Free, customizable homepage

Discussion in 'Websites' started by themaximilian, May 30, 2010.

  1. #1
    Well, it's obvious what I want - a website review for my website, which is www.vareside.com. I appreciate any feedback, good or bad, but please be polite and make, if it's something negative, suggestions on how to improve it.

    Thank you very much and have a nice day.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2010
    themaximilian, May 30, 2010 IP
  2. roofy2

    roofy2 Peon

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    #2
    Hi themaximilian,

    At the time of me going to your site there were 71 views and no replies to your request. Something is not right here. When I went to your site, it took the better part of one minute to load completely. I almost left without looking at it. Once it was loaded I didn't know what to do. There are no instructions or direction on what to do. Sorry, don't know what else to tell you. Btw, I have very fast dsl connection and a very decent Toshiba Satellite laptop, so I know it's not a speed problem on my end.

    Good luck with it,

    Roofy.
     
    roofy2, Jun 3, 2010 IP
  3. roofy2

    roofy2 Peon

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    #3
    I stand corrected, I went back to the tab where your website is and there are now instructions there. That took a very long time to show up. You have to find a way of speeding things up or you will lose every bit of traffic you get.

    Roofy.
     
    roofy2, Jun 3, 2010 IP
  4. Petro_

    Petro_ Well-Known Member

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    #4
    Idea is very interesting.
    But I'm not sure that visitors want to spend time customizing website.
     
    Petro_, Jun 4, 2010 IP
  5. VincentM

    VincentM Peon

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    #5
    [​IMG]

    Problem
     
    VincentM, Jun 4, 2010 IP
  6. themaximilian

    themaximilian Member

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    #6
    Thank you for your answers. So, to make it short. These are the current issues with the site:
    1 - loading time
    2 - instructions need to be clarified
    3 - design issues have to be resolved
    I'm working on them and will have fixed them by tonight. Thank you for your help, even tho you didn't make any suggestions on how to improve it. By the way, Vareside.com is a website like some few out there. It is comparable to myfav.es or netvibes.com or pageflakes.com. So, there are people who use this kind of niche sites.

    EDIT: Loading time reduced by removing scripts and images, the "Your first time" box' text has been clarified, the main elements' width has been reduced. Regarding the picture posted: this happens, if your window is having an unusual size, for example when it's crunched to 25% of your screen height.
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2010
    themaximilian, Jun 4, 2010 IP
  7. themaximilian

    themaximilian Member

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    #7
    So, what do you think now? I changed the design a little bit and added a games area and I added more functions to the site like the usable Google Maps background.
     
    themaximilian, Jul 1, 2010 IP
  8. mediarays

    mediarays Well-Known Member

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    #8
    The black background makes my eyes reading hard on the bookmark links on settings.correct it.
     
    mediarays, Jul 1, 2010 IP
  9. Chris Reuben

    Chris Reuben Peon

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    #9
    I agree about the black background. I think white backgrounds are easier to read, although maybe not as stylish. It's a good concept but maybe needs a little more work on the design and layout. Perhaps you could include a sample/example of what it is people will get when they use the website? Good luck.
     
    Chris Reuben, Jul 1, 2010 IP
  10. moaeyana

    moaeyana Peon

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    #10
    Do you really believe that surfers would put all these efforts just to get a button when the same can be done by using favorites on the explorer
     
    moaeyana, Jul 1, 2010 IP
  11. themaximilian

    themaximilian Member

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    #11
    Thanks for the tough question. The point is, many websites like mine are hugely successful. So, I think the question is answered quickly. People do stuff, to make it easier for them in the future. And, as many people say, the future will be more design-relatedw which means that the old-fashioned favourites of the browser are not needed anymore. Most people I know have removed this bar of the browsers menu completely because it is useless and distracting. This is where Vareside, MyFavEs, Netvibes, Pageflakes come in. They try to combine style and usability. This is also where my website vareside.com has the clear advantage - you upload your own background and set the bookmarks you want, including tools like freemailing (without registration) or the sticky note in a way that doesn't warm the overall design and in a way that doesn't look crowded. So I guess, that if I continiously improve Vareside, it can become a serious alternative and competitor for the big players. But of course, Vareside doesn't offer just this. You may have noticed a gaming button - click it and you see a small gaming website comparable to an exclusive collection of flash games.

    In conclusion, I do think that Vareside is a service that people will use, if I get the input of what and HOW EXACTLY to correct things.
     
    themaximilian, Jul 3, 2010 IP
  12. Pandemic

    Pandemic Greenhorn

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    #12
    I rekon the idea is cool but page looks empty and when you get there isnt much to do.Add more stuff and i think this could become really cool.
     
    Pandemic, Jul 3, 2010 IP
  13. themaximilian

    themaximilian Member

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    #13
    By the way, I changed the design of the settings, imprint and games pages a bit. As some of you complained about the dark background, I've now switched to a brighter, mac-versus-windows-like style. I think this still looks as good as the dark, previous background and it is obvious now where the user has to click to close a section.
     
    themaximilian, Jul 3, 2010 IP
  14. romika

    romika Member

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    #14
    Very Interesting and seems unique //best of luck..to you/
     
    romika, Jul 3, 2010 IP
  15. boumcode

    boumcode Peon

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    #15
    Pretty cool. I like the choices. How about the content ? Newsfeed ?
     
    boumcode, Jul 3, 2010 IP
  16. themaximilian

    themaximilian Member

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    #16
    Thank you for the positive responses since I've changed the design a little bit. And yes, I'm working to introduce more features to the site. During the weeks of summer, my priority will be to find ways to legally embed television livestreams into the website as well as to work on upcoming features like the RSS frontyard, which is planned to be a page where you enter or select your RSS feeds and they will be displayed as a kind of newspaper frontpage, and features like freeSMS which will enable users to send SMS for free, and "mayweather" for displaying and comparing the weather conditions and forecasts of multiple cities around the globe. And of course, my mind is also on a stylish way to add your own websites to the Vareside bar.

    If there is anything you guys really want to see as soon as possible on the site, please let me know and I'll work on it immediately.
     
    themaximilian, Jul 3, 2010 IP
  17. themaximilian

    themaximilian Member

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    #17
    As you may have noticed, I've made massive changes to design and content and pages. It also is now available in English, German and French. What do you think?
     
    themaximilian, Jul 29, 2010 IP
  18. shriyansh

    shriyansh Peon

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    #18
    black background is so so.......... good.
     
    shriyansh, Aug 19, 2010 IP
  19. themaximilian

    themaximilian Member

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    #19
    Thank you very much.
     
    themaximilian, Aug 28, 2010 IP
  20. pokerpeace

    pokerpeace Peon

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    #20
    can i got one like your template for free? but that site just for bookmarked? i litle confuse on there
     
    pokerpeace, Aug 28, 2010 IP