As you may have noticed, there are some pretty shabby Oriental rug websites on the Web. Looking around, you probably had little confidence in these companies since their url’s didn’t quite match up to their design. However, just as you should not judge a book by its cover, don’t judge the quality of a brand by its website!
Here are some examples of websites that look quite “unpolished” in the Oriental carpet world (ordered by Google search results for “oriental carpets” ):
1. OldCarpet.com: Can we get some color coordination?
2. The O’Connell Notes: Okay Barry, it’s really time you use a style sheet. I offer my services to you if you need free web design. Really.
3. TheOrientalCarpet.com: Great photo there of happy workers.
4. Jozan.net: You would think that such a big name as Jozan would get their act together and work on their design a little bit. And what about those image ads on the sides? Ouch! Seriously Jozan, I will help you with your website if you reply to this post.
5. AbsoluteRugs.com: You have to check out the sound effects on the homepage of Samuel’s Rug Gallery. It is out of control.
***Last minute addition*** 6. PersianCarpetSales.com: I don’t know what is worse, their website or their videos?
8 responses so far ↓
1 Barry O'Connell // Mar 12, 2008 at 9:57 am
Thanks for the mention of my humble site. I would try to make excuses but I agree it is awful. I would take you up on your offer but first I have to ask, “What is a style sheet?”
BTW I linked to this article from my main page. My readers will enjoy this, no doubt.
Best wishes,
Barry
http://www.SpongoBongo.com
2 admin // Mar 12, 2008 at 11:40 am
Hi Barry, thanks for your comment. A style sheet is a .css file (Cascading Style Sheet) which allows you to define the color, layout, and size of various elements of your page. Here is an example of what your page could look like with a Google style sheet that I lifted from Analytics: http://carpetondemand.com/blog/the-oriental-carpet-buyer/extra/spongobongo-withcss.html
However, I admire how you have made content the main focus of your site. You have proven that you don’t need fancy graphics to attract an audience, just a commitment to keeping it real.
cheers,
Huseyin - carpetondemand.com
3 Ivan // Mar 12, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Hi
Thanks for your comments.
Let me hear your suggestions how to improve the layout.
regards
Ivan
ps: I will not have access to Internet the next 2 weeks so I can’t answer emails
4 Craig Wallen // Apr 1, 2008 at 8:04 am
Barry,
I saw your recent focus on early Karapinar fragments, and thought I’d share my piece with you, as it appears very comparable to the Rippon Boswell piece. The photo is on my website. Best, Craig
Early, rare Karapinar Fragment
Turkey, 16/17th Century
22″ x 39″ (w/ mounting)
This graphic fragment comes from a rare type of early rug, made in the Karapinar area of central Turkey (Anatolia), and dates from the late 16th - early 17th c. Usually referred to as a “Kara Memi’ carpet due to the highly stylized tulip design, made popular in the late 16th c. Ottoman court by artist Kara Memi and his followers. The aubergine background color of this example is highly unusual, while the other colors (pistachio green, light blue, yellow, rose red) are incredibly luminous. Professionally mounted. For a similar example, please see: The Classical Tradition in Anatolian Carpets, published by the Textile Museum, Washington, DC, 2002. This piece was on exhibit at the University of Pennsylvania’s Arthur Ross Gallery as part of “Antique Anatolian Carpets: Masterpieces from Philadelphia Area Collections.” (# 104585)
5 Solly Rueben // Apr 7, 2008 at 1:09 am
It would be nice to also see some examples of carpet sites you think are visually well designed.
Rgds
Solly
6 Admin // Apr 8, 2008 at 4:12 am
Dear Huseyin,
We like your website and think it’s very informative. I have to disagree on your view on Jozan and The O’Connell Notes websites. I think they are great sites and with a wealth of information. Let us know what you think about our site (*wink, wink!)
Ben
7 Dorothy Barkin // Apr 21, 2008 at 11:18 am
Hi, are you aware of a Turkish (!) carpet sales scam, which has been going around for years in the US? Some people call home phones of people who visited Turkey claiming that they are ‘Ali’ from the carpet shop in Turkey and ask for an appointment… and sell some bad quality carpets with extravagant prices? anybody heard about this? I heard it from a friend of mine who lives in Tennessee.. and wanted to ask you guys. thanks
8 admin // Apr 21, 2008 at 6:29 pm
That is very interesting that you bring up that point, Dorothy. I wrote a whole post about dishonest carpet salesmen that do exactly that:
http://carpetondemand.com/blog/the-oriental-carpet-buyer/2008/03/13/cut-the-bs-part-1-how-to-identify-a-dishonest-oriental-carpet-salesman/
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