rev.iew.me

Respiri has 7 Reviews

Below are the reviews left by other members on Respiri. Jump to review form?

1. 

   Anna_Kirstin gave it on 23rd Nov 2008 and said:

   You'll need to update your screen shot. :)

   ---- First Impression ----
   Simple. Interesting use of color.

   I'm not really fond of the gray striped background. It would look really nice if the body of your layout was bigger. Right now the gray striped background takes up the majority of the screen for me at my resolution (1024 x 768). To be perfectly honest, I'm having a hard time focusing on your content because of it. I see the stripes on either side of your layout's body as I'm trying to read the lines and it draws my attention and concentration away from what I'm trying to read. While it's a soft soothing gray color, the large lines of the background also draw attention away from the small body of your layout. I would suggest that you decrease the line size of the gray stripes or either increase the size of your layout's body. Personally, I would choose the latter and increase the size of the layout's body to about 650 - 700px. I think you would be able to do that and still maintain the effect of the slender layout you're wanting.

   I would also recommend fixing the gray stripe background if you're going to use it. It's highly distracting when scrolling and to be honest makes me a little dizzy. I just take the personal view that striped backgrounds work best when fixed. That way they don't move and shift and take the attention away from where you really want it - the content of your blog.

   I'm not sure I enjoy the look of the font in the tag line. The font looks slightly blurry to me, which seems out of character with the clean lines of the rest of the layout. That's one thing I don't care for about .JPGs, they distort perfectly clean lines. If you don't have an image editor that allows you to save in other formats, I would suggest removing the line from the JPG file, setting the comment bubble as a background, using Respiri as an actual image, and placing your tag line as typical text. That sounds like a lot of work and I don't know if that made any sense. The blurriness of it just doesn't seem to fit with the otherwise crisp look of the layout.

   I also think you could achieve a more dramatic effect if the comment bubble you used where bigger and the text was not so close to the edges of it. The attention would be able to solely focus in on the text. I would consider making the comment bubble a little bigger - another reason I suggested making the over-all layout size larger.

   I would also consider giving your blockquote more padding from the right and left side.

   I think your H4 would stand out more if it were bolder. The dark text tends to draw the attention away from the lighter color of the H4 tag. Making the text stronger would help to solve that some.

   ----- Text ------
   I think your text size is a little small over-all. I think increasing the size slightly would definitely help. Smallish text with tired eyes is never any fun to read. The text color you've chosen offers enough color difference and contrast with the background color to be seen easily and is very appealing for the over-all look of the layout.

   ----- Links ------
   I think the red was an excellent choice. It stands out but isn't over-powering. I'm not sure how I feel about the pink background on hover. I'm kind of neutral to it.

   ----- Navigation -----
   Your navigation is simple and easy to find. I again like the colors you've chosen. The green stands out for the over-all layout and was a good choice. The white in the links, however, doesn't meet W3's accessibility standards for color and contrast against the background colors. This means that sight-limited individuals may have difficulty viewing your navigation because the white is too close in color and contrast to your background color. It's up to you whether or not you choose to change the colors, but Juicy Studio's Colour and Contrast Analyzer can help you find a color that will work out better accessibility-wise if you do so choose.

   ----- Footer -----
   The links in your footer are too dark to meet accessibility standards. The above link could help you find a better color choice for that too. It just looks a little strange to have bright, light text and then dark link. I think you can find a color that achieve a more balanced look. I'm glad to see that you're crediting Brent Cameron. :)

   ----- Coding ------
   Your HTML and CSS validate without errors. Your CSS is written neatly.

   ----- About ------
   This page is neatly organized. I do, however, have one suggestion. I would consider finding a way to specify off-site links. The reason I suggest this is so that no one can come back and say "I followed this link and ended up somewhere I didn't agree with. I think you should take that trash link down." If you specify out links, you could come back at them with "Dude, I warned you. You followed at your own risk." That's the general idea anyway. It's just a good habit to get into to let others know when they're leaving your site. That way they can decide for themselves if they want to leave or if they would rather stay and keep browsing.

