🚀 go-pugleaf

Probably what they are using is a Flash movie for that. Most likely what they are doing is have the finished box with all the links Then have Plash movie plying over top that quits at the end leaving the original box.

What you might be able to do is download that page. or use a web browser, when watch that image and view page info or page source to see what they are using. and just change the elements in that code to fit your needs.

Great! Thanks for your reply!
I just downloaded the page, and there is a SWF movie file; "page info" and "page source" is new to me: do I do that in Dreamweaver?

What web design apps do you have?

If you have Flash, use that.

If you have a basic text editor (or Dreamweaver), animate with DHTML.

Be careful with designing fancy intro pages to a web site. These kind of pages are an excellent way to bury your site from being accessible by search engines. Put your content up front. Don't hide it.

Erik, 

      I would like the front page to have a simple moving block coming to rest
      in its final position when opening the page.




Another reason to avoid upfront animations is that at least some customers/potential customers will tend to be impatient, and they really don't want to have to spend the extra time to see animations, particularly after the first visit to the site, and particularly for "business" (as contrasted with "consumer") sites. "Skip" buttons work, but it's yet another step to get inside the door.

Think of it as unnecessary clutter; an annoyance factor. You want your customers to be able to "see" you and your services as quickly as possible. Put key content and clear links to additional content up front.

For an electrical engineer, I would think a mean, lean site that is a breeze to search, navigate and read would be ideal. Animations have their place, certainly, but I'd be very careful how you implement them on your site.

Neil

Thank you for those very valuable comments!!! I am right now rethinking the set up of my site, and the design will be inclined towards your comments. I cannot express the gratitude for those helpful hints, you are very kind to share your knowledge!
I do have all adobe applications (flash, soundbooth, dreamweaver, fireworks, etc), but listening to your comments I will stick with Dreamweaver. My mind is set for a "mean, lean site" (I love your input, Neil). I have plenty of ideas for the contents, but somehow I got blinded by the flashy appeal of the site I posted in my opening post. I did not know that search engines get put off by those kind of introductory pages. I sure appreciate that comment VERY much, thanks Jim!

Erik,

Glad to offer my input! Keep us posted.

Neil

Take a look at the homepages of adobe.com, apple.com, microsoft.com, etc...

These sites still display big flashy graphics on their homepage but they also have full navigation and some other useful content.

If you still decide to go the way of the Flash movie. be sure only to set it loop only once. In other words, cycle from beginning to end then stop. don't go to another movie.

I will keep all your suggestions in mind.

Another thing I thought about was to use, instead of a flashy movie, a block with scrolling text, containing some kind of news flashes. The purpose is to have a scrolling block of text with the possibility to link through to more detailed information, either on a pop-up display, or linking through to another page (probably the simplest).

How do I make this kind of scrolling textblock?

Deep six the idea of scrolling. While I personally don't mind scrolling or Flashing. Many people hate such features worth a passion. And will on visit a site once with such.

Most want maybe something eye-catching but fast loading.

Create a Great looking Logo that get your idea across but loads fast. Keep your subject links short and to the point. And when clicking links the pages you go to should get the subject across with the least amount of words.

If you use an about us Link. any pictures say of the out side of you business should be big enough for people to notice details but fast loading (small File size use jpg or png).

Also if giving credentials: don't use too many $50 dollar words keep then short and sweet. Schools attended, degree received possibly one or two association or societies you belong to and How long in business.

Give address, email, website, and phone you can be reached at. on this page as well as on your main page.

The least information you use to convey your point, do better to get you return hits. than being overly long and complicated.

People have short attention spans. the faster they can get in and out. the better for you.

pjones,
if you lived nearby I would have treated you with a dinner or some beers. Your comments are immensely valuable to me. Thank you!!!

here are some sample sites to look at.

