DJU Members Website Reviews

[Eskie 0]

Another website review, this time it's the turn of EliteDJ and you can find his site at www.elitedj.co.uk

Take a peek at it and let's have some critique from you. Look at it from a punters point of view, do you think this site would encourage a punter to book? Can you spot anything that may deter a prospective client from booking EliteDJ?

[EdBray 0]

Good website filled with appropriate information and in an easy to read manner.

 

My only criticism would be that there is a misrepresentation of the law given under the P.A.T Tested link on the home page.

 

The information states that "It is a legal requirement for your entertainer to have his equipment tested to comply with The Electricity at Work Act 1989. Many venues will not allow entry if the DJ does not provide proof of PAT testing. Make sure you always ask for confirmation that your DJ is properly P.A.T Certified."

 

This is not the case, and should not be portrayed as such.

 

Should perhaps read in this manner: "that whilst not a legal requirement for your entertainer to have his equipment regularly tested, it is recommended under the Electricity at Work Act 1989 that this be carried out on a regular basis, in fact, many venues will not allow entry if the DJ does not provide proof of PAT testing. Make sure you always ask for confirmation that your DJ is properly P.A.T Certified."

 

Eddie.

[Guest EliteDJ]

Eddie,

 

I've now re-worded the pop-up with your suggestion. Thank you very much for the constructive and helpful feedback and suggestion. :)

[BigBen 0]

My usual issue with most DJ sites...where the hell is the DJ?

[EdBray 0]

QUOTE (BigBen @ Jul 9 2006, 02:46 PM)

My usual issue with most DJ sites...where the hell is the DJ?

LOL

 

If it was a requirement for the DJ to be shown then ADS would have to have half a dozen different personas.

 

I suppose he could put a picture up of the oldest DJ who covers for him, and then tell all the others that if anyone queries that they look different from the picture on the website, they should extol the virtues of plastic surgery and face lifts.

 

http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/071.gif

[Guest EliteDJ]

BigBen

 

My local repair garage doesn't mention the senior mechanic on his website. The local wedding cake maker doesn't mention the head bakers name on his website.

 

Some dj companies like to focus their site on the dj/s. I prefer to focus on the solely on the services provided. This is one of those many instances that there's no right or wrong way of doing things. It's down to preference in the end.

[RichardP 0]

Tight, smart & highly professional looking. Excellent work http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/goodjob.gif

[Paul Smith 0]

QUOTE

My usual issue with most DJ sites...where the hell is the DJ?

 

QUOTE

Some dj companies like to focus their site on the dj/s. I prefer to focus on the solely on the services provided. This is one of those many instances that there's no right or wrong way of doing things. It's down to preference in the end.

 

A fair comment but ask yourself would it harm your site or adversely effect enquiries if you replaced the photo of the wedding rings on the wedding page with something more specific to what you are offering? If you don't want a picture of you then maybe one of the disco in action with a few people dancing perhaps.

 

QUOTE

Personalised Custom Recordings.

 

Would you like to elaborate on this (not on your site but here for the rest of us nosey DJs http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif )

 

I'm only picking minor things here because it is a well designed site and to the point so http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/goodjob.gif

 

 

[Guest EliteDJ]

Thanks for your comments 5 star.

 

The "personalised custom recordings" are an idea thats talked about in Randy Bartletts 1% solution dvd's.

 

Prior the the event I meet up with the bride and groom and record their answers to some 'loaded' questions about their relationship, how they met, their description of their love for each other etc etc. The recordings I gather are then mixed over segments of their first dance. It's proved to be a very special segment of the evening. The technique of "custom recording" can also be used for other aspects of the evening, i.e: Guests that cannot make it to the reception have the option of calling me and leaving a personal message to the bride and groom, which I'll play for them during the evening. The possibilities are endless.

 

That's the short answer to what's involved. :)

 

I'd recommend the ' 1% solution dvd's' if the concept interests you.

[Welsh Audio Man 21 0]

Great website... i have no critisisms, and i would be out of place to make any judgements upon any of your websites, as i do not have a website! http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/014.gif

[BigBen 0]

Why would a garage mechanic or cake decorator have a picture of themsleves on their website..? Are they going to be the focal point of four hours plus entertainment on the biggest night of someone's life?

 

You are quite right though, there is no right and wrong, just opinion.

 

As for the rest of the website, most impressive. It has a touch of elegance about it, easy on the eye and very professional in its appearance.

[Guest EliteDJ]

Ben, point taken. Thank you for the comments and feedback. http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/beer.gif

[Paul Smith 0]

QUOTE

The "personalised custom recordings" are an idea thats talked about in Randy Bartletts 1% solution dvd's.

 

Thanks for that - yes after just watching the DVDs and then seeing your site I wondered if it was this or if you had come up with an alternative way of doing a similar thing.

