WordPress.org

1. Kenv
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   I must say that harsh criticism is never well received by anyone but if you take the time to visit our “BLOG” and let us know what you like, as well as what you do not care for and what would make it better for our visitors, that we would appreciate very much.

   I have focused on using the built in options provided by WordPress and the plug-ins. The only HTML I have added are on the widgets and posts so that the links will open in their own browser window or tab.

   I have learned to work my way around HTML & CSS code well enough to create my own web sites and a couple sites for friends. I can copy/paste java scripts, but PHP causes me to have brain freeze.

   Building web sites I would consider myself to be a novice at best. This is my first attempt at building a BLOG and messing with anything PHP.

   The next addition I am trying to accomplish is to have a recipe page that will open with all the recipes in a alphabetical list. Then the clicked recipe will open in a printer friendly format for a visitor to print out. The recipe page will have listed every recipe listed on the blog.

   From Jackie Vetter’s Kitchen

   Thank you

   Ken

2. moshu
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   The only HTML I have added are on the widgets and posts so that the links will open in their own browser window or tab.

   That's never a user/visitor-friendly thing. I don't like when you (or anyone else) want to dictate what my browser should do. Therefor I kill (with my settings) any attempts like that.

   For your recipe Page or category listing this might be helpful:
   http://www.nateomedia.com/wares/downloads/wordpress/wp-snap/

   And for printing just use a "print plugin" like the WP-Print:
   http://lesterchan.net/portfolio/programming.php

3. Nalco
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   The transparent green with the background showing through makes it kinda hard to read the white text.

   I also agree about the window and tab settings. Luckily I have my browser set to open links the way I want them to.

4. Kenv
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   Moshu

   Thank you for the two links! I am looking forward to exploring them.

   I think its great that you know how to adjust your browser setting to only utilize one window. However for me, I have always found it frustrating when I discover an interesting website and in the process of checking some of their links I loose the original site. I personally found that sites that opened their links in a new window made it more easy for me to navigate. Perhaps being dyslectic influences my preference.

   Also when someone visits my site they are welcome to leave at any time but will never lose my site by exploring my links.

   Moshu, thank you very much for your visit and input

   Ken

5. Kenv
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   Nalco

   You confirmed my feelings with the green background behind the white lettering in the heading. However, you should have seen it without any contrast behind the white lettering. It was not just difficult to read it was imposable on most of the images.

   I made an image overlay and added it to all 36 images I have rotating in the header to make the lettering more visible without completely blocking out the background images.

   If you know how I could more effectively show the lettering and at the same time not cover up the background image please share.

   Nalco, thank you very much for your visit and thoughts.

   Ken

6. whooami
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   I dont care for the placement of the calendar. It's useless there, pretty much -- if it were me I would ditch it, or move it up to "where it belongs". Placed properly, its an ideal navigation helper -- where it is now, it looks like a plain ole' calendar

7. Kenv
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   Whooami

   Thank you. The calender is now GONE. I had moved it from the top down to the bottom from the right side to the left.

   Now, everything in the right column are on site links, and everything on the left goes off site.

   whooami , thank you very much for your visit and recommendation to improve the placement or removing the Calender.

   Ken

8. Hans Magnus Mikalsen Nedreberg
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   Just a minor thing, but maybe the alpha value of the green background behind the page links could be just marginally higher? For readability...

   Other than that I think this blog is lacking something like Perfectly Medium Rare Organic Filet Mignon and so on :)

   - HM

9. Kenv
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #

   HM

   Do you know how I can raise the alpha value of the green background I have behind the lettering without effecting the rest of the image? Or where I can get the instructions to do so? I am using Gimp. It took me about 10 hours to figure out how to make the overlay and am not positive how I got that done. If so you can drop me a note through email. I just added a contact page to the BLOG.

   I was wanting to keep some transparencies to the background but there is a developing theme. Like, being able to read is more important than the background picture. I may have to open Gimp and go on another learning curve.

