If you were going to redesign this site what would you do?

traciedowell · 11-30-2007, 01:19 PM

We are undergoing a re-design of our website because it appears that people are getting the wrong impression and feeling like it is a scam. As a website designer, I would like your input as to what we should do to change it.

Thanks in advance for your time and assistance.

Roadrunner · 11-30-2007, 01:20 PM

Just one suggestion at this time: Add 'feedbacks' from others who have had firsthand experiences with this business.

~RR

traciedowell · 11-30-2007, 01:35 PM

Oh that's a great idea. Thanks!

fgab · 12-24-2007, 01:33 PM

Also, the design looks a little generic. Try to get a more unique design, and display your contact information prominently on the site.

Babyblue · 12-24-2007, 03:59 PM

If you could set up a live Chat for this site along with the forum would be great.

arachyd · 12-24-2007, 07:06 PM

I don't design sites but I have frequented other sites that have made changes. The way this one is set up seems to be very popular and easy to navigate. I like it...just my opinion. A chat room would be nice but they tend to get abused a lot if there is no moderator on when it is being used. One feature I really like on other sites is the option to receive email notification if someone posts in a topic after you have posted there.

Babyblue · 12-24-2007, 07:18 PM

True.. that the chat site is often abused. I do agree with that but, with significant monitors the chat site can work.

forestcall · 01-31-2008, 12:50 AM

Hi-

Good work thus far-

1- Change chat app to meebo - online web IM for AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk messengers
2- Change site structure to use Joomla!
3- Change template to fit a portal style layout as the text going down the center is wayyyyy too long.
4- Join Joomla Templates Club - Pro Joomla Templates & Designs - Joomla (demo.rockettheme.com)

I think you will find Joomla.org to be an incredible resource!!! extensions.joomla.org has several career directory free apps. There is also a number of Deaf apps.

Good luck!!!

Matt Lawson
Medialab Pro

Bright-Eyed-TJ · 04-07-2008, 05:30 AM

Great advice everyone! Wonder if it was followed?

traciedowell · 04-08-2008, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeafTJ

Great advice everyone! Wonder if it was followed?

Yes we did take the comments into consideration when we re-did our website. I'm sure if anyone who posted here, that saw our old website, saw it now they would see that it has changed ALOT. We are not professional web designers by trade so it was challenging but we feel that we have come up with a new site that we can be proud of.

Thanks to everyone who posted their feedback for their input and the continued support.

Bright-Eyed-TJ · 04-09-2008, 12:21 AM

I saw both your old site and now new one. For not being professional webmasters, you did a great job on the design.

Bright-Eyed-TJ · 04-09-2008, 06:48 PM

Did you get chat set up? That is a great feature to have.

traciedowell · 04-09-2008, 07:12 PM

We did actually. We had a live chat feature but it did not work out the way we thought it would. We ended up scrapping it and just doing the contact form.

Bright-Eyed-TJ · 04-09-2008, 07:22 PM

Don't know if you tried Meebo or not, but it doesn't seem as easy as others say.

There are a few good low-cost ones that could do the trick.

I often click those "Chat Now" boxes to talk with someone immediately, and mostly they then send you to contact page or give phone number.

Once in a while, you click the chatbox and truly a person does come to it and talk to you immediately.

That is a GREAT way to hold onto a prospect, as you know.

VP is wonderful, however if it takes more than 24 - 48 hours to respond, the person could have already lost interest by then and try and move onto something else. Then too late for the call.

Hopefully when you are ready to try again, you can have chat function or at least a chat room that is open all day and night for someone to come in and ask questions anytime they happen upon your site.

traciedowell · 04-09-2008, 07:24 PM

I forgot to mention that we kept the chat on our website for at least a month before we took it off.

Bright-Eyed-TJ · 04-09-2008, 07:27 PM

Wonder what kind it was? Was it free kind? Or had cost with it? If it had cost with it then that sucks.

Should be a good kind that as soon as someone type in, you/company will know and can immediately respond. . .

hmmm....

traciedowell · 04-09-2008, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeafTJ

Once in a while, you click the chatbox and truly a person does come to it and talk to you immediately.

That is a GREAT way to hold onto a prospect, as you know.

