Comments on: Are Pretty Web Sites Effective? http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/ America's Mad Professor of Fiction Writing Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:04:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Charlotte Babb http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4006 Charlotte Babb Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:26:26 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4006 Pretty is as pretty does. Readable is more important than graphics for a novelist site, just as it is for a novel. I'm interning for James Braush, and he does a lot of testing of every possible aspect of web design. He uses a blog, not because he can't do web design or can't pay for it, but because it works. He has very simple and clean web pages. Here's statistic from my own experience. I do a blog for my division at my school. I post every weekday, even if its only a class schedule. We have moved in six months from 2-3 hits a day to nearly 100 a day. Now we do get local traffic, but unlike the school's website, we don't just get hits from people seareching for the name of the college. The articles I wrote four months ago are stil getting traffic. That's why you do a blog. Our site is very plain, and has only a graphic banner at the top, which is as compressed a file as it can be. It loads in less than a second, though it is a bit grainy. The only difference between a college website and a novelist's website is the content of the articles. What do writers do best? Write. For a great example of a writers blog (in addition to yours, Randy) is Tiffany Coulter's http://writingcareercoach.blogspot.com She writes about her own life challenges as well as about the writing life. I do have a blog hosted on my own account, and it is not all that hard to do. Wordpress has very good directions and will sell hosting and domain name for $15 a YEAR. Blogger and Blogspot will probably do the same. Once you get the files copied to the place on the server, using the blog is just the same as the free sites, except that you have more "widgets" that the free sites won't let you use--like putting Google tracking code and such. Pretty is as pretty does. Readable is more important than graphics for a novelist site, just as it is for a novel. I’m interning for James Braush, and he does a lot of testing of every possible aspect of web design. He uses a blog, not because he can’t do web design or can’t pay for it, but because it works. He has very simple and clean web pages.

Here’s statistic from my own experience. I do a blog for my division at my school. I post every weekday, even if its only a class schedule. We have moved in six months from 2-3 hits a day to nearly 100 a day. Now we do get local traffic, but unlike the school’s website, we don’t just get hits from people seareching for the name of the college. The articles I wrote four months ago are stil getting traffic. That’s why you do a blog.

Our site is very plain, and has only a graphic banner at the top, which is as compressed a file as it can be. It loads in less than a second, though it is a bit grainy.

The only difference between a college website and a novelist’s website is the content of the articles. What do writers do best? Write.

For a great example of a writers blog (in addition to yours, Randy) is Tiffany Coulter’s http://writingcareercoach.blogspot.com She writes about her own life challenges as well as about the writing life.

I do have a blog hosted on my own account, and it is not all that hard to do. Wordpress has very good directions and will sell hosting and domain name for $15 a YEAR. Blogger and Blogspot will probably do the same. Once you get the files copied to the place on the server, using the blog is just the same as the free sites, except that you have more “widgets” that the free sites won’t let you use–like putting Google tracking code and such.

]]> By: Kristi Holl http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4007 Kristi Holl Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:48:24 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4007 Thank you for the specific examples of various kinds of websites. It helps to "see" what you're talking about. You wrote: "From what I can see, there’s not a lot of correlation between 'pretty' and effective, at least if you define 'effective' to mean 'earns money.'” This is good news for most of us! Thank you for the specific examples of various kinds of websites. It helps to “see” what you’re talking about. You wrote: “From what I can see, there’s not a lot of correlation between ‘pretty’ and effective, at least if you define ‘effective’ to mean ‘earns money.’” This is good news for most of us!

]]> By: Grace Bridges http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4009 Grace Bridges Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:52:15 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4009 I notice they all have a white or pale background, and I agree that simplicity is the best policy. I did my book site (link above) in black because it fitted better with my cover graphics; my author site www.gracebridges.com is in white. If I've understood you correctly, we don't really need an expert webmaster to make an effective site. Good point about the search engines too. Plain old HTML rules! :) and no I can't speak HTML, just mess around a bit for the fancy parts. To put the basics together I've never found anything better than Netscape 4.5 dating from the '90s... colors, graphics, tables and links. Nice graphics are a must for me, with everything else real simple. I notice they all have a white or pale background, and I agree that simplicity is the best policy. I did my book site (link above) in black because it fitted better with my cover graphics; my author site www.gracebridges.com is in white.
If I’ve understood you correctly, we don’t really need an expert webmaster to make an effective site. Good point about the search engines too. Plain old HTML rules! :) and no I can’t speak HTML, just mess around a bit for the fancy parts. To put the basics together I’ve never found anything better than Netscape 4.5 dating from the ’90s… colors, graphics, tables and links. Nice graphics are a must for me, with everything else real simple.

