Hi everyone I'm new to the forum with a new website

[GnyseGirl]

Hi,
I'm Gloria. I'm a licensed Braid Stylist living here in Fussa city. It's about an hour away from Shinjuku. Anyway, I've been trying to get my business off the ground styling hair. It's kind of hard being that my Japanese is not that great, But I'm working on that. It's sooooo sad, I've been in Japan almost 5 years and I only speak enough Japanese to get by.
I'm currently in the process of finding a bilingual (Japanese/English) speaker to do telephone reception for me (by means of Cell phone). If you're interested please feel free to email me for details. Salary is 125.00 a week or 14000yen for less that 10 hours of work weekly.
I currently put together my own website complete with pictures of my work. It was not a simple task being that I had no Html experience. But I taught myself in about 4 weeks. Please check out my website and let me know what you think.
B-Gnyse Salon
Thanks everyone.

 

[Philip]

Welcome enjoy!

 

[yukio_michael]

You definitely need to work on those language skills, especially if you are going to be selling your service to the Japanese. I think that what you are selling will work with a particular segment of the Japanese youth culture, as I've seen similar braid & corn row styles on some men & women in magazines etcetera.

Who is your clientele at the moment? Are you living with a Japanese person now, perhaps they can help you market your product to the Japanese? How have you gone 5 years living in a country without insentive to learn its language?

You seem to at least have the tenacity to make it this far, so, picking up some language classes, ---you can even have someone come to your house to tutor you, shouldn't be too much trouble?

Learning Japanese isn't going to turn your business around over night, so I suggest you get with friends and really work at designing your services such that they can appeal to all your clientelle.

Also, cell phone, do you not have a specific salon? What is your visa situation? I'm curious...

Hope to hear your story...

 

[yukio_michael]

One other thing... if you want to sell to Japanese people, you'll definitely want to use Japanese models, primarily, if not exclusively so, ON your website... that's just a cultural aspect that goes without saying.

 

[Davey]

if you are in Tokyo, I know one girl who can be your model ( Serious!!)

 

[GnyseGirl]

You definitely need to work on those language skills, especially if you are going to be selling your service to the Japanese. I think that what you are selling will work with a particular segment of the Japanese youth culture, as I've seen similar braid & corn row styles on some men & women in magazines etcetera.
Who is your clientele at the moment? Are you living with a Japanese person now, perhaps they can help you market your product to the Japanese? How have you gone 5 years living in a country without insentive to learn its language?You seem to at least have the tenacity to make it this far, so, picking up some language classes, ---you can even have someone come to your house to tutor you, shouldn't be too much trouble?
Learning Japanese isn't going to turn your business around over night, so I suggest you get with friends and really work at designing your services such that they can appeal to all your clientelle.
Also, cell phone, do you not have a specific salon? What is your visa situation? I'm curious...
Hope to hear your story...

Thank you For your suggestions. How ever I was a little put off by your assumption that I do not have the incentive to learn the language. I said my Japanese is not that great... not non-existent. You seem to assume a lot in your post. No I do not live with someone who is Japanese. No, I am not on a Visa. However next year I'm planning on getting one to continue living in the country. As far as having Japanese as the primary focus on my website, I can not do that realistically right now. Being that the majority of my clientel are American. I live on a US military Base... So it is quite easy to be in Japan and never really learn the language. Only 10% are Japanese. Now if I can find a way to appeal to both at the same time, that would be a definite solution. Also how is it I do hair on the regular but not have a specific salon... That would be ridiculous. Yes I have a salon. However, I don't need a receptionist that is there all day as yet. Remember most of my clients are American. Why pay for Japanese reception all day when I only have a few Japanese clients a week. For the few that want appointments it's not necessary for a receptionist to be here at the salon all day (well at least not at this time). I do take Japanese language courses, However I rarely get the opportunity to practice it. All of the Japanese I know personally want to speak English. So my only practice comes from watching TV, the internet and shopping. Can you give me some suggestions on places I could go to really converse in Japanese (like a conversational class).

 

[undrentide]

I do take Japanese language courses, However I rarely get the opportunity to practice it. All of the Japanese I know personally want to speak English. So my only practice comes from watching TV, the internet and shopping. Can you give me some suggestions on places I could go to really converse in Japanese (like a conversational class).

