VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

chrisvoco · Club 300 Joined: 14 Mar 2014 Posts: 380 Location: Local

Greetings and salutations! I've followed the comings and goings on vo-bb for quite some time, but have never had the guts to pass along a link for criticism. While it's late, I'm tired and lacking inhibition, I'll do that now and await the onslaught:

http://chrisvo.co

Audio is right there atop the page.

Layout-wise, I dig the big vertical scrolling sites - no reason, just pleasing to me - that scroll real smooth-like when you click one of the navigation links at the top, so that's what I did (try it, watch the smooo-o-o-o-ooooth scrolling action! like it's got melted butter inside!). I also like a dark background with light text - again, that's just me. Relatively graphic-free at the moment, except the simple logo at the top and a couple others. I prefer text to graphics. I'm boring that way.

Thanks in advance for any critical things you are moved to say. I will now close my eyes and grip the arms of my chair in preparation.

By the way - I have no clue what it looks like on iPhone or iPad, because I do not have one of either. I told you I was boring.

DGates · Contributor Joined: 01 Mar 2014 Posts: 28

Nice voice and the site looks good enough. Text is rather large, as if it was designed solely for smartphones.

chrisvoco · Club 300 Joined: 14 Mar 2014 Posts: 380 Location: Local

Thank you, DGates. I did want it to look okay on the phone (android in my case; other mileage may vary). I also took the liberty of adaptive hoo-hah as the width decreases, swapping stylesheets in and out as you resize the window (or as it finds itself loading on a smaller screen).

My eyes are not so great, so the big text size looks good to me. However, if it looks just plain strange to too many folks, I suppose I can reduce it and suffer.
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chrisvoco · Club 300 Joined: 14 Mar 2014 Posts: 380 Location: Local

One more question for anybody who wants to answer: can you tell that I have... dentures? Not kidding, here. Got them in November of 2012. For a couple weeks, didn't talk. For several months, didn't eat (not what you'd call food, anyway). By three months in, I had it mostly figured out.

I still have some extra sibilance now and again, but I've learned to keep it from sounding like tearing paper, at least. Early on, when parts of my mouth would fall out, I would just clap real loud so I can see where it happened, clean up my slobber and keep going.

Note: there is much enjoyment to be had with fake teeth. Especially when you go out to eat. Unless your wife gets mad at you, like mine does, for removing them and pretending the bottom one is a Star Trek communicator badge...
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Finally, Ford stops starting to say things and starts.

DGates · Contributor Joined: 01 Mar 2014 Posts: 28

You don't sound old enough to have dentures. How old are you?

chrisvoco · Club 300 Joined: 14 Mar 2014 Posts: 380 Location: Local

Oh, sir, you should not have dared to ask:

http://chrisvo.co/media/junk/toothy-grin.mp3
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Finally, Ford stops starting to say things and starts.

Bish · Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:40 am Post subject:

There's something about your site that really strikes me (maybe the font is a little large), but I actually understand the appeal of the single linear page. It has a simplistic, almost retro feel about it. Just one comment about your text though... take the negatives out... it's not that you "won't record the whole script"... just stick with "I'm happy to record a portion of your script to see if my voice fits your requirements" ... or something like that. Don't say what you won't do... say what you will. It's all spin, but negative words can impact on a subliminal level. I like the use of humour and letting a personality come through... but there's a fine line before it becomes "hokey". I think you're OK here.

Looking at your front page full-width... the three paras are one (and a bit), two (and a bit) and two (and a bit) lines. Reduce the font (or edit) so that it's a clean 1,2,2 lines... it will look less untidy. I notice a lot of your paras are ragged... maybe it's me, but I like to trim paras to not have a short hanging line. It just looks more polished to me when it's 70% width or over.

Just those two small fixes with raise the level quite a bit (IMHO)... As I say, I think layout & fonts... the whole visual works on a subliminal level.
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chrisvoco · Club 300 Joined: 14 Mar 2014 Posts: 380 Location: Local

Thank you, Bish. I think I agree with you on the line lengths. I've adjusted the wording throughout the main page to give that a shot. It makes it look a bit neater and I'm forced to be a bit more concise.

The Concision Decision - taken and done!
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Finally, Ford stops starting to say things and starts.

todd ellis · Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 9:39 am Post subject:

i like the one page format and i like the large type - but i would try to find a way to put your demos above the fold. (so i don't have to scroll down to see them) at least SOME of them above so i know they are there.
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chrisvoco · Club 300 Joined: 14 Mar 2014 Posts: 380 Location: Local

Thank you, Todd. But - arggghh! I'm afraid to put any further up, away from the rest, because then I'd be *committing* to them, and forever second-guessing myself, "well, maybe if I'd put this other one up there..."

I hate decisions. They're like buying a lottery ticket: your odds of winning are pretty good, until you buy that ticket and limit yourself to only it, and of course it's not the winner...

Anybody know a good therapist?
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Finally, Ford stops starting to say things and starts.

chrisvoco · Club 300 Joined: 14 Mar 2014 Posts: 380 Location: Local

Tightened up text a little more, and threw out some superfluous audio, too. Audio should now be further up and easily visible.
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Finally, Ford stops starting to say things and starts.

Moosevoice · Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 2:25 pm Post subject:

Great voice! Good reads.
As far as the site...as of April 7, 2014 (4pm central). Your site looks just fine to me.
It's simple and the demos are easy to find. The only critique I would have (and it's minor) is it's missing that 'punch'. It doesn't really pop, per se.
Again, just a minor thing.

todd ellis · Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 5:16 pm Post subject:

exactly! now i can see that the demos are there and it entices me to scroll further!
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

chrisvoco · Club 300 Joined: 14 Mar 2014 Posts: 380 Location: Local

I really do promise to quit banging away at this thread - really, I do.

I decided to reduce the text size just a bit, to shrink things upwards, and I added a nifty little signpost graphic with my logo on it, reworded the introductory hoohah to make it less wordy, and moved the audio up even further.

There. I think I'm done with it. Thank you all for your time!
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Finally, Ford stops starting to say things and starts.

todd ellis · Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2014 5:23 am Post subject:

i like it.
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?