HIKARU

Specializes in: Information correctness and technical side of HTML Length of Participation: Since December of 1999 Review Screen Information: 1152 X 864 with 16-bit high color Connection: T1 (which isn't really that fast) Choice of Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 Your opinion of good content: I'm actually pretty easy going on this. One the stuff has to be CORRECT, don't write something unless you got facts to back it - there are people have no idea what MKR is about in this world. And two, NO HENTAI - not even something that slightly suggests it! Your opinion of a good layout: Hmm, this is a hard one. I like a lot of layouts, but just as long as it look good, is advertisement free (if possible) and makes GOOD use of HTML (anybody who uses Homestead's HTML editor is immediately excluded). I've had enough of looking through those meaningless, worthless, unnecessary complicated crap from Homestead editors. I'm not saying it's just Homestead though ^_~ What is your biggest pet peeve? Two words say it all. Bad Design. No matter how great your content is, if you got a bad design, your page still looks bad. Bad design includes having incorrect/overuse of backgrounds, extremely low quality images, bad use of fonts and colors and overall, a bad look. Here's a hint, bad design and bad looking pages usually come from people who use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML Editors ^_~ Oh, and just having a good design without much content wouldn't get you anywhere neither. What advice do you have for aspiring webmasters? My, this is an easy one. LEARN HTML if you don't already! I have little (none usually) pity on those who have no idea how to write HTML yet go about writing pages with WYSIWYG HTML editors, dump them online and babble about how great their page is and all that. Then they come along to better pages (likes ours - ahhh... confidence...) and ask us how we do it. While I explain to them in HTML, they just keep saying they don't get it AND you can't just tell them to beat it. I really hate it when that happens... Oh, and in case you do already know HTML, then learn DHTML (HTML 4.x), Javascript, and CGI, they're life savers even if you just semi-master them ^_~

UMI

Specializes in: Making sure backgrounds are easy to read from and either thumbnails or text-links are used for image galleries (no fake thumbnails!!), also states whatever's on her mind Length of Participation: Since the beginning! (Which would be May 1999) Review Screen Information: 800 X 600 with 32-bit high color Connection: Cable Choice of Browser: Uses Netscape 6 for reviews unless specific problems arise. Then MIE 6 is used. Your opinion of good content: You all know how I feel about cookie-cutter pages. We need more variety other than their height, age, and favourite food! Talk about THEM. What did they do? How did they feel? Why did they do it? If you're doing a summary, try and make it more interesting than 'Hikaru jumped up, attacked Alcyone, and jumped down.' That sounds like an RPG. The more original you are, the better. The reason that the site 'The Place Where Your Will Determines Everything' is so popular besides the name, is that it has a large fanart gallery. Do YOU have a fanart gallery or do you just have the same images over and over and over and over and over and.. *facevaults* Your opinion of a good layout: I'm perfectly fine with simple layouts if they don't look terrible. I won't take off marks if you don't know the latest DHTML, Frames, Javascript, whatever since I know what it's like to finally master something and then all the trends change again. But at least make an attempt to have your page layout look GOOD. Don't resize images badly. Try and make backgrounds long enough so they don't start wrapping on larger resolutions. Use colours that look good together. Play around with fonts to see which looks the best with your layout, but don't forget about the people with Macs or, if you use a Mac, PCs so always use equivalent fonts. What is your biggest pet peeve? WYSIWYG editors. God, how I hate them. I've been making websites since I was 11 and I had to learn HTML ON MY OWN. Suddenly a bunch of lazy asses decide they want to make a website and poof! Someone decides to do the work for them. And that's not the worst part. They do a frickin' crappy job. If the "webmaster" doesn't know what s/he is doing, the page is going to look like it was slapped together in 5 minutes...which, uh, it was. WYSIWYG editors tend to use a lot of junk HTML that isn't needed and just adds to the size of the file. Don't do it! What advice do you have for aspiring webmasters? Don't build your page on Homestead. It is the WORST webspace provider I've ever seen, and personally, I greatly dislike its services. And now Homestead's trying to CHARGE for their crap! I can't believe it! I also say, don't advvertise your page until it's done! I don't come back to pages that just have a few things up. Don't call your page "So-and-So's MKR Page." It's been done. It doesn't work any more. Try something original, like "The Shrine In The Ocean," "The Shrine in the Skies," or "The Centre of the Volcano." I'm sick of profiles and graphics. ENOUGH! There are WAY too many MKR sites like this. Nearly every single page we've reviewed was a combo page, and while some were excellent, most bored the living Hell out of me. You don't need profiles or an image gallery to have a good site.

FUU

Specializes in: Correcting spelling and grammar errors and give ideas for improvements to the page. Length of Participation: Since September of 2001 Review Screen Information: 1024x768 with 24-bit color Connection: 56K Choice of Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 Your opinion of good content: The most important thing, of course, is that it be correct, but coming in for a very close second is that it is interesting. I absolutely hate sites that just give the same boring facts. I'm much more interested in reading opinions and random little things that few people know. I love in-depth character descriptions that read too much into everything and stuff like that (and if you're an X fan, you'll know exactly what I mean if you've been to Revelation at Voices Carry). That's what makes it fun, no? Your opinion of a good layout: My favorite layouts all use clashing colors (like navy blue and bright orange, not like olive green and sugar pink), but anything is fine as long as it isn't too complex or too simple. Too complex would be something like using flashy and unnecessary Javascript effects (like mouse trailers) or having links and text in random places all over the screen (such as one might find with a WYSIWYG editor-created page). Too simple would be like using the default stuff for everything (Times New Roman font, blue underlined links, default colors for text and background, etc.) or just having nothing on the page. What is your biggest pet peeve? Without a doubt, it would be sites that take forever to load. This means any site that uses a Java applet (unless it's a NECESSARY one), Comet Cursor, Windows Media Player, requires you to download a program/plug-in, or simply has so much crazy HTML that it takes forever (such as a site built with a WYSIWYG editor). I'm not patient when it comes to things like that. Another big pet peeve of mine is mouse trailers. I HATE mouse trailers. They drive me insane. They're distracting and ALWAYS in the way whenever I want to click a link or read some text. What advice do you have for aspiring webmasters? Make sure you know a good amount of HTML before you start. Do practice layouts, do drafts, edit and reread until it looks/sounds good. Plan out your site before actually starting to write it out. And, most importantly, BE DISCIPLINED when putting together a site. Set due dates and boundaries for yourself. I love web design and HTML to bits, but that doesn't mean I just go around setting up sites for whatever suits my fancy at the moment and then never update it. Discipline yourself and, believe me, once your site gets up and you start getting visitors, you will love your site and, more importantly, yourself for doing that great job I just know you'll do. ^^