Please Critique: Large Nonprofit Organization (Using CMS) - Graphic Design Forum and Web Design Forum

onyxlogix · #1 (**permalink**) 20-08-2007, 02:32 PM

I would like some feedback on a site I volunteered to design for a nonprofit organization in Minnesota, US: The Gujarati Samaj of Minnesota.

URL: Gujarati Samaj of Minnesota | Home

It is CSS based and uses CMS Made Simple backend to manage and update the site. I would love your feedback as I am volunteering to create this site.

Thanks!

tommylogic · #2 (**permalink**) 20-08-2007, 04:24 PM

Hello, welcome, nice to meet you.. check this out... Introduce Yourself

Site looks nice and clean and tight.. you need to pad and margin the "Welcome" DIV. The text is all the way up on the left of the browser and to the right some of the letters are getting chopped off. Other than that, I like it.

Now that said.. what I dont like is this..

Markup Validation:FAILED with 49 Errors. This page is NOT Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict

Also you're Thickbox CSS is not valid. I'd be interested in seeing your content CSS to check it as well, but I'm sure you can do that on your own

Let me know how you like Conent Made Simple, I've not heard any reviews on it, here.

onyxlogix · #3 (**permalink**) 20-08-2007, 05:22 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I realized that the main text DIV does in fact need some padding.

I created this site quickly as the organization needed it asap. I will look into cleaning up my CSS and make it valid.

This is my first site using Content Mangement System Made Simple. I really like it - especially from a developer's standpoint. It is easy to make templates (any CSS based site can be used), and has a very simple Admin interface. Unlike some other CMS like Joomla, it is not bloated. In fact, I am looking to use CMS Made Simple for future projects as well.

Thanks for the critique - keep them coming!

tommylogic · #4 (**permalink**) 21-08-2007, 11:38 AM

yeah well.. still 49 errors. Here's your home page cleaned up and error free XHTML 1.0 Transitional... don't say I never did anything for ya

HTML Code:

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">
<head>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/modules/Album/css/stylesheet.css" />
<title>Gujarati Samaj of Minnesota | Home</title>
<base href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/" />
<meta name="Generator" content="A cultural and educational nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Gujarati culture in Minnesota.." />
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<meta name="description" content="Gujarati-Indian cultural nonprofit organization celebrating our heritage in Minnesota. Diwali, Navratri, picnics, and more in the Minneapolis area." />
<meta name="Keywords" content="gujarati, samaj, minnesota, cultural, diwali, navratri, dandia, raas, minneapolis, st. paul, twin cities, indian community, navratri in minnesota, garba in minnesota, garba, picnic, event, events, gujju, gujarat, india, indian, mn, minn, nonprofit, organization, indians in united states, gujaratis in united states" />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="handheld" href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/stylesheet.php?templateid=21&amp;mediatype=handheld" />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen" href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/stylesheet.php?templateid=21&amp;mediatype=screen" />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="print" href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/stylesheet.php?templateid=21&amp;mediatype=print" />
<link rel="start" title="Home" href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/" />
<link rel="next" title="Events" href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=events" />
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS 2.0" href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,rss&amp;cntnt01showtemplate=false&amp;cntnt01category=&amp;cntnt01number=20&amp;cntnt01returnid=15" />
<style type="text/css">
/*<![CDATA[*/
 p.c5 {text-align: center}
 div.c4 {margin-left: 2em}
 span.c3 {color: #808080}
 span.c2 {color: #333333}
 li.c1 {list-style: none}
/*]]>*/
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div id="header">
<div id="logo"></div>
</div>
<div id="menu">
<ul>
<li class="first"><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=events" title="Events">Events</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=membership" title="Membership">Membership</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=blog" title="President's Desk">President's Desk</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=news" title="Samaj Samachar">Samaj Samachar</a></li>
<li class="c1">
<div id="search">
<form id="m2moduleform_1" method="get" action="index.php" name="m2moduleform_1">
<div class="hidden"><input type="hidden" name="mact" value="Search,m2,dosearch,0" /><input type="hidden" name="m2returnid" value="15" /></div>
<input type="text" name="m2searchinput" id="m2searchinput" value="" size="20" maxlength="50" onfocus="if(this.value==this.defaultValue) this.value='';" onblur="if(this.value=='') this.value=this.defaultValue;" /> <input name="submit" class="submit" value="Search" type="submit" /></form>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div id="content">
<div id="main">
<div id="events">
<p class="description"></p>
<div class="calendar-upcominglist" id="calendar-m315">
<p><strong><span class="c2">Navratri I</span></strong></p>
<div class="calendar-date-from"><span class="calendar-date-title">Date:</span> October 5, 2007</div>
<p>Time: TBD</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="welcome">
<p>Welcome to the official site of the Gujarati Samaj of Minnesota, a cultural, charitable, and educational non-profit organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Samaj is one of the largest cultural organizations in the Midwest, with thousands of <a href="index.php?page=gujaratilanguage" title="What is Gujarati language?">Gujarati-speaking</a> members and supports. The framework of the Samaj was set in <a href="index.php?page=history">1967</a>; it has since grown to one of the most active Indian organizations in the Untied States, holding many exciting cultural and recreational events that bring uncountable Gujaratis together.</p>
<h3>Purpose</h3>
The purpose of the Gujarati Samaj is to:

<ul>
<li>maintain, enhance, understand, and appreciate Gujarati culture and language,</li>
<li>preserve Gujarati heritage by celebrating various Gujarati holidays,</li>
<li>encourage friendship among members with entertainment and sporting events,</li>
<li>and educate youth about Gujarati customs.</li>
</ul>
<p>To promote these goals, the Samaj holds many <a href="index.php?page=events">events</a>, including Diwali, Navratri, and Spring Festival celebrations, picnics, and other parties.</p>
<p><em><span class="c3">11688 Total Vistors</span></em></p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="sidebar">
<div id="partners" class="boxed">
<div class="content c4" id="menu_vert">
<ul>
<li class="currentpage">
<h3><dfn>Current page is 1:</dfn> Home</h3>
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=events" title="Events"><dfn>2:</dfn> Events</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=membership" title="Membership"><dfn>4:</dfn> Membership</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=committee" title="Committee"><dfn>5:</dfn> Committee</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=photos" title="Photos"><dfn>6:</dfn> Photos</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=about" title="About Us"><dfn>7:</dfn> About Us</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=resources" title="Resources"><dfn>8:</dfn> Resources</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=sponsors" title="Sponsors"><dfn>9:</dfn> Sponsors</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div id="updates" class="boxed">
<h2 class="title">Samaj Samachar</h2>
<div class="content">
<ul>
<li><!-- Displaying News Module -->
<!-- News Categories: '' -->
<!-- Start News Display Template -->
<div class="NewsSummary">
<div class="NewsSummaryLink"><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&amp;cntnt01articleid=4&amp;cntnt01origid=15&amp;cntnt01returnid=60">New Site Design</a></div>
<div class="NewsSummaryPostdate">08/15/07</div>
<div class="NewsSummarySummary">We are in the process of installing a new web site that is more powerful and easy to use.</div>
</div>
<div class="NewsSummary">
<div class="NewsSummaryLink"><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&amp;cntnt01articleid=5&amp;cntnt01origid=15&amp;cntnt01returnid=60">Free ACT Prep for Youth</a></div>
<div class="NewsSummaryPostdate">08/14/07</div>
<div class="NewsSummarySummary">The Samaj has purchased free ACT test prep for our youth.</div>
</div>
<!-- End News Display Template --></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="footer">
<p id="legal"><strong><a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/">Home</a> | <a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=events">Events</a> | <a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=membership">Membership</a> | <a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=committee">Committee</a> | <a href="photos/">Photos</a> | <a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=history">History</a> | <a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=bylaws">Bylaws</a> | <a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?page=news">Samaj Samachar</a></strong> <a href="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,rss,0&amp;cntnt01number=30&amp;cntnt01detailpage=news&amp;cntnt01makerssbutton=true&amp;cntnt01showtemplate=false&amp;cntnt01returnid=66"><img width="12" src="http://www.mngujaratisamaj.org/images/icons/rss.gif" height="12" alt="** PLEASE DESCRIBE THIS IMAGE **" /></a></p>
<p class="c5">All Rights Reserved. | 501(c)(3) U.S. Non-Profit | Powered by <a href="http://www.cmsmadesimple.org" target="_blank">CMSms</a> and <a href="http://www.onyxlogix.com" target="_blank">OnyxLogix</a></p>
</div>
<script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
_uacct = "UA-526790-1";
urchinTracker();
//]]>
</script><!-- Generated in 11.687191 seconds by CMS Made Simple using 31 SQL queries -->
<!-- CMS Made Simple - Released under the GPL - http://cmsmadesimple.org -->
</body>
</html>

onyxlogix · #5 (**permalink**) 22-08-2007, 04:28 PM

Thanks. I will look into that when I have some time. It might be a bit hard thought to validate a website that uses a CMS, as I have never done this. Though it is worth a try.

jkinz · #6 (**permalink**) 24-08-2007, 11:51 PM

My only thing is that the URL's are not "human readable" which helps for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I don't know if Made Simple has this option. I'm not sure what you mean by "bloated" when you talk about Joomla!. That is what I use and it is really easy to use and loads pretty dang fast.

onyxlogix · #7 (**permalink**) 27-08-2007, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkinz

My only thing is that the URL's are not "human readable" which helps for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I don't know if Made Simple has this option. I'm not sure what you mean by "bloated" when you talk about Joomla!. That is what I use and it is really easy to use and loads pretty dang fast.

Joomla! is definelty more powerful, but it was a bit more complicated to edit pages (for people w/o tech experience) and was slower loading for me. I needed something more simple. Joomla, in my opinion, is more suitable for larger applications.

Toon · #8 (**permalink**) 27-08-2007, 06:52 PM

Can't you get a url re-write plugin for it?

Toon · #9 (**permalink**) 27-08-2007, 06:55 PM

This could be the thing

FAQ/Installation/Pretty URLs - CMSMS