 

I don't want to detract from reviews of your site here http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/offtopic.gif so I'll maybe start a new topic soon on the technicalities of doing this.

[Steve_Mitchell 0]

I like it. Very professional looking.

[Guest EliteDJ]

Thanks for all the comments thus far. Keep-em-coming :)

[Gary 0]

I found the front page a little slow to load on Broadband. During loading, the main text paragraphs on the right were there, but very faint. This faintness resolved itself once page loading was complete.

 

Quite impressed once the page loaded; nice graduated still, sedate, non-distracting background (its either graduated, or my monitor's on the blink). The crossfading photos were a nice touch, but a little destracting whilst reading the text nearby.

 

I liked the way that the main page layout didn't change as you went from page to page - all the navigation buttons stayed where you expected them to be. This "familiar" feel could have the contact details added to the unchanging bits, so that the viewer, convinced that you're the DJ for them, doesnt need to click anything else to get to your contact details. However, adding "always viewable" contact details might take away some of the clutter-free appearance of the page edges. Definately your call I think.

 

When clicking through the various Event buttons on the left I noticed that the long, tall picture (shadow dancer) changed. I was expecting that this might change to a themed picture, tying-in with whichever event the viewer clicked on - eg: A bride displayed when you click on weddings, a teenager displayed when clicking on youth events, and so on. Instead it was just different pictures of the shadow dancer. Some people, for example a 40 year old couple looking to book their 2nd wedding might notice the silhouette dancer and think "not for us". only a minor point.

 

On the youth events page, I liked the mis-use of the "Parental Guidance" sticker-stylee at the base of the text, stating "Plays only clean edits of your favourite songs". This will appeal to some like-minded parents, I'm sure.

 

I found the testimonials page a bit "Busy" or "text heavy" - I felt that it could be improved with an extra line space between each testimonial - other than that, a credit-worthy page.

 

I liked the "other services" page too. The only thing that I'd be tempted to change was the block saying "*Look out for more exciting and fun additions coming to this section soon.*"... that sort of comment always reads (to me) as "Under Cnostruction". Perhaps changing it to, "We are always assessing other exciting additions to our services, please contact us if you have a particular idea which isnt shown yet" (or something like that).

 

An explanation of the Client area would be good to have on the client page. EG: "When you confirm your booking, you will be given access to this area, with your details kept private for only you to see. Any booking information that you have given us, can be checked and confirmed in here"... (or whatever happens in there).

 

The final button/page - "Contact Us" gave me the inital pang on panic, as what initially looked like a very busy (but useful) screen appeared, when I was only expecting the usual "telephone, mobile, fax, email" type of offerings.

 

Instead, there was a very respectable data collection form with a nice pop-up calendar, and a fairly well laid out set of fields.

 

My only thought on this page would be to make the "Clear Form" button smaller, and further away from the "Submit Details" button...just in case someone spends 5 minutes typing away their details, only to find that they've zapped their work with a single click - I tried it, and theres no "Are you sure you want to clear the form?" option. The worse situation would be if someone hit the clear form button, and DIDN'T realise that they hadnt actually sent anything to you... weeks later they'd be saying, "well, we thought we'd found the ideal disco, but they never called us back" etc.

 

A very good website. If I used web-advertising, I'd be proud of having such a site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BigBen 0]

Nice work there Gary, great review.

 

One of the things we should focus on a bit more is how succesful our sites are when it comes to being found by the search engines. How does yours fare Elite, do you know?

[Guest EliteDJ]

Gary, thank you for the in-depth review. I gained a lot from your post and can definetely use your comments to improve my site even further.

 

I appreciate you taking the time to respond..THANK YOU !!

 

 

 

Ben,

The site's still in it's infancy period (just over three weeks old), time will tell in regards to how well it will fare.

[Guest EliteDJ]

QUOTE (Gary)

My only thought on this page would be to make the "Clear Form" button smaller, and further away from the "Submit Details" button...just in case someone spends 5 minutes typing away their details, only to find that they've zapped their work with a single click - I tried it, and theres no "Are you sure you want to clear the form?" option.  The worse situation would be if someone hit the clear form button, and DIDN'T realise that they hadnt actually sent anything to you... weeks later they'd be saying, "well, we thought we'd found the ideal disco, but they never called us back" etc.

 

Great suggestion Gary. There really is no need for the button to be there...."Clear Form" option now removed.

 

 

 

QUOTE (Gary)

I found the front page a little slow to load on Broadband.  During loading, the main text paragraphs on the right were there, but very faint.  This faintness resolved itself once page loading was complete.

 

Loading of the index page sorted by my webaster, To fix it he changed the background of the parent table to match the images better, so it's less of a problem now he says.

 

 

 

 

QUOTE (Gary)

The crossfading photos were a nice touch, but a little destracting whilst reading the text nearby.

 

This is something I may look into. Perhaps a slower scroll or a longer interval between each image will be less distracting?.

