The NewReview - thenewreview.net

For the past couple weeks I’ve been frequenting a new music review website. The NewReview is a site that caters to those who are into a wide array of rock music, ranging from black metal, post-hardcore, punk and an various other sub-genres. Every review is informative, straight-forward and offers a personal edge. I’m normally not one to read a lot of music reviews or frequent any specific website when I am looking for them, but The NewReview has kept me coming back. These guys know their shit. They will tell you if a song sucks and if it’s good, I’m sure Lee will tell you it will shake the dentures out of your grandma’s mouth and make your grandpa fill his Depends.

I first heard about the website via Twitter. I follow Lee on Twitter and saw that the site was up and running. So I gave it a chance and have been reading reviews since it’s launch in September. Each reviewer adds their own spin to every review that they craft. I’ve bought 3 albums thus far-with more on the way-from reading their reviews alone. I’m appreciative of the fact that I feel like each reviewer is on a more personal level with their readers, so it’s as if you had a conversation with a coworker or a friend. I have faith in their opinions and my purchases based on them have proven successful (thanks, guys!).

I often feel like some reviews you read in magazines and on sponsored websites are manufactured and can be fluffed with creative writing and vague opinions. The NewReview team doesn’t beat around the bush. Their reviews will slap you in the face like a ton of cinder blocks or cradle you like a baby, all in the same paragraph. I think I speak for everyone out there when I say that I want the whole meal, not just the wafting aroma when it comes to getting the information I seek (okay, maybe some of you might have put it a little different but you get my drift, I hope).

Who Runs The Joint?

The NewReview consists of 4 guys that all have varying tastes in the spectrum that is rock music:

• Lee Rochester – Writer and Founder
• Ben Westerman – Writer
• Ryan Tallman – Writer
• Eric Burnet – Writer

Who Designed It?

Being a web developer myself, I was really appreciative of the craftsmanship when it came to the usability and overall appearance of the website. The NewReview was designed by the talented wife of Lee Rochester and owner of the small web design company redheaddesign, Jennifer Rochester. Aside from the website offering an awesome amount of helpful features and immediately presenting the user with a list of recent reviews, the website is aesthetically pleasing and easy on the eyes when it comes to sitting down and reading a bunch of reviews at once (like myself). I often have trouble reading at length on websites but the dark interface, font faces and font size choices help this immensely. Heck, it even tames my ADD and that’s a rarity.

The NewReview has some tools that assist the user in purchasing and sampling the music being reviewed. Every tool is helpful in the decision making process of album purchases and ventures into the minds and music of new artists. There are Flash players that offer sample songs from each album, track listings, cover art, band photos, Amazon and iTunes Store links and other ways to get more information about the band being reviewed. Easily accessible and helpful.

This Concludes Our Broadcast…

The bottom line is that The NewReview is a great website if you’re looking to get some insight on your future rock album purchases. I’m helping promote this website out of personal experience and the success I’ve had with my album purchases based on the reviews I’ve read. When you have a few minutes, check it out! – TheNewReview.net

Similar Posts

• Listen to The Entire Red Dead Redemption Soundtrack (0)
• Pavarotti’s Pizza Dunnellon, FL Review (0)
• 10 Reasons NOT to Play Wheelman (6)
• Reviewing The Kramer Mod – Improve Those Cheap Headphones (6)
• 6 Resources For The Print to Web Design Transition (2)

The truth is that while print collateral is a fantastic marketing tool and every business needs it, a web presence is completely scalable and always ready to evolve. Regardless of who your product and/or service caters to, a web presence in the year 2009 will boost your chances of being discovered by potential clients and customers.

Like businesses, designers are changing with the times as well. Print and layout designers see how lucrative web development can be and they want in. I was that guy. As a designer, I’ve been around the block and I’ve “done it all”. Ad layout, booklets, stationery, screen print and even vehicle wraps—All the while dabbling in HTML and CSS on the side. I know that web was where I wanted to be and I wanted to be there in a few years. Since then, I’ve evolved myself into what I consider to be a “seasoned web developer” and when it came to gaining knowledge and a solid understanding of web design, I tip my hat to this list of freely available resources on the web.

In no particular order, here are 6 helpful resources for you print designers out there looking to become the ultimate web design ninja:

1. 960 Grid System

The 960 Grid System is an effort to streamline web development workflow by providing commonly used dimensions, based on a width of 960 pixels. There are two variants: 12 and 16 columns, which can be used separately or in tandem.

http://960.gs/

2. Grids Are Good (pdf)

“Grids Are Good” is a booklet conceived and created by designer Khoi Vinh and should pretty much be in the arsenal of any designer, regardless of whether or not they’re a web designer or a print designer. “Grids Are Good” illustrates how a simple grid system can be applied to website interface design and organization in order to add usability and presentation. I personally think it should be included as required reading in all design-based curriculum.

Download Grids Are Good

3. HTML Dog

Even to this day I find myself frequenting HTML Dog to make sure I’m using the proper markup for the job, or to refresh my memory on the proper application for a tag. It’s basically an online glossary of articles regarding website design and one giant markup reference. Bookmark this puppy and keep it handy.

http://htmldog.com/

4. Amazon.com: Print to Web Transition Books

I’m not sure about everyone else out there but I order the majority of my books through Amazon. A user by the name of Bart E. Caylor has assembled a nice list of entry-level books for those of you out there that are looking to make the leap. Although the web is an endless wealth of knowledge regarding everything, sometimes it’s better for your brain (and your eyes!) to take a step away from the computer to read a good old-fashioned book (remember those!?).

View the list

5. Free CSS Templates

As you get acclimated to the web design environment, you will quickly learn that sometimes the best and most effective way to learn is to get your hands dirty and play in the sandbox. Yeah, it’s cool to learn but some of us preferred recess over class (I’m guilty as charged). FreeCSSTemplates.org will help you get your feet wet with (X)HTML and CSS, the bread and butter of what you are going to learn. Free CSS Templates is comprised of user-submitted templates that are created to today’s standards and in most cases, W3C compliant (you’ll learn about that later, young padawan).

http://freecsstemplates.org

6. A List Apart: “Understanding The Web” by Jeffrey Zeldman

On November 7th of 2008, web standards evangelist and “the father of web standards” Jeffrey Zeldman published an article on A List Apart that gives a fantastic insight as to what the web really is. Getting your hands dirty with web design and arming yourself with the tools needed to do the job is a must, but sometimes educating yourself on what is behind the scenes will help you along the path.

My 2 Cents

As a product of the print designer to web designer transition, I can tell you that there are going to be hurdles along the way. When you’re working with an application like Adobe InDesign or Quark X-Press, you’re completely relying upon the GUI and the tactile elements to assemble your layouts. A large part of the transition is learning how to apply the same methods but in a code environment. Sure, you can rely solely on the Preview pane of Dreamweaver but all good designers and developers are coding by hand. In my opinion, the best way to write the leanest, meanest code is to write it yourself. Not only will doing this help you learn the structure and semantics of HTML but it will also familiarize you completely with your own finalized designs. Trust me, this is going to save your time and hair in the future. When it comes time to update a large website, you’ll remember what’s what.

It’s kind of like the Matrix. It’s cool just living your life looking at what the Matrix creates but if you learn how to manipulate the code behind it and you understand it, the possibilities are endless.

When designing your first website, remember that it works in a similar manner to laying out a magazine spread or any other print material. Elements are presented in a manner that is appealing to the eye and easy to follow. Think in columns when organizing your page content and don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. 3 column layouts are nice and so are 2 column layouts but it really depends on the application at hand. If you are a Dreamweaver user, CS4 offers a whole slew of out-of-box column-based CSS layouts that might be of use for experimentation. Everything on your website is divided up into containers, otherwise known as divs. Learn to love the <div> because you will rely on it. Think of a div as a text or image frame in InDesign, and think of Cascading Style Sheets as the style sheets you apply globally in InDesign. Style sheets are what control the overall arrangement and appearance of the HTML elements.