]]> By: ML Eqatin http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4010 ML Eqatin Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:18:52 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4010 I am still noodling with my site. But I second Grace's 'dark text on light background' comment. A decade or so ago I had an eye condition that made me functionally blind for about a year, coming and going, and I started noticing what was readable and what was not. Red text on white is the lowest contrast you can find. (Jesus' words in my Bible disappeared. I got rid of my red-letter edition.) Now I routinely notice ads on passing trucks that somebody paid a ton for which can't be deciphered, business signs in cutesy fonts where you aren't sure what they sell. But one other question on pictures: Dreamweaver lets you put in little alternate text tags for every picture. Don't the search engines read those? Somebody told me that google will pick up the picture tags first. I have a whole list of author sites with best and worst. Some of them have so many choices that if I went there to buy a book, I'd have forgotten after 4 minutes on their sites. Nice for me, but stinks for them! I am still noodling with my site. But I second Grace’s ‘dark text on light background’ comment. A decade or so ago I had an eye condition that made me functionally blind for about a year, coming and going, and I started noticing what was readable and what was not. Red text on white is the lowest contrast you can find. (Jesus’ words in my Bible disappeared. I got rid of my red-letter edition.) Now I routinely notice ads on passing trucks that somebody paid a ton for which can’t be deciphered, business signs in cutesy fonts where you aren’t sure what they sell.
But one other question on pictures: Dreamweaver lets you put in little alternate text tags for every picture. Don’t the search engines read those? Somebody told me that google will pick up the picture tags first.
I have a whole list of author sites with best and worst. Some of them have so many choices that if I went there to buy a book, I’d have forgotten after 4 minutes on their sites. Nice for me, but stinks for them!

]]> By: Heather http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4011 Heather Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:04:25 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4011 Magically, after complaining about not receiving your newsletter for months and months, this past letter came through. It's like asking the clerk to help you find a book after searching for hours only to discover it's been in front of your nose the whole time. Thanks for the link to Alexandria Brown's site. I began my newsletter in January and am looking forward to her tips to make it better. Magically, after complaining about not receiving your newsletter for months and months, this past letter came through.
It’s like asking the clerk to help you find a book after searching for hours only to discover it’s been in front of your nose the whole time.
Thanks for the link to Alexandria Brown’s site. I began my newsletter in January and am looking forward to her tips to make it better.

]]> By: Karla http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4012 Karla Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:58:38 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4012 I concur that readable is the most important factor in a site. I enjoy the eye candy only if it doesn't distract me from the purpose of the site. Being able to read it easily and navigate through it is top priority for me. I concur that readable is the most important factor in a site. I enjoy the eye candy only if it doesn’t distract me from the purpose of the site. Being able to read it easily and navigate through it is top priority for me.

]]> By: Sylvia http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4013 Sylvia Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:27:29 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4013 Hi Randy, I've noticed that your e-zine, and many of the comments that are posted on your blog, fill up only about half of the page. For reading that is great! For printing it out -- it takes a lot of paper. I'm sure there must be a reason for that, and I'm not sure it is worth taking up space on your blog to answer it. Just thought I'd ask. Hi Randy,
I’ve noticed that your e-zine, and many of the comments that are posted on your blog, fill up only about half of the page. For reading that is great! For printing it out — it takes a lot of paper. I’m sure there must be a reason for that, and I’m not sure it is worth taking up space on your blog to answer it. Just thought I’d ask.

]]> By: Sylvia http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4014 Sylvia Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:37:59 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4014 Me, again! I just remembered that a friend of mine did her own ministry site. She posted all her articles on it. Later, however, when she did a "search" for it, it wouldn't come up on Google. I don't know if she tried some of the other search engines or not. A ministry site that can't be found is of little value! She called a tech, and got such an involved answer that she finally thanked him and hung up. What can she do? Me, again! I just remembered that a friend of mine did her own ministry site. She posted all her articles on it. Later, however, when she did a “search” for it, it wouldn’t come up on Google. I don’t know if she tried some of the other search engines or not. A ministry site that can’t be found is of little value!

