I don’t know if you heard, but I’m told a couple of people attacked me on some voiceover forum:
“What the hell does HE know about websites?”
“Have you seen HIS website? My kid could make a better site than that!”
Here’s what provoked their attack:
WEBSITES FOR VOICE ACTORS: Why Your Website Isn’t “Working” for You And How And Why You Need To Fix It Immediately
A live, 2.5-hour teleseminar I conducted Wednesday night.
I’ve created this posting for attendees to share their own reactions to the teleseminar.
Just in case you missed it and the reviews sound good to you, I’ve made it available for download…for just a few days.
Comments on this entry are closed.
Another great seminar, Dan. Wrote furiously the whole time and looking forward to getting the recording, because there was just SO much good info, I couldn’t keep up!
Great content, and I agree wholeheartedly with your take on VO websites, and almost ALL of the guidance you provided is universal for most business types. The marketing focus of website design is very much a part of my elevator pitch. We are marketers who use technology and creative design to accomplish direct response goals, NOT designers or technology people who sell their products for marketing purposes.
Some of what you said, I knew intuitively, like to make the focus of the site “solution based” rather than “me based” — and for its original purpose, I have always thought it did the job.
Now — a year later and armed with your “words of web wisdom” — I’m ready to branch out into a more effective site — one that might actually BRING business to me — and now I have found that I made nearly (not all) every mistake you cautioned against.
I have a splash page — I have a flash presentation — I EVEN have former client’s words of praise SCROLLING across the bottom of my site! AND I reversed the print (using yellow on blue) many times.
I have a LOT of work to do to whip my lovely site into shape, but I want to thank you VERY MUCH for your seminar and all it taught me. Worth every penny!
You gave very valuable information, and presented it in a way that allowed me to easily understand what you were saying, instead of being intimidated (and eventually put off) by technical jargon. I really appreciated that.
I took away many things right off the top, and I’m sure in reviewing the material, and listening back to the recording, I will find other gems to take to the bank.
I do think it was useful for anyone putting a website together, not just VO actors, so I’m sure my husband will also benefit from the information presented.
Timing for me was very topical, and many of the points you addressed were cause for me to contemplate some changes (some drastic) to my new design. Many thanks for your very informational seminar.
Loved your seminar! It was truly informative. I now have much to consider and act on and, most importantly, you made me laugh out loud. Really. You were funny.
This was absolutely the greatest! I am actually honored to have been a part of the class. I appreciate people like you who shoot straight. You really helped to set me on course before I made serious mistakes. Thanks Dan.
I’ve been struggling with all those ‘little things’ that didn’t quite feel right but that I had no where to go with. Tonight you brought them into focus. Additionally, you touched on some major considerations that had never been part of the dialogue with my designer. The best part is knowing none of it is that difficult to accomplish.
Thank you again, Dan. Lots of people know how to criticize…even manage to show some cleverness and with while doing so.
When I hear or read your criticism of something, I know it won’t be just some self-aggrandizing rant. I’ll hear why something is good or not good, and more importantly…if it’s not good, what to do instead.
While tonight’s session was not my first on web design the O’Day way, it was still helpful in shoring up things I already knew, things I’d done since the last session, with still enough new things to make me look again at elements I’m not sure are working the way they should.
Time (and money) well spent, as far as I’m concerned.
Great seminar!
Well worth the time and money–THANKS DAN! I’ve been talking about re-doing my site for 6 months….now I am glad that I procrastinated. You had a ton of great ideas and suggestions that I will use on the re-creation of my site. Keep the great info coming!
I definitely got my money’s worth ! I took notes, referenced the material that came with registration, and will now make many strategic changes based on what I learned. The most fun was the pure “why didn’t i think of that” common sense that so often eludes us.
Dan, early on as a production person who preached “effective first – creative second”, I would sometimes call clients 20 minutes after their spots ran to see how many phone calls they got, in order to gauge the effectiveness of a creative campaign. Know that a lot of what you’ve been saying really resonates over here. Your analytical approach is refreshing. Thanks for all you do!
