Website Changes

[BobD]

Thanks to Vivvo and Handibunny (who both stole my thunder <GRIN>) I may as well announce some of the upcoming changes to the website.

If you click on any of the posts by vivvo in the Publisher Feedback area, you'll get a chance to look at our new website. One thing we're trying to do on the new website is to get away from the "Issue-Centered" approach we have now.

As it is now, to find any information, you've got to know what issue the information was in, and how to find the back issues.

The new website will be "content-centered" so you can search for specific information...such as "fretwork" or "intarsia."

We're still working on it, so what you're seeing my not be the final layout, but we'd love to hear what you think (while we can still make changes easily). Please leave your feedback here or on Handibunny's thread at
New Format Reactions

Bob

[handibunny]

Sorry we beat you to the punch, Bob. Got to start getting up earlier . . . .

[yost69]

I think it will make finding stuff alot easier for sure. One thing I noticed is that there is a typo in the spypod article.

As I child I was fascinated

You asked for feedback. lol

Ben

[Janette]

I guess the only thing that concerns me is that you're posting articles that appeared in the magazine - that people pay for. Won't this give people an excuse not to buy the magazine if they can go to the website and read the articles for free?

[BobD]

We always post articles from in the magazine. That's how we hope to encourage people to subscribe. All of the articles you see going up on the new site are already posted on this site, but it's difficult to find them.

Thanks Janette...that really illustrates to me how poorly this site is organized right now!

Bob

[wood-n-things]

I finally after clicking around for an hour found a snippet of the new site. I gotta say it looks more like a blogging site. I think it needs more character or color or something. I can't put my finger on it but it is bland.


hey you asked....

[BobD]

Good point, