My newest Site: Let me have it

Bluto

Ok folks, this is....hmm.....the 6th site I`ve created. All for different purposes or businesses. I started off using basic HTML in my first project. Now, I`ve grown accustomed to using SMF Forums with Tiny Portal added. This allows me a lot of customization on the site. I tried Joomla in the past and just found it to complicated to get anything done quickly. I`m also testing other CMS`s as we speak.
So this site is dedicated to the surplus building materials industry. I spent 25 years in the remodeling industry and have seen far to many good materials go to waste or in the dumpster. So ,I thought there would be a good need for this. There are other very similar sites out there, so I`ll have to fight for my spot. But I find that these sites work and sell best on a regional basis due to shipping charges. I have little competition in my region.
So, it`s a week old, officially. I designed the banner and some graphics. I have an auction system as well as a classifieds and forum section.
I know,..I need a bridge for the auction section and the main site, but there is none available at this time and I can`t afford a coder to make one.
So check it out, and give it to me straight. I have learned from my construction business how to effectively take, and  implement good critisicm.SBM Trader

cubemonkey

Agreed, I didn`t know where to start either. So I gave up. I think there are about 3 too many different font styles/sizes/colors. Not that there is anything wrong with doing something like that, but it seems very random to me. You have a lot of generic keywords that won`t get you anywhere in your meta tags ( ie: free, forum). I`m sure your not looking to be top of SE`s for "forum".
On the plus side, your auction page is better and actually has an intuitive flow to it.
You have a lot of work ahead of you! Good luck.

Bluto

In my initial design, I had left out the side blocks to create a more organized look to the page. After some thought, I added them back. This site`s members may be using the personal message function often to contact sellers. So I first added the user box back in so they could better see if they have a message in their in-box. I can make that a pop-up function though, so I can go back to a page with-out the use of the side blocks, which will also reduce some of the different colors and text. And I can add  the reciprocal links on a separate page.
I appreciate the input and will wait for others to throw their 2 cents in, but I`ll clean up those Meta tags to start with. I also changed font sizes of articles to match the welcome content.
Thanks,
SteveBluto10/15/2008 8:36 AM