Chris, thanks – it’s always nice to win a contest Will send you the address via Twitter DM, if that’s ok?

Maybe I’ll make it the theme of the Squidoo lens I set up when you first announced the book was done!

All success
Dr.Mani

Chris, thanks – it’s always nice to win a contest Will send you the address via Twitter DM, if that’s ok?

Maybe I’ll make it the theme of the Squidoo lens I set up when you first announced the book was done!

All success
Dr.Mani

Dr. Mani and Jack, send me your delivery address and telephone number and I will get copies of the book sent out to you (or feel free to give them away, or as prizes on your own blogs)

Dr. Mani and Jack, send me your delivery address and telephone number and I will get copies of the book sent out to you (or feel free to give them away, or as prizes on your own blogs)

Great photo – it made me cut my hair the day after!

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the comments, some have been really useful and we’re going to implement a lot of them. As for the winner, I would say it would have to be Dr. Mani as his critique was so detailed and useful. Jack was a close second though, with his comments about not knowing what the site was about – we didn’t even think about that, so thank you all.

Check back at the site to see how we’re doing!!! Also, if anyone did not see the latest MotoGP race in America – check it out on Iplayer as it was brilliant!

Kind Regards

Gareth

Great photo – it made me cut my hair the day after!

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the comments, some have been really useful and we’re going to implement a lot of them. As for the winner, I would say it would have to be Dr. Mani as his critique was so detailed and useful. Jack was a close second though, with his comments about not knowing what the site was about – we didn’t even think about that, so thank you all.

Check back at the site to see how we’re doing!!! Also, if anyone did not see the latest MotoGP race in America – check it out on Iplayer as it was brilliant!

Kind Regards

Gareth

Also, I see where there is a membership option to get full access to the site and forums. Good, but there needs to be a little more prominent RSS option for people who want updates that way.

Honestly, I like the idea around the site. My cousin is a HUGE MotoGP fan so I’ll be poiting him in your direction.

Also, I see where there is a membership option to get full access to the site and forums. Good, but there needs to be a little more prominent RSS option for people who want updates that way.

Honestly, I like the idea around the site. My cousin is a HUGE MotoGP fan so I’ll be poiting him in your direction.

I didn’t look around because it was all just too much. I took one look and left.

To be fair, I am not the target market type of person at all, so maybe that’s okay.

Elaine

I didn’t look around because it was all just too much. I took one look and left.

To be fair, I am not the target market type of person at all, so maybe that’s okay.

Elaine

Where’s the current championship standings, racing schedules, course reviews, howto travel guides … etc etc. You’ve got an information rich niche but I don’t see any of it reflected in your blog.

Interviews with mechanics, riders, track admins, race officials the list could go on. If you don’t get into the nitty gritty of moto gp then you’re probably just getting your info from the same sources that anybody else can. So where are you adding value with your blog?

Where’s the current championship standings, racing schedules, course reviews, howto travel guides … etc etc. You’ve got an information rich niche but I don’t see any of it reflected in your blog.

Interviews with mechanics, riders, track admins, race officials the list could go on. If you don’t get into the nitty gritty of moto gp then you’re probably just getting your info from the same sources that anybody else can. So where are you adding value with your blog?

“The person who, in Gareth’s opinion, gives the best advice or critique will win a copy of the ProBlogger book!”

… so here goes. My critique

This is an amazingly content-rich resource, organized nicely by
category, but with a rather non-intuitive navigation path through
the sections.

Also, there are many avenues for user interaction, but such an
interactivity is not pro-actively invited or encouraged.

With regard to monetization, the ecommerce features, paid membership
and donation links need more visibility and support with a sales
letter or page that explains the benefits and ‘reasons why’.

The key would be to make the navigation through the site more intuitive
and offer a guide to new visitors that points out major sections, maybe
even a short video intro to the site and what each section offers.

Below are a list of what I think might be helpful tweaks to spotlight
relevant sections/features of this nice content site.

