Oldie but New again...

[KimberlyH]

Hi y'all,

It's been about 9 years since I started working for CE building free sites - back then, rules seemed simple - hell, I even knew html. Fast forward 9 years, now I'm working at OCCash with Jay, JeffK, Munki and the rest of the guys. I'm the "blog gal" - and maintain our blogs, plus other things... so now it's time to get back into the swing of putting together free sites (geeze, took me 2 hours of sitting there staring at DW before I could even remember simple html codes - now THAT is bad!)

Okay - I'm really stumped here. I *thought* - albeit obviously mistakenly - the free sites I put together were pretty dang good, but apparently they are not.

I'm getting rejected left and right, and quite frankly, have no clue. XXXJay has posted, but I figured since I'm making these, I better get my butt in here and get some help... *LOL*

URLS:
http://blackcougars.com/black_cougars/xxx/index.html
http://blackcougars.com/black_cougar...orn/index.html
http://blackcougars.com/chunky_ebony...orn/index.html
http://blackcougars.com/busty_black_...xxx/index.html
http://blackcougars.com/black_milf_porn/porn/index.html
http://blackcougars.com/black_lesbia...xxx/index.html
http://blackcougars.com/hot_black_milfs/xxx/index.html

Here's what I've been rejected for:

1. GG & PML: Blind or Misleading Links - Including Recip Links
**I only submitted the first 2 URL's to GG & PML, because I couldn't figure out what the blind/misleading links are. Only thing I can think of is the recip links. I'm going to change the button recips to plain text links - would that be correct??

2. We do not allow full sized pics on html pages. Please link thumbnails directly to image files. (from a different LL submittal, not GG & PML) Honestly? This sucks. I don't get it. IMO, just linking to a jpg makes your free site look thrown together, and I did not throw my sites together. I have always taken the time to try and find coordinating photos, try to write something to do with the photos, hell, even keep color-coordination/themes together from the main site!

So.. I guess I'm coming here to try and get some help on what I am doing wrong, what I can correct, etc. I've browsed some different LL's, trying for ideas - but some free sites seem so "cookie-cutter" anymore, I want to get away from that, I've tried using different templates on my gallery & video index pages also (let's not talk about THAT html fiasco with tables - geeze... LMAO)

Thanks for any advice anyone can send my way... Much appreciated!

KimberlyH
OCCash
kim@occash.com

[InfoGuy]

Kim, welcome to GG&J.

Change the dark blue links on a black background to a color with higher contrast.

[KimberlyH]

Originally Posted by InfoGuy

Kim, welcome to GG&J.

Change the dark blue links on a black background to a color with higher contrast.

Thanks for the welcome, and reply!

I can handle that... changing font colors, easy-peasy.. easy is good. Much beyond that and I'm toast - burnt toast that is.. LOL

KH

[plateman]

welcome kim I'll let you know what I think, put enter before The site title, use web friendly colors, if hurts your eyes then it will hurt the reviewers, also the recip table needs to be bigger, add a few more recips plus try and mix up the index as your gonna be flagged for templates

I'll help you somemore later with the rest of your work, the sites look ok and you need some tuning he and there

[KimberlyH]

Originally Posted by plateman

welcome kim I'll let you know what I think, put enter before The site title, use web friendly colors, if hurts your eyes then it will hurt the reviewers, also the recip table needs to be bigger, add a few more recips plus try and mix up the index as your gonna be flagged for templates

I'll help you somemore later with the rest of your work, the sites look ok and you need some tuning he and there

Plateman, thank you for the reply...

1. Okay, "Enter" at the beginning of the enter text link - got it, and started to make that change on all the warning pages.

2. Web Friendly colors - black/gray/light gray ? Black is actually the color scheme for http://blackcougars.com so I kept in the same range.

3. Few More Recips - to clarify, you mean submit to more places? I'm looking into that, but please clarify.

4. Mix up the index.. you mean... the Warning page say at: http://blackcougars.com/black_cougars/xxx/index.html

or do you mean this index page: http://blackcougars.com/black_cougars/index1.html

5. I also changed the text in the Debauchery link - so that you can see it comes from Debauchery.

6. Another question - so even though I've got both photos and videos, I still need to have 10 pics in each gallery? Twenty (20) pics total, then the videos...


