Please check this out and let me know.

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[Devon Natario]

what you think.

I found a place that has a free web builder but using flash...

I want to know what you think. I really just rushed to see what it would be like. I kind of like it, other than the fact that I havent customized it yet..

Here it is:
Kokoro Mi Jujutsu (http://www.flashbuilder.net/users/jujitsu/)

Again, this is just a fictitious thing, so please I dont need comments about content, only the way it is set up.

[Zato Ichi]

I'll forgo my standard "Flash is a tool of the devil" rant (but it is :grr: ), and just give you a little feedback in general:

1) Intro pages: Useless... anything which makes the user click through to another page without gaining information is annoying, especially if you expect to get a lot of repeat traffic.

2) Background music: Also another no-no. While I was waiting for the intro page to load, I was sitting back and in a generally relaxed state... when suddenly NOISE! DEAFENING NOISE! Well, not deafening, but annoying. Especially if the user is listening to music playback through their PC, having a website interrupt that is really off putting. I'd can the background music as well.

3) The layout of the main page seems to be solid: standard side bar and menu along the top. I would lose the rotating in-yo in the top left: moving images are distracting to the eye when you're trying to read. Make a static image, or make the in-yo a lot smaller. Another suggestion would be to change the main content section to a light background with dark text - most studies agree that it's easier to read. You may want to simplify your menus a little as well: I didn't notice the links on the bottom until after spending a few minutes on the page.

Also, I would seriously consider coding in something in other than Flash. Flash can be an incredibly useful and effective tool, but it must be used correctly! Originally, Flash was designed to deliver streaming content in small chunks (ie. animated menus and buttons), but as connections got faster and faster, some started pushing Flash further and further, until entire websites were built using it. Now, this is fine for people with high speed connections and fast PCs, but make no mistake: there are those out there still using 28.8 modems and P1 or slower computers, which makes Flash not the best choice for web building (Flash is a memory hog as far as web pages go). Furthermore, Flash renders user control over the page appearance useless... users cannot control (for example) the size of their fonts, which may be necessary for those with a vision impairment, and there are other possible issues with user accessibility as well (ie page readers).

Oops. Okay. Only a mini-rant. Sorry. :D Just think about what you need Flash for is all I'm saying.

In any case, I hope you found some of this useful. If you'd like a little help with some of the design issues, please feel free to PM me, or check my page (http://studio.armchairsamurai.com) (which, sadly, hasn't been updated in a while), and you can contact me from there.

Best of luck with your designs!

[Devon Natario]

Thanks for the honesty. A lot of things I didnt even consider. I just thought it looked neat.

[Creature_of_the_id]

another problem with flash is that search engine spiders cannot read your content, so they cannot rank you very high in the search engine because there are no words to spider through. its all just images (which cannot be read)

however, In one of my news emails this morning I did get one saying that google can not read flash content. I've only heard that from one source so far (I must admit that I havent looked very hard to confirm it - because I am of the 'flash = tool of devil' thought).

also flash tends to destroy the ability to use the scroll wheel and the back button, which is a big no no.

you are right it does look 'neat', unfortunately it seems like you have heard from two people who dont like flash :)

[Devon Natario]

Hey thanks though. Its nice to know what people think, be it negative or positive.

I have my other lame site, but it has the info that I need. It just doesnt look as sweet as flash :(.

But its about the users, not the creators

[Zato Ichi]

Web design is trickier than it looks (like a lot of aikido waza :)). If you wanna get some ideas of how a good site is put together, there are quite a few good resources on the net. Here's a couple to get you started:

Web Style Guide, 2nd ed. (http://www.webstyleguide.com/) - This should be required reading for anyone starting web design. Lays out the fundementals in a fairly easy to read, non-jargon filled language. Good stuff, and it's free!

Vincent Flanders' Web Pages That Suck (http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/) - This is a good one as well, but it teaches you what not to do. Pretty funny as well. Lots of usability tips here.

[Devon Natario]

Thank you