VP is wonderful, however if it takes more than 24 - 48 hours to respond, the person could have already lost interest by then and try and move onto something else. Then too late for the call.

Hopefully when you are ready to try again, you can have chat function or at least a chat room that is open all day and night for someone to come in and ask questions anytime they happen upon your site.

We had it linked up to my husband's sidekick so whenever someone chatted, they got a real person right away. It just got to a point where it wasn't really effective as people were just filling out the contact form anyway. Not many people used it. It was at that point when we decided to go with a single column design as opposed to our former 2 column layout.

For us, it was a concept that sounded good on paper but didn't really make a difference. I'm sure that there are other websites where it is more useful such as tech support and so forth but for ours, it didn't do much.

traciedowell · 04-09-2008, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeafTJ

Wonder what kind it was? Was it free kind? Or had cost with it? If it had cost with it then that sucks.

Should be a good kind that as soon as someone type in, you/company will know and can immediately respond. . .

hmmm....

It was free and yes we would immediately respond to people when they initiated the chat. It was neat. Just not very popular.

**shel90** · 04-09-2008, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by traciedowell

It was free and yes we would immediately respond to people when they initiated the chat. It was neat. Just not very popular.

Oh really? I didnt realize that. LOL!

traciedowell · 04-09-2008, 07:33 PM

LOL

lovezebras · 04-09-2008, 07:38 PM

the only thing i didnt like is when u read a bio it's super long and it cuts in and out when u try to read the profiles on the main page...other than that great looking site *thumbs up*

traciedowell · 04-09-2008, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilitalia89

the only thing i didnt like is when u read a bio it's super long and it cuts in and out when u try to read the profiles on the main page...other than that great looking site *thumbs up*

Thanks for your comment. I will inform my husband who works on that. Maybe he can come up with something that might make it easier to read the bios.

Bright-Eyed-TJ · 04-09-2008, 07:59 PM

This is also noted here:

We want opinions

That the profile of Team Members is cut off and hard to read.

You can tell your husband that a lot of important meta tags are also missing, which are significantly needed.

But again, the design is very nice.

traciedowell · 04-09-2008, 08:20 PM

Thank you. I posted on that link you supplied.

One main goal we had was to make the website feel more cohesive and iconic. We are incorporating more iconic graphics to make it feel more comfortable and easy to navigate. It's a work in progress but it's getting better.

My husband is not a web designer but has managed to teach himself a thing or two about it. He's getting better but he's not a pro. Eventually we will have the whole website re-done by a professional but that is not going to be anytime in the near future. For now, we are relying on my hubby's skills and I think we'll be ok.

Bright-Eyed-TJ · 04-10-2008, 03:29 AM

So you know what meta tags are missing and which need to be supplied?

A professional graphic designer will make your site prettier, but it is the background optimization that gets you traffic.

Quote:

We are incorporating more iconic graphics to make it feel more comfortable and easy to navigate.

It is comfortable on the eyes and has a nice look and feel. However, please keep in mind that there really is nothing to navigate through right now.

I do hope that more clear content is added to build more trust.

And again, the domain deafcareer.com, which is a significant part of any website, implies a career for the Deaf.

Also this type of mlm rarely results in a career for any one for more than a few months to a good year or two, and if they are in the top lucky 7% to keep going longer.

This means the domain name/url is misleading. Of course that is up to you to take which advices that you like.

But again, it's all in honesty.

If you keep changing your homepage over and over adding a bit of info here or there or famous quotes from Marlee Matlin, etc, it still doesn't increase the trust. LOL, we are Deaf. Most of us know what Marlee is quoted for saying already.

If Marlee Matlin had been quoted saying "Lifemark is the best company on earth that helps Deaf". . . I totally see the purpose of adding her quote(s).

So back to homepage (and really only page) - Google and other SEs see you changing the 'content' so much, and they stop taking your site seriously.

Hopefully on your next revision, you can truly follow the most significant advices that other Deaf have given and then you don't have to tweak your website so much.

Your website design is perfectly fine. No need to keep on tweaking that.

Now it's time to avoid the blind marketing and let Deaf know what they are about to attempt to partake.

If you'd put clear information on the site in the first place, you'd probably find way less editing
happenstances.