What Are Your Thoughts?

If you are like me and transitioned over to the web design industry from print, I’d love to hear your experiences and some of the resources that helped you get over the hump.

Similar Posts

• The NewReview In Town (2)
• There’s a New URL Shortener In Town (3)
• Bloqhead Gets WordPressed Up (0)
• Clearleft Layout Already Stolen (0)
• Advice Dog! (0)

Decision Making

As much as I love CMSMS, it was lacking in an area that my website thrives on most: Blogging. Although all CMS Made Simple packages come bundled with a News module and it functions extremely well, I needed something that archived and catalogued my entries neatly and flawlessly, while offering my viewers the ability to interact in the conversation. Again, WordPress fit this bill perfectly. Hell, you wanna know how great the News module in CMSMS is? I’ve repurposed it and used it for multiple things, such as portfolio galleries, XML feeds, etc. I consider it one of CMS Made Simple’s “pocket knife” modules. It’s fantastic but it’s no WordPress. Even CMS Made Simple’s creator Ted Kulp is an avid WordPress user (Hi, Ted!) and we’ve both agreed that the latest greatest version of WordPress is, well, great.

CMSMS pages administration panel

Getting My Hands Dirty

Despite the fact that I have some prior WordPress development experience, I was somewhat rusty in what was required of me to get my template and all of my content shoved over into a new system. Regaining my bearings was a simple task and one I was able to complete in approximately 3 days. It’s funny because being without my Xbox 360 has allowed for me to get some much needed dev time into my own website, instead of melting my brain with late night sessions of Left 4 Dead, Far Cry 2 and Street Fighter 4.

If you’ve ever used CMS Made Simple yourself, you will know that it’s hands down one of the easiest content management systems to use, both in development and manipulating it to suit your needs. CMSMS uses the Smarty PHP engine, which I’ve grown to love, and implementing a template requires a style sheet, a single file with the required smarty calls plugged in and your images. It’s dead simple and it’s a beautiful thing. You can also use multiple templates throughout your website and even apply a separate template to each page, if your heart so desires. Also, all templates and style sheets are stored as database entries, as opposed to being physical files. This has its flaws and advantages. Like a lot of you developers out there may be, I’m pretty anal retentive about how my files are organized and sorted. I prefer to work with a physical style sheet file and physical files in general. Not to fret though. There is a module available called Template Externalizer which, when turned on, exports all of your template and style sheets as physical files in a directory on your web server. You can then edit these files at your leisure and when the Template Externalizer sees that the files have changed, it updates them in the database. I have a lot of experience and it works great.

Needless to say, it was a bit different when it came time to port the template over to the fresh new WordPress installation. Each template is split into multiple PHP files and dropped into a directory. I love having physical files at my fingertips. I guess it comes from the nostalgia of once working with entirely static websites when CMS weren’t as prominent in the mainstream (and when I had barely any sort of experience with them). Static websites are nearly a thing of the past.

The Final Say

If you’re a developer looking for the perfect blogging solution as your foundation, WordPress is your best bet. If you’re more on the market for something that offers a wide array of expandability and less of a blogger platform, CMS Made Simple is an awesome choice. I’ve built multiple websites with it and love it immensely.

If you’re interested in taking a look at my previous CMSMS setup, head on over to this directory and poke around. I plan on leaving it active as my own personal playground.

Similar Posts

• CMS Made Simple 1.3 (0)
• XML+CMSMS+Flash=Zen (0)
• Integration, inspiration, progression (0)
• Drupal Hell (0)
• Advice Dog! (0)

Clearleft’s original design and Thief’s website

On another note, the new Clearleft design is absolutely brilliant. It’s quickly made my list of favorite website concepts. Nice work, Paul and Clearleft!

