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Site Name: Rainbow Tears
Owner: Marielle
Reviewed by: Georgina
Reviewed on: 17th April 2009
Site Name
It’s a nice name. Though the words are commonly used, it’s a very nice name, Rainbow Tears.
Coding and Validation
Your coding has 36 errors and 17 warnings.
You don’t have a doctype. This is needed so that the browser can recognise your webpage as an HTML document. Now, I notice the majority of your coding is in HTML, even though FanUpdate codes your entries in XHTML automatically. Therefore I will provide you with a code for HTML Transitional, which you must have at the top of every page, before <html>.
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
You also need a character encoding. The following needs to be placed in your <head> section:
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
Also, all images need an alt attribute. Even if it’s blank, you still need to add alt="" to the tag. You must do this to every image, like the ones in your ‘clicks’ section.
For your SOTM image, you have the following code:
<a href="http://www.fallingstarss.com/";
The semicolon (;) is a typo, I’m sure, so remove that. It’s causing an error in your validation.
You have <font color=#FF66CC>. It is much better to change the font colour with CSS. Perhaps making it bold or italic would get the right colour or the colour you want. You should not be using <font> to modify fonts. You can place the colour in quotation marks to fix the error, but you should ultimately use CSS to change font colour!
Also, here:
<img src="http://www.chichosting.net/siteimages/chicbuttons/pinkchic.jpg" border="0"/>
You should remove the backslash and replace it with alt="".
Instead of using a marquee in your “clicks” (which doesn’t even work), try a PHP random rotator.
On your SiteMeter code, you must remove the backslash.
The other errors are caused by some strange characters in your blog. Try not to use these foreign characters. Also, the warnings are simply because FanUpdate codes your entries in XHTML.
If you need help validating, I have a tutorial on validating HTML and XHTML.
Your CSS has 12 errors and 14 warnings. The warnings are caused by not quoting fonts with whitespace (like quoting “Times New Roman” – fonts that have a space in them), and using the same colour in some spots for color and background color.
In your CSS, font-weight:none is incorrect and should be font-weight:normal.
Also, what is a head tag doing at the end of your CSS?
Additionally, padding: 0 auto is incorrect. Padding should be a value in px.
Browser Compatibility & Usability
Your site is okay in all browsers according to Browsershots.org. Well done!
Instead of having navigation in a table, I suggest CSS block navigation. It is much clearer and can be customised nicely. Also, since navigation is a very important part of your site, it should be first thing on the sidebar!
Also, “Clear” would be better expressed as “home”.
Your layout is too wide. It wouldn’t look very good in a smaller resolution because it would result in a horizontal scrollbar due to its width. The layout should also be centered, and the top image shouldn’t have the grey background as part of it. Read OhPanic’s tutorial on centering a layout.
Your footer would also look better across the bottom of the content and sidebar, which the tutorial will tell you how to do. You basically need to make a separate div id for the footer and give it the property clear:both;.
The font size is okay, but could be just a tad bigger.
Layout
It’s very simple, which is good. The header image isn’t too big either. It’s a very nice layout.
You’ve used a nice choice of colours, pink and blue. I don’t really like the blue in the header image though; it’s a tad too bright.
The CSS is done well. A wider range of fonts could be used, though, to add interest. Perhaps more different shades of blue and pink could be used.
In your sidebar, you could spead the sections out more. They’re a bit squished. You might want to fiddle with the line height on the headers or at least add some line breaks.
Overall the layout is easy on the eyes and very simple.
Content
Rainbow Tears
This would be better named as ‘website’. ‘Rainbow Tears’ is the name of your site; it can make some people confused.
Affiliates page is okay.
On the application page, some few rules should be some rules. Also, this part:
Advertise me as long as the plan you choose still didn’t end
doesn’t make sense at all and should be expressed as:
Advertise me for as long as I am advertising you
This is also superfluous:
You can re-apply again.
If you are re-applying, you are already applying again. Hence it would make more sense to write You can re-apply or You can apply again.
Furthermore, there are errors under your affiliate application:
you’re site should be your site
didn’t keep in touch should be don’t keep in touch.
Terrific job on the credits page. Good to see you’ve credited everyone who needs to be credited, even FanUpdate and SiteMeter!
Gifts – fairly self explanatory, though “we’ should be “I” – I’m sure only you own the site.
Your site history page needs to be fixed up a bit. It’s just a big blob of a paragraph. You need to write in sections to make this easier to read.
For example, you talk about your Freewebs site Marielle27. Then you move onto talking about your next site. Start a new paragraph there!
There are some errors you need to fix:
capitalise Freewebs and Piczo
which is Brattitude should be which was Brattitude
didn’t went so long should be didn’t last for long
is really great should be was really great
months pasts should be months passed
sub domain should be subdomain
didn’t able should be wasn’t able
just create should be just created
have two should be have two
Admired been up should be Admired had been up
I’m subdomain should be I’m on a subdomain
and really happy should be I’m really happy
this site longer should be this site last longer
Your page on why you chose Rainbow Tears is very short. You could just place this as a paragraph in your site history.
Marielle
On your ‘about me’ page:
to other should be with other
and has should be and have
a lot stalker should be a lot of stalkers
high school should be high schooler
missed to write should be forget to mention.
Additionally, the following needs a big fix:
I can adopt anywhere you put me especially if they’re weird. Me myself is weird too.
It doesn’t make sense. Where do we put you? Who is weird? Adopt? Surely you don’t mean adapt? And you shouldn’t start a sentence with “me”. The sentence should be “I myself am weird.”
This page was really hard for me to even focus on, because you’ve got it all squished in a paragraph. You start talking about friends then all of a sudden – what? – I’m reading about Voldemort. You need to start a new paragraph every time you introduce something new. It will make things a hell of a lot easier to read.
On your ‘best friend’ page:
best friend didn’t should be best friends didn’t
They think should be They thought
they’re interpretation should be their interpretation
Gillan see should be Gillan sees
she knew should be she knows
didn’t should be don’t.
Very interesting story about your name! You could actually include this on your ‘about me’ page because it’s so short. All these page in your ‘Marielle’ section could be merged together. It’s annoying have so little on these pages.
Also, lied at my dad should be lied to my dad.
Visitor
The photos are alright. I don’t see many of them being used, though. They are very small and quite pixelated. They could be improved in quality and made larger, as this makes them more flexible for use. But they are very original.
The “suggestions” are misleading. They look more like templates. “Suggestions” would mean some writing suggesting a layout, maybe some hints and tips.
On your ‘making an article’ article:
I need should be It needs
gave everything should be give everything
you didn’t know should be you don’t know
the ingredients is empty should be there are no ingredients.
Marielle, this article was very, very well done. I really love how you talked about taking time, and writing your best, and being patient. This is what you must apply to your other pages though, like the pages about yourself. Make sure they are neat and work over them again!
On your website ‘do’s and don’ts’:
just only should be just
knew this should be know this
fell from their sit should be fall from their seat (hahaha, I might have done this a few times when people have this)
is so sparkly should be was so pink
it really hurts should be it really hurt
lose visitor should be lose visitors
an eyesight should be people’s eyesight
knew it is should be know it is
unorganized site should be unorganized sites
I hope it should be I hope that
break your should be breaks your.
Also a very good article. It would look better spaced out after each point, though.
On your ‘be yourself’ article:
that sometimes I should be who sometimes
those stupid should be the stupid
comfortable on should be comfortable with
on her limo should be in her limo
importance should be important thing
want second chance should be would like a second chance.
Again, this article was very well done. This is the first article like this that I have come across, apart from my article on being yourself. Even though mine is different and talks about things from a different perspective, haha. Well, my main point is that this is a great article.
The installing fonts tutorial is fairly straightforward – but I see it on a lot of sites. You might want to add screenshots to this too.
Writings
I won’t pick at your writings; I know it’s rude to do that especially with more personal writings like poems, songs, stories, etc.
I only briefly skimmed through your stories. I notice you’re quite a fan of writing romance! You’re very creative there.
Reviews
Coming soon? No! Don’t have ‘coming soon’ messages on your site. It just shows the visitor that you don’t have a page ready, showing them your site is pretty much incomplete.
So hurry and get this section going!
Originality & Creativity
Very original stuff you have here, Marielle. I think you’re one original girl. I can see you’re also trying to have unique content and encourage others as well. Great job!
Organisation & Errors
Fairly well organised. But, a lot of the pages could be merged together, particularly all the pages about yourself. They’re all quite short and could be placed on a whole page, like my owner/Georgina page.
Also, try to use proper bullets for lists. Using the >> or something like that is quite ugly.
I understand you might not be good at English. I corrected your spelling/grammar mistakes because I thought this would assist you in understanding what is right/wrong. Please don’t be offended by that.
Overall Comment
Marielle, you have quite a unique site. Though you could really work on adding more content and improving the way you set out your pages. Make them neater and less cluttered.
You’re definitely an original girl and looking to appeal to visitors with some unique content. I think you should improve on those photographs though – they’re quite blurry and can also be offered in a larger size.
Also, try and take my corrections into mind. Please don’t be offended; I’m sure that by me correcting you, you will understand which English is correct and which isn’t. Spend more time on all your pages, as you do with your articles. This will make sure everything is up to scratch.
Work on your coding. You have good basic HTML, but a couple of codes could be better substituted for, such as the button rotation.
Also, with coding, learn how to center a layout – it’s much better.
You also need to add more content and organise the pages better. And get the reviews section up.
Your site has potential, but at the moment it’s still slowly growing. Best of luck!