I think these websites might be interesting for you.
Tokyo Nihongo Volunteer Network
東京日本語ボランティア・ネットワーク
Their "Volunteer Nihongo Class Guide" somehow available only in Japanese, also I cannot find "Fussa" among the location selecttion they offer.
But you can make an inquiry and ask for if there's any Nihongo class not very far from Fussa.

Japanese Language School Database
http://www.aikgroup.co.jp/j-school/english/index.htm
Many of the schools registered here offer special courses for those who want to enter Japanese college/university, but some school offer "General Course" for those who just want to learn Japanese.

I think that some of the major "English Conversation Schools" (Eikaiwa Gakkou) also offer Japanese classes though I could not find info right now.

I visited the webpage of Fussa city, it has an Englisn page but do not offer much information. If you visit the City Hall (Shiyakusho) and ask about Japanese classes available for foreign residents, maybe they can help you, too.

Ganbatte kudasaine. I wish you all the best.

 

[nice gaijin]

I have some comments on the website design, but if you're happy with it don't worry about it.

 

[GnyseGirl]

I have some comments on the website design, but if you're happy with it don't worry about it.

Please do tell.

 

[yukio_michael]

Thank you For your suggestions. How ever I was a little put off by your assumption that I do not have the incentive to learn the language. I said my Japanese is not that great... not non-existent.

I have no idea what your situation is, that's why I asked at the end of my post. Hello, I'm living on a US military base and... would have clarified a lot of things. Such as, A) how you live in Japan for 5 years without a valid visa, B) how you work & opperate a business in Japan without a visa, C) how you've lived in Japan for 5 years without a pressing need or impetus to learn the language, D) how you opperate a business who's clientelle are mainly non-Japanese... etcetera...

No, I am not on a Visa. However next year I'm planning on getting one to continue living in the country.

What type of visa? Student-visa? You might just start studying in full then--- Take advantage of any opportunities you are afforded, now... I don't know what form of visa you are planning on getting--- this may be more difficult than you imagine it to be.

As far as having Japanese as the primary focus on my website, I can not do that realistically right now. Being that the majority of my clientel are American. I live on a US military Base...

Take back everything that I mentioned about your business, none of it reall applies to a US military base...

Remember most of my clients are American. Why pay for Japanese reception all day when I only have a few Japanese clients a week. For the few that want appointments it's not necessary for a receptionist to be here at the salon all day (well at least not at this time).

What you are talking about, your business, your situation, really doesn't necessitate having any sort of bilingual web site, services, etcetera... My input previously was for a busines who's primary clientelle would be Japanese, I have no real insight about running a business off of a US military base.

I do take Japanese language courses, However I rarely get the opportunity to practice it. All of the Japanese I know personally want to speak English. So my only practice comes from watching TV, the internet and shopping. Can you give me some suggestions on places I could go to really converse in Japanese (like a conversational class).

Try to compromise with people, spend a half hour practicing English each day, and a half hour in Japanese. Find other Americans on base who are also studying Japanese, ANY practice is good practice.

What base are you on? I think there are many many more people here than I that can give you information based on this information. Remember, the more and more precise information you give us, the better we can answer your questions in the first place.

Keep practicing... Watching TV, listening to the radio, and these sorts of things ARE really good for getting used to listening to Japanese. They are great additions to studying. What courses are you studying now? Who is providing them? How long, and how often have you been studying? I'm speaking of the past 5 years.

 

[DoctorP]

Want to use your Japanese? Go out the gate, way out the gate, find a nice bar, soba shop, whatever, manga house, coffee house...basically whatever you like, and become a regular. Begin conversing with the staff/owners in Japanese. Let them know that you need help with any mistakes you make, and before you know it, you will have friends who speak Japanese to you! Amazing how well this works, but people fail to try it.

Good Luck!

 

[ghettocities]

....

Stop being so jealous, you are 35 years old, If I were you I'd mind my own business because you have what, like 20 years before natural causes get the best of you? Come on buddy, enjoy life and don't get so worked up that you have to ask a black woman in Tokyo questions.


Josh

 

[yukio_michael]

words...

Follow the plot Josh, please follow the plot. What part of the thread did you miss, and didn't you just recently announce your departure? Or was that just another bit of historonics?

