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Geek Culture / Review my website please. No tricks, honest reviews requested.

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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 8th Aug 2006 21:25 Edited at: 8th Aug 2006 21:26
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Hey! Well, I sure don't want to come across like some noob with a website, "come look at my site and sinne up for my furm", because that's certainly not what this is.

Forgive my noobness, I'm pretty new at all of this 'internet" stuff. So, I put together my website with not much more than a prayer. I hope it works and looks good, but who knows?

Barring any disasters, it's pretty complete. There are videos, downloads, and a forum (a real forum, not some FreeBoard or ProBoard junk).



The reason I took a two day break from my game is that soon I'll be taking a Video Game Design class in my college!!! I can't go in there like a scrub with a pong demonstration, so I really need the website.

Anyway, it's http://www.cashcurtis.com Give it a look, tell me what I can do to make it better. I know there are a lot of web page wizards around here


Come see the WIP!

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Dazzag
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Posted: 8th Aug 2006 21:39
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A quick look and I like the design of it. Doesn't hurt my eyes, which is always a good thing I like the rounding on the screenshots. Very nice looking. Note though that your colours don't match on the top of your main "Cash Curtis II" bitmap with the background gradient image.

Only comments I would make is sometimes it can be a bit too much text and nothing else. Something between each paragraph to break it up would be nice, even a nice bullet point if you see what I mean.

Also I really like the buttons but it can be a little grey in areas. This is on a 1600x1200 display and I basically get a lot more screen area of greyness. Haven't tried it on my 1920x1200 laptop yet, but will be similar at a guess.

Oh, and I am seriously c**p at websites, so I'm probably just talking s***e. Definitely looks good at the minute.

Cheers

I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
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Graiskye
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Posted: 8th Aug 2006 21:52
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Looks good CC. Profesional looking, and all the links I clicked worked. Killer job for your first site.
No complaints here to speak of, honestley a lot better than most of the private sites.I think people that are interested in the game will be encouraged by the completeness of the site, keep up the good work. BTW I was visitor 00038, brand spanking new counter I presume ?
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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 8th Aug 2006 21:56
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@Graiskye -
Haha, yeah I'm going to replace that stupid Java counter with a proper CGI counter. I've got 5 Java tray icons open right now because of that dumb thing. I'll probably do that tomorrow. Glad you liked it, I'm trying to trick people into thinking that I am professional.

Quote: "Only comments I would make is sometimes it can be a bit too much text and nothing else. Something between each paragraph to break it up would be nice, even a nice bullet point if you see what I mean. "

You are very right about that. I'll definitely add dividers or bullets tomorrow. Thanks!!

Oh, and just so everyone knows, I didn't use any kind of template or anything. It's all sized tables and graphics that I laboriously cut up, re-sized, smoothed out the edges, etc, in Paint Shop Pro.


Come see the WIP!
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Dazzag
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Posted: 8th Aug 2006 21:59
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Don't forget the problem with the top bitmap corners not quite matching the background gradient colours.

Cheers

I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
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BatVink
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Posted: 8th Aug 2006 22:19 Edited at: 8th Aug 2006 22:19
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I like it, but then maybe it's because I like this uncannily similar design


I think your subtitles on each page are way too big though. When the page loads, all you see is titles and no content.



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the_winch
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Posted: 8th Aug 2006 22:20
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The mouseover effect on the menu buttons doesn't work in firefox, not that it matters much.

By way of demonstration, he emitted a batlike squeak that was indeed bothersome.
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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 8th Aug 2006 22:26 Edited at: 8th Aug 2006 22:27
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Quote: "I like it, but then maybe it's because I like this uncannily similar design "

Haha Mine isn't nearly as good, I did like how the DarkPhysics page looked and I tried to kind of do the same thing. Now that I compare them side by side, the effect is kind of spooky. It's kind of like I dressed up like Tom Cruise and now I'm following him around

How in the world did Rich get all of his tables shadowed like he did? That has such a nice effect.

Quote: "I think your subtitles on each page are way too big though. When the page loads, all you see is titles and no content."

Good point. I might lose people's interest if they glance down and don't see anything.

Quote: "The mouseover effect on the menu buttons doesn't work in firefox, not that it matters much."

That sucks. How can I fix it? I quite proud of those effects.


Come see the WIP!
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SageTech
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Posted: 8th Aug 2006 22:33
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I like it, but then again I am a Cash Curtis Fan, and founder of the Newbie Coders For Cash Curtis II(NCFCC). And I dont know what the_winch is talking about, I see the mouseover effects just fine In firefox. Cheers .

