Quick site check please 5

[wangbar]

I've had to turn around a small site really fast (less than two days to do the whole thing, design and development and a CMS) and could really use some feedback on download times/platforms/OS etc before I turn it over for the client to hate.

I'm especially interested in the performance of the streaming mp3 downloads as the client has insisted on not compromising the quality of the sound (keeping it stereo and 44100Hz) and it must also be mp3 so that they can update files without turning anything into swfs. They're hitching slightly even on a broadband connection for me and I need to know how long they're taking on standard modems.

 

[wangbar]

Of course if I added a link you'd be able to go there...

http://www.helenboulding.com

It's been a long day...

 

[billwatson]

cable connection win 98 ie6

downloaded fine (quickly) and music clips played without a hitch...short delay 5-10 secs before music started but i dont find that unacceptable. the quality of the music was good.

very good job for such a short time....just one little thing...its not clear that mailing list is an input box and not a button

 

[wangbar]

Cheers Bill, I stuck a few seconds of buffering on the sound so that's where the delay comes from. I take your point about the mailing list, think I might alter that slightly before I show the client.

 

[frozenpeas]

Just needs a spell check ("accoustic&quot. Good job, especially considering the quick turnaround.

I'm on Win2k Pro, IE6, DSL and everything was smooth. The sound bites didn't stutter once and there was just a few seconds of a wait on the mp3 preload, but you've got the bar display there so that is not a problem at all.

I would suggest fading the song samples out instead of just an abrupt end but that is probably up to her if she is going to be doing that herself.

Funny shirt. frozenpeas

 

[wangbar]

Thanks mate - well spotted, I just did a cut and paste from the press release. Must learn not to trust the client ;-)

The song examples do fade out - I think the buffering must have run out when you were listening which would have caused a stop like you describe. I'll have to convince them that the clips need to be mono so that the streaming is smoother I think.

 

[oldnewbie]

PIV - 1.8 - ME - IE5.5 - Cable Connection.

On cable, it seems to work fine after a 10/15 seconds buffering at the beginning of each tune.

But sorry to report that on my old 56k dial-up modem... It's a whole different story.

After a 10/15 seconds buffering, each song will play for 3 to 5 seconds, and stop for another buffer of 10/15 seconds, play for another 3 to 5 seconds, buffer again and so forth. Regards,

 

[prasoon]

P- III win NT4.0 LAN 10mbps

site loaded fine, but on the music section it took a min or 2 to buffer the entire clip with long silent intervals in between. and i am not a professional but i think it would be better to give a play again button next to the loading music, just in case if the user wants to hear the clip again(would be more user friendly),also it would look nice with some tool tips (especially on the mailing list section).
sound quality is great.
overall pretty good job.
regards.

 

[jstreich]

RH Linux, MODZILLA:
30 sec load time...
No link to pure HTML version of the site
Clear navigation
Cool morph effect
Indeed a play button would be a great idea.

RH LINUX, LYNX:

.::HELEN BOULDING::..

   detecting flash plugin...

People w/o flash don't get a link to the site to get it w/o javascript popups, and no HTML only for phones or other text only browsers/handheld devices. Not even as much as an alternate text.

 

[wangbar]

Some useful comments there guys, thanks for taking the time.

They just want a quick and dirty site to collect email addresses from people who see her on tour and get some music out before the album is officially launched and the budget they've given me is tiny hence no phone/handheld compatibility and no full HTML alternative site. That's phase 2 if I can get more money out of them ;-)

But the sound streaming is an issue that'll I'll have to fix today, back to loadMovie and swfs I think...

 

[firegambler]

win2000pro 640kbit/s LAN, res 1260X980

msIE 5 :
site loaded in 2 seconds
music after 15 seconds,
no or max 1 time stuttering

Opera 7
site loaded instantly
music afer 10 seconds
no or max 1 time stuttering

for the rest:
just as jstreich said...
COOOOL morphing
good pics (did you make them?)
appealingly straight choice of colors!

done in less than 2 days?
RESPECT grandmaster wangbar!! ;-)
regards

 

[bmor]

Nice clean look. Cool morph and as one of those that still
uses 56k modem, it took a while, but painfully long. It would be cool if the icons in purple in the upper left of the pages were links as well. Otherwise, nice job!!!

 

[RoguePoet01]

P4, XP Home, Opera 7, DSL.

Loads fine. Very creative.

This is kind of bitchy of me, but it would be neat if you could add a slider for the user to adjust the volume on screen instead of having to engage in manual labor to do so.

I'm a writer and I have a lot of poet/musician friends with sites, so this isn't tech advice, just some sharing.

Get a gallery section, too, and keep pics of you, of your gigs, etc.

Remember, you're not just a beautiful, talented musician: you're an event!

Very good site, though. You did well.

 

[oldnewbie]

Don't want to interrupt anything... But this is a 9 months old thread, in case you hadn't noticed it!
Although, even if Wang doesn't post anything anymore these days, he still checks in every other day! Don't you Wang?

 

[oldnewbie]

As a matter of fact, he logged in today, as he had done yesterday...

http://odin.prohosting.com/~oldnew/nocomment.swf