 

[Mike Cash]

don't get so worked up that you have to ask a black woman in Tokyo questions.
Josh

I must have missed something along the way. I didn't know that she was black; and I didn't know it had anything to do with anything.

Perhaps you could explain the relevance of race in this thread. Thanks.

 

[nice gaijin]

Aesthetics aside, these are my suggestions about functionality and from a practical marketing standpoint:

1. Fix the formatting that aligns the material to the right side of browser window, because it makes me have to scroll horizontally to see the material (you really don't want your site visitors having to scroll horizontally)

2. Use that grafitti/brooklyn script font ONLY as a logotype. For instance, use it only for a page header, or your salon's name. There's no Japanese on the salon page, and the font is hard enough for my to read, let alone a Japanese person)

3. Do not blur out your models faces. It's important to show what the whole package looks like once you're work and done, and that it looks like people are proud of getting their hair done by you. Blurring their faces like an episode of Cops makes me think that they're embarrassed to get braids or cornrows. If you don't have permission to use their face for your site, either just show a photo from the back, or don't use the photo at all. Censorship means you're hiding something. I don't necessarily agree that you need to use Japanese models, especially if your clientele is predominantly American, but I would suggest having at least a few examples of your work on a Japanese person, to show that this kind of stuff can look good on the natives as well.

4. It seems to be a total mystery where your salon is. It doesn't mention Japan, and your phone numbers are not clear (the one that looks like an American number has no area code). No one can come to your shop if they don't know where it is. Include at least a prefecture or something.

5. Have at least some Japanese text on the main page, or even a Japanese version of the site. Have someone who knows the language do it for you, and make sure you're using the right katakana spellings for things like Braids and Cornrows, etc. You also might want to find out how to pronounce your salon's name in Japanese, so you can put that somewhere.

6. Backtracking, I noticed that there's a main page with a very different layout from the page you linked, with allusions to future sub-sections. I'd recommend nailing down a good template and using that to show that each sub-section is a part of a greater whole, instead of reinventing the wheel each time you add a new page.

 

[ghettocities]

Aesthetics aside, these are my suggestions about functionality and from a practical marketing standpoint:
1. Fix the formatting that aligns the material to the right side of browser window, because it makes me have to scroll horizontally to see the material (you really don't want your site visitors having to scroll horizontally)
2. Use that grafitti/brooklyn script font ONLY as a logotype. For instance, use it only for a page header, or your salon's name. There's no Japanese on the salon page, and the font is hard enough for my to read, let alone a Japanese person)
3. Do not blur out your models faces. It's important to show what the whole package looks like once you're work and done, and that it looks like people are proud of getting their hair done by you. Blurring their faces like an episode of Cops makes me think that they're embarrassed to get braids or cornrows. If you don't have permission to use their face for your site, either just show a photo from the back, or don't use the photo at all. Censorship means you're hiding something. I don't necessarily agree that you need to use Japanese models, especially if your clientele is predominantly American, but I would suggest having at least a few examples of your work on a Japanese person, to show that this kind of stuff can look good on the natives as well.
4. It seems to be a total mystery where your salon is. It doesn't mention Japan, and your phone numbers are not clear (the one that looks like an American number has no area code). No one can come to your shop if they don't know where it is. Include at least a prefecture or something.
5. Have at least some Japanese text on the main page, or even a Japanese version of the site. Have someone who knows the language do it for you, and make sure you're using the right katakana spellings for things like Braids and Cornrows, etc. You also might want to find out how to pronounce your salon's name in Japanese, so you can put that somewhere.
6. Backtracking, I noticed that there's a main page with a very different layout from the page you linked, with allusions to future sub-sections. I'd recommend nailing down a good template and using that to show that each sub-section is a part of a greater whole, instead of reinventing the wheel each time you add a new page.

That was a very nice post. I even learned a thing or two.

Josh

 

[Davey]

Keep it nice you guys! stay on topic, I am watching this thread! ( Josh watch your words a bit)

 

[Swordheart]

Hi, checked out your website and I've got to agree with nice gaijin. Well done for a first effort, but do polish up the presentation - fonts, better picture gallery and tweek the optimization. Don't take this as strong criticism, 'cos it is not, but I guess that is why you posted, right? Not fishing for a "pat on the back", but rather to get some constructive pointers, from experts, in the right direction. Website development and maintenance is a continuous process, so keep up the good work and good things will come to ya!