Back by unpopular demand!
Battle Legacy has gone MMORPG! Nah, Im just kidding. But seriously, check the WIP

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Dazzag
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 00:28
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Quote: "I see the mouseover effects just fine In firefox"
Me too. Infact it's quicker in Firefox. Responds straight away rather than a split second later (just about noticeable once you use both browsers).

Cheers

I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
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dab
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 02:51
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Quote: "Responds straight away rather than a split second later "


I thought that was because of the mouse over image. So maybe FF dls images faster?
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The Nerd
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 04:57
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I don't know much about website design. But I think the website looks good. It's easy to navigate around in, and it has a nice clean look. Well done Cash!

But it really does look a lot like the Dark Physics website. But as you said, you tried to do a design that was somewhat similar to it.

SpaceBattle-Shootout
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Agent Dink
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 07:15
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My only real complaint is the lightning bolts in the top banner. Those are like the stock lightning from Paint Shop Pro, and in my opinion (from seeing the lightning in so many productions, and my own picture tube menu) look cheap. Otherwise Pretty nice job!

I'm working on a high res photorealistic texture pack. High res as in 7 megapixels, e-mail me with suggestions.

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Oddmind
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 07:15
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I'm diggin this shiot. This site is the bee's knees.

formerly KrazyJimmy

Prayers for rain...
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BearCDPOLD
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 08:21
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The site is great. Except for the subtitles mentioned above the font size is perfect, won't cause me to become nearsighted enough to need glasses like other sites do. I agree with the comments that your banner with the purple and lightning doesn't quite fit with the rest of the site. I'm personally not a big fan of counters, but I like how yours is compact and out of the way. It's funny to see some sites where the bottom half of the screen is mostly occupied by an obnoxious counter. Terrific job on the design and everything.


I'm going to eat you!
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Fallout
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 11:01 Edited at: 9th Aug 2006 11:05
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You've heard my comments already man. Looks a little improved sinse you showed it to me also with a slightly refined layout and working links. I still think the header graphic is too big. I use 1024x768 because I like decent sized icons, windows interface etc. on my 17 inch screen. Over 50% of users still use this resolution and the header banner takes up almost half the screen at that res. Not a huge issue, but just a heads up. You normally expect to be able to see some content without scrolling down.

Edit: For the record, it's too big on the Dark Physics site too, but there is content directly beneath it rather than headers etc.

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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 15:42
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@SageTech -
Quote: "I like it, but then again I am a Cash Curtis Fan, and founder of the Newbie Coders For Cash Curtis II(NCFCC)."

Oh hey, you forgot to pay your membership dues for this year. I accent Paypal, or credit card numbers would be fabulous

Quote: "Me too. Infact it's quicker in Firefox. Responds straight away rather than a split second later (just about noticeable once you use both browsers)."

Yeah, I would have expected it to work in both. I was pretty disappointed when the_winch said that it didn't. Is that something specific to your browser?

Quote: "I don't know much about website design. But I think the website looks good. It's easy to navigate around in, and it has a nice clean look. Well done Cash!
But it really does look a lot like the Dark Physics website. But as you said, you tried to do a design that was somewhat similar to it."

Thanks! That's just what I'm going for, a site that is clean and simple and just looks good.
Too bad I had to rape the DarkPhysics page for the style But, it is my own work, so Rich's work just inspired me.

Quote: "My only real complaint is the lightning bolts in the top banner. Those are like the stock lightning from Paint Shop Pro"

Oohh You couldn't have been more right about that than if you broke out a Wikipedia definition about "stock lightning from Paint Shop Pro" It sure is. I'll definitely take this into consideration. What does everyone else think about the lightning?

Quote: "I'm diggin this shiot. This site is the bee's knees."

Glad you like it, and it will be getting better very soon!

Quote: "The site is great. Except for the subtitles mentioned above the font size is perfect, won't cause me to become nearsighted enough to need glasses like other sites do. "

Awesome! Yeah, I hate tiny fonts. I also made it dark grey rather than black, it just seemed to have a softer effect. Alquerian suggested I use a different font too, I'll play around with it.

Quote: "It's funny to see some sites where the bottom half of the screen is mostly occupied by an obnoxious counter."

Yeah, I know what you mean. Combined with ads, it can be a real mess. Ooh, and popups.

I am going to replace the counter with a CGI counter soon, because I hate how it keeps opening up Java icons on my taskbar. That takes away from the compactness of it. But, I'll get the exact same graphics for the new one.


Quote: "I still think the header graphic is too big."