**Reba** · 04-10-2008, 07:27 AM

Since content is the main problem, hiring a professional web designer isn't necessary. You would have to provide the designer with your content anyway, so you might as well do it yourself. The designer can improve the "mechanics" of your site but only you can provide the content.

traciedowell · 04-10-2008, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeafTJ

And again, the domain deafcareer.com, which is a significant part of any website, implies a career for the Deaf.

Also this type of mlm rarely results in a career for any one for more than a few months to a good year or two, and if they are in the top lucky 7% to keep going longer.

This means the domain name/url is misleading. Of course that is up to you to take which advices that you like.

DeafTJ,

Thanks for your comments!

Bright-Eyed-TJ · 04-10-2008, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by traciedowell

DeafTJ,

Thanks for your comments!

Reba said it way more short, sweet, and succinctly. .

traciedowell · 04-10-2008, 10:34 AM

You're right, she did. Thanks Reba.

**Reba** · 04-10-2008, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by traciedowell

You're right, she did. Thanks Reba.

You're welcome.

11-30-2007, 01:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
traciedowell Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 121	If you were going to redesign this site what would you do? We are undergoing a re-design of our website because it appears that people are getting the wrong impression and feeling like it is a scam. As a website designer, I would like your input as to what we should do to change it. Thanks in advance for your time and assistance. __________________ ~Tracie Dowell LifeMark Career Development http://www.deafcareer.com "For a few years I will set aside the time that most people won't so that I can live the rest of my life the way most people can't."

11-30-2007, 01:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
Roadrunner Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: NY Posts: 7,089	Just one suggestion at this time: Add 'feedbacks' from others who have had firsthand experiences with this business. ~RR __________________ "Nothing is ever lost by courtesy. It is the cheapest of pleasures, costs nothing, and conveys much." - Erastus Wiman

11-30-2007, 01:35 PM	#3 (permalink)
traciedowell Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 121	Oh that's a great idea. Thanks! __________________ ~Tracie Dowell LifeMark Career Development http://www.deafcareer.com "For a few years I will set aside the time that most people won't so that I can live the rest of my life the way most people can't."

12-24-2007, 03:59 PM	#5 (permalink)
Babyblue Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 12,001	Live chat???? If you could set up a live Chat for this site along with the forum would be great.

12-24-2007, 07:06 PM	#6 (permalink)
arachyd Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 45	I don't design sites but I have frequented other sites that have made changes. The way this one is set up seems to be very popular and easy to navigate. I like it...just my opinion. A chat room would be nice but they tend to get abused a lot if there is no moderator on when it is being used. One feature I really like on other sites is the option to receive email notification if someone posts in a topic after you have posted there. Last edited by arachyd; 12-24-2007 at 07:08 PM. Reason: added

Today
Deafness	Sponsored Links __________________ This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members. Register your free account today and become a member on AllDeaf.com

12-24-2007, 01:33 PM	#4 (permalink)
fgab Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 3	Also, the design looks a little generic. Try to get a more unique design, and display your contact information prominently on the site.

12-24-2007, 07:18 PM	#7 (permalink)
Babyblue Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 12,001	True.. that the chat site is often abused. I do agree with that but, with significant monitors the chat site can work.

01-31-2008, 12:50 AM	#8 (permalink)
forestcall Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 2	Hi- Good work thus far- 1- Change chat app to meebo - online web IM for AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk messengers 2- Change site structure to use Joomla! 3- Change template to fit a portal style layout as the text going down the center is wayyyyy too long. 4- Join Joomla Templates Club - Pro Joomla Templates & Designs - Joomla (demo.rockettheme.com) I think you will find Joomla.org to be an incredible resource!!! extensions.joomla.org has several career directory free apps. There is also a number of Deaf apps. Good luck!!! Matt Lawson Medialab Pro

04-07-2008, 05:30 AM	#9 (permalink)
Bright-Eyed-TJ Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United States Posts: 312	Great advice everyone! Wonder if it was followed?

04-09-2008, 12:21 AM	#11 (permalink)
Bright-Eyed-TJ Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United States Posts: 312	I saw both your old site and now new one. For not being professional webmasters, you did a great job on the design.