 

[Davey]

Also don't forget about your source code, especially your keywords, and description between your <head> </head> this is needed if you want to rank higher on search engines.

<meta name="Description" content="">
<meta name="Keywords" content="">

For the rest nice gaijin gave some great advice on the website. It only takes a long time to load sometimes.

 

[GnyseGirl]

Aesthetics aside, these are my suggestions about functionality and from a practical marketing standpoint:
1. Fix the formatting that aligns the material to the right side of browser window, because it makes me have to scroll horizontally to see the material (you really don't want your site visitors having to scroll horizontally)
2. Use that grafitti/brooklyn script font ONLY as a logotype. For instance, use it only for a page header, or your salon's name. There's no Japanese on the salon page, and the font is hard enough for my to read, let alone a Japanese person)
3. Do not blur out your models faces. It's important to show what the whole package looks like once you're work and done, and that it looks like people are proud of getting their hair done by you. Blurring their faces like an episode of Cops makes me think that they're embarrassed to get braids or cornrows. If you don't have permission to use their face for your site, either just show a photo from the back, or don't use the photo at all. Censorship means you're hiding something. I don't necessarily agree that you need to use Japanese models, especially if your clientele is predominantly American, but I would suggest having at least a few examples of your work on a Japanese person, to show that this kind of stuff can look good on the natives as well.
4. It seems to be a total mystery where your salon is. It doesn't mention Japan, and your phone numbers are not clear (the one that looks like an American number has no area code). No one can come to your shop if they don't know where it is. Include at least a prefecture or something.
5. Have at least some Japanese text on the main page, or even a Japanese version of the site. Have someone who knows the language do it for you, and make sure you're using the right katakana spellings for things like Braids and Cornrows, etc. You also might want to find out how to pronounce your salon's name in Japanese, so you can put that somewhere.
6. Backtracking, I noticed that there's a main page with a very different layout from the page you linked, with allusions to future sub-sections. I'd recommend nailing down a good template and using that to show that each sub-section is a part of a greater whole, instead of reinventing the wheel each time you add a new page.

Wow, Thanks for the tips. I will definitely utilize most of what you mentioned. Awesome observations. Once again thanks alot.

 

[GnyseGirl]

Hi, checked out your website and I've got to agree with nice gaijin. Well done for a first effort, but do polish up the presentation - fonts, better picture gallery and tweek the optimization. Don't take this as strong criticism, 'cos it is not, but I guess that is why you posted, right? Not fishing for a "pat on the back", but rather to get some constructive pointers, from experts, in the right direction. Website development and maintenance is a continuous process, so keep up the good work and good things will come to ya!

Thanks for the tips. Do you have anysuggestions on how to organize my picture gallery? ☝ I agree it sucks a little.

 

[Swordheart]

Picture gallery & Video

Hi Gloria,

You are most welcome. For the picture gallery, I suggest the following: Make a thumbnail gallery of 5-10 pictures per model (maybe with one "before" pic.). It is crucial that the pictures load quickly, so keep the pages for the gallery as clean as possible - avoid all gifs, complex backgrounds (especially if they are unoptimized), banners, animations and other "frills" - what is important here is that the visitor can immediately see the quality of your work. Thus, keep it simple: all thumbnails the same size, 10 - 20 thumbs per page, some 3-5 pages. Very important that people can click the "thumbs" and zoom in on the photos, take a closer look. When I click on "Twists" or "Braids" I get a price list and at the very bottom "Braids I", when I point at this, the cursor does not change (it does not appear "clickable"), that is not good, but when I do click on it I get a slideshow from slide.com. Clicking on any of the pics redirects me to this website instead of giving me a larger pic as I wanted (users are annoyed when they get an undesired reaction - such as a redirect). I suggest you give examples of the hair style by the price so people see what they are getting. For instance, not being an expert, it is hard for me to imagine what "Pixie or box Braids" are.... Furthermore, perhaps giving each of your creations a memorable name would accentuate their uniqueness and make customers curious to know more. For instance, instead of just writing "Micro Braids", why not say something like Sakura Micro Braids or New York Minute Cornrow or something exciting/mysterious/interesting like that and come up with a story why you named them so - this is a marketing move, but adds that something extra to the product. I also think that all the names of all pictures should be linked to a small information window about the hairstyle - how long it takes and how long it holds, is attachment used/needed, what hair it suits best, where it originates from, etc.