Quote: "Edit: For the record, it's too big on the Dark Physics site too, but there is content directly beneath it rather than headers etc."

It's actually just about the same size, just a few pixels different. I think that's just where I went wrong though, with the content. The DarkPhysics page has a different effect because you can see something useful when you look down. All you see on this is the title and emptiness. I'll definitely change that.

If I can't resolve it, then I'll shrink the header graphic too. I'll play around with it.

***************************


Thanks for the comments guys! I'll get on the fixes tonight or tomorrow. By the time my class comes around, I might actually look like I know what I'm doing It's also good because Geisha House really did needs a site and a dedicated message board, especially for the upcoming closed Beta test.

Thanks!!!


Come see the WIP!
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Fallout
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 16:45
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No biggy matey. Just being super critical to bring out some points in the name of feedback. It wouldn't put me off if I went to a site with that sized header.

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the_winch
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 18:40 Edited at: 9th Aug 2006 18:46
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Quote: "Yeah, I would have expected it to work in both. I was pretty disappointed when the_winch said that it didn't. Is that something specific to your browser?"


My mistake, I must have turned javascript off at some point and forgot about it. It works fine after turning it back on. You can all point and laugh now .

You could put the javascript and css in external files instead of inline. If you want to change something you only have to change it in one place and a visitor only has to download it once.

By way of demonstration, he emitted a batlike squeak that was indeed bothersome.
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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 18:54
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It's all good. I promise that my javascript won't eat your computer though

Quote: "You could put the javascript and css in external files instead of inline. If you want to change something you only have to change it in one place and a visitor only has to download it once."

That sounds interesting. Would you do that with SSI, or is there a different way?


Come see the WIP!
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Nicholas Thompson
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 19:26
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Look in the head section of this page's HTML - you'll see how to do it there

[center]
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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 19:35
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Oh, so I'd put it in a .js file and do this...

Quote: "<script src="js/apollo_bbcode_v2.js" type="text/javascript"></script>"



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Nicholas Thompson
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 19:43
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yup
and this line:
Quote: "<link rel="stylesheet" href="css/common.css" type="text/css">"


is for the CSS file. It also means the browse will cache the file once downloaded and wont need to keep hitting your server for it, thus saving your bandwidth and making the page load quicker too.

[center]
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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 9th Aug 2006 19:49
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Ah, I see. Thanks! I can put my mouseover functions into a file and my counter function into a file (Now I'm using a CGI counter that uses Javascript to access it).

Are there any secret pitfalls I should be aware of before I do it?

I'm a total noob when it comes to CSS. This was the first time I've ever used one, so that I could tile the background horizontally only. It's a small bit of code...



and might be counterproductive to put into a separate file, unless I increased the amount of code. Should I put it in a different file anyway?


Come see the WIP!
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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 10th Aug 2006 04:43
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Okay, another question. Here is the link to my forum...

Quote: "http://www.cashcurtis.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl"


Now, on the main page you actually click this link, which then instantly forwards you to the link above...
Quote: "http://www.cashcurtis.com/html/forum.htm"


I was hoping to hide the cgi-bin location of the forum. Is there a way to do that? Should I even bother? It just seems sloppy to me.


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Oddmind
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Posted: 10th Aug 2006 04:58
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when did we start talking about Counter Strike : Source?

I'm fairly good at CSS, won a few tourny's. Headshot percentage is 97.64%...

formerly KrazyJimmy

Prayers for rain...
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Agent Dink
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Posted: 11th Aug 2006 00:02
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I don't blame Cash Curtis for stealing the DarkPhysics site design. When I saw it, it really caught my eye too. Now I'm designing a site with rounded corners and stuff. my header isn't quite as big, although I do like the big size.

I'm working on a high res photorealistic texture pack. High res as in 7 megapixels, e-mail me with suggestions.

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Josh
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Posted: 11th Aug 2006 01:16 Edited at: 11th Aug 2006 01:27
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Quote: "The mouseover effect on the menu buttons doesn't work in firefox, not that it matters much."


Works fine here.


@ Cash Curtis II:

Thats a very nice, clean and clear cut design which is great. However my main issue with the website is as soon as you visit it for the first time its not instantly obvious what its all about. This is a number 1 rule of any website; it has to be obvious at first glance why the heck you're viewing it.

Which brings me onto my second point, don't use such huge titles on each page, use smaller ones, with an introductory paragraph or few lines underneath it. Then the images and further content go below that. Number 2 rule: users don't like scrolling just to see the main content of a page.

