[thelist] Site Review - http://wizardev.ca/

[Brian Cummiskey]

To play the counter point on a couple items here....

M. Seyon wrote:

> First off, the compliments, that it's a lovely site, great use of 
> colour. Purples really are unusual, so it does stand out. And the 
> flowers in the header are a wonderful touch. 

What if I was looking at having a sports or beer site (or some other 
"manly" topic) made?  The purple and flowers would probably turn me off 
instantly, and i'd look for someone else who is less "girly" or 
"springy" for lack of better terms.

It's your choice on who you target, of course.  IMO, it would be 
1800-flower's dream designer, but espn would probably shudder and move 
on.  So, the question remains--  WHO or what group are you trying to 
target with the purple and flowers?  If you feel that this will target 
the desired clients, by all means.


> The biggest issue for me, which is largely a personal one, is that I 
> think there's just too much text. 

I'll 2nd that, and furthermore, I will say that there are WAY too many 
links within said text.  It's confusing to read, and nothing stands out 
like it should.  It's like reading a paragraph from a book that was 
highlighted by someone else--  by ended up highlighting the whole paragraph.

Without going back to this main text, where else do I find these things? 
  I know I couldn't find them all.  If they aren't "good enough" to make 
youe navigation menu, are they really necessary?


> I agree with others about the 'Resume' thing. But I see no harm in 
> keeping it handy for inquiring minds.

I wasn't going to, .... BUT....
It's WAY too long, WAY too detailed, and if I were looking to hire 
someone based on it, I'd toss it and move to the next one.  I don't have 
time to read all of that.

It goes back to above; it's like EVERYTHING is highlighted.  You need to 
work on being more concise.  A lot of what you mention can be better 
suited for a cover letter, or even more so, in the interview/phone 
calls/emails to come.

But, this is slightly off topic...  theres plenty of resume' building 
sites out there...  monster has a nice guide article.  have a read.


> I wonder whether the Site Map link doesn't belong in the footer, rather 
> than the header. It's not actually a main section of your site. More of 
> a meta agglomeration of links.

Agreed.  I think the sitemap is in the same realm as a copyright row, 
and should be in the footer or off to the side somewhere.


> On the Resume page it's odd that the security clearance line isn't 
> indented as everything else is. 

And you mention that several other times on the site as well.  I already 
knew that.  Perhaps it should only be on the resume' and not on the rest 
of the site?

Overal, Be Concise