Feedback on new site: www.dirtroadtrip.com

[joneseyyy]

Gents,

I've dabbled previously in blogging about my adventures, but never really gave it enough effort to realize my vision. Recently, I've teamed up with my buddy Alex to take a little bit different approach and launch www.dirtroadtrip.com. Thematically it'll be about adventures, trucks, gear, and generating enthusiasm about the "lifestyle". The goal is to entertain, inform, inspire, and make new friends/build new relationships. We aren't in it to make any money ( the opposite is happening...haha) but are instead just trying to has fun and see if this goes anywhere.

I'd love feedback on content, layout, stuff we should add, or anything else that would make dirtroadtrip more interesting to you.

Also would welcome anyone who wants to participate in terms of content, spreading the word, etc.

Cheers,
Ben

 

[2011YOTA]

I haven't read through the whole thing yet, but I will keep tabs on it for sure. I am looking to do a lot of weekend camping trips this year and this may give me some ideas. Looks good so far, keep up the good work!

 

[snzscooter]

Just out of curiosity, did you do Wordpress with a responsive template? Looks good on my iPhone at first glance!

 

[joneseyyy]

Just out of curiosity, did you do Wordpress with a responsive template? Looks good on my iPhone at first glance!

Yes, we are using wordpress and we are using a theme called "adventure" by organicthemes. It isn't a free theme, but the $60-70 it costs has been worth it for how good the site looks (my opinion) and the ease with which we can customize it without getting into the code.

Alex and I are definitely amateurs when it comes to web setup/design, and its been fun to learn how to do it and also get pointers on all of the "plumbing" to make the site optimized for search (work in progress) and integrated with social media. I'm sure guys on here are experts and might have suggestions to make it better.

 

[MikeDeuce]

Web jockey by trade here, I've just barely scratched the surface but this is looking great so far. Looking forward to reading through everything tonight.

The biggest let down when people embark on new projects like this is forgetting that content is king, and it looks like you've got that part down

 

[limamike]

Looks good, Ben! The layout is clean, and follows the standards for web development. I only have two comments:

1. Some of the photos you are using for the banner are a bit too low in resolution. They look good in the content area of the page, but when expanded to fit the banner they are pixelated. I'm guessing they need to be something like 2000 pixels wide to look good (your WP theme should specify).

2. The logo looks great! But, it doesn't fit well with the theme you are using. Perhaps converting the white to black and black to transparent would look a bit more complete and well integrated into the site? I like the orange offset in the logo - reminds me of Bajarack. I think you can use that orange color throughout the rest of the CSS as well.

I'd be glad to participate with content when needed and spreading the word!

EDIT: Sorry, just noticed your .ico file is the same as the vanilla theme as well. I'd switch that out to match the logo in some way.

DOUBLE EDIT!: Also, the "About" section is taking-up some prime real estate on the front page. Since you have the "About" section listed in the web menu, I would leave it there alone, or push it over to the right if you want to keep it on the main site.

 

[cbielat]

Awesome [MENTION=51030]joneseyyy[/MENTION]! I'll be continuously checking this out. Great job.

 

[joneseyyy]

Really great feedback guys (esp. LimaMike).

I made a transparent-background version of the logo and have that up now (my graphic design chops are pretty weak so I'll probably have to continue optimizing).

On the image quality - I hear you. For some of the initial post I was cobbling together some images from secondary sources as I've misplaced or lost the original large format files. Photography and image quality is going to be a focus going forward (in addition to content in general).

I'm also removing the "about us" from the homepage so it'll go straight to content.

Ben

 

[Stream2Stream]

The "About" section was really the only thing I was going to critique! If you were in my web design class that I taught last Fall you would be the top of the lot...

I use a plain-jane template for Stream2Stream.net (please…for the love of God don't go check it. I haven't written really since I started working at Tech. And probably won't start again until after my dissertation defense) and it works just fine.

I think what I screwed up the most with my site in the beginning was not using tags enough. Tag EVERYTHING you can think of for a post. Then, later on if you decide to re-do your top nav based on what you have written about most, then you can just point those new nav-items toward specific tags.

Also, go ahead and install a Google SEO plug-in. I don't remember which one I use…but it works pretty well.

Overall good job!

 

[swimmerdude1127]

Awesome work man!

 

[MallCrawler]

Hey Guys, this is Alex, i've meet a few of you at some T4R events but this is my first post over here. Thanks for all of the great feedback, keep it coming and don't hold back any punches.

 

[MallCrawler]

Great point about the photos, unfortunately a lot of my build shots were just taken in the garage using an iPhone, I never planned on needing higher resolution shots, but as Ben said we're definitely going to focus on high resolution photos moving forward.

 

[m(a)ce]

good job! looked at it quickly last night and will get a chance to check it out moreso soon.

also started following you guys on Twitter. easily shareable, great way to connect with a wider audience and a solid way to get info out.

 

[Titanpat57]

Hey Guys, this is Alex, i've meet a few of you at some T4R events but this is my first post over here. Thanks for all of the great feedback, keep it coming and don't hold back any punches.

looking good...it'll be fun to keep up on the trail adventures!

 

[N2GLOCK]

Great idea! Last year I started a facebook page for owners of a jet boat brand that has been out of business for about 15 years. The response has been overwhelming. It's always nice when a plan comes together.

 

[The Waco Kid]

I have been looking for something like this for a while. Bookmarked and subscribed!

 

[joneseyyy]

The "About" section was really the only thing I was going to critique! If you were in my web design class that I taught last Fall you would be the top of the lot...

I use a plain-jane template for Stream2Stream.net (please…for the love of God don't go check it. I haven't written really since I started working at Tech. And probably won't start again until after my dissertation defense) and it works just fine.

I think what I screwed up the most with my site in the beginning was not using tags enough. Tag EVERYTHING you can think of for a post. Then, later on if you decide to re-do your top nav based on what you have written about most, then you can just point those new nav-items toward specific tags.

Also, go ahead and install a Google SEO plug-in. I don't remember which one I use…but it works pretty well.

Overall good job!

We have already installed an SEO plugin and am using that for writing Meta descriptions and optimizing titles and themes. I haven't been tagging really at all...we are still light enough on content where I think I'll just go back and tag so we start it off right.

 

[SOcalTRAIL]

Love the site man!!!!! I'm subscribed for sure. I only wish we lived closer, my fiancé and I are always looking for folks to go camp with. I had a good time reading what you have on there, many of your experiences mirror mine with my lady. Good stuff!!!!

 

[joneseyyy]

We really, really appreciate all the feedback from you guys. I've met in person or at least spoken with a lot of you in the past so knowing that you guys are liking the content means alot.

I posted up a new post last night about a quick Summer trip with some friends (that drive awesome AEV Jeeps):
Weekend Trip: Big Levels and Shoe Creek I DirtRoadTrip

Alex and I are also working on several other new posts and are hoping to keep a steady stream of stuff coming at least 1-2x per week, and more as our time permits.

If you want to know when new stuff comes up, there's several ways to get notified:
-Subscribe to the blog itself
-Join our group on Facebook
-Follow us on Twitter

 

[joneseyyy]

We continue to have too much damn fun putting this site together and getting readers and positive feedback. Just put site decals on the 4runner and am stoked with how they turned out! If you want a smaller version shoot us a message on the dirt road trip Facebook page.