04-09-2008, 06:48 PM	#12 (permalink)
Bright-Eyed-TJ Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United States Posts: 312	Did you get chat set up? That is a great feature to have. __________________ TJ Deaf and Hard of Hearing Love

04-09-2008, 07:12 PM	#13 (permalink)
traciedowell Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 121	We did actually. We had a live chat feature but it did not work out the way we thought it would. We ended up scrapping it and just doing the contact form. __________________ ~Tracie Dowell LifeMark Career Development http://www.deafcareer.com "For a few years I will set aside the time that most people won't so that I can live the rest of my life the way most people can't."

04-09-2008, 07:22 PM	#14 (permalink)
Bright-Eyed-TJ Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United States Posts: 312	Don't know if you tried Meebo or not, but it doesn't seem as easy as others say. There are a few good low-cost ones that could do the trick. I often click those "Chat Now" boxes to talk with someone immediately, and mostly they then send you to contact page or give phone number. Once in a while, you click the chatbox and truly a person does come to it and talk to you immediately. That is a GREAT way to hold onto a prospect, as you know. VP is wonderful, however if it takes more than 24 - 48 hours to respond, the person could have already lost interest by then and try and move onto something else. Then too late for the call. Hopefully when you are ready to try again, you can have chat function or at least a chat room that is open all day and night for someone to come in and ask questions anytime they happen upon your site. __________________ TJ Deaf and Hard of Hearing Love

04-09-2008, 07:24 PM	#15 (permalink)
traciedowell Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 121	I forgot to mention that we kept the chat on our website for at least a month before we took it off. __________________ ~Tracie Dowell LifeMark Career Development http://www.deafcareer.com "For a few years I will set aside the time that most people won't so that I can live the rest of my life the way most people can't."

04-09-2008, 07:27 PM	#16 (permalink)
Bright-Eyed-TJ Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United States Posts: 312	Wonder what kind it was? Was it free kind? Or had cost with it? If it had cost with it then that sucks. Should be a good kind that as soon as someone type in, you/company will know and can immediately respond. . . hmmm.... __________________ TJ Deaf and Hard of Hearing Love

04-09-2008, 07:33 PM	#20 (permalink)
traciedowell Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 121	LOL __________________ ~Tracie Dowell LifeMark Career Development http://www.deafcareer.com "For a few years I will set aside the time that most people won't so that I can live the rest of my life the way most people can't."

04-09-2008, 07:38 PM	#21 (permalink)
lovezebras Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 3,963	the only thing i didnt like is when u read a bio it's super long and it cuts in and out when u try to read the profiles on the main page...other than that great looking site thumbs up

04-09-2008, 07:59 PM	#23 (permalink)
Bright-Eyed-TJ Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United States Posts: 312	This is also noted here: We want opinions That the profile of Team Members is cut off and hard to read. You can tell your husband that a lot of important meta tags are also missing, which are significantly needed. But again, the design is very nice. __________________ TJ Deaf and Hard of Hearing Love

04-09-2008, 08:20 PM	#24 (permalink)
traciedowell Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 121	Thank you. I posted on that link you supplied. One main goal we had was to make the website feel more cohesive and iconic. We are incorporating more iconic graphics to make it feel more comfortable and easy to navigate. It's a work in progress but it's getting better. My husband is not a web designer but has managed to teach himself a thing or two about it. He's getting better but he's not a pro. Eventually we will have the whole website re-done by a professional but that is not going to be anytime in the near future. For now, we are relying on my hubby's skills and I think we'll be ok. __________________ ~Tracie Dowell LifeMark Career Development http://www.deafcareer.com "For a few years I will set aside the time that most people won't so that I can live the rest of my life the way most people can't."

04-10-2008, 07:27 AM	#26 (permalink)
Reba Granny Terp Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: South Carolina Posts: 39,218	Since content is the main problem, hiring a professional web designer isn't necessary. You would have to provide the designer with your content anyway, so you might as well do it yourself. The designer can improve the "mechanics" of your site but only you can provide the content.

04-10-2008, 10:34 AM	#29 (permalink)
traciedowell Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 121	You're right, she did. Thanks Reba. __________________ ~Tracie Dowell LifeMark Career Development http://www.deafcareer.com "For a few years I will set aside the time that most people won't so that I can live the rest of my life the way most people can't."

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