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Review for Unbeknownist Music
I did not expect the site to be under some sort of hiatus while a new layout is implemented. I certainly did not expect the site remain in hiatus status after nearly four months. But I wholeheartedly agree with the decision for a new layout as the current one is rather bland. Not just in style but also in colour. It does very little to attract visitors, not to mention the most recent entry on September 2 gives people the wrong impression that the site is closed until a new layout and new content are added.
Information
Site: Unbeknownist Music
Type: Miscellaneous
Owner: Hillarie
Reviewed By: Misao
Date Received: 12/27/06
Date Completed: 12/28/07
Preview
Presentation
Even though the site is currently inactive until a new layout and new content are added, you should still anticipate visitors. At the moment, the site is not very visitor friendly. Here are a few reasons why:
- Only the word ‘Unbeknownist’ is written in the layout. visitors may have a hard time deducing what kind of a site they have stumbled onto. (eg.) A music site versus a personal webpage.
- The text size of the updates heading and date are bigger than the size used for the site title in the layout, taking away the primary focus, the overall website itself.
- There is no introductory paragraph introducing yourself and welcoming visitors to the site, so many people, including myself, have no idea what to expect.
- An estimated date or timeframe of when the new layout would have been helpful to regular visitors so they, at least, have some sort of idea when to return to the site.
- There is an extra chunk of empty brown space below the second set of site links at the bottom of the page, which is not needed.
- There is no link in the links menu or anywhere on the page for visitors to return to the homepage.
I cannot say much more about the site layout design, since it is not much of a design; simply a header and a footer coded by a background colour. I am sure you can do better. Just a reminder that first impression is very important to a site. Many visitors will make a decision to stay or leave a site usually within the first 30 seconds based heavily on the appearance. If a site’s layout is not attractive, the chances of keeping visitors is very low compared to a site with an attractive layout.
The HTML coding looks great, and I hope there is a page somewhere on the webpage with the access key information. After all, what is the point of access keys if the visitors are not informed of them and cannot use them? The style sheet also looks great. There were no errors when both files were put through validation tests.
Content
About
The brief history of the band is very helpful, though there is barely enough information to deduce what the band really is and what you do. All the information is written in present tense, so I have no idea how recent this is. Is the band still waiting for new equipment? The band still hasn’t recorded anything yet? Is the band still planning to rehearse twice a week or have you started on that routine? There is no information about each individual band member, and this is very important when it comes to defining the band.
There is also not much information the site itself. What was the site named previously? Has it and how has it grown in terms of layout and content? How did the site look like (previous layouts)? Does anyone else help out with the site? What are the plans for the site? Will the band’s recorded songs be hosted and available for download to the general public on this site?
There is one small grammar mistake: the first sentence following the Site History header. It should be: Like the band, our website has a history. However, both have the unfortunate curse of being extremely dull. You might consider linking Dreamhost to a new window.
Media
I expected a little more to this section besides a welcome message wave file. The description of the audio clip is not exactly a description of the what the clip is really about. I prefer to read a description advising me of what is to be expected. The introduction to the section about juice, fruits, and trees is not appropriate. It can only applied if this section used to have a fair amount of content and now is underoing a revamp where new content will be added soon. I don’t think this is the case. The section looks as if it never had anything but the welcome audio file. This page is in need of a new welcome statement.
Photos
This section also does not have a lot to offer. There are only two photos and these photos are outdated and small. Photos of all the band members going about their everyday routine plus photos of the band members practicing would be great additions to the site.
Shows
Again, there is barely any information here. A date and time is not sufficient, and a question mark due to uncertainty of what day in the month is not appropriate or professional. You’ll need more than that. Consider:
Date: August 2007
Time: 2:00 PM
Location: Private
Description: This was a “end of summer” performance where we performed [TYPE OF PERFORMANCE] for our special guests, who attended by invitation only. We performed a series of songs from [SONG 1] to [SONG 2], and the performance lasted ## hours.
I hope you notice the vast difference between my format above and the one at the site. Because shows and performances are events, this page needs to be updated on a regular basis even if the site is undergoing revamp. August 2007 is not a future event anymore.
FAQ
I dislike the format of this page. It differs so much from the other pages, and the peach boxed background to each question is not necessary. This page can be simply coded the same way the home page is coded.
Since the Ask & Answer script has been removed, consider providing information here on this page on how visitors can contact the band in general or each band member individually with their questions or concerns, or consider installing a quick and easy online form.
Contact
Well, I certainly see where the online form went. There are a couple of problems with this page. For starters, there is no written text before the form about when visitors can expect a reply, about spam emails, and about how to contact the band in case the form doesn’t work. Maybe include something along the lines of: Please feel free to use the online form below to contact the band. We will try our best to reply to your questions and/or concerns within two weeks. If the form does not work, please direct your emails to admin@unbeknownist-music.org. Please no spam mail.
The second problem is that the page looks retarded being left aligned with all sorts of text field sizes not aligning vertically. Consider putting the form in a table with two columns but do not declare a border. Also consider resizing the textarea message box smaller in both height and width so it doesn’t look so large and empty. This final suggestion is optional but a reset button will be nice in case the visitor made a mistake and want to start over.
Links
I don’t understand how Everlasting Blaze relates to Unbeknownist. Are the two bands affiliated or are the band members friends of one another? It’ll be nice to know exactly why they are the only musician/band listed in the links section and who they are.
External links should be linked to new windows so that visitors can visit both your site and the new site at the same time. You do not want to encourage visitors to leave your site with a simple click and go to someone’s. The links to Soulhearts Web Directory, SoulKissed Listings, Umb-Rella Reviews, and YumYu are either not working or the site is currently inactive. They need to be removed or updated.
Final Statement
It is great four girls with a love of music have taken the initiative to create a band and promote themselves with a domain, but needless to say, the site is a failure. As far as I know, the band could have dissolved by now considering the limited amount of information about the band the band’s progress and the lack of a fully organized website on top of the lack of update. I would consider establishing the band first, making something out of yourselves before deciding to operate a website. You can’t have a website on a band if the band is next to non-existent.