Launch of New 2.0 Site Layout
I just switched over our default theme to a new layout more fitting of 911blogger v2.0. The new layout may take a bit for some to get used to, but it should be a lot better than our previous theme for a good number of reasons. We will still be doing tweaks to the layout as needed, but I just didn't want to hold back any longer on this great new look for the site.
For users who do run into issues, please post useful and constructive feedback. We have tested the new layout on IE6, IE7, Firefox, Opera, and Safari, if you are having an issue then we will need some patience and your help. If for some reason the new layout is unusable for you you can switch back to the old theme by going to 'my account' and editing your profile to choose the previous theme '911bloggerCSS'. I would advise however that anyone not currently using the new theme switch over as I intend to stop supporting the old theme once everyone is good to go with the new layout.
Please post some useful feedback, and please remember these changes are intended to improve the site, and if you don't think they do then we need to understand your complaints.
An incredibly large thank you goes out to the designer of the new layout yh, one of our very generous and talented viewers.
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just wondering, what was so
just wondering, what was so bad about the previous layout where you felt the need to change it? is this gonna keep happening a lot or is this it? not a complaint, im just wondering what prompted this.
The recent change a few
The recent change a few weeks ago was hard to get used to, but we all agree now it is much better. DZ, you are the best, but this layout sucks especially for a newbie. Headlines and recent media should be dead center. This reminds me of Paul Thompson's site, where you really don't know how to get around.
im gonna try and hold off on
im gonna try and hold off on the criticism until i get used to it, last time i jumped the gun and started to like the new layout/site more than i initially did, but i gotta admit, its kind of wierd how the headlines are off to the right like this.
you mean to the left?
you mean to the left?
oops, i meant the news is to
oops, i meant the news is to the right, not the headlines.
I'm diggin the new threads.
I'm diggin the new threads. Much better.
I know what you mean Chris,
I know what you mean Chris, but I had in the back of my mind before to shut up and roll with it and the original 2.0 did turn out better than before...but, I'm not holding back now. It just seems like you really have to scroll down to get a lot of meat like inquiry sites. DZ is getting too hyped up by the 5-year-anniversary and Frankenstein tweaking everything and it is killing the mojo. DZ, I'll give you $100 right now to switch it back.
bah, im trying to improve
bah, im trying to improve things, and obviously i wouldn't switch the site if i didn think it was for the better..
btw, why didnt you try it out last night when i asked people to? everyone who responded responded positively with suggestions.. thats the whole reason i asked people to test it out, so i could garner a response.
oh, and switch the theme back if you don't like it, you do have that ability, if you login.
I Like The New Theme!
DZ,
I liked this new theme immediately. Even before the page had fully loaded on my screen, I could tell it was going to be good. It's much easier on the eyes, and the newest news story is visible near the top of the page. That will be great when emailing a link to someone who isn't familiar with the site. Instead of seeing nothing but a red box and other static info, all of which initially looks like advertisements, he or she will immediately see the story and its title. The white background makes text easier to read. The tabs along the top are more logical than the old setup. The pages seem to load faster, especially when previewing comments (such as this one).
If there are any problems, I haven't found them in the few minutes since I have encountered this new theme. I like it a lot. Don't get discouraged by those who haven't gotten used to it yet.
i just moved the 9/11
i just moved the 9/11 inquiry sites up a bit, thanks for the suggestion.
the site seems to be moving
the site seems to be moving much faster now though.
the areas of the site are
the areas of the site are now at the top of the page in big easy to see tabs, compared to being mixed in with a million menu options in the previous layout, so it should actually be easier to get around..
as for the headlines, that could move to the top of the homepage, but users on lower resolutions were complaining how the headlines took up their whole screen for every page..
its not necessarily that
its not necessarily that there was something bad about the previous layout, its more about what improvements we have with the new layout.. i guess i should have made a list, but i figure it will become pretty obvious once people try it out for a bit.. here is a quick list, perhaps others can post the new little things they like..
main site sections are now laid out accross the top, making it more obvious as to what the more important places are on the site
more modern layout, a true web 2.0 style layout that is much more appealing, eye-catching, and professional
very well organized CSS that is half the size of the hacked up CSS i had done for the previous layout
you can now click on the logo to return to the homepage
higher browser compatibility
a ton of 'little things' in the design that should improve the overall usability of the entire site...
i guess you question is like saying 'what was so bad about the 1996 honda civic'? well, nothing.. but improvements have been made since then, and the '96 honda was built on scraps from someone who doesn't know how to maintain cars (me)..
ah well, we got great positive feedback when i asked users to test out the site last night, so i do think overall the new layout will make a lot of people happy, sorry if your not.
jesus man, dont get so
jesus man, dont get so defensive, i only asked what prompted it. damn, sorry i asked.
chris, as often as you yell
chris,
as often as you yell about things im surprised you took offense by my comment, i assure you i did not mean to come off as defensive, i was just trying to answer your question, and im glad you asked!
relax guy! :)
haha, relax yourself man.
haha, relax yourself man.