   ---- Autobiography ----
   You're autobiography does kind of jump around a lot, but you say that's a part of your personality. I can really see that from your writing.

   ---- Loves -----
   "Drinking." Aren't you sixteen? I take it your parents don't read this. o.O

   ----- Respiri -----
   I take it your site information is the last three pages you have left to write.

   ----- Over-all -----
   I think your layout is clean, organized, and has great color use. However, I find the gray-stripe background to be highly distracting from the content - especially since it takes up over 50% of my screen. I really do urge you to consider making the container of your layout large and increasing the font size slightly.

   Wish I could help you more. :|

   Using Firefox on Windows | Report This?

2. RetroBlast gave it on 22nd Nov 2008 and said:

   Okay, I am going to review you. Not because you disrespected me... I just thought I could return the favor: why not? My site is not the best around here, neither is anyone's. Alright, starting off, now.

   Layout
   The layout seems to lack some eye catching thing. To be honest, I do not really like the font you used for both, your site name and the "life from a ginger point of view". It does seem to have some blur to it as well - what is up with the picture quality? Eh, folks these days. Oh, I see why. It's a JPG... just to let you know (sorry if you already know), PNG is the best picture format to use when it comes to high quality images.

   So I am guessing this is your blog, only? Nothing for the visitors? No interaction!? Bleh, so boring. Anyways, onto your "about" section. I seem to be pretty occupied with your about section. It was interesting reading about you and your ways. I already think I have noticed the bitchy part. Hm, obviously... since you came at me for no reason. Any who, good thing that you were being honest... it seems like you are a honest person when it comes to things you think of and most of all, about yourself.

   Continue

   * Information
   * Credits
   * Sitemap

   Why do you have these links here? Most people say it's pretty stupid to have links that do not work up on a page. People who have no idea why it is not working are going to be puzzled... so, it's best not to have it up there at all - take it off if you wish and put it back up when those pages are actually working. I do not know... just a suggestion. Everyone says it.

   And oh... I can see that you used a template from somebody and possibly edited it. I see - that's pretty cool but hey, where's the originality? Based off a Brent Cameron template. Eh, cool. =] Okay, I'm gonna drop it off right here. I'm gonna give you three stars... because your about section interested me and kept me occupied while there was not any content to be reviewed. Keep up the good work.

   Using Firefox on Windows | Report This?

3. 

   Clem gave it on 15th Nov 2008 and said:

   Aww, your screenshot looks nice but you're using the default WP theme with a few tweaks. So... I won't be reviewing this theme today! Which is too bad, since I was really looking forward to seeing your layout up close.

   ABOUT
   "I, as do many others, find ‘About’ pages generally difficult to write." Not a good opening sentence. There's nothing technically wrong with it grammatically, but it sounds so stilted. "Like many others, I find 'About' pages generally difficult to write" would be a huge improvement. Also, I hate it when people start their About pages off like that; just write about yourself! I groan internally every time I see a varation on "I hate/suck at writing about pages."

   "Telling the internet who you are as a person as best as you possibly can, without giving out too much unnecessary information is a skill not many people have (yes, I’m one of those who lack it)." Either remove the comma or add one after "information".

   (That whole opening paragraph should be deleted. It would sound a lot better if you just launched into your spiel without it. I mean, duh you're going to tell me about yourself. That's why this page is called "About"!)

   "Media and journalism are both something I’m very dedicated to." Change "something" to "things".

   Anyhow, overall this is a good page! It's actually quite a good example of an About page; you've given lots of information about your hobbies and personality, and even though I don't know you at all, I feel like I do.

   EXITS
   This should go last on the navigation. And it's, um, an exits page. With two columns. I like two columns of links. I should do that on my own site!

   RESPIRI
   "Respiri is my blog used for showcasing my personal and educational writings, my amateur photography portfolio and on the rare occasion maybe something for you." Where?