#1 – Have an RSS button and/or email opt-in form above the scroll.

#2 – Use the header graphic to include a tag line with a marketing message
that gives a first time visitor an idea of what’s in the site.

#3 – The font is too tiny to read comfortably on my Mac. In fact, I’d
suggest changing to another theme/template altogether.

#4 – Too much of valuable real estate is wasted on the right side of the
page where the postage stamp graphic is.

#5 – Change the top bar navigation to point at the 3 or 4 most frequently
visited sections of the site – and make the buttons bigger, maybe add a
description to tell visitors what to expect when they click on each.

#6 – The tabbed navigation bar linking to the registration page and forum
is a good feature. I’d try and use visual tweaks to make that even more
prominent and visible.

#7 – The search bar could conveniently fit on the sidebar instead of taking
up space on the main content section.

#8 – I’d include a ‘Getting Started’ guide to a first time visitor, where
you suggest the best or most useful sections of your site they should not
miss checking out.

#9 – I would feature snippets or topics from the discussion forum to get
visitors engaged in interactions with fellow enthusiasts. Just a feed
to pull in the latest discussions onto the homepage may work.

#10 – While exploring the links on the top navigation bar, I come across
content that may well add to the attractiveness of the homepage. You could
have them pulled in rotation on to the homepage eg cartoon of the day,
contest of the day, poll of the day, etc.

#11 – The Donate button needs some descriptive text – Why should I donate?
How much? What are the donations used for?

#12 – The t-shirt store can be featured more prominently and attractively
with a virtual storefront with ordering links.

Hope this is of some use

All success
Dr.Mani

“The person who, in Gareth’s opinion, gives the best advice or critique will win a copy of the ProBlogger book!”

… so here goes. My critique

This is an amazingly content-rich resource, organized nicely by
category, but with a rather non-intuitive navigation path through
the sections.

Also, there are many avenues for user interaction, but such an
interactivity is not pro-actively invited or encouraged.

With regard to monetization, the ecommerce features, paid membership
and donation links need more visibility and support with a sales
letter or page that explains the benefits and ‘reasons why’.

The key would be to make the navigation through the site more intuitive
and offer a guide to new visitors that points out major sections, maybe
even a short video intro to the site and what each section offers.

Below are a list of what I think might be helpful tweaks to spotlight
relevant sections/features of this nice content site.

#1 – Have an RSS button and/or email opt-in form above the scroll.

#2 – Use the header graphic to include a tag line with a marketing message
that gives a first time visitor an idea of what’s in the site.

#3 – The font is too tiny to read comfortably on my Mac. In fact, I’d
suggest changing to another theme/template altogether.

#4 – Too much of valuable real estate is wasted on the right side of the
page where the postage stamp graphic is.

#5 – Change the top bar navigation to point at the 3 or 4 most frequently
visited sections of the site – and make the buttons bigger, maybe add a
description to tell visitors what to expect when they click on each.

#6 – The tabbed navigation bar linking to the registration page and forum
is a good feature. I’d try and use visual tweaks to make that even more
prominent and visible.

#7 – The search bar could conveniently fit on the sidebar instead of taking
up space on the main content section.

#8 – I’d include a ‘Getting Started’ guide to a first time visitor, where
you suggest the best or most useful sections of your site they should not
miss checking out.

#9 – I would feature snippets or topics from the discussion forum to get
visitors engaged in interactions with fellow enthusiasts. Just a feed
to pull in the latest discussions onto the homepage may work.

#10 – While exploring the links on the top navigation bar, I come across
content that may well add to the attractiveness of the homepage. You could
have them pulled in rotation on to the homepage eg cartoon of the day,
contest of the day, poll of the day, etc.

#11 – The Donate button needs some descriptive text – Why should I donate?
How much? What are the donations used for?

#12 – The t-shirt store can be featured more prominently and attractively
with a virtual storefront with ordering links.

Hope this is of some use

All success
Dr.Mani