Update: I guess the thief got the hint and took down their website.

Similar Posts

• The NewReview In Town (2)
• 6 Resources For The Print to Web Design Transition (2)
• Bloqhead Gets WordPressed Up (0)
• Advice Dog! (0)
• 2008 A List Apart Survey: Tomorrow! (0)

Advice Dog

Similar Posts

• Bloqhead Gets WordPressed Up (0)
• 2008 A List Apart Survey: Tomorrow! (0)
• Hurry Up and Wait (0)
• Drupal Hell (0)
• CMS Made Simple 1.3 (0)

You can check it out at A List Apart tomorrow.

Similar Posts

• Bloqhead Gets WordPressed Up (0)
• Advice Dog! (0)
• Hurry Up and Wait (0)
• Drupal Hell (0)
• CMS Made Simple 1.3 (0)

The dust settles?

Months go by and you’ve since closed out the project and billed the client for whatever time may have gone above and beyond the aforementioned deposit. Fair enough. That’s how a normal business works and this is brought to the client’s attention on numerous occasions.

Then one day, out of the blue, the client emails you and expects you to immediately continue production on their website, even though you’ve still not received the photographs and content they’ve promised on 2-3 prior occasions. Of course your current projects are going to take precedence because that’s the way things work. It’s pretty self-explanatory. So you tell them that you currently can’t take on their project until a later time due to the vast amount of work you have at hand. Client reluctantly agrees and disappears back into the busy black abyss that procrastinating clients like to fall back on when they can’t admit that they’re, well, procrastinators.

The email

Time passes and you continue to work on the projects of importance. Not to say that anyone else is unimportant but when you, the client, can’t find the time to at least organize material for the website you claim to be so important to you, then you fall by the wayside and your level of importance diminishes slightly. This should be common business sense. Then one day you receive the irate email. The one that contains things like

"you’ve put me off", "I want my website on disc", "very unhappy customer", etc.

Let’s rewind for a second. This is the client that falls off the face of earth as if the world were flat and they were sailing with a blindfold on. The client that promises you material and never delivers. The client that repeatedly makes the excuse "I’ve just been so busy…". Yes, the procrastinator. The one that makes the project out to be of the utmost importance and then disappears into the night as if they were Batman himself. Hurry up and wait. And now, me, the designer, is the one at fault. I’m the one that put said client off and shunned them aside as if their project were of no significance.

Need I say more?

Seriously, do I need to say anything else? Is my frustration and anger not justified? To some people it may seem petty but it’s something of a pet peeve of mine. I hate taking the heat for something when I’ve held my end up. It’s something that urks me to no end.

End of rant.

Similar Posts

• Bloqhead Gets WordPressed Up (0)
• Advice Dog! (0)
• 2008 A List Apart Survey: Tomorrow! (0)
• Drupal Hell (0)
• CMS Made Simple 1.3 (0)

Now, before I list my thoughts about Drupal, please keep in mind that I am currently standing at about 2 weeks of experience working with it. At work, we have been evaluating different systems to broaden our array of tools at our disposal, and Drupal is currently in place for a website project at hand. The main gripe that I currently have with Drupal is that I feel like one thing requires far too many steps to get the end result. I understand that it has a steep learning curve and that at least a moderate understanding of PHP is required, but on the other hand content management systems are intended to make a designer/developer’s life easier when it comes to deploying websites. I feel like this isn’t the case when it comes to Drupal.

Today I found myself repeatedly referring to the manual to do something that, from my CMS experience, tends to be extremely simple. I was basically wanting to create a simple contact form and embed it into a contact page that I had created prior. I found myself lost in a maze of confusion. Drupal comes with a generic contact form out-of-box, but getting that contact form onto a page that you’ve already created was another story. By default, the standard Drupal contact form is placed on a page with the alias “contact” which is disabled. Enabling it allows you to navigate to the form via “/contact” but making your current contact page point to that form was the equivalent of pulling teeth.

Another instance of utter confusion came when I wanted to implement a simple image gallery comprised of clickable thumbnails. I came across various methods, some of which were referred to as “hacks” even, and all of them seemed far too involved to even be remotely labeled as content management of any sort. The entire image gallery concept just seems vague as a whole when it comes to Drupal. One person says to use CCK and avoid Drupal’s built in galleries and images toolkit, and another one says to use the aforementioned toolkit that is bundled with the core installation. Another one says to use Taxonomy, which from my first impression seems really involved and powerful, but on the same note it seems extremely cumbersome for something as simple as a thumbnail gallery.

One of the main things I have an issue with is that the back-end isn’t exactly the most user-friendly interface I’ve come across in the CMS pool. Every web designer out there has dealt with the client that is absolutely the epitome of clueless when it comes to computers, let alone dynamic content driven websites. Expect to charge your client endless hours of consulting when it comes time to deploy and walk them through the content updating portion of their web journey into internet land.

Before even considering Drupal for your next project, keep in mind that there is quite a learning curve and prior PHP knowledge is a must. Without it, you’ll surely find yourself in an endless spiral of modular, taxonomized confusion.

The Pros

Although my views may be somewhat skewed due to my vested love for CMSMS, I know power when I see it. Drupal presents an endless array of possibilities and power, as well as a huge community of programmers and users. One of the things I found to be enticing was the fact that it allows the user to run multiple sites from one admin interface. With a little ingenuity, it’s possible. This is a prime feature that I’ve been looking at for upcoming projects.

Another thing that seemed to be straight-forward and simple enough was templating for the front end UI. Although Drupal uses PHP tags and calls to variables as opposed to the Smarty template that I know and love (because it works well for dummies and it’s quick), the templating is easy to setup and implement.

Final Thoughts

Would I use Drupal for future projects at the moment? Probably not. But that’s not to say I would never consider it in a future project. Drupal offers endless amounts of scalability and is very modular, but deployment is a lot more cumbersome and bloated than I think it should be. Keep in mind, if I were a PHP programmer, I’m sure my mindframe would be entirely different. I would probably have no hurdles when it came to digging into the modules and codebase at hand and having at it.

I really wish I could find more pros to Drupal at this point but I’m really at a loss. This may also be because my frustration level with it before leaving work today was at an alltime peak. I will be working on it for the next month or so and will keep an up-to-date blog on my trials and tribulations.

Similar Posts

• Bloqhead Gets WordPressed Up (0)
• CMS Made Simple 1.3 (0)
• XML+CMSMS+Flash=Zen (0)
• Integration, inspiration, progression (0)
• Advice Dog! (0)

Similar Posts

• Bloqhead Gets WordPressed Up (0)
• XML+CMSMS+Flash=Zen (0)
• Integration, inspiration, progression (0)
• Drupal Hell (0)
• Advice Dog! (0)

The beauty of it all is that there is never the requirement to create a new SWF file. It’s all entirely updated through an interface that even the least tech savvy users can figure out. Absolute perfection! As a bonus, the information pulling into the header is randomized every time the user navigates to another page or hits the refresh button. This was done through a simple Smarty variable in the back-end of CMSMS.

The other positive aspect of this is that the client has free range to update the ‘Success Stories’ section entirely through a user interface similar to a word processing application. The developer never has to get involved just to create a new SWF file, add imagery, etc.

Unfortunately since it’s still in development stages, I can’t post a URL immediately. It should be completed within the next few days though and I will be sure to post an update complete with URL.

Similar Posts

• Bloqhead Gets WordPressed Up (0)
• CMS Made Simple 1.3 (0)
• Integration, inspiration, progression (0)
• Drupal Hell (0)
• Advice Dog! (0)