Okay, I'll give it a shot.
First off, this web page did not validate, 76 errors, you're even missing the doc type. This means don't be surprised if layout is affected by browser type more than the usual minor rendering flaws. You are using old school tables for layout so generally things will render the same, but as you need to add more content and the site grows in time, you should switch to div's and CSS for separation of content from style. But 76 errors is not good.
COMPLIMENT: the color selection is excellent - green and a nice gray/white gradient is perfect, reminds me of fresh water fishing and the green water but also a little more class with the gradient. Don't change that aspect.
But I am going to nitpick a little on some minor cosmetic details and offer a few informal suggestions:
- The empty gray boxes that span the width on the top and the bottom seem like they should hold content, they look odd as architectural elements. Maybe put the links at top within, and remove the bottom box altogether. Also, the width looks 3-4px shorter than the larger box beneath it holding most of the content. Make them equal width and maybe add a 2px margin between them vertically for a clean look.
- At the top right I advise spelling out Username, Password and add "Keep me logged in" next to the pulldown which I am guessing determines how long the cookie or session will live. Make it easy to understand.
- The welcome text should be bigger, more pronounced, possibly centered as it's an important element describing the focus of the site.
- Too much whitespace on the right - don't be afraid to work horizontally within the context area (i.e. divide it up into div's, like a 4x4 box without visible borders, place stuff inside each div and let it flow) - you did this on the pages other than Home, why not on Home?
- Be consistent with the border on the images - I like the top two image borders more than the darker green down below, maybe put the caption below using the same border, again with 2px vertical separation for a nice clean look for all images with captions.
- Right justify "Discuss the News"
- Extra space character before " Baldwinsville: Channel 9 News interview" link
- Maybe add a few small icons for the "Contact", "Post your comments about this article" and other links in addition to the link text. Small gray icons such as a mouse icon, or something cool looking to draw the eye to the link. Especially the RSS feeds - visit google.com images and find an rss icon (i.e. the standard orange, loud speaker type)
- In your footer, convert the email address to a link that goes to a contact us page and allow users to submit a simple form to contact you. I never suggest listing an email address in HTML, you're going to get spammed by bots that read source. Plus, the contact us forms also allows you to add pulldown menus or options for users to send feedback for specific purposes such as "Site feedback" or "Question about Home Page" or whatever.
From a perspective of content, it's charming and very nicely done, bravo!
Load time was fine, no apparent server delays.
As always, my opinion, others might disagree, do not feel the need to pursue every point I raise. You might have good reasons to do what you did.
-jim