New Layout
I think it looks pretty damn good. Keep up the good work. What kind of blogging software are you using?
http://www.chapmanforpresident08.com/
drupal and thanks for the
drupal
and thanks for the comment!
Wow
I liked when you guys changed the first time, alot more you could do with blogger. Made it more personal.
But now I really love it. The new layout is like eye candy. It's truely an upgrade.
Thanks dz, and yh.
MikeJr
thanks for the nice words
thanks for the nice words Mike!
Looks Great
Site looks new and easy to nav
a truth movement flyer sticker section could be usefull to get a true message to the people on the newset topics just a thought ..
Al
it rocks!
glad you removed that tag lookup feature when creating blog entries... I got some interesting error messages before the site spiked over 20% CPU usage last night...
Very Very quick now...
It think its awesome
My one comment: at the upper left (recent headlines and recent media), the dark blue and black contrast makes it a little hard to read.
One more
comment: should the tabs (news, blogs, events, quotes, tracker, and search) be spread out a little wider? Or not?
they aren't wider because if
they aren't wider because if they were they wouldn't fit on an 800x600 display.. so, for hi-res they do look kinda small.
The new design looks good
and the new banner looks really smooth and professional.
One question.
Where can I locate the full instructions for altering/enhancing text etc. in comments?
I know how to add bold, italic and underline. And I know how to make proper links. But I can't find any instructions for posting images, changing text size, font etc. in the "More information about formatting options" page.
a couple options.. 1) you
a couple options..
1) you have access to post full html, so you can just search the web for how to post images in html - search for 'html image basics', or try out w3schools.com
2) if you use firefox you can get the xinha firefox extension which allows you to right click in any textbox and make use of an html editor on the spot:
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1449/
3) use the WYSIWYG editor - click on 'enable rich text' under the data entry block when adding a new blog entry.. from there you can click on the toolbar button for image
hope that helps!
THX!
THX!
looks great
I haven't spent much time with it yet, but it sure has a much nicer look and feel -- and I like the smaller type font. Thanks dz -- keep up the great work!
A suggestion/request for dz or yh
A comment tracking feature for individual 911Bloggers' personal use, to easily locate/keep track of their different comments and conversations throughout various comment pages at 911Blogger.
At the Apple support forum, users are able to view clickable links to all of their previous comments (example) by clicking their user name to view their control panel.
It would be nice if you guys could implement something similar at 911Blogger. It would make it very easy to quickly locate previous comments -- for easily taking part in conversations or locating comments' content for reference purposes -- without having to search through the different comment pages, no matter what date the comments were made.
Please!
this sounds exactly like
this sounds exactly like what the 'tracker' is.. it is one of the tabs at the top..
the main tracker page shows all the posts in order of how new they are specific to the last time you visited the site.. it says for each post how many new comments there are since the last time you visited
the 2nd tab under tracker ('my recent posts') tracks your specific activities so you can see where you have recently been active so you can go back and see if you've gotten any responses, etc.
hope that helps, lemme know!
I took a look. The 'my
I took a look.
The 'my recent posts' only shows my one blog entry about Smerconish that was written a few days ago. I've obviously written comments since then lol
So any idea why more of my 911Blogger activity isn't shown?
i was incorrect.. the 'my
i was incorrect.. the 'my recent posts' only shows your recent blog entries, event submissions, etc. not your individual comments..
the tracker section is really what you should use to stay on top of what is new since you were last on.. but, if you want to track your recent comment activity you can try 'my account' > 'track'.. that should show all the blogs/news entries you have commented on with the most recent ones at the top..
give that a whirl.. also, i'm going to make it to where users can choose to show the old recent comments block if they want.. this will be an option in your profile and should be available within a few minutes.. just go to your account and check 'recent comments' if you would rather have that block..
The tabs are a good
The tabs are a good idea.
The fact that there is a lot of room reserved for the most important column is positive.
Now on to the problems for my way of reading text on firefox
Reading small text is tiring for my eyes and many people's eyes, so I increase the text size (the font sizes You use are the font sizes that fit Your eyes), and here two problems appear:
- too many different font sizes. As a result, some content appears much too big (titles screaming), while other content appear small. It is very unpleasant. My advice: use only two font sizes. I know that for aesthetical reasons you enjoy using many font sizes, but the result is horrible on my screen.