   My wife and I actually laughed out loud. Honestly, out loud! When I decided to eat this way in November 2006 my wife put her hand on her hip and said “Do what you want to do but I am not going to quit eating meat!” My brother raises Simmental and Angus and takes 3 types of beef to market. There is a big roll of deer summer sausage in the fridge. If you would have added 6 oz to Perfectly Medium Rare Organic Filet Mignon I would be wandering how you knew so much about me and what I used to eat.

   Thank you for not only critiquing our BLOG but the humor clearly shows you get what we are doing as well.

   Thank you.

   Ken

10. Kenv
    Member
    Posted 4 years ago #

    Follow up links/windows/tabs

    I have read and reread the comments about opening links in new windows or tabs. I have been thinking about it because if someone takes the time to visit and share their observations with me I am going to give it serous thought.

    I view links that navigate within a web site differently than links that take me out to another web site.

    If on site links opened new windows or tabs that would make me nuts. Just as links to off site content opening in my active window always irritates me.

    The only exception to on site links for me is when the on site page has a great deal of content like images, then I use a new window / tab for people who may have a slower connection or older OS or computer system. My visitor will not suddenly have a frozen browser and begin to have ill feeling about my site.

    The HTML target=”_blank” I add to posts and to sidebar widgets links that take our visitors to off site content.

    Again, thank you for taking the time to visit and post your thoughts.

    Ken

11. Kenv
    Member
    Posted 4 years ago #

    Created a new overlay, applied it to the original images and uploaded. The contrast behind the lettering in the header should be greatly improved.

    So, is it better or worse?

12. Kenv
    Member
    Posted 4 years ago #

    I have installed CyStats and it tells me we have had 122 visits from these postings and I have had 4 comments and 3 suggestions that I have appreciated very much and have found very informative. Is our BLOG so awesome that only 4 of 122 visitors have anything to say? I think not.

    We want to thank those who have taken the time to visit and given us suggestions on how we can improve our BLOG.

    For example:

    I plan to use the WP-Print plug-in. The WP-snap looks like a great plug-in but I would have to make changes to pages PHP codes so it is not very high on my list.

    Sites I visit that send me to other sites have always felt like the site owner did not care if I returned or not or that the links were more important than what they had to present to me. The sites I visited that opened the off-site links in a new window gave me the feeling that they had taken extra time building their site to make my visit more effective. I never considered that as taking control of my browser, and still don't. However, I do find it interesting that someone would think that coding my pages to open off-site links in a new tab or window as taking control of their browser, interesting.

    The calendar seems to be a nice tool. I really tried to work it into the BLOG but I always found other tools as more user friendly or effective in navigating our BLOG. The idea of either use it or lose it really made since, so I lost it. It is gone!

    When we first started the BLOG I came across the “TAG CLOUD” and thought this might be interesting and it was for a few weeks. However, I discovered that for us and the type of content we have, our site is only 4 months old and it became over large and began to extend down the side of the page; so it is now gone as well.

    Again, I want to thank everyone who contributed their thoughts and suggestions for improving my wife's foodblog. I need to clear up space, so the bookmark folder for this posting is going away. If there is something you think we just have to do to make our site better just send us an email.

    Thank you

    Ken Vetter

13. cperabo
    Member
    Posted 4 years ago #

    Hi Ken,

    I must say that I came to this blog in a quest to find the answer to the issue mentioned at the beginning of the Blog, "Is it GOOD or BAD to open a new link for your users/visitors".

    After much deliberation, I must say that I agree with you (and respectfully disagree with Moshu). In my CAPLINQ Bloghttp://www.caplinq.com/blog I am building a blog using WordPress outside my standard Website. The blog has links that link to the website but which ultimately take you away from the Blog. If you want to go back to it, you need to re-hunt.

    Though I understand Moshu's point, I think most users are not as internet savvy and would prefer this option. So I have adopted your motto: use html target ="_blank" when links go outside the blog and remove it when the links are within the site.

    Chris

Topic Closed

This topic has been closed to new replies.