Is the Professional Look Really Better?

Stephen Horrillo wrote:
> I created two versions of the same basic information. One in Front
> Page, one with Mambo. I showed both to a few people and they seem to
> like the "amateurish" Front Page version over the Mambo one. I got
> comments like "the FP one is less threatening" it's easier to
> navigate," "easier on the eyes." I'm new to this but it makes me
> wonder if IN PRACTICE if a very basic website isn't better. My FP
> site is at http://www.brokeragenttraining.com the Mambo site is at
> http://www.brokeragenttraining.com/CMS. I personally would feel more
> comfortable doing business with someone with the Mambo type site but
> that's not the real life feedback I'm getting so far.

The CMS site is much better. More professional. However, I would add some
cell padding to your tables.

As for "Mambo vs. FrontPage", the issue here is not in the software. It's
in the design method. FrontPage is simply a tool. How you use that tool is
what's going to dictate the result.

As an example, I built my site in FrontPage and I don't think it looks
amateurish.

--
Jim Cheshire
JIMCO
http://www.jimcoaddins.com

Now offering templates ranging from
affordable standard templates to
powerful e-commerce applications!

On 23-Feb-2005, "Travis Hubbard" <travis.hubbard@gmail.com> wrote:

> The best test would be a day or so of adwords splitting the landing
> page between the two. Then do an analysis of the conversion rates
> between the sites.

Could you convert what you said to "webdesign for dummie's" lingo?

--
Warmest regards,

Stephen Horrillo, Realtor / C.Ht.
For MLS & Computer Training: www.BrokerAgentTraining.com
Realtors Earn Over 100% at EXIT: www.over100percent.com

"Jim Cheshire (JIMCO)" <contactme@jimcoaddins.com> wrote in message
news:%23NAPFDfGFHA.2156@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

> As an example, I built my site in FrontPage and I don't think it
> looks amateurish.

I don't think it does either. By going there it also confirmed what I
thought I already knew. The quiz confirmed that over 95% of users have
pop-ups blocked!! ;-)

Tom J

On 23-Feb-2005, "Jim Cheshire \(JIMCO\)" <contactme@jimcoaddins.com> wrote:

> The CMS site is much better. More professional. However, I would add
> some
> cell padding to your tables.
>
> As for "Mambo vs. FrontPage", the issue here is not in the software. It's
>
> in the design method. FrontPage is simply a tool. How you use that tool
> is
> what's going to dictate the result.
>
> As an example, I built my site in FrontPage and I don't think it looks
> amateurish.
>
> --
> Jim Cheshire
> JIMCO
> http://www.jimcoaddins.com

I understand that FP is just a tool but what makes FP good is the ease that
it takes to make changes/updates to the site. It seems that the more
professional the look, in other words the farther you stray away from shared
borders and templates, the harder it is to make global changes to the site.
For example http://balanceandsuccess.com/ looks to me like it was made with
FP and IMO it looks professional, but how easy is it to add pages or change
the navigation?

BTW, I've been to your site before and I never considered the look of it
because I wanted what you had on your site. So in my case the content was
king. In looking at it in light of you asking does it look amateurish, I
would have to say it does not have the look that I would not consider
"professional." But yet it practice it gets the job done and didn't raise
any red flags in my mind back when I visited it. In fact I remember saying
to myself that whoever designed these add-ins must be a genius.

--
Warmest regards,

Stephen Horrillo, Realtor / C.Ht.
For MLS & Computer Training: www.BrokerAgentTraining.com
Realtors Earn Over 100% at EXIT: www.over100percent.com

On 23-Feb-2005, "Jim Cheshire \(JIMCO\)" <contactme@jimcoaddins.com> wrote:

> I would add
> some
> cell padding to your tables.

I didn't even know I had tables in the Mambo site. I just copied and pasted
it frorm the FP site. Why do you say I need more cell padding?

--
Warmest regards,

Stephen Horrillo, Realtor / C.Ht.
For MLS & Computer Training: www.BrokerAgentTraining.com
Realtors Earn Over 100% at EXIT: www.over100percent.com

Previously in microsoft.public.frontpage.client,alt.www.webmaster,
Stephen Horrillo <usenet@stephenhorrillo.com> said:

> It seems that the more
> professional the look, in other words the farther you stray away from shared
> borders and templates, the harder it is to make global changes to the site.

http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/

> but how easy is it to add pages or change
> the navigation?

http://www.allmyfaqs.com/faq.pl?Incl...ile_in_another

--
Mark Parnell
http://www.clarkecomputers.com.au

You're trying to compare apples and oranges.
The real test is to make both pages appear identical, 1 using mambo and 1 using FP, and then ask for
a comparison.

<imho>
The Mambo version hurts my eyes and the FP version looks like it was made by someone who just
started yesterday.

It's not the program that determines if a site looks professional it's the "keyboard operator
interface" that makes the difference.

I've made better looking pages using Notepad ( and Outlook Express just to prove it could be done )
and dropped them into a web using an ftp window in Internet Explorer.
</imho >

good grief.

--
Steve Easton
Microsoft MVP FrontPage
95isalive
This site is best viewed............
........................with a computer

"Stephen Horrillo" <usenet@stephenhorrillo.com> wrote in message
news:Lq6Td.34625$a96.17165@bignews3.bellsouth.net. ..
> I created two versions of the same basic information. One in Front Page, one
> with Mambo. I showed both to a few people and they seem to like the
> "amateurish" Front Page version over the Mambo one. I got comments like "the
> FP one is less threatening" it's easier to navigate," "easier on the eyes."
> I'm new to this but it makes me wonder if IN PRACTICE if a very basic
> website isn't better. My FP site is at http://www.brokeragenttraining.com
> the Mambo site is at http://www.brokeragenttraining.com/CMS. I personally
> would feel more comfortable doing business with someone with the Mambo type
> site but that's not the real life feedback I'm getting so far.
>
> --
> Warmest regards,
>
> Stephen Horrillo, Realtor / C.Ht.
> For MLS & Computer Training: www.BrokerAgentTraining.com
> Realtors Earn Over 100% at EXIT: www.over100percent.com