- text inside the leftward columns is cut because these columns have fixed sizes. I told you before that you should accept once and for all that there is no good way to force three columns to fit inside everyone's screen size . It is a thousand times better to let us use the horizontal scrollbar to read the third column from the previous layout, than to cut the text of the two leftward columns which prevents me and others to read them. The priority is the readability of the text for everyone, not your idea of aesthetics. If noboby uses your new kind of layout on internet, there is a reason. Internet sites used to be one column only, then two columns; three columns seem like a magic solution to put more content on a site, but basically two columns should be enough; adding a third narrow column is merely a way to put at the top of a new column content that would otherwise have been at the bottom of the only narrow column of a two-column site, and which would have been visible only by scrolling down: but a lot of content still needs the use of the vertical scrollbar to be accessible (but you did not suppress the vertical scroolbar by using a very small font size to put your whole site within the screen's size, so why did you suppress the horizontal scrollbar? There is no logic in your suppression of one scrollbar but your suppression of the other. Scrollbars were invented for a good reason; you should let those who do not like to use the horizontal scrollbar suppress it by using a small font size; why force your distaste for the horizontal scrollbar on everyone?). Conclusion: adding a third column is done by people who do not accept the reality that users do not see everything that there is on their site at first sight. It is unrealistic to use three columns, considering that most people neither have huge screens nor eagle's eyes. You want to force too much stuff on our eyes and the result is terrible because we do not have your screen and we do not have your eyes. You cannot copy a newpaper layout because paper is much less tiring to read for several reasons: the printing technology is capable of printing many more points per inch than any screen so small font sizes are much more readable on paper; and the backlight makes the screen much more tiring than paper for the eyes, that is why ophtalmologists recommend that we let at least one arm's length between the screen and the eyes, and at that distance using small fonts is very tiring.
Last but not least: white is very tiring for many people's eyes, including mine. After writing this comment my eyes are already sore because of the white not far from this comment window.
Nice work
This really is a big improvement. The new format is very stylish and my eyes love looking at the flow. These changes will help disseminate the important ideas this site deals with. Brilliant work!
Nice Work
DZ: Nice work! Sorry to say you will never make everyone happy with any new layout. The message in the article is what we all should be looking at :) Thanks for all your hard work!
Big propz to this dude
Big propz to this dude yh!!!! The new look is stunningly good, extremely cool!!!!
Should work well for the
Should work well for the left handed.
Sucks tbh, lasy skin was a lot more classy.
DZ Knocks it Out of the Park!
DZ,
Great job! There really are no excuses for negative comments whatsoever. As you explained, anyone who does not like the new layout can go into their account settings and simply switch back to V2. I just tested it, and it works as you indicated.
As for me, I think the new layout kicks ass!
Rock on brother!
I Don't Know About Anybody Else...
But I LOVE the new look minus the exclusion of my logo. :(
___________________________________
"An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it." - Gandhi
Nice improvement
As long as all of you are here, I will be here. Change is necessary. Change is what we're about.
The new logo's inspired from
The new logo's inspired from your design though dude.
I think it would look better
I think it would look better with the ads on the far left and the login, blogroll, etc. in the second column. Also, "Tracker" could be named "recent".
But overall looks much better. Good work yh and dz!
wow! way better
I can easliy read the site again.
Looks great through Camino too.
http://www.caminobrowser.org/
cheers,
Less information = worse layout
Does the new layout look good? Absolutely! But is it better? No way. The reason is, it delivers a lot less information than the old layout. Most notably, the recent blog posts and recent comments are absent. The fact that the recent blog posts have been omitted is inexcusable. New visitors to the site will definitely miss out on any of the recent blog posts, simply because they're not featured on the front page. Please, if nothing else, bring back the recent blog posts with the new layout. Either that, or institute the old layout as a default, with the new one as one of the options. Looks are important, sure, but critical information should not be sacrificed in order to achieve one's goals of beauty.
_______________
http://tinyurl.com/q9wdl A must-see for the uninitiated: this video will awaken them from their long slumber
http://tinyurl.com/s8rrp A must-read for believers of the official story: David Ray Griffin administers the red pill
from my perspective the
from my perspective the blogs and events are now more prominent as they are listed at the top of the site, so that new visitors can quickly tell what the major sections of the site are, one of those being blogs.. when you go to that tab you see the most recent blog entries.. there are a number of reasons for no longer showing this block by default, but i will make it where you can go to 'my account' and turn the old 'recent blog entries' and 'recent comments' blocks on if thats what you would rather see..
i can see how showing the recent comments is useful to people already chiming in here, but given the frequent profanity and infighting i dont see putting that on the front page for all to see as a very wise decision..
also, your suggestions directly contradict other suggestions that i've gotten as well, so it isn't going to be possible to please everyone, but i do appreciate your feedback.. be sure to check out 'my account' here in a bit to turn on the old blocks if you wish.
i agree, the recent comments
i agree, the recent comments and recent blog posts will be missed.
you should be able to turn
you should be able to turn them on in your 'my account' section.. let me know if that doesn't work for some reason.
there is only one thing i
there is only one thing i don't like with the design;
the news post seem to much to the right of the screen.
However, i think that adding a small line to the right will make correct that prooblem
-
It's nice but I'd place the advertisements in a column on the right and align the recent headlines link to the left, not justified as they are now for some reason.
For best readability for text you should have about 8-12 word per row. With my resolution I have over 20 words per row. It's slow to read such wide text.