Website re-fit review please?

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Giddy Goat
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Website re-fit review please?

Post by Giddy Goat »

Following my plea for help recently when the designer of our original website, who was hosting and maintaining it, had a career change, I had a number of very kind emails with offers of help, among them e-Richard. The reviews (of the original site) on LMH had turned up one or two little criticisms, plus a major one, which was that it had been constructed around frames. Bad news for SEs. When I raised this at the time with the designer, he disagreed with the views expressed, so that was that. With him now out of the equation, it was an opportune time to go frameless.

It was the gallant Richard who came to my rescue. However, on reading the rest of the comments from the review, and casting a critical eye over the site himself, he decided (a glutton for punishment: lucky me!!!) that he'd also like to do some further tweaking. The results of his considerable efforts and talents can be found here:

http://www.gasconymagic.com

If anyone is interested, they can visit the site as it was, here:

http://www.gasconymagic.com/oldsite/

And the review for it is here:

viewtopic.php?t=1293&highlight=gentle

We would love your comments, positive and negative. It's a busy time to be asking this of you, but we can wait! The original feedback was just so helpful. There may be some probs with the pics and their popping ability, so we'd be particularly keen to hear what happens when you click on the thumbnails and on which browsers.

Meanwhile, I would like to say a huge thank you again to Richard - he has been such a star, and incredibly generous with his time. He's very patient, and a perfectionist; I couldn't have asked for more, and it's incredible that he has never done this for a living. And as always, thanks to LMH for finding him for me!
Last edited by Giddy Goat on Thu Dec 21, 2006 10:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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AndyLucia
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Post by AndyLucia »

Very nice Jane, Richard has undoubtedly done you a better job than I would have done! :lol:

A couple of thoughts, but these are really down to my personal preferences:

1) There seems to be a lot of space on either side of the page, I would have used a little more of that as it seems a touched cramped to me.

2) I'm still not a fan of those wacky sideways 'dropdown' menus! :)

Like I said, those are personal things, I'm sure others will disagree with me!! :lol: But overall very nice, very clean, good use of the pictures and I'm sure you'll be a lot happier now that the search engines can find you!
AndyLucia
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Thanks Andy, appreciated.

"Tis the season to be jolly, and other things ending in 'olly' "

dolly? brolly? folly? Monopoly? Napoli? Tripoli? Tivoli? Ravioli?
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Paul Carmel
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Post by Paul Carmel »

Chavopoly?

On a quick look the site looks a lot crisper............I think you have the same Smeg Oven as us.
Cheers
PC
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Thanks PC! :D
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AndyLucia
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Post by AndyLucia »

"Ravioli"? :roll:
AndyLucia
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Yes, stretching point a bit, wasn't it! :wink:
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Rocket Rab
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Post by Rocket Rab »

Hi Gasc,

Well, I may already have mentioned somewhere that I am a fan of Au Chicot - ye olde stumpee - and the new website only makes me even keener to see it 'in the flesh', so to speak.

You and Richard have obviously put in loads of research and design work, and it really shows.

The photos are great, I love those kind of lifestyle 'sell the dream' shots - gorgeous little jug you have there, and spot the rockin' rooster, folks.

In short, good stuff Image

...no wonder you're a hot candidate for website 'lifters'!

Andy:quite like the spacious (cramped??) look of the site myself, but that's just personal preference, as you say.
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Thanks Jenny! :D Richard will be pleased with your comments too, I'm sure. Rockin' rooster has been photoshopped now - so the new image will have no pylon-y thing in the window - took the pic a week ago, and normally the leaves shield it from view.
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gh
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Post by gh »

Love it Jane, you can see more of beautiful Au Chicot with the additional pix.

The picutres look really professional........ Image great links too.
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enid
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Post by enid »

I like it a lot - very classy. I prefer the photo lay out. We are really not too far away so next time you are there I may pop down - just to check out that it is really as beautiful as it looks :D
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

XX to you both.
enid wrote: I may pop down - just to check out that it is really as beautiful as it looks :D
:lol: It's all done with mirrors Enid - though it would be lovely to meet you!

To date, no-one has mentioned they've had any problems with the thumbnails and the pop-ups. Does that mean all's well in that respect?
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enid
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Post by enid »

They're working fine for me :D
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

Richard tells me that the site (www.gasconymagic.com) is now live. Ta-da! Please keep those comments rolling in though, as we need to know what's not working etc etc. Goodonyers to those who have already posted, and in advance to those yet to... :D
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debk
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Post by debk »

Beautiful, absolutely beautiful!

Congrats to you and Richard. :)
debk
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