) and they wanted me to recreate their site so that it can be "read"... on one contingency that I don't put up the entire article. We've had too many people call and say "we can't read the text on the website..."

Ok..... now again, I know nothing about building sites except for the basic html... I don't know CSS, PHP or any of that stuff... so I spent all day Thursday, looking at websites and figuring out this CSS stuff... found a few nice sites that offered free CSS templates. Today...... I spent 6 hours trying to work with Dreamweaver and the css template and make the website more esthetically pleasing to the eye and legible and nice/clean... etc. I'm proud of my outcome for knowing nothing. So what do you think they did when they saw it? Cut it down completely! I was devasted and said fine...... I won't bother then.. pay someone to do your site. We'll keep it the way it is!

Cripes I can't wait til April!!

Anyway....... any comments or suggestions about the redesign would be appreciated.. not that they're gonna use it now but... Are they right? They wanted to keep the ugly Banner and keep the image of the front page on the new site... I think it'll just ruin it all together...

CURRENT SITE IS: http://www.bullheadcity-bee.com

REDESIGNED IS: http://www.bullheadcity-bee.com/test_site/index.html

Thanks.....

[chalsema]

Well, I think your new site is a huge improvement :D There's so much wrong with the old one, I don't even know where to start....

[colonel5]

the redesigned version is a start to a much classier look. But I'd say, yes, let them pay someone to do it. Less headaches for everyone

[DonnaL]

Well, I think your new site is a huge improvement :D There's so much wrong with the old one, I don't even know where to start....
Agree... it's just bad...
But I'd say, yes, let them pay someone to do it. Less headaches for everyone
Wish it were as simple as that. I'ts just the two owners (husband/wife) and then two designers (me and another girl). We don't work for a "company", we work for an old married couple! They try to skimp and get stuff for nothing and won't put a penny into new equipment... I think I posted in here awhile back that it took them 3 months to buy me a lousy $20 keyboard. That should tell you something about them.

Well.... no worries... I got a head start on what to expect with CSS

[chrispyking]

Second one is one hell of a lot better.

THere are things I'd tweak.. but in comparrison to the old site you are showing god like ability ;)

Did they give any pointers?

Or is it ... I don't like it... try again !

[JPnyc]

A VAST improvement. Like night and day.

[CurtisS]

I doubt that if the owners thought the original site was okay that they would have any useful input on the new one. I like the new design as well. Great start!

[D-Frag]

ouch, yeah the new one is like a billion times better. oh well, live and learn Donna, don't let them get you down

[DonnaL]

Thanks guys... yep.. I gave up entirely on trying to give this old married couple something "nice" for a change. Can't please everyone... and certainly can't please them ....................... **whispers** (unless it's free!)

[chrispyking]

Something to get their heads into the web as an asset might be to take subscriptions though the site, and possibly publish the paper over the web to paying customers...

ie..

1 - you subscribe online and get it delivered to your door. Fee A
2 - you subscribe online and get a username and password which allows you to read the paper online.. Fee B

Option 2 could be sold as a "good for the environment" kind of thing.

Then they have an incentive to improve/modernise the site and you have something a little more interesting to do/learn from the norm.... :eek:

:rolleyes:
:D

[DonnaL]

They won't accept credit cards... therefore subscriptions through the web won't work. I've set up a subscription form... but they have to send in a check.

Truly... I've given this a lot of thought.. and they are just not worth the effort.