Other than that its a great website, images are neat and small without looking compressed. Oh, but you do use 3 different fonts for the main page text on 3 different pages.

Anyway good work, and good luck.



[EDIT]

Almost forgot, when designing a website, use FireFox! I don't know how much you know about web technologies but you'll end up with far cleaner code if you write it for FireFox, and then add in the hacks for IE.

On top of that there are many extensions you can get for FireFox which make web devin' so much easier. Such as the web developer toolbar, x-ray, view external JS/CSS files, page source chart, timestamp converter, colorZilla, IE Tab (so you can switch between FF and IE rendering engines). The list goes on...



[MORE EDITS]

Quote: "and might be counterproductive to put into a separate file, unless I increased the amount of code. Should I put it in a different file anyway?"


If you plan to add in more code at a later date, or use the same code between pages, then yes.


Quote: "I was hoping to hide the cgi-bin location of the forum. Is there a way to do that? Should I even bother? It just seems sloppy to me."


Don't bother, there’s no need and you would just over complicate things (and make things far more messy). If you used a more "modern" BB then it wouldn't need to be in the cgi-bin dir. By "modern" I mean PHP + MySQL based such as Simple Machines Forum. But if you stay with YaBB you shouldn't need to hide the forum's URL.

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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 11th Aug 2006 21:35
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@12345678 -
Haha I feel like I just got a bad grade on a report I worked really hard on. Great feedback! Very specific. It will really help me improve the site.

@Agent Dink -
Quote: "I don't blame Cash Curtis for stealing the DarkPhysics site design."

Thank you!

@Josh -
You sound like you really know what you're doing I'm totally with you on that I need it to be obvious what it's about. I'll definitely work on that aspect of the site.

Thanks about the CGI-bin advice!

I think I'll redo the title graphic, plus bring the content higher. Plus, I'll get rid of the lightning. There seems to be a group consensus against it

I guess I should really download FireFox. There seems to be a group consensus for that. I guess I've always just used IE because I know that it's pretty much the standard browser. I'll definitely check it out.

Great feedback everyone! I'll definitely be able to improve the site with it.


Come see the WIP!
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Josh
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Posted: 12th Aug 2006 00:43
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Quote: "You sound like you really know what you're doing"


heh web dev is my speciality.


If you ever want any more advice or anything add me to MSN: stuffitall@hotmail.com I also have every other IM.

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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 12th Aug 2006 16:35
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Oh, I named the site CashCurtis.com rather than GeishaHouse.com or something is because I need a site that I'll use for everything that I'm going to do. Very soon I plan to branch out into health foods (of my own design). I figure my name is memorable and marketable enough to work as the title.


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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 12th Aug 2006 19:24
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Two quick questions -
1. How exactly do I improve the searchability of my page?

2. Once I fix my page where should I post links to my page? Like, forums, whatever, where I won't get booed away, that will be interested in an RPG that's almost finished with results to show. This is actually the only online community I visit, so I really have no idea. My idea isn't DBP specific (although it is made in DBP), but that will just the the happy surprise once they've played my game and see the end credits. I'm going to credit DBP, I'm just going to work around the stigma.


Come see the WIP!
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dab
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Posted: 12th Aug 2006 19:31
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Quote: " How exactly do I improve the searchability of my page?
"


Site maps from google are a good way, it got me from not being on google to being on the 10 in line in google (By searching DaB Games).

http://www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/siteoverview?hl=en

The other way is to get losts of visitors, and have people search for you site often. Google would then set its spiders to spider your site if it's popular.
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Kenjar
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Posted: 12th Aug 2006 19:59
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I've had a look at the site. The graphis are good quaility, however the way the game screen shots are layed out horizontally doesn't quite feel right. With the blak board around it, it looks like something i would expect to see ending the frame of the website rather than holding screenshots. I'd dump the blackboarder and tile the images in like a word document with the text wrapped around the blocks of images, both left and right justified. It would allow users to digest the images indervidually, would give you more space to work with because they are not emcompased with a useless black boarder, and would give a better all over feel to the site. Finally, I feel it would be better to have the Geshia house logo rerendered to the width of the frame, rather than stuck it. It looks too much like an avertizing banner, and too many people have trained themselves to ignore such things. Having it rerendered to the frame width, might also mean you find you can get away with the horizontal line of images with a little more ease. But I'd still recommend breaking them up.

10 reasons why I am the best, ummm, errrr, der, thingie, whatsit, dodawassit, whatsitsname, thingamebob, sqwigglything, and the ability to talk nonsense, while being sure I'm right.
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