Site built with RapidWeaver

[Mike]

After two years of having a holding page for my picture framing business I decided it was time to do something about it.

So I booted up my very old copy of DreamWeaver and started to think about how many columns and rows I wanted in my first table.

Now I've read enough here to know that tables are dreadfully out of fashion -- but did I really want to dig out a book about CSS and start from scratch learning stuff that I knew something about a long time ago? Interesting as that might have been it would have been a sure recipe to not have a web site up and running this side of next Christmas.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, a quick search in Google unearthed RapidWeaver and I got to work. This is what I managed to produce with two days' work. Most of the photographs already existed but everything else was authoured during Monday and Tuesday.

Seems to me that it's a great credit to RapidWeaver that I could go from zero to a reasonable site in two days. There are some frustrating limitations in RapiWeaver but there are generally work-arounds. I guess that's a result of its simplicity -- if you want a click-and-go website builder then you have to resign yourself to its boundaries.

It's a Mac-only application.

Anyway, I'd be interested in any comments on the website.

PS. I've just added a favicon which, in Safari on the Mac, seemed to work first time. I think it needs a redesign to make it clearer but at least it seems to work.

[Richard Waller]

Excellent. Especially the large black dogs in the drive. Couldn't live with the picture of the village street at an angle; I would be walking round with my head on one side. <g>

Small point. Why not put your name, address, email, and phone on the homepage where I can see it at once.

And the META Description ought to have the name of the company.

[George]

Congratulations!! Overall I like it very much -- just about everything about it. I could make some knit-picking suggestions, but I'll skip them.

Are you expensive?? Perhaps, you should have a hint about pricing.

The "before and after" link came up blank. The light gray font on black was hard to see.

The homepage is very nice but small, and it takes a minute to think of going to the links. Maybe, you could bring a quicker focus to them.

I really like the portfolio page, the friends page, the overall color and layout.

The site makes you seem very professional and top quality.

George

(I tried your suggestion on using a document cleaning pad on an old print -- dang, it came out so beautiful, and an historic print company gave me a brand new beautiful mate to it, but it's not even as nice. So thanks for that.)

[Mike]

Originally Posted by George

The "before and after" link came up blank.

Ignore my previous reply to this point -- looks as if I'd removed the link in the sidebar.

What platform and browser are you using?

[George]

Originally Posted by Mike

What platform and browser are you using?

Oh my! I wasn't thinking. I use Firefox on XP. But I set my font very high. So looking at it again, with adjustments, I found the font too small on the linked pages and in the link bar of the home page. But I have a high default due to my different notions about size. Still, you might review the size options a little more.

Originally Posted by Mike

Mmm, expensive is a relative term...I'm still pondering that one.

Well, my impression was that you are expensive -- but there could be cultural factors involved -- I don't think so, but maybe. I think you still need a comfortable invite on how the viewer conceives your pricing. If it suits how you do things, I would say you might give indication of a flexible price range, but that can be swayed to what works best for you. Still, then you draw the buyer into thinking more about the factors involved with price, which can turn out to be an advantage for both of you.

George

[Mike]

Originally Posted by George

Oh my! I wasn't thinking. I use Firefox on XP. But I set my font very high. So looking at it again, with adjustments, I found the font too small on the linked pages and in the link bar of the home page. But I have a high default due to my different notions about size. Still, you might review the size options a little more.



Well, my impression was that you are expensive -- but there could be cultural factors involved -- I don't think so, but maybe. I think you still need a comfortable invite on how the viewer conceives your pricing. If it suits how you do things, I would say you might give indication of a flexible price range, but that can be swayed to what works best for you. Still, then you draw the buyer into thinking more about the factors involved with price, which can turn out to be an advantage for both of you.

George

The front page uses 18pt type for the text and I thought that was rather large so I made it smaller for the other pages on the assumption that once someone had clicked a link they'd made a committment to read on.

Interesting that you should think I'm expensive. I think I'm pretty cheap. A 10 x 8 inch watercolour or print framed with conservation-quality window mount and packing board and a stained wood frame (with a nice gold site edge) with standard glass would cost around £20–£25 (about US$50 or less).

