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Old 12-01-2014, 08:20 AM   #11
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Re: Sportsmobile Website Redesign

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnandMandi
Just another bootstrapped WordPress site. Real web designers and developers cost money for a reason. I've always hated that their online store and main site look different, that hasn't changed. We live in the age of branding and re-branding, why wouldn't they use a unified theme? When did wiring a bunch of disparate crap together become a thing?

I'm getting old.

-John
Totally agree, though I'm not sure what I hate more; what you described, or the super-slick, integrated website, that has the black hole 'Contact Us' webform or e-mail submission that never gets responded to. These companies seem to think web-based customer service is a substitute for customer service, instead of a tool to improve customer service.

I just bought something on Black Friday, a very limited edition item (production run of 25 special tiki mugs, on sale at 12:00, sold out by 12:04) that I was lucky enough to get in on, and I received my order confirmation. The next day I got an e-mail stating that 'their system' had oversold the item and they wondered if I would I take a substitute or want a refund.

Yeah, I guess I'm getting older too.


Herb

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Old 12-01-2014, 10:34 AM   #12
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Re: Sportsmobile Website Redesign

I guess I'll pile on with the rantings, as it seems more and more websites have gone this route. Enter VRBO, I can't tell if its a problem with them and a new listing agreement put in place recently with property owners or the management companies listing properties on the site, we have booked, re-booked and lost more than one of our reservations now several times for an upcoming trip due to not receiving confirmations back from the property owners or management companies within a 24hr period of time even though we have "booked" it and our credit card was charged the deposit needed to reserve the dates. Another one canceled our reservation and gave away our dates after not hearing back from us in less than 12hrs, we went up skiing for the day and needed a break from dealing. I can't tell you how many alerts have come through from my bank CC alerting me of another charge, I stopped texting my wife asking why we had so many large charges going through! Frustrating!!
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Old 12-01-2014, 08:37 PM   #13
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Re: Sportsmobile Website Redesign

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnandMandi
Just another bootstrapped WordPress site. Real web designers and developers cost money for a reason. I've always hated that their online store and main site look different, that hasn't changed. We live in the age of branding and re-branding, why wouldn't they use a unified theme? When did wiring a bunch of disparate crap together become a thing?

I'm getting old.

-John
Agreed but blaming WordPress is like blaming any tool in the hands of incompetent users, not to mention the jefes who okayed this thing. How many times does a designer bite their tongue when management settles for good enough. In any event, I'm sure it looked great on the 27" monitor in the office.

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Old 12-02-2014, 07:18 AM   #14
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Re: Sportsmobile Website Redesign

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Originally Posted by rionapo

Agreed but blaming WordPress is like blaming any tool in the hands of incompetent users, not to mention the jefes who okayed this thing. How many times does a designer bite their tongue when management settles for good enough. In any event, I'm sure it looked great on the 27" monitor in the office.

Don
You're right in that I shouldn't blame the tool but rather the individual that chose to use it, not mentioning the butchered implementation. I see it daily, meeting 80% of the requirements is declared a success. Eventually a developer inherits the idiotic mess to "fix" or "enhance" - OR - it's scrapped for the next horrid version from some new "web genius" (BIL Neighbors Cousins Friend). Ironically, the slick tongue required to convince the yup yups to embrace the proposed junk is also the tool that could lead them to the proper solution. Like everything else in our great nation, cheap is in so quality is eh...we'll get to that someday.


Great designers are a wonder to work with. Paired with a skilled developer, water is walked upon.

Check out the prices listed on the vendor linked at the bottom. $2250 base for a seven page site, I can only assume it went way North from there.


-John
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Old 12-02-2014, 07:53 AM   #15
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Re: Sportsmobile Website Redesign

You can actually get quite nice sites out of Wordpress if you have a plan and a good developer. This spring I managed the information architecture and redesign of my company's press website, working with a really good developer. The back-end capabilities of Wordpress allow a lot of flexibility and automated publishing actions. And by the way, we paid well "north" of $2250 for the development of the site!
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Old 12-02-2014, 08:26 AM   #16
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Re: Sportsmobile Website Redesign

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You can actually get quite nice sites out of Wordpress if you have a plan and a good developer. This spring I managed the information architecture and redesign of my company's press website, working with a really good developer. The back-end capabilities of Wordpress allow a lot of flexibility and automated publishing actions. And by the way, we paid well "north" of $2250 for the development of the site!

http://www.news-sap.com
I'm not in disagreement, just that most new horrible sites are bootstrapped WordPress ones. I swear there's a group of minions running around causing this chaos and destruction. Both Bootstrap and WordPress are powerful when used properly. Their concepts are what need to be understood. Most blogs use WordPress today, the reason they all look the same. It's also what it does best so it makes perfect sense. In the case of SMB, a proper implementation could be done utilizing both of those. I would personally recommend a custom solution, but it could be done with any number of the freely available frameworks.

-John
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Old 12-03-2014, 09:04 AM   #17
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Re: Sportsmobile Website Redesign

Looking at new data, it seems the ProMaster interior conversion lengths are quite different than published by RAM. I measured a PM at floor level and it matched RAM brochure so I'm not following why the SMB grid is off by 20 inches (140 vs. 160 for extended). Transit and Sprinter seem correct.


As a side note, I knew the PM felt much wider to me than the Transit when standing in rear cargo area. SMB data confirms why such a difference:

Transit = 68 inches
Sprinter = 69
Ford = 70
Chevy = 70
ProMaster = 73

I don't know at what elevations these width dimensions were taken, or to what percent of van they apply or how they limit interior. Having said that, when standing in a Transit with factory side panels, it "feels" every bit 5 inches narrower. For an RV that's huge in my opinion.
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Old 12-03-2014, 11:17 AM   #18
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Re: Sportsmobile Website Redesign

Keep in mind the ProMaster is actually an over width (over 80") vehicle, and that's why it has cab-lights. This may put many parking spaces out of reach.
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Old 12-03-2014, 01:15 PM   #19
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Re: Sportsmobile Website Redesign

Isn't the Transit SRW 81.3 and the DRW 83.7 inches wide excluding mirrors? Somehow the SRW Transit gets by without cab lights. The Ducato in Europe looks better without the lights, and except for add-on trim it's the same body as the PM.

I would like to see RAM eliminate the lights if at all possible. It makes the van look more commercial. Not sure the lights accomplish much anyway.
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Old 12-03-2014, 08:35 PM   #20
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Re: Sportsmobile Website Redesign

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnandMandi
Like everything else in our great nation, cheap is in so quality is eh...we'll get to that someday.


Great designers are a wonder to work with. Paired with a skilled developer, water is walked upon.

Check out the prices listed on the vendor linked at the bottom. $2250 base for a seven page site, I can only assume it went way North from there.


-John
Roger the emphasis on cheap. And, the value of designers and/or skilled craftsmen. My neighbor is an incredible lithographer who earns his keep showing artists how to make their work pop. The ability to move be from conceptual to actual is a unique talent, whether it's a web page or a stone print. I watched him do color matching one time by mixing inks with a small spatula, a drop here, a dollop there. I'd be lucky to find the match in a Pantone chart. His was spot-on.

don
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