Review : wafflesradio.com

[waffles]

http://wafflesradio.com

Alright, it's the end of the semester and that means the end of my shows. Which also means that it's time to take a look at the site and see what works, what doesn't, and what could be made better.

I'm looking at the banner. I'm still getting basically extreme reactions, either people love it or think it makes the whole thing look like a kindergarten site.

So, any thoughts on that?

And remember, no part of the site should be safe. If I didn't want it to be ripped apart and disected I wouldn't offer it up like this. Don't worry about sounding mean.

[waffles]

No thoughts?

[Costin Trifan]

hi!

First impression: looks really nice!

But going deeper:

- I would align the text from the menu buttons to the center;
- Yeah...the banner isn't quite expressive about defining your web site theme (about radio...) maybe adding a fellow with some headphones (i don't know...)
- In the "archives" page. There is a nice picture you have there, but see that there, at the bottom, on the right hand side, is a text starting with "We..." and continues bellow the photo... You should fix that.
- Again about that banner...All containers (tables or divs) have rounded corners. Your banner doesn't... I think, if you keep that image, at least make their corners rounded also. It looks prettier this way!

[-=F4L=- Sn0w]

My first impression when i go to the site, small.
The thing i hate more then AD's on a site is a small website.
Each time i enter a website i like to feel open, able to discuss, to read, to learn
I personally don't like that the sides are empty

Now after that .. i like the header .. it says something .. most sites i go to have some stuff like

Music.something
Good Music


Now, there is more then enough content and it's an easy browse .. thats the most important thing

There is allot of content but there is not enough in some way
Maybe add a radio or MP3 player somewhere, make a forum or some kind of php discussion board

6/10

[waffles]

Sadly, small isn't really something I can do much about without some help.

Also, I have a player on each show's page where possible. Because the backup wasn't going I haven't had time to redo the last show.

I've tried a discussion board, wasn't used. I don't like having an empty site either, but as far as forums go I'm not going to add one unless I'm sure that people will actually use it.

Maybe a page that has all of the shows players on it? Something like this?

[webia]

Have to say that it loads quite long. The header text looks as it is copy pasted from MS Word which is not a very good thing.

Those menu buttons are also hideous in my opinion. The site is powered by WP, so that structure, navigation and other stuff is all right. Other than changing the above issues, I wouldn't recommend anything else.

[waffles]

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm considering just changing the themes, which might end up taking care of the navigation issues. We'll see about that.

More details later as they become relevant.

[labrocca]

I really like what you have done. The theme matches the content very well. It's easy on the eyes and I found myself reading posts with ease.

I like the header but you could do a better job with the navigation menu. It's a bit plain.

[NullPointer]

Using opera, some of your pictures cut into the text, specifically the picture on the archives section. The layout is nice, I like your approach. I think you should do something about the buttons, their a bit too plane, maybe try something with a gradient that blends in more and looks more dynamic. Domaintools.com says your site has not meta keywords or description, you might want to consider adding those as it helps some search engines index your site. All the major search engines will use your meta description to index your site, some will use keywords as well.

[jo_cstd]

I'm ripping the waffle guy in the header and the red 'footer'.
The waffle guy doesn't match the site's overall theme and the red footer is an eyesore.

[waffles]

Alright, the main issues people have had are with the footer and the menu. Those have been taken care of.

The footer information is now at the bottom of the sidebar. I still want to give credit where it's due, especially since Wordpress and the designer of the original theme did most of the hard work.

The menu is now a set of images taking what has been suggested into account. I'll be working on another set so there can be a rollover effect, but for right now this is at least better.

As for the banner, I'm about to start a contest or something. I'm just not a designer, and I have no illusions that I am. Only problem with doing that is the lack of funds for a good prize...

[jv16]

You should perhaps say what your website is actually about. From the header I get the image this is an internet radio station. But I don't find a single link from the front page to start listening to the music.

With just a few sentences you could say to the visitor what the site contains and maybe even why it was started, when and who runs it. Now it's quite impossible for me to say whether this is a website of a small radio station, a blog about radios, an internet radio station or something in between these three.

I think your color theme is a bit dull to tell you the truth. You can do amazing websites with no colors at all, but that is quite difficult art to master. I'd rather put some kind of color theme to your site.

I don't quite like the header image either. The logo would be cool for a site for children but I don't think kids are your target audience. But I do like the slogan, "Music that you didn't know you wanted to hear". Why not explore and expand this theme further?

Now I'm not a big fan of blog-sites (sites which mainly consists of a blog-styled contents and navigation, sites that have a blog as a section of the site can be very good), and that's why I don't much like the navigation of your site either. Why not try to make the site to look a bit more like, well, a website rather than a blog?

[Karen_Harwood]

I love kindergarten sites! No, seriously it's not all that bad. It's simple, well organized and easy to navigate. And it's got a great logo!