compscomputers.co.nr

I thank you very much for reading this, as this will be my first post on these message boards.

I run a website called Comps Computers, its for educational purpose.
Its similar to Wikipedia, but its meant for computer related categories.
More of How toos and help then history and data that wikipedia is.

Currently its located at Http://www.compscomputers.co.nr and im not really sure what to do next. Currently it looks preety bad in IE (mainly because i use FireFox to design it, and i had to change alot around to get it w3c html 4.0 certified.

If you dont mind commenting on what i should do next in the development of this website. Feel free to advise on both the template and the PHP scripts.

I had a quick look...

VERY cluttered. add some line spacing. reduce font fize. add some padding. add some more padding, then it will begin to look better.

Why have a search page that shows nothing but an identical copy of the form underneath the menu?

Thanks, i changed the fonts abit and partly Fixed the Navigation in IE.

Not bad bad on the menu, but on the rest of the page the lines are still overlapping. why is your text so crunched up?

if you're using line-height, don't!

This is meant to be helpful and please remember, I'm at the learning stage myself.

The coding of the page is pretty sweet. It's a fun idea and deserves an audience.

The design, though, is just not good at all. The page is crammed full of distracting and incomprehensible tech-age graphics that don't look good and don't add anything. The text is not laid out well and shouldn't be bold.

I'd advise starting over and completely rethinking the design. Also, you must remember that possibly 90% of the audience will be using IE.

I liked the look of it but as said above most of your users will be using IE (the actual figure is 70% using various forms of IE, with Firefox coming in 2nd with just over 20%, and all the others bringing up the rear).

hmm, it may be time to look for a designer. The idea someone suggested was go with a google approach, and leave lots of white space, keep things where they are easy to see (in the middle of the page)

kinda like this (just a starting idea... needs alot of work)
http://compscomputers.isa-geek.com/new/index.html

I see you plan to give advice on web design?

"Comps Computers Looks Best on Firefox."

The above statement says a lot... if this the best you can do, please don't go around spreading your web design wisdom.

Your coding is bloated with space and BR tags and of course it's table based on site that could easily be cssp.

"The basics of web design and HTML" page is a joke. Whats the point of giving somebody so little information that it gets them nowhere. Total waste of time reading it.

"Setting up a Home or Small Buisness Network" is a joke also. Simply not enough info to be worth anything.

"How to Remove a Program that Cannot be Installed or Uninstalled" is also a joke!

"How to REALLY Clean your Computer".... man that's simply going to F somebody good!

"How to Properly Use System Restore" You don't bother telling how useless this really is and how it will F your computer for good.

"How to install drivers for generic parts, Using Add New Hardware" HAHAHA... "from that point you should be able to figure it out"

"Information on Motherboads and their parts"... good grief man

Well, I've had enough, Let me give you a tutorial now...

Open your windows explorer program and browse to the location of the parent folder for your website. Right click on this folder and select delete and then select yes to the popup window asking you "are you sure".

On the desktop, right click on the recycle bin and select empty recycle bin. This will delete the site for good and prevent you from retreiving the piece of garbage website again.

If you simply can't handle it anymore and have to get the site back, go to COMPSCOMPUTERS and try their tutorial on how to retrieve deleted files if they have one.

that was bold, sure i agree with you, i wrote the pages as data fillers, the whole point is that if anyone was up to it, they would write pages and read others pages, and the thing would develop. Most of those are really simple, biased opinions and kindof makeshift truth... The point of the website is mainly a trial for me, as its been my learning effort.
Thanks for atleast scanning it, but telling me to delete all of it?
i cant really say much to that.

I respect your efforts, I really do. However, there is a lot of responsibility to a site like this. You can't have just anyone telling people to delete stuff and use system restore and modify their registry.

You have to find a balance between the people providing the information and the people who the information is written for. Is this information from tech for techs or from techs for the newb comp user? Either case, maybe you should have some sort of statement.

"This site if for techs to share their knowledge with other techs, the information found here can be dangerous for the average user to attempt. Some reports require a higher knowledge of computers to fully understand and follow the instructions. Do not attempt any of these solutions if the instructions and terms are unclear to you."

Basically, something like that. Let people know that they are playing with fire if they don't understand this stuff.

good point, i belive i emphasized that in some of the early ones i did, ill filter through the data, but the main thing i was looking at from you guys was the php scripts and template (which i got some good advice on) not the data, as its know its crappy.

EDIT: im going to put in an experiance (meter) or warning on every page. Good idea.

(caugh caugh) Excuse me while I repeat some words that should be embedded in the brains of every web designer.

Without the data, there is no site. If the data sucks, the site sucks. Doesn't matter how much bling bling you add to the site. Some of the most visited sites are very simple with little to no bling bling.

And, I did answer your layout issue... "Your coding is bloated with space and BR tags and of course it's table based on site that could easily be cssp"

I thought your general layout concept was fine, otherwise I would have said it wasn't. Critiques go much quicker if people just get to the stuff that isn't working. If everyone wrote about everything they liked as well as didn't like, they would be writing books and nobody has time for that.

If something isn't mentioned in a critique, just assume the person had no issues with it.

There's a lot to read on this post. I don't have much time and I'm not gonna go into the content and what's been said and the code and blah blah blah....

HOWEVER, I do like the idea for the new frontpage. Gives me a completely different impression of the website.

It did make me think though: Isn't this just like those wiki sites?

yea preety much, ive learned during making this site, and it eventually turned into a wiki idea.
Ok, thanks guys, it really helped.

Let us know how u get on