Well done, a great idea to add a promotional video, I have a couple of suggestions:
a) it buffers very slowly, you might want to split it up into several, shorter +/- 1m clips. At the moment it is 27.25 minutes long and including buffer time, it takes about 35 minutes to load and play (on my 1mbt/sec connection), during this time, the user cannot rewind and has to wait until the clip loads fully to go back if he/she would like to see something again.
b) The font in the clip is really hard to read - remember comment by nice gaijin. Here I would really advise for the text to be below the clip - not in the clip: preferably, clip split in steps and short info about each step (that is, if you take above advise and split the clip into short ones).
e) A live model would have more appeal than a doll - once again, remember comment by nice gaijin, about the complete package. People need to be able to identify with your product and unfortunately, the imaginations of most are very limited. Besides seeing the finished result, I believe that people (first-timers mostly) would want to know if the process is at all painful (hair pulling) and how long it takes. A calm, relaxed human model would reassure the doubtful about the former and my suggestion for your gallery would be to not only name the hairstyles, but also give the time taken to complete below the pictures.
f) I have been working in marketing for many years and I can honestly say that I am impressed with your idea to release a half-hour long promotional video. In your shoes, I would take it one or two steps further: you are obviously a master of your art, so why not make a deeper connection with your prospective customers? I do not wish to contradict the advise I gave in point 'a' - yes, for usability and quick online viewing short clips would be ideal, but a long promotional video would work wonders for your reputation and status. You could later take it further and participate in make-over TV programmes, fashion shows or give seminars to hairstylists across Japan, sell the video, etc. - this can be as big as you want it to be. Here is what in my opinion the video needs in addition to your skilled hands:
1. instead of starting off with the work, give it a bit of "dressing" so your viewers can get to know you: introduce yourself and staff, give a tour of your salon (inside and show location from outside so people can remember), show a few happy people with your ready/finished hairstyles, if you have had any famous clients, it would be nice if they could endorse or say a few positive words.... By this time you will have the viewer's full attention - it is not only the service that attracts people, but the comfortable ambiance and friendly people. Let the viewer "meet" you onscreen. Maybe a short personal note about how you came to Japan and a few words in Japanese - if you reach out, people respond in kind. Mention your address and working hours.
2. several human models with different types of hair (mention how long the braiding takes and how long you expect it to hold)
3. not only a music soundtrack, but you should also occasionally make comments while you work - talk the viewer through the process so he/she understands better what he is seeing. A little history about each hairstyle (e.g. how you came up with its name), a humorous experience from the past, a few minor trade secrets (not too many, but enough to get the "wow, that's clever" reaction from the viewer, etc. If you can show your attractive personality your would-be costumers will quickly become regulars.
4. In closing have the models and a couple of past costumers say a word or two about the experience, what their friends think, give your closing comments and again mention your address and working hours.
I think website address should be visible in one of the corners of the screen throughout the clip.

The less clicks and time spent it takes for a visitor to see the important stuff, the more effective your website will be. So I really suggest that you focus on getting the navigation right - not special effects, because although the latter may be impressive, if not properly optimized, they can do more harm than good by significantly slowing down the loading of the pages and your viewers will loose interest while waiting.

I wish you success,

Oleg

 

[GnyseGirl]