 

QUOTE (Gary)

When clicking through the various Event buttons on the left I noticed that the long, tall picture (shadow dancer) changed.  I was expecting that this might change to a themed picture, tying-in with whichever event the viewer clicked on - eg: A bride displayed when you click on weddings,

 

The shadow dancer on the wedding page is actually different, the silhoutte is of a bride although it may not be apparent unless you actually look closely at it. The other silhouttes however are all the same dancer but "mirror imaged" on some pages

 

 

 

QUOTE (Gary)

I found the testimonials page a bit "Busy" or "text heavy" - I felt that it could be improved with an extra line space between each testimonial

 

I feel that way too. As the site isn't "scrolling" I'm limited to the actual space in each section. THe initial text in the testimonials section was supplied to the webmaster with spacings but they had to be removed so he could fit all the content in the area. I'll have to either remove one of the testimonials or take out some sentences to make room for the spacing between each testimonial.

 

This is something that will be done in the next few days.

 

 

 

QUOTE (Gary)

I liked the "other services" page too.  The only thing that I'd be tempted to change was the block saying "*Look out for more exciting and fun additions coming to this section soon.*"... that sort of comment always reads (to me) as "Under Cnostruction".  Perhaps changing it to, "We are always assessing other exciting additions to our services, please contact us if you have a particular idea which isnt shown yet" (or something like that).

 

I like your idea. I'll look into re-wording that part slightly in the next draft of changes.

 

 

 

Thanks again for all your comments Gary (and everyone). I value your input. :)

[Guest EliteDJ]

Thank you for all the previous replies.

 

Newest additions to the website are:

 

* Gallery (still adding to it)

 

* FAQ Section

 

* Venues Section (provides info for clients and also helps SEO).

 

* Live support (this function is only visible when an Op' is online).

 

 

Comments, suggestions and critique welcome.

 

Thanks!.

[FrankieJ 0]

Hello Shaun

 

Love the site still, nice and clean and very proffesional.

 

Can you tell me how you do the FAQ page? I've been trying to acheive this for ages. Basically I have the questions and answer and can link each one but how did you make a seperate page come up just for the answers?

 

Frankie

[Guest EliteDJ]

Hello Shaun

 

Love the site still, nice and clean and very proffesional.

 

Can you tell me how you do the FAQ page? I've been trying to acheive this for ages. Basically I have the questions and answer and can link each one but how did you make a seperate page come up just for the answers?

 

Frankie

 

 

Thanks for the feedback Frankie.

 

To be honest I don't know the technical side to how it's put together. I have a great web designer that takes care of it all for me.

 

It's some form of script that allows me to log into a FAQ Admin area and add/edit as I like. That's as much as my technically inempt head knows..lol

[Paul Smith 0]

Is this the same site that was reviewed last year? I may have had a sleep since then

 

If it is then something I've noticed is it could do with a bit more height. You could then either add more text or enlarge the existing text. I guess it's been designed with the lowest resolution monitor in mind but I don't believe anyone would even have one these days (I'll check my stats and let you know). Besides people browsing sites normally expect some scrolling up and down.

 

Technical question re Photo gallery - have you achieved the rounded corners by having separate thumbnails to the main picture when clicked on (which has square corners) or are you using small 'corner gifs'?

 

Do you have much response on the 'Live Link'?

 

From the index page you would expect a largish site but the additional sub(child)-pages make it a very large site with good linking throughout.

 

I haven't read everything but I would expect the text reflects the professional image that the site portrays.

 

I have a great web designer that takes care of it all for me.

You do - just ask him to stretch the template a bit smile icon

[Guest Scotch]

Is this the same site that was reviewed last year? I may have had a sleep since then

 

 

 

It is..,.which I've posted the updates in the current review topic from last year.

 

 

 

 

If it is then something I've noticed is it could do with a bit more height. You could then either add more text or enlarge the existing text. I guess it's been designed with the lowest resolution monitor in mind but I don't believe anyone would even have one these days (I'll check my stats and let you know). Besides people browsing sites normally expect some scrolling up and down.

 

 

 

The 'non scrolling design' is actualy a pre-requisite (sp?) that I wanted. I personally hate sites where I have to do a lot of scrolling. I wanted a centralised design that would eliminate that.

 

 

 

 

Technical question re Photo gallery - have you achieved the rounded corners by having separate thumbnails to the main picture when clicked on (which has square corners) or are you using small 'corner gifs'?

 

 

 

 

The thumbnails are generated automatically by the script my web guy has developed.

 

 

 

 

Do you have much response on the 'Live Link'?

 

 

 

 

The @Live Support' has only been active a few days, time will tell if it generates much responce.

 

 

Thank you for your feedback Paul :)

[Steve_Mitchell 0]

I like the venues page...A lot of time has gone into that. :good: