Since all of the gentlemen here are computer literate, how do you feel about provider websites? What do you really need to see or read for you to send that contact email or make a phone call?
Does it bother you if the site has many spelling errors, or other inconsistencies? Once inside the site, what is the first page you go for on the menu bar? Just trying to get a little insight on what is needed and what isn't necessary, and what you consider a well designed website. What are your pet peeves when visiting providers sites?
Thanks,

~M~xoxoxo

-- Modified on 8/27/2004 9:04:12 PM

Well..given these types of sites should be visually pleasing..

Something that reflects on the person its for. To many clone sites out there that are just to generic...no sense of the person.  Atleast here in Az we have folks like Glenn and others that make our local ladies look online as good as they are in person. Weve all seen the sites that look like they would be better off selling used cars. Blinking flashing mis matched colors etc etc etc take away from what the effects should be trying to create. Most of those are made with the free tools..that add in banners..or just plain dont do a good job.

With most folks having highspeed...effects etc are nice and load quickly... and add a touch of personality. Beyond that, simple photo sites shouldnt take forever to load because they dont know how to optimize/balance photo size/quality or add in music/audio  that makes it take forever to load even on a highspeed connection.

My thoughts..
DennyAz

All the fancy macromedia flash,java bells and whistles can go.
Even with a high speed connection its annoying.
Other than that  accurate pics, rates and an email or phone number.
I also like the bio, but only if its accurate too many of them sound the same so its hard to get a read on the lady I am seeing.

When I first started my hand at designing, I admit I wanted to add everything and anything...I guess, just because I could and I wanted it to be unique.  Since I have had two other projects to work on that gave me a chance to do something besides find the next toy to put on my site.  Thank Goodness!  I was getting a little out of hand! Phew...

I think subtle and tasteful with a tiny bit of animation is fun depending on the look you are going for. I know that many will argue with me on this one...but, I do like sound. I took off most of my sound bites and just added a couple songs on pages I felt it would add some personality.  If you don't like the sound, you can always turn it off or turn your speakers down.  

The two ladies I worked with recently chose their own music that fit their personality and I think it works beautifully.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ciao,
xoxoxo
Isabella

One of the ladies that I worked with picked two rock songs for her site. Some have been commenting on that because her website  style is pretty classy.  She said she is a rocker chick at heart so I think that is cool. Maybe surprising to some but I think it will keep people guessing. I do think it is important for your site to reflect your personality.  Nite Nite

Ciao,
xoxoxox
Isabella

1. Real non-professional photos (airbrushed/touched up is       almost bait and switch).

2. Flat rate pricing

3. working Hours and I mean REAListic working hours

The old KISS method works for most of us (keep it simple stupid)a simple aol or geosite is fine.

I have simple dial up...so if the site is in flash...I usually get discussed and leave .  I look at the photo gallery first, then the pricing, then the bio.  Give links to reviews that take you to the review not just the site.  Flat rate pricing and a email address that works.  This is assuming that I have liked what is in the photo gallery.  One more thing...if the pics are professionally done and airbrushed....guess what...that is what us gentlemen expect at the door...so be real when it comes to the photos.

Have to agree with the other guys here so far. Generally speaking, a site that loads quickly and is relatively straight forward. If it takes a long time to load, especially the pics, I am gone. More detailed information in order of priority: (1) Accurate/current pics; (2) Bio/statistics (height, weight, measurements (the real ones), etc.; (3) flat rates; (4) link to actual reviews (not just the site); (5) working e-mail and/or phone number. Also, if the lady has certain time restrictions concerning her schedule (ie: does not work beyond a certain hour, etc.) that is helpful to know.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. If she is into farm animals, she should tell us which ones...........  LOL

-- Modified on 8/28/2004 9:17:16 AM

Isabella, your work is good...really good. Your talented
My comment about audio is directed toward those sites that add sound and effects that just dont work. Listening to that kind of thing is like listening to nails on a chalk board. They didnt take the time as you did to find what really works.

Im personally am not a believer in commerical music on public sites simply because of the licencing violations and costs to get the songs. Im glad your able to overcome that and include that artistic touch for your sites

DennyAz

Thanks Isabella, your imput is just as important to my little queery as well!
~M~

Keep all of the flash and fluff to a minimum. Have fun with your design but make the navigation for your visitors easy and intuitive.

Sound/music, flash, and large file pictures = bad.

Worst thing in the world is to be surfing at home and unexpected music comes on--this brings in the SO to see what's going on.

Just keep it simple--small- medium size graphics that load FAST.

GlenAZ and Denny do great work with their provider sites.

I think it is cool to have a few artistic pics but your right, if she doesn't have any 'real' pics, that is false representation.

Oh, almost forgot...to Denny or Glen...do you know of a script to add to a site so the guest can turn off music if they wish? I can't seem to find but I know they are out there....

Thanks.

Ciao,
xoxox
Isabella  

-- Modified on 8/28/2004 5:20:22 PM

One thing you questioned was how important spelling is.  Well, since it is easy to make sure the spelling is correct (just run it through a spell checker), why not do it?  It is the one totally objective point that you were questioning...some people like flash, some don't, but no one thinks poor spelling is cool!  Especially if you are trying to cater to a clientele that wants a companion he can have a stimulating conversation with...he may shy away from a girl that not only can't spell but doesn't even bother to proofread her own site.

I'm with the KISS crowd. I'm not very computer savvy but even if I was I'd still prefer to go the simple route. I realize that not everybody has DSL or cable and not everybody likes all of the flash and 'fluff' so I'll always just go with simple ;o)

Some other misc thoughts...

Many just want to see a photo..accurate and quick. That way they can make a quick choice between one vs another. Which is probably the case for most first time visitors to any new site.

After that, it becomes more of how that existing friend can be reminded of their time.  Others like to get a feeling about the person..or who they imagine them to be...  

A large part of it is about marketing and branding, how do they want to be seen.. from the meat market perpective of hamburger vs steak to a nice time to a life altering experiance.

DennyAz

The rest is just some misc technical stuff...probably not worth reading if your not making sites.

I like flash, at a minimum for the galleries. Since it is proven that flash takes no longer to load than any other web page
(its a matter of how much you try to put into a single page).
A flash page can be used to load up a ton of content at a single time..vs using a bunch of individual pages.  Rates,Info, About etc since they are text can thus be in a single page upload if desired. Photos however... its not a good idea to load up to many in a single page... until now..

Technology now allows a designer to choose to load only photo as the user clicks, rather than all at once and relying on a countdown clock and long load times. Which combines the best of all worlds, fast with high quality and view times. Another benefit of that is.. if used that way..a person other than the webmaster (the owner) can just upload the photos themselves and not have to wait for updates to be installed by a webdesigner.

Other benefits I like are...you just cant right click on a photo and download it. Some prefer not to have their photos saved a million times out there and years later fear they will show up on adult or dating sites etc.  

Then there is the whole concept of optimizing images and graphics. Just because a tool will resize an image...doenst mean it does it very well. Consideration to dpi, lpi, overall size, number of colors, websafe colors, etc etc etc.  That helps with overall bandwidth usage aswell. A little saved a 100k times..adds up.

Anyway this is probably more than you really wanted to hear...

Having been a web designer for many years, I tend to tell my clients to stick to the KISS theory. Keep it simple stup*d. Generally speaking, you want clean pages, colors that are easy on the eyes (there IS a reason many sites are designed on white....its what most people read....paper!), simple navigation, and even to date, we still code for 800x600 desktop size, as new computers still default to that desktop size.

If you are going to use FLASH apps, make sure you give the user a choice to also use html (doubling your coding perhaps), as some of us arent huge fans of flash, or are still connecting using dialup, of which flash tends to load MUCH slower. Same thing with music....slow loader! You'd be surprised how many people are still using dialup.

Easy on the scrolling. Whatever you want people to see....they should see immediately, not have to scroll down for it .

All in all, bells and whistles are nice, but getting right to the point, making it easy to get there, and as little clutter as possible is THE WAY TO GO.

Just a few thoughts from a seasoned pro....

Best,
Stu

Stu..some comments on your great recommendations..

On the flash, yes sometimes a dual setup is the way to go..but the biggest thing comes down to .. if its for dialup or highspeed. If its because of how long the page takes to load even on highspeed then...Its bad coding, not optimizing or overloading content that causes slowdowns..its the webdesigner..not the tools. A slow page in any tool...java, flash, etc  will be slow if you try to make that single page load up many pages worth of content.

As far as music.. yes its slow..but to me..more importantly its the legal rights question.  Sure they arent selling the music, but ..well i liken it in this case to..how the FBI used tax evasion to get the mafia (around about way to catch the bad guys). Local law inforcement could theoretically go after a site for the music rights question (right or wrong), thereby shutting them down for a time and causing the costs of legal defense.  
There is alot more about creating a site than just being able to put pages together. And many site owners get suprised when they run into legal problems and its not the design firm that is held responsible.

Dialup.. yes there is a lot of dial up...but comes down to the question of where your customers are.. travlers who still have to use dial up..or if you travel and go to rural areas..etc.. its marketing 101.

The 800x600...not even 14 inch laptop screens default to that and havent for quite some time. (check out the video spec from IBM, Toshiba and Gateway for the last few model/rev cycles). Anything older than a few years "might" default to that old spec. If you would like some info on tech specs..let me know. But 800x600 is a very good choice..then you dont have to worry about screen wrap, or "squish" etc.  Better to think about websafe colors, good fonts, good background etc..as Stu stated.

For those wanting to make your own sites, try it..learn to use the tools if you have the time and want to try learning.
Most good hosting companies will have some nice tools that you can use to see how your pages are working beyond simple counters. Those interested, id be happy to send you some links on tools or answer questions as best I can.


DennyAz