tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post4127623944549315349..comments2024-03-27T11:54:49.403-04:00Comments on I Just Finished Reading...: On author websites: a reader and web designer's take on itJennifer B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14499251230157627049noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-63508486958601346332010-10-08T16:33:31.574-04:002010-10-08T16:33:31.574-04:00I totally agree with everything you said!! I don&...I totally agree with everything you said!! I don't use a mobile device to surf so I can't comment on that, but I hate having to scroll forever to find what I want. I also HATE searching for RSS on a site! If I'm going to subscribe to a site and can't find the thingy ( :) ) I leave. One more thing to add to the list is pages that are too full of information. Blogs (or websites) that have tons of information all crammed into little boxes. Each one is cute - different fonts and colors, but I find that too difficult to read. I feel like I'm going crossed eyed!<br />One last thing.....can't the printable book list have short blurbs? Helps me keep track of which book I've read and which one I'm looking for next. All the titles start to run together after a while!Barbhttp://www.sugarbeatsbooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-9315982021163145172010-09-23T14:57:21.387-04:002010-09-23T14:57:21.387-04:00Hi Lori :D
Great post about the website itself, b...Hi Lori :D<br /><br />Great post about the website itself, but its purpose too. I really think that the no. 1 priority of an author is to keep their website updated. <br /><br />I also agree with Tracy about blurbs. I want blurb with the books. I don't care about excerpt, but blurb is a must. and I know some authors have huge backlist, but I hate it when they don't have all their collection available for viewing. Sometimes, they have "Printable list" but it gives very little info.<br /><br />I understand authors that are trying to really stand out with their website, but simple is better. Nowadays, I think it's easy for people that do not know coding stuff to have a decent website... and if you really want more, then invest in it because it will pay off.nathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02626894830238717124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-42797685187923526162010-09-23T01:45:32.516-04:002010-09-23T01:45:32.516-04:00Done a excellent job in this blog, Alternatively c...Done a excellent job in this blog, Alternatively create a great blog for the readers specially for PHP programming. Thanks.Mobile websiteshttp://www.eluminoustechnologies.com/website_for_mobiles.htmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-90934356714797168702010-09-22T16:40:33.558-04:002010-09-22T16:40:33.558-04:00Preach! Love this post, I'm with you on every ...Preach! Love this post, I'm with you on every single thing!Rowenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15472559027348735571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-30718462382704634062010-09-22T15:55:21.491-04:002010-09-22T15:55:21.491-04:00I am so with you re headers that take up half the ...I am so with you re headers that take up half the page - I have to be seriously interested to make the effort to scroll down just to see what's there.<br />great post, thanks.Abby Gaineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01521875731773621888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-6955408209035311322010-09-22T15:43:54.623-04:002010-09-22T15:43:54.623-04:00Thanks so much for your insights. Wish most of th...Thanks so much for your insights. Wish most of the authors who have websites could view your comments. Just so frustrating to try to find out about a soon-to-be published book, as I was seeking just a few days ago, and not be able to find anything ANYWHERE. With only six weeks until release, one would think . . . Keep up the good work and writing those good words.Dr Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06116344761479545032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-91894795291038277742010-09-22T08:15:52.353-04:002010-09-22T08:15:52.353-04:00Hopeful? I meant helpful. Must. Have. Caffeine.Hopeful? I meant helpful. Must. Have. Caffeine.Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-35738649278553372452010-09-22T08:15:08.803-04:002010-09-22T08:15:08.803-04:00Yep, yep and yep. The thing that really gets me i...Yep, yep and yep. The thing that really gets me is grossly out of date web sites. I recently visited a cozy mystery author's web site looking for a list of the series in order and found "Come visit me at Bookstore XYZ where I'll be signing copies of my new book on Day, Time, 2007" O_o <br /><br />Really?<br /><br />Really?!?!?!<br /><br />Thanks. That's ever so hopeful. Good thing I keep that time machine in my home office....Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12485867264936716806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-29962267245860559942010-09-21T18:58:16.549-04:002010-09-21T18:58:16.549-04:00Great post! Totally agree with everything you'...Great post! Totally agree with everything you've listed. <br /><br />I don't like when I click on a cover, expecting the blurb, and get sent to Amazon. To me, that's just lazy. Thankfully this doesn't happen too often. <br /><br />If there's an ongoing series, I like family tree/relationship links, character descriptions etc. Lorelei James has family trees for her Rough Riders series. Kresley Cole has character descriptions for her IAD series. Those help jog my memory when a new book comes out. <br /><br />That's funny about the trailers but when I think about it, I skip them on the sites but sometimes watch on the blogs. LOLLesliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12055116610295076439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-78031247503227905262010-09-21T17:47:10.946-04:002010-09-21T17:47:10.946-04:00Oh right on! Blurbs are an absolute must! I hate...Oh right on! Blurbs are an absolute must! I hate clicking on a book title at an authors website and getting only an excerpt (Hey! I haven't decided if I like the premise enough to read an excerpt yet!) or getting just a picture of the cover (which tells me absolutely nothing about what the book is about!). I have to also say that having the name and picture of your book but no description or link to a description is more than off-putting.<br /><br />I don't do the mobile thing but I can understand your issues on that.<br /><br />Music is a no-no as far as I'm concerned.<br /><br />And keeping up to date - a must.Tracyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05320961506471746567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-75946065888058198652010-09-21T15:49:25.452-04:002010-09-21T15:49:25.452-04:00Thanks for the helpful advice. I'll be thinkin...Thanks for the helpful advice. I'll be thinking of this when I update my site.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-26261473522753853862010-09-21T14:46:14.940-04:002010-09-21T14:46:14.940-04:00I am simply a reader, and an avid user of the web ...I am simply a reader, and an avid user of the web and my mobile device. May I say Amen!! to all of this. Speaking only for myself, the main reason I visit any author's site is because I just finished one of their books and I liked it well enough to want to find out what else they've written and what will be coming down the pike. A mention of forthcoming books is just as important as the backlist. Even if forthcoming means something vague like "currently untitled WIP is scheduled for late fall 2011." I actually create online tasks for myself to re-check a site 6 months from now.Phylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14665665401551658932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-91304065516777362592010-09-21T12:40:42.810-04:002010-09-21T12:40:42.810-04:00Meljean, on my mobile, I'd so rather see somet...Meljean, on my mobile, I'd so rather see something that may not be perfectly aligned, but that is easy to read and load. So yes, that's a great app - I so agree!Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08250972350798310498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-10873463690692655102010-09-21T12:28:38.717-04:002010-09-21T12:28:38.717-04:00I use Wordpress for my site, and I can't say e...I use Wordpress for my site, and I can't say enough about the WPTouch plug-in, which converts every post and page to a mobile-friendly format. Sometimes it means that the text and images aren't aligned perfectly, but it's easy to access and quick to load, which counts for so, SO much when I'm checking something on my phone. <br /><br />Everything else you've mentioned, ditto.meljean brookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16135527993507471830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-75185159699324843842010-09-21T12:28:02.188-04:002010-09-21T12:28:02.188-04:00I don't have mobile, so I don't know what&...I don't have mobile, so I don't know what's friendly for it or not. But regardless, I completely agree with everything you said (and I'm not an IT/Web Designer person).Devhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11767015769382836304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18010424.post-1157449626877016572010-09-21T12:04:09.129-04:002010-09-21T12:04:09.129-04:00Thanks for this. I wasn't thinking about mobil...Thanks for this. I wasn't thinking about mobile users. I think I'm okay though! But, I'm definitely checking out that Wired article.Carolyn Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17195853833116263029noreply@blogger.com