Great Webinar! I was so busy during the lecture making your recommended changes to my website, I missed some of the lecture. It will be great to revue what I missed. You really helped me clean up my site and I still have more to do. Yes I had to build my own since I’m on a very tight budget. My little home studio set me back a few bucks. But I’m learning.
I was pleasantly surprised when I unzipped the PDF file you sent and found the workbook inside. It was specifically designed for note taking, and also had the key points in it so I could follow along while listening to the webinar. It also gave me something to look at and fiddle way so I didn’t get distracted! LOL
I really felt like I got my money’s worth. Dan explained lots of “secrets” that I did not know about building and maintaining my website, and he did it in an easy to understand, fun way.
I love that I got an MP3 recording to use for reference later as well. I was so stimulated by all the information that Dan presented that I stayed up another couple hours re-working my website with his suggestions. It really helped me get motivated to get the information out there and up online….. in a way I can feel confident and proud of.
Great value for invaluable information! Most webinars tease that they are special and will reveal “secrets”, Dan’s really does!
For the first time web site maker, excellent ground floor data.
For the expert in making “pretty” sites, an excellent navigation tool toward results.
Well worth the listen. fmb
I downloaded your seminar about voice actor websites, and could not wait to start implementing some of your advice, so I didn’t – by the time I was done listening, I had renovated my site significantly. I’ll continue to tweak as I reflect on your presentation (I know I’ll be renaming my demos, for one). The primary change of course is to remove the need for the visitor to figure out where the link to the demos is, click on it, wait for it to load, and then listen to demos. Now the demos are on the home page.
SEO has been top of mind for me of late and the offer of your seminar could not have come at a better time.
Thank-you so much for a very information-dense program. It was an excellent investment for me. I’ve visited thousands of production company websites so I know a lot about visitor experience from that perspective, so a lot of what you said really resonated with me. You helped me see my site through visitor’s eyes.
Downloaded the presentation and listened to it yesterday.
I’m in the process of having my website redesigned so this is all very helpful! My wife and I took notes furiously. The pages you provided were most helpful. Our entire thinking of who looks at the site and why has changed! Our designer has his own agency and is creative. But because he has never done a vo website, he is open to any ideas or changes. We will be having a discussion soon (he is in Australia) about lots of different ideas that you presented.
It was all very factual and informative. And it made sense! Info that we can hold on to and refer back to in the future. Thank you for assembling this. In a world of high prices on everything, this was a garage sale bargain!
Thanks for the great seminar a week ago. I just got done listening to the Mp3. My website is about to be built so your information is timely and highly valued. You we’re funny in a lot of places with out even trying. Because of your insight, I’m re-thinking the site and I’ll be on to the Web-master about all this and will find if he knows what he’s doing. I agree with all you said accept the thing about reversed text. At least it will take longer to digest. I’m also an artist so I’ve been to many art gallery websites as well as VO sites and have always liked dark b/grounds with reversed texts as long as it worked and didn’t bother the eyes. It’s been my impression that white backgrounds we’re amateur and generic. And it’s like looking into a glowing orb or something like looking into a flash-light, trying to read words on the lens, it seems to create fatigue. Anyway this was a rich lesson on a good site/bad site and will get me off to a real good start. You did great.
I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to let you know, but that was a very informative seminar, Dan. I’ve been needing to update my site for quite awhile now and have not had the time to really pick it apart and redo it properly – now I think I’m ready! You brought up some very good points I had either not considered before, or had thought about but had not put into place.
The only thing I was disappointed with was that I was hoping for pointers on copy…that is, taking what we know about writing radio copy and transferring it to the much more condensed, bullet-pointed format of a web page. Since I’m a pretty easy-going, easy-to-work-with fellow who does a lot of character voices, I want my page to contain humor but still focus on the client’s needs, and I’m not sure I’m doing that as effectively right now as I could be. But again, I was very impressed with it overall – thanks for doing it, and keep up the good work!