That would include:

::the use of conservation quality materials throughout,

::an encapsulated package (see my website in a week or two to find out what that means)

::a moisture-proof backing board sealed with tape (which is the way we normally finish picture backs in the UK – unlike the US where they text to use paper to cover the back)

::hanging cord attached with D-rings to the frame.

Is that expensive?

[dthomsen8]

Originally Posted by Mike

The front page uses 18pt type for the text and I thought that was rather large so I made it smaller for the other pages on the assumption that once someone had clicked a link they'd made a committment to read on.

Interesting that you should think I'm expensive. I think I'm pretty cheap. A 10 x 8 inch watercolour or print framed with conservation-quality window mount and packing board and a stained wood frame (with a nice gold site edge) with standard glass would cost around £20–£25 (about US$50 or less).

That would include:

::the use of conservation quality materials throughout,

::an encapsulated package (see my website in a week or two to find out what that means)

::a moisture-proof backing board sealed with tape (which is the way we normally finish picture backs in the UK – unlike the US where they text to use paper to cover the back)

::hanging cord attached with D-rings to the frame.

Is that expensive?

That doesn't seem expensive to me, and it does seem like quality work, but then I haven't had anything framed in many years. Of course, a US$2.00 pound makes many UK prices seem high to Americans.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by dthomsen8

That doesn't seem expensive to me, and it does seem like quality work, but then I haven't had anything framed in many years. Of course, a US$2.00 pound makes many UK prices seem high to Americans.

Although I get the impression that Americans are willing to pay quite a lot for custom framing. Members of the framers grumble forum (US-based) sometimes discuss prices and they seem quite amazing to me. I suspect the industry is different in the US where there are large chains that offer basic framing services and custom framers aim at the high end of the market.

Here it's largely a case of going to a small custom framer or a gallery, or buying a ready-made frame and doing it yourself.

[ktinkel]

Originally Posted by Mike

The front page uses 18pt type for the text and I thought that was rather large so I made it smaller for the other pages on the assumption that once someone had clicked a link they'd made a committment to read on.

Point sizes are irrelevant on-screen — what the viewer sees has much to do with what he sees it with! I thought your text (the running grey text, I mean) was very readable. It looked like 19 or 18 on the Safari font prefs scale. Might be a problem for people viewing with a narrow screen (awkward line breaks), but it looked good and was very easy to read.

Originally Posted by Mike

Interesting that you should think I'm expensive. I think I'm pretty cheap. A 10 x 8 inch watercolour or print framed with conservation-quality window mount and packing board and a stained wood frame (with a nice gold site edge) with standard glass would cost around £20–£25 (about US$50 or less).

Is that expensive?

No! A bargain. But your site does have a restrained, high-quality look. Throw in some blinking star-shaped images advertising low, low prices, and you’ll be fine!

[Mike]

Originally Posted by ktinkel

No! A bargain. But your site does have a restrained, high-quality look. Throw in some blinking star-shaped images advertising low, low prices, and you’ll be fine!

The idea is to try to get over the idea that I'm very high quality at bargain prices without actually saying that.

Another framer has set up business in Llanwrtyd Wells working from home but advertising in the local free newspaper. For a town of only 550 people two framers are one too many. His advert stresses the fact that he is cheap -- something that should prove popular round here*. Whether or not he is any good I don't know.

Mind you, he does offer one service that I don't. His advert says he can mend broken glass.

*People around here have a well-deserved reputation for not wanting to spend money. We advertised a photocopier in our local paper. It was a nice portable unit that folded up to briefcase size. We asked £10 for it. We only had one enquiry. The lady explained how much she needed a copier and took all the details. Towards the end of the conversation she asked if it had a new toner cartridge. I said there was some life left in the cartridge but it would need replacing or refilling fairly soon. She said she wasn't interested if it didn't have a new cartridge. Goodness, for £10 she was expecting a new cartridge? She put the phone down.