Thanks again,
KH

PS: If this needs moved to the "Getting Listed" forum, would a mod please move the thread? thanks

[kickass]

Welcome to the board!

[xxxjay]

I guess I'm a newb too because I couldn't answer her question...the submissions looked fine to me

[plateman]

Originally Posted by xxxjay

I guess I'm a newb too because I couldn't answer her question...the submissions looked fine to me

I been listing them

[Useless]

Originally Posted by xxxjay

I guess I'm a newb too because I couldn't answer her question...the submissions looked fine to me

They looked perfectly fine to me too. I have a simple technique: I flow through a free site clicking what I assume to be the enter and gallery links without really reading them. If I get what I expected without putting in any effort or having to pause, I consider the site to be very clean. I did that with three of those sites in a row and always got the page I expected.

About pics on HTML pages: free site rules are generally designed to make the review process fast and painless for the reviewer, not to make you sales. I was discussing this very issue with MajStress the other day. He made a comment that really opened my eyes because I've never given it much thought. He said that when he first read link list rules saying you couldn't open full images on their own HTML pages, it seemed crazy to him. Basically, why on Earth would you want to hand your content to the surfer without advertising? I'm all for images on their own pages. It gives the submitter/program more ad placements, as well as adding pages/weight to the free site.

We wonder why free site submitters are a dying breed...

[LD]

Originally Posted by KimberlyH

2. We do not allow full sized pics on html pages. Please link thumbnails directly to image files. (from a different LL submittal, not GG & PML) Honestly? This sucks. I don't get it.


Thanks for any advice anyone can send my way... Much appreciated!

KimberlyH
OCCash

I've been rejected for pics on html, too. I think it stems from people cheating and putting ads and other crap on the html page. LOR and many places have a trusted submitter status where this rule is relaxed, however:

http://www.greenguysboard.com/board/...ad.php?t=48260

I have less experience than a lot of the people here, but if it were me, I would make the Enter link bigger and more prominent. That exit link to Google on the right is competing way too much with your enter link. just my 2 cents. I would not give Google a free link either. Note too that some list require the word "Enter" on the link that leads to the main page.

Personally I love the three galleries, one with vids and other others with pics. That will get you rejected in a few places, however.

[plateman]

dont make the index all look the same move stuff around so that the pages dont look the same submission after submission

I used to run 15 to 20 recips on a page really as long as it looks good, you can always go to text recips to have more and that gives the site another look, I dont mind pics on a html page, some dont like that, 10 pics was the bare min years ago, I used to go 14 and 15 to use the gall page to submit to the tgps, that way I didnt have to make/add pics

the site are listable at most places but do those few things and you should get listed at even more places

plus a little seo you should have as many recips on your first index, also use up to 10 keywords on your title tag that is relevent to your site

[Pagan]

Hi, Kim!! Welcome to GG&J! Great place to ask questions and get real answers. Your sites look great, but naturally, we all have constructive comments to make.

One thing I can recommend is to go with a custom text recip table for a more polished, tailored look. You can easily do 15-16 or even 20 recips and have it look sharp. As to the number of pics in a freesite gallery, I usually do 12 in 2 galleries. Most of the LLs will kick at that third gallery, and some love it. You can do a mirror where you drop the third gallery. I would also pull your nav links at the bottom of the pages. The surfers will use their back keys, and this gives you another chance to show off your ads.

Pics opening on html pages went out over 5 years ago due to abuse by a few. Once you gain trusted status you can do it. The site I looked at - Black Cougars (the first site) appeared to have pictures from several different series together. Find 12 great shots from one series and put them in logical order -- so that they tell a story.

I will take pics opening on HTML pages, especially done tastefully as you have. While I would not reject any of the sites I have seen, I will strongly encourage you to put the pics in order. I don't do minimum/maximum per page as that is up to you.

One last hint.. save time on Saturdays to listen to On The Bench. If you sign up for the newsletter, you will also get some great hints and ideas. I do like what I see!

[pc]

Hi Kim and welcome on board. Sites looks OK. Keep building , try different templates and mix them later and drop the EXIT link , unless you want to promote Google too