Linking in two pages for examples of an alternative.
http://www.amazingtechs.com/
http://amazingtechs.com/index.php?showtopic=22014&
Interesting possibilities. And compare to ours.
Printable View
Linking in two pages for examples of an alternative.
http://www.amazingtechs.com/
http://amazingtechs.com/index.php?showtopic=22014&
Interesting possibilities. And compare to ours.
Alternatives? They have no ads. They must be privately owned sites. And the 2 columns on either side of the main table on that 1st one, taken together, are just as wide on my screen, as the one ad here.
Goose,
Perhaps it may not be an example of a (Jupiter) site that has "evolved" in to the planned final format, but if you take a look at http://www.codeguru.com/forum/ it seems to be an example of something where they have some of the same fundimental layout characteristics the vdr does, but with perhaps a more acceptable implementation. For instance, they have ads on the right side, but in any case I could see those ads are kept to the thinner (manageable) width type. Where wider ads are used, such as when you open a particular thread, the ads then shift to the top of the page. Now I noted that in the case where you are viewing a thread that the content display did exceed the screen boundries (cause the scroll bar to appear and be used), but this looks to be something that is caused by a bug/mis-coding in the page and not something that should really be there.
In other words, in cases I say browsing around screen boundries were maintained, ads were either kept to a manageable width or moved to a top of page location where needed, and a better use of "page real estate" seemed to be in effect.
I may not have explained this all sensibly so ya may just want to browse around that forum and see.
I saw something that was pleasing to my eyes and easy to use. I will look further into this as you suggest.
I have just looked at: http://www.codeguru.com/forum/ and find they have a similar setup to ours. There is one big difference. The individual thread pages are formatted full page.
This means that the forums index and individual forum index have the wide margins for ads. But the individual thread pages are full width.
The home page is full of info at the top and then breaks into the forums down the page.
After going through the index pages and being exposed to the ads why does the member have to look at the ads on the page he is working with in a thread?
This is a much more pleasing JupitorMedia website and has better continuity to it.
codeguru looks like what I had hoped we would look like.....not as feature rich as we are though.
Poppy4,
As I said, I think codeguru offers something that might be a viable compromise to members, and would encourage people to browse around it (focusing on ad placement, page real estate taken up by ads, and such). I'm not sure what you mean though by "not as feature rich".
Doc, I just went back to codeguru and checked, and the features I was referring to ( thread tools and the others)... ARE there...so I am in error...:o
I do like the look of it and of course that fact that the posts go across the page.
No problem poppy.
My reasons in posting a link to that site is that it is a Jupiter site, it is running our version of board software, it has undergone some of the page layout changes we have, but those changes are implemented in a way that would seem more paletable to vdr members. If nothing else it at least would seem to offer something we could all (both sides) work from.
...and I would definitely welcome a compromise right now.....Quote:
Originally Posted by DrMDJ
I find it particularly 'gut-wrenching'.....if I may overstate my emotions, when I read posts of members who are going to quit, or not come here as often... and these are normal contributors to VDR..
it's like family leaving because gramma put gravy on the 'taters....
I know in time these wrinkles will be worked out......but patience is a hard to come by commodity....here at least... :p
Maybe its the 'nature of the beast' :confused:
poppy
The site you posted will look like this one sometime between now and the time I'm done upgrading all the forums' software.
Unfortunately I had a feeling you were going to say that JP. And that is troubling.
It seems at the end of the day that the full "new look" was implemented here on vdr first of all the Jupiter sites. We didn't just get a board upgrade (like others did), we got the whole nine yards (the final vision) including the layout and ad changes all at once, without any prior warning to boot. And honestly, it would seem without any concern for member reaction. The members here thought they were getting a board software upgrade, but got much more than that (and not in a good way).
I know these things were not directly your call JP, but I can only hope that Jupiter will now after the fact be will to listen to its customers (as board members are customers) and be willing at least to find some middle ground. I think the current layout at a place like codeguru would be workable (other members can give their opinion). But I think that it would be very bad, and very bad timing, for Jupiter to take a position here of "we decided to do this, and that's the way it is". No one is disputing that Jupiter is driven by business needs, and ads are a part of that. But customer/member needs/wants need to also be part of the equation. I know that my saying this is preaching to someone caught in the middle. But it is people like you (and Big John) that we must rely on to convey the member feelings.
I just hope there is ground to work this all out so both sides can be happy, or at least that Jupiter is will to try.
Actually it was 4th.
Ah, Ok. But I've heard that at least two (maybe more) of those sites had very low member populations compared to vdr.
Regardless, I'll stick to the rest of what I said above. We'll have to see what happens now.