Hi Gloria,
You are most welcome. For the picture gallery, I suggest the following: Make a thumbnail gallery of 5-10 pictures per model (maybe with one "before" pic.). It is crucial that the pictures load quickly, so keep the pages for the gallery as clean as possible - avoid all gifs, complex backgrounds (especially if they are unoptimized), banners, animations and other "frills" - what is important here is that the visitor can immediately see the quality of your work. Thus, keep it simple: all thumbnails the same size, 10 - 20 thumbs per page, some 3-5 pages. Very important that people can click the "thumbs" and zoom in on the photos, take a closer look. When I click on "Twists" or "Braids" I get a price list and at the very bottom "Braids I", when I point at this, the cursor does not change (it does not appear "clickable"), that is not good, but when I do click on it I get a slideshow from slide.com. Clicking on any of the pics redirects me to this website instead of giving me a larger pic as I wanted (users are annoyed when they get an undesired reaction - such as a redirect). I suggest you give examples of the hair style by the price so people see what they are getting. For instance, not being an expert, it is hard for me to imagine what "Pixie or box Braids" are.... Furthermore, perhaps giving each of your creations a memorable name would accentuate their uniqueness and make customers curious to know more. For instance, instead of just writing "Micro Braids", why not say something like Sakura Micro Braids or New York Minute Cornrow or something exciting/mysterious/interesting like that and come up with a story why you named them so - this is a marketing move, but adds that something extra to the product. I also think that all the names of all pictures should be linked to a small information window about the hairstyle - how long it takes and how long it holds, is attachment used/needed, what hair it suits best, where it originates from, etc.
Well done, a great idea to add a promotional video, I have a couple of suggestions:
a) it buffers very slowly, you might want to split it up into several, shorter +/- 1m clips. At the moment it is 27.25 minutes long and including buffer time, it takes about 35 minutes to load and play (on my 1mbt/sec connection), during this time, the user cannot rewind and has to wait until the clip loads fully to go back if he/she would like to see something again.
b) The font in the clip is really hard to read - remember comment by nice gaijin. Here I would really advise for the text to be below the clip - not in the clip: preferably, clip split in steps and short info about each step (that is, if you take above advise and split the clip into short ones).
e) A live model would have more appeal than a doll - once again, remember comment by nice gaijin, about the complete package. People need to be able to identify with your product and unfortunately, the imaginations of most are very limited. Besides seeing the finished result, I believe that people (first-timers mostly) would want to know if the process is at all painful (hair pulling) and how long it takes. A calm, relaxed human model would reassure the doubtful about the former and my suggestion for your gallery would be to not only name the hairstyles, but also give the time taken to complete below the pictures.
f) I have been working in marketing for many years and I can honestly say that I am impressed with your idea to release a half-hour long promotional video. In your shoes, I would take it one or two steps further: you are obviously a master of your art, so why not make a deeper connection with your prospective customers? I do not wish to contradict the advise I gave in point 'a' - yes, for usability and quick online viewing short clips would be ideal, but a long promotional video would work wonders for your reputation and status. You could later take it further and participate in make-over TV programmes, fashion shows or give seminars to hairstylists across Japan, sell the video, etc. - this can be as big as you want it to be. Here is what in my opinion the video needs in addition to your skilled hands:
1. instead of starting off with the work, give it a bit of "dressing" so your viewers can get to know you: introduce yourself and staff, give a tour of your salon (inside and show location from outside so people can remember), show a few happy people with your ready/finished hairstyles, if you have had any famous clients, it would be nice if they could endorse or say a few positive words.... By this time you will have the viewer's full attention - it is not only the service that attracts people, but the comfortable ambiance and friendly people. Let the viewer "meet" you onscreen. Maybe a short personal note about how you came to Japan and a few words in Japanese - if you reach out, people respond in kind. Mention your address and working hours.
2. several human models with different types of hair (mention how long the braiding takes and how long you expect it to hold)
3. not only a music soundtrack, but you should also occasionally make comments while you work - talk the viewer through the process so he/she understands better what he is seeing. A little history about each hairstyle (e.g. how you came up with its name), a humorous experience from the past, a few minor trade secrets (not too many, but enough to get the "wow, that's clever" reaction from the viewer, etc. If you can show your attractive personality your would-be costumers will quickly become regulars.
4. In closing have the models and a couple of past costumers say a word or two about the experience, what their friends think, give your closing comments and again mention your address and working hours.
I think website address should be visible in one of the corners of the screen throughout the clip.
The less clicks and time spent it takes for a visitor to see the important stuff, the more effective your website will be. So I really suggest that you focus on getting the navigation right - not special effects, because although the latter may be impressive, if not properly optimized, they can do more harm than good by significantly slowing down the loading of the pages and your viewers will loose interest while waiting.
I wish you success,
Oleg

Goodness!!! Bravo Thanks for all the great ideas and tips. You're most definitely a Pro! Thanks again

 

[Carlson]

I live at Yokota and im sure you know where that is. Where is your Shop located?

 

[roman_torkit]

Hi Gloria! How is your business going now?