PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
I always seem to research everything. Recently Whipping Boy and I started working on the Pyromorph professional site. In doing so we went to lots and lots of other fire sites to see what we like, what seemed to work and what didn't. We looked at most based on technical merits, overall visual and aesthetic value, originality, "gimmicks" and information presentation. So now I pose this to you...what do you like when visiting these sites? What catches you and keeps you?What is your favorite fire site (Other than this one obviously)?I am approaching this from a professional performance stand point, a site ot get a job and introduce Pele to the world, not necessarily to instruct, btw.What do you think?Thanks------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
Hmmm, what I look for in a site is: * Images: I want to see not just a good representation of fire but how it's used in performance. I want to see fire and see the people in balance. I'd rather see a few good pictures than everything you've got. * Words: I want to know about your big gigs, but I also want to know what your focus in performance is. I don't just want to know what tools you use, but also what you do with them. What's your vision and how do you manifest it? * Design: I like to see a balance of words and images. I want to see the design of a site follow the content. Fancy animation is cool so long as it serves the site and is not distracting from the information you want to get across. That pretty much covers it. My favorite site right now is Xeno's ( https://www.zenotribe.com
). Well organized, lots of good images, has an esthetic that well represents what they do. I'd like to have more words to balance the richness of their imagery. But that's a small point. Diana

AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
Oh, yeah, the site works better when it's: https://www.xenotribe.com

kmactanemember
97 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
I haven't looked at too many fire performers' sites in this type of critical light, but I do Web design and consulting, and so when I hear you say that you're looking to build a site for Pele to promote her fire performing "business", attract customers, and so on, here are some of the things that come immediately to my mind: The stuff Diana has already said is all good. Pictures (and videos, where possible -- also see below, on bandwidth) of actual performances, including both close-up shots and longer/wider "establishing shots" that give a sense of the venue and how the performance fit into the space, are definitely good. Words that tell about your approach to both fire and to performance are also crucial. A full raft of basic info! Basically, if your site is supposed to attract customers, and/or make it easier for customers to sign you up for gigs, then it should tell a prospective customer things like: who is Pele, how long has she been performing, what sorts of venues has she played at (and what, if any, are types that she either prefers or refuses to work in). What area is she available for (I presume I can't hire her to perform here in San Francisco!)? Does she have fire permits and insurance (and if the latter, maybe even how much)? Any certifications? (This may be totally non-applicable; I don't know of anyone certifying fire performers. But still...) Does she have any set repertoires/routines that she can do on request? Can she do free-form? How much time can she fill in a night without getting tired? What are her rates for various types of performances? (You basically want an entire rate structure in there.) Naturally, full contact info (phone and email, at a bare minimum) is a must. Bandwidth Issues: I don't know if you (or Pele) has/have broadband access, but if you do, it's very easy to forget that most people don't, and won't for the foreseeable future. (A survey of Internet users a while back showed that 73% had no plans to get broadband in the next two years.) Designing for 33.6K or -- at the very most -- 56K is still a very good idea. Which means you'll want to make those videos optional, and give thumbnails for the huge images. You might also want to include lists of upcoming events, if you have enough lead time and information.There's probably some other good stuff that could go in here, but I hope that helps you out some.

AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
just one thing I'll add,you might want to include a PDF brochure, so that busy festival ppl can download a brochure and look at it offline. sometimes printing websites leads to cruddy images and badly formatted text, having a downloadable option I think is a good idea.Josh

PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
Between Whipping Boy, his housemate and another friend who are web designers we have a pretty good idea of what we want and where we are heading, though I appreciate suggestions immensely. I also have been in my form of performing (not fire but interactive theater) for ten years so my site is actually going to have a duality to it, for fire spinning only and then for other performances of an interactive nature. It's the division line I am debating over.Anyway...what I was really looking for Diana kind of covered...do you like the flahy, edgy, bright in your face sites or the more mellow but lovely sites and why?BTW, thanks for the bandwidth advice Kmactane and for the brochure thoughts Josh. Both are things I hadn't concidered.And Kmactane, I will perform anywhere..transportation is part of my payment equation though, and for long distances so is a place to stay! ;-)You should check out the different fire sites, some are really interesting. They take different approaches than most other sites (BTW: I loved Dangerboy's new site!) Thanks all...take care....------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


Pele'sWhippingBoymember
442 posts
Location: Rochester, NY, USA


Posted:
I hadn't even considered making the portfolios available for download. That's a good thought. I've got a few other downloadable ideas up my sleeve as well. winkThe bandwidth issue I take into account quite frequently. I also take into account the display size of the page. I liked Dangerboy's in that his was limited to a small area of the screen.------------------"Except for that Mrs. Lincoln, How did you like the play?"

FYI: I am not Pele. If you wish to reply to me and use a short version of my name, use: PWB.

English? Who needs that? I'm never going to England. - Homer Jay Simpson


AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
Pele, glad to see you're rockin' out on the site. As far as fancy stuff is concerned, I'm mixed. I'm not crazy about material that's says "Look, I'm really neat" without a good reason. Though I do like cool animations for comic artists, animators, highly stylized circus or sideshow acts and the like. If you want to include some Flash or something, make a really cool splash screen that clicks through to the main page. This way you give folx the first time impact of the animation and still have less dynamic home page they can bookmark for their next visit. That's what I think at least. I'm sure between your own esthetic and the counsel of your folx there, you'll do great. Let us know when it's up. Diana

AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
As much as I like Flash intros, I think there is one thing that most web devs dont do, which they should.and that is, set a cookie after the first view of the intro, and automatically skip it next time the person loads the page. HAve an obvious link back to it from the homepage tho, so ppl can still show their friends or have another look at it if they want...that way you keep your cool .com for access all the time, ppl wont have to remember to typewww.pelesfirepage.com/home.html (for eg) to skip the intro.did I say register a memorable .com that is somehow related to what / who you are / do?well no I didnt, but I think its a good idea.nothing says backyarder more than www.hostname.com/username/pagename.htmlexcept perhaps anything with ads on it smileanyhow - a few more ideas.Josh


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