 <http://www.vpea.org>
 <http://nesda.com>
 <http://eta-sda.com/>

the first site is created using a software called Joomula a Java based program.

they are electronics service industry sites. so may not apply to your site but reflect a decent looking website. Notice the simple but great looking Logo used on the ETA-I site. On NESDA that basically just have the Name. the Logo on the VPEA site is old but reasonable looking. It would be even sharper looking if created in illustrator.

No dinner or beer needed. Just hope what I said helps.

Just make sure whatever you do. that you take into account short attention spans most people have.

pjonesCET, I notice all of these three sites you mention use a link bar situated on top, and that the links in these bars have an accordeon affect; when you hover over them, the expand into a menu. How is that accomplished?

You could start exploring those menus here:

 <http://www.alistapart.com/articles/horizdropdowns/>

Although my favourite is still MenuMachine <http://menumachine.com/> - this one isn't free but you well find it well worth the modest cost.

(It's Joomla, by the way.)

About drop-down menus, I had a look at Menumachine, and also at Softery; anyone has experience with any of these?

Kathy just mentioned MenuMachine.

Yes Kathy you are indeed right. but the person that was hired to (modernize) the VPEA site pronounces it Jew-mu-la. And for some reason I can't seem to leave the u out of the spelling.

While you're at it, you could work on the spelling of my name, I'm no Kathy ;)

Erik, I use Menumachine a lot, it's completely brilliant. The best part is, you can update it and re-upload it and without uploading the pages that rely on it, they all get updated. You can also easily have it show which page of the menu someone is on. Genius.

You can also create drop down menus from Fireworks, if that is a part of your software collection.

Excuuuuse me Kath! I had no idea that it was not simply a contraction of the word Kathy.

I have been thinking to myself every since I saw your name in the forums That it was Kathy number 3. My apologies.

Many of us use contractions of our names for instance my name is Phillip Jones and the CET stands for Certified Electronics Technician which is written either: Phillip M Jones, CET , or Phillip Jones CET.

To Don McCahill: yes fireworks cs4 is part of my collection.

Now I have been reviewing what the feedback so far was, and basically they resume to:

1. Buying (Softery, Menumachine,..): I am no favorite of this; so far i did all myself, I consider it a challenge and would like to keep it that way. I think I will not get more visitors if I have my own drop-down menu (ie <http://sperling.com/examples/menuh/)> over a purchased one.

2. CSS coding: see above, ie <http://sperling.com/examples/menuh/>, <http://www.cssplay.co.uk/menus/dd_valid.html>,...

3. SPRY (I have no idea how it works or what its limitatins and advantages for drop-down menus are); found it somewhere while googling the subject. Same as bove.

4. java (foudn some info on <http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex1/dropmenuindex.htm)>

4. Firworks, same comment; I add this following input by Don McCahill.

6. Flash: not ideal for SEO.

Conclusion: I think for a beginner it is ofcourse easiest to just buy the menus. If purchase is no option, probably using SPRY, or direct coding or copying code, would be the next alternative.

What are your opinions?

(By the way, I will keep my site simple, it is just that drop-down menus offer so much versatility in a small space that I would like to have them on my site.) ...and thank you for all those magnificent responses so far!

My recommendations

1) Menumachine

2) css menus, not difficult at all but if you want to update them site-wide you'll likely need to uses components.

I'd rather make than buy too, but this is one startlingly good exception. Golive only at the moment I believe, but a stand-alone product is promised that will work with other applications. Last I heard, Mac only though.

Fireworks will build the menus as CSS (an option), unless that has been removed from the older version that I have.

Fireworks cs4 still supports drop-down menus.

But meanwhile I found what I need, code for a drop-down menu completely in css, and viewable in IE! No flash, no java, fully customizable and straightforward in layout: thanks to <http://www.cssplay.co.uk/menus/dd_valid.html>

Since my original request has been fully answered, I would like to close this topic and extend my warmest appreciation and heartfelt thanks to all those who responded. I learned so very much here in this thread... I will keep in touch on these forums. Erik

Topics here never really close. If people stop posting, they will eventually drift off into the ether, but often someone with a similar problem will resurrect a thread months later to get help on his or her problem.