Colophon Page

The purpose of this page is to explain how I have made my website more user friendly. I will be covering topics of Navigation, Readability, Concepts of Less is more, and condensing my images for quicker downloads. I will aslo be covering how my website was constructed using web-standards, how I have implemented suddle techniques for Search engine optimization and how my website will bring me a Return On Investment (time being the investment).

Navigation

In my Navigation Bar, I have set up a tabular navigation. When a user selects on of the links to other webpages, the tab, which encapsulates whichever page they are navigating to, in a gray color, which is the same color as my content section of said webpage. I have tried to make it as clear as possible to ensure that the user never asks the computer the question "Where in the World Wide Web am I?".

Readability

Concerning Readability, I have made my text with softer fonts, using this code in my CSS font-family: arial, helvetic, sans-serif;. I also have a gray background in my content page so that when a user reads it, there isnt this blaring white that burns your eyes. When my users read my webpage, I want to make it as easy and comfortable as possible.

Keeping it Simple

I have been tempted throughout the design and development of my webpage to add things that would not add to, neither take away, from the effects of my webpage. I have tried, as best I know how, to keep my webpage simple and concise. I do not have unnecessary flash vids or large image files. You load my page, and you should know exactly what the webpage is about. In other websites (mainly retail)which are relativly deep, one can get lost and end up being somewhere where they do not wish to be. I have tried to make a minimal ammount necessary clicks to get to areas of the website.

Quick Uploads

The last thing that I have done to promote usability of my website is condensing my images. I have made all of my main images less than 40k to promote faster downloading (except on BYU Idaho networks). There are not many images because I am promoting my text and novel, not my art or web design capabilities. If you have any suggestions on how to make my website more useable, please feel free to use my contact page and send me an email. In the future, when I am published, I am going to have more proffesional looking graphics, and probobaly a more professional looking webpage.

Standards

Thesilversheen.com was constructed using XHTML 1.0 Transitional and and an external CSS 2.1 style sheet. I have implemented Server Side Includes for quick page making and alowing me to move things like Navigation, Subnav and images div to anywhere on my page. I believet that it is set up in such a way that users will be visually drawn to my content.

SEO

For SEO, I have placed suddle words and phrases in my content that are specific to the Fantasy Genre, such as Dragon, Silver Wizard and a variety of other items. My website will be changed in the future to have an About the Work, and an About the Author section to take place of the assignments section. In these content section I will be heavy in wording about literature, publishing, and novels. I will also be advertising my website with business cards with my URL when I mail out my publishing package.Of course, when my book is published, I will be surrounded by web design professionals and I am sure that my website will be retooled.

ROI

Great, my website is up, I am advertising it to the publishing industries, but it isnt making me any money. How is that a return on investment? My investment has returned to me ten fold already. I learned how to build web pages and my journey has begun as a web developer. It also saves me time when I need to print off a publishing package. I can copy the text from my documents, and adjust it for each individual publisher and send it out for review. And if and when a publisher decides to adopt my work and buy the publishing writes from me, I will be making money, enjoying the achievment of fulfilling my dream of being published.