New vBulletin Community!

[Polo]

I like your logo it the site is vbulletin related, I say leave that style people will familiarize your site with vbulletin... just my 2cents ...

[KW802]

Some quick thoughts....

- Based upon the main page I would not have normally browsed further. The mislabled links in the "Products" box, the 'nasty-gram' warning that is shown when clicking on the links in the products box, the mostly stock VB3 style, and the mislabeled navbar (eg: "Navigation" is a link to the customer page) doesn't strike me as a site that does vb skinning. But, you said you're still working on it so I'm giving the benefit of the doubt. I figured I'd poke around anyway....

- On the portfolio page it'd be better if the thumbnails opened up the demo site and not return back to the vbcore.com site; intution is that if I see a picture of a demo then by clicking on that picture I'd be taken to the demo.

- There are some nice looking graphics but the wording needs to be polished. For example, "Ben is one hell of a customer" doesn't tell me anything about VBCore.com or what it can do for me nor does it tell me what kind of work you did for that customer, it just tells me that somebody likes a guy named Ben. Oh, and most people won't care that "Jarek is so dang picky" -- Those types of comments are best suited for a private staff area, not for the public. Remember, you're trying to sell your services & products, not those of your customers!

- For the demo sites that are not yet opened then at least being able to view a larger graphic, perhaps the homepage mockup, would be good to see instead of just the small thumbnail.

- I would drop the "Forum Showcase" forum. Unless vBCore.com designed those sites you don't people using your own forums to show off sites that were done by possible competition!

[vBTotal]

Thanks KW802

[Dean C]

I think the previous posts in the thread pretty much sum it up. People always judge a book by its cover, and your cover is a plain, stock one If you have all these large contracts with people then concentrate on them and not your site. The best marketing tool you have available is your customers, not your website. At the moment your site is incomplete, stock and doesn't showcase the skills you possess. Therefore your site is not acting as a good marketing tool as you would have hoped.

This is just my opinion, but I'd close the site down. Build up some kind of splash and temporary portfolio page and concentrate on expanding your portfolio. Then when you do get the time to build your site, spend time planning it through instead of launching an incomplete and unappealing site

Hopefully you'll take my criticism as constructive and best of luck with your business venture. Hopefully it won't go down the pan as so many vB-orientated design companies do these days

Cheers,
- Dean

[bubbadog]

I would say that your first priority needs to be getting your site in order. I realize that you are busy doing work for others, but the stock look does not act as a good advertisement for your company. In much the same way that you wouldn't eat in a dirty restaurant, so too most people won't take the time to look at your products if the first thing they see is a stock look.

The other thing you really need to work on is the grammar on your site. Frankly, it's atrocious. I would not use a company that presented such an image. Right or wrong (and I am making no judgements here) it creates the impression that the potential customer would be dealing with a group of kids rather than serious design professionals. Comments like "The customer failed to pay and vBCore took down their website" only reinforce that image. No one needs to know that; it's between you and the customer. A simple "This design is available" would be more than sufficient.

I have to agree with Dean; if you don't have the time to fix your site, you might want to think about taking it down until such time as you do.

[SVTBlackLight01]

Originally Posted by Dean C

This is just my opinion, but I'd close the site down. Build up some kind of splash and temporary portfolio page and concentrate on expanding your portfolio. Then when you do get the time to build your site, spend time planning it through instead of launching an incomplete and unappealing site

I was thinking the exact same thing as I was looking at the site and reading through this thread. In it's present state, the site will probably turn away more potential customers than anything.

[yinyang]

1. so i'm confused. are we supposed to be judging your site or your portfolio? cause you seem to be taking offense to our comments on your site and then you rebuttal by telling us to look at your portfolio.

2. your logo background doesn't match the page background, unless this is on purpose.

3. your navigation box doesn't line up with the inner table. kind of sloppy.

4. i hope you don't take offense because i know how difficult it is to do work, but if your purpose is to use your site as offering services as a web designer, then i think you can leave it. but if it is to be a vbulletin specialist, then you definitely need a unique template.

[Polo]

Originally Posted by yinyang

2. your logo background doesn't match the page background, unless this is on purpose.

3. your navigation box doesn't line up with the inner table. kind of sloppy..

are you using aol or something? that might be the reason.... I can view it perfectly fine in firefox and explorer

[vBTotal]

Originally Posted by yinyang

3. your navigation box doesn't line up with the inner table. kind of sloppy.

wow, thanks for letting me know that, last night i was messing around with it, and it looked fine in Firefox, but in IE its all messed up, *goes and fixes it*

[yinyang]

Originally Posted by Polo

are you using aol or something? that might be the reason.... I can view it perfectly fine in firefox and explorer

no, i'm using IE. and i'm on a viewsonic LCD. it's only a slight discoloration. no biggie, but noticeable.