She called a tech, and got such an involved answer that she finally thanked him and hung up. What can she do?

]]> By: David A Todd http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4016 David A Todd Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:33:43 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4016 The local extension of our nearest community college is offering an evening class, about 15 to 18 hours of instruction, on web pages using FrontPage. I'm thinking of taking this. Any thoughts? Is FrontPage good software for a beginner? From your in-post statement, you seem kind of down on it. I just can't see plunking down a few grand for a professional site during my unpublished phase. The local extension of our nearest community college is offering an evening class, about 15 to 18 hours of instruction, on web pages using FrontPage. I’m thinking of taking this. Any thoughts? Is FrontPage good software for a beginner? From your in-post statement, you seem kind of down on it. I just can’t see plunking down a few grand for a professional site during my unpublished phase.

]]> By: Susan http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4017 Susan Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:34:22 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4017 Whew, I'm relieved that a blog on a website isn't any more complicated to use than a stand-alone blog. I agree with the other commenters. I like black text on a white background. Some blogs/website are so hard to discipher that I've given up on them. No matter how great the content, it's useless if I can't read it. Another feature which captures my fancy: a blogroll. For me, this is the best way to locate other Christian writers. Whew, I’m relieved that a blog on a website isn’t any more complicated to use than a stand-alone blog.

I agree with the other commenters. I like black text on a white background. Some blogs/website are so hard to discipher that I’ve given up on them. No matter how great the content, it’s useless if I can’t read it.

Another feature which captures my fancy: a blogroll. For me, this is the best way to locate other Christian writers.

]]> By: Mary DeMuth http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4018 Mary DeMuth Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:51:58 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4018 I think it depends on the person who wants the site. It's the same with yards. I'm in love with flowers and herbs and garden paths, so I garden a lot. It's important to me. I also love graphics. It's important to me that my website reflect my bent toward the aesthetic. I truly believe you can have both. I have a nice looking website that I can change the content on, the best of both worlds. I think it depends on the person who wants the site. It’s the same with yards. I’m in love with flowers and herbs and garden paths, so I garden a lot. It’s important to me. I also love graphics. It’s important to me that my website reflect my bent toward the aesthetic.

I truly believe you can have both. I have a nice looking website that I can change the content on, the best of both worlds.

]]> By: Bruce Younggreen http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4020 Bruce Younggreen Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:21:19 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4020 Randy, You might want to comment, even if ever so briefly, on your definition of "pretty". I can think of several conflicting definitions, such as: "Graphic intensive" "Layout, white space arrangement, readability" "Artistic color palette" "Easy to navigate" Personally, I think the greatest attributes of a great web site are readability, the ability to quickly find what you came there to find, and "classic beauty" (ie: complimentary colors, fonts, designing like a publisher, effective use of white space, color, graphics and text, and consistency from one area of the web site to the next.) Those things make a site pretty. Flash, java, sound, bells-and-whistles, etc. can be useful [i]when applied under the guidelines and constraints of "classic beauty"[/i] but can also prevent one from reaching the goal of a "pretty" site. Randy,

You might want to comment, even if ever so briefly, on your definition of “pretty”. I can think of several conflicting definitions, such as:

“Graphic intensive”

“Layout, white space arrangement, readability”

“Artistic color palette”

“Easy to navigate”

Personally, I think the greatest attributes of a great web site are readability, the ability to quickly find what you came there to find, and “classic beauty” (ie: complimentary colors, fonts, designing like a publisher, effective use of white space, color, graphics and text, and consistency from one area of the web site to the next.)

Those things make a site pretty. Flash, java, sound, bells-and-whistles, etc. can be useful [i]when applied under the guidelines and constraints of “classic beauty”[/i] but can also prevent one from reaching the goal of a “pretty” site.

]]> By: Mary DeMuth http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4022 Mary DeMuth Wed, 13 Feb 2008 01:24:33 +0000 http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2008/02/12/are-pretty-web-sites-effective/#comment-4022 I will say this: I specifically asked for great graphics, but not bells and whistles. I wanted folks to be able to see my site without having to wade through pop ups and such. I will say this: I specifically asked for great graphics, but not bells and whistles. I wanted folks to be able to see my site without having to wade through pop ups and such.

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