   "I try my best to provide credit where credit is due"... Change the second instance of "credit" to "it".

   So, you know, this is a site page. It's boring. I want to know why you chose the name and what it means to you. I want to know a bit about your web history. And I don't want the first sentence to be a lie.

   Overall, your site is okay. Your About page was quite good, but your Site page was lacking. You don't have your own theme up (and I understand why), so there wasn't much for me to review. I'd love to see some of the promised writing/photography (I can see it's scattered throughout the blog, but having a page for them would make it more organised), as well as a theme that you've created yourself. And if you fix up your Site page a bit as well, you'll have a very good website.

   Using Firefox on Windows | Report This?

   Sean's Response:

   Thanks. :)

   It's still pretty under construction in terms of content, which is why I was more hoping for a layout review. I will start implementing your suggestions ASAP. The writing/photography page is made, but yeah I have it hidden until it's little more full.

4. 

   Aisling gave it on 15th Nov 2008 and said:

   I'm not a fan of the wood background. Everyone uses them. (Including myself, haha). I would like to see something a little more original, especially because your header background is very original.

   The entries are nicely spaced, and seem to be well written from what I was able to skim over. A little more padding on the edges would be nice. It's not too cramped as-is, but it's sort of teetering on the line.

   The etcetera section looks odd to me. I think it's because it's the only darkish blotch, and it's all cramped at the bottom there.

   Your About page continues to be well written, and the inclusion of social networks is a nice touch. :) The Respiri page continues in the same vein as your other entries and About page. It's basic information.

   And... A LINKS PAGE!! Wow. The way you have crafted your links page is... alright, I'm blabbing. Everyone's links pages look the same. ;)

   Overall, very nice! I few tweaks could be beneficial, but otherwise a strong, solid site (you move around a lot, don't you? ;) ).

   Using Firefox on Windows | Report This?

   Sean's Response:

   A NOTE TO EVERYONE; DON'T REVIEW MY BLOG LAYOUT LOL. I DELETED THE CSS BY MISTAKE AND NOW I HAVE TO REWRITE IT SO A TEMPORARY THEME HAS BEEN PUT UP, SORRY.

   Thanks for the review, and thanks everyone else who wrote one. I'll keep it in mind for my next layout.

5. 

   Swetlana gave it on 15th Nov 2008 and said:

   Hey Sean!
   I kind of like your layout, but I think the headerimage could be a little bit more extravagant.. I like this simple layouts but I think you could improve on making thems.. I saw a really good header image on Vasili's site and I like it that way even more! It's still very simple but the colors are looking great together and also the whole style of the layout. Another thing I like about your layout is the small section at the bottom, though I wonder if people really read it, because it's at the bottom. I usually don't care what's at the bottom.
   The colors you used are good too and match to the layout and I also like the font size and the line height! Your blogs are really easy to read because the text isn't that close together..
   This was about your layout and now I will continue reviewing the rest of your site. I really like your "About" page! And what I like the most is this little paragraph:

   I believe in equality and acceptance; whether you’re African American, Asian, Jewish, homosexual or anything in between. I don’t believe that anyone should be treated better or worse because they are different - every person should receive the same judgement as the person next to them, bias free. I hope that I can make a difference, even a small one. Just affecting one person can make a huge change in the world around you. Some people just need a reality check, or a punch in the throat; whichever works faster.

   I totally agree with you on that fact and I think everyone should try to change the world around him/her and if we all do this it will change the whole world! I don't understand how people can treat someone in a different way only because he/she is Afro-American or anything else! Those people are humans, just like you and me. They maybe have a different skincolor or believe but that's what is the amazing thing about a human being, we are different and that makes us to individuals. I mean how boring would the world be if we were all the same?? We need those little differences!
   Okay, further on with your site! The page about your site is not that informing, you could maybe add some more informations about how you started and stuff like that, I really like to read those things about other websites, and I think your visitors would maybe want to know that to! Further I like your exits page, you mention site that you like and there are some really good sites! If I visit a website I almost everytime visit also the affies or the sites that are advertised and I think most of the visitors do that to! I mean there is a reason why you put them up, I think you want your visitors to visit them. I won't review the last page on your navigation, because it's only your archive but I really like the way you organized that page!

   Overall I would like to say that your site is organized really good and the only thing I would maybe change is your headerimage. But besides that I don't really see anything that has to be changed! I hope this review could help you a little bit!

   Using Firefox on Windows | Report This?

6. candierocks gave it on 15th Nov 2008 and said:

   I'm not a very big fan of your layout header. The font is kind of weird, and I don't think you really need to put paintedskies.org

   On the bright side, I LOVE your CSS. The colors are beautiful and the text is very easy to read. I applaud you on that, and keep it up. (:

   I think you need to lower the padding on the navigation links, or increase the text size. The text is so small and the background is pretty big. It's a waste of space.

   I think the Etcetera section at the bottom is kind of useless. I'm only fourteen, so I have no idea what RSS is or Valid XHTML, or what Valid CSS is. I don't know why any visitor would click on those links? So why have them there? Only the people who were taught what those things are would probably click on the links. :P

   I like your About me page. Very well organized. (:

   Under your Credits, I suggest you reword "footer coding stolen from .... " writing the world stolen is basically like calling yourself a stealer. You could possibly rephrase it to "Footer coding used with permission from Brent" ?

   The terms are also kind of long. I don't think anyone is actually going to read them all. You should just make them short and to the point. (:

   On your exits page, I don't really like how it says "If you would like to be linked on this page, please do not ask. Comment my blog, and get me to recognize your site. If I like it enough and plan on returning, I may link you." I think that sounds a little too cocky and if you don't want people to ask, you could rephrase it a little nicer. (:

   So overall, I really like the overall design of your site and your site in general! It just could use some little tweaks here and there.

   Using MSIE on Windows | Report This?

7. 

   Sillyish gave it on 15th Nov 2008 and said:

   Yay, I love reviewing layouts way more than content, so I'll be happy to oblige!

   Things I think could be improved
   *The body's background. The wood texture seems like one of the default ones that comes with photoshop and much overused. Something subtle and less defaulty looking would be grand.
   *The little text under the navigation - I understand why it's slightly smaller than the main text, and that's cool, but maybe just make it a biiit bigger. It's almost too small right now.
   *Love the links page.
   *I feel like the entries need a footer. Maybe move the categories/comment link to the bottom of each entry?
   *Wasn't a big fan of the comment styling, especially the large thick lines on the top and bottom
   *Also, the form - the submit button doesn't change when I click it, which is sad, because I love it when it does :P
   *You have a fairly small font size but quite a large line height. It looks odd. I'd say either shrink the line height or make your font bigger. Preferably the latter.
   *And the padding between the content are and the text would look better if there was more, I'd say.

   How are those for suggestions? :-D

   Using Firefox on Mac | Report This?

   Sean's Response:

   1. I'll work on a new background tonight and tomorrow for sure.
   2. I'll increase the text, but I'll probably remove it altogether. It serves no purpose but to look pretty. :P
   3. Thank you. :)
   4. I'll try it out, or I'll try a divider. Whatever works out best.
   5. The comment styling is my weakness, lol. This is the first attempt, but I'll keep trying!
   6. I'll style the submit button, you've actually given me a good idea.
   7. I like my line height and font size, but I'll take your word on it and fiddle around a bit.
   8. This is the only one I don't really agree with/plan on implementing, but if someone else recommends it I'll definitely look into it.

   Thank you so much!

Write Your Own Review

Leave your feedback for Respiri below, and remember - the longer your review, the more points you receive. Don't forget to look at things like style/design, content, coding and originality as they will all help to improve the quality of your review.

You have to be logged in to write a review.

Site copyright © 2008—10 Jem Turner. Designed by Jacky Gilbertson © 2008.
About ⋅ Terms of Use ⋅ Site Map ⋅ Help ⋅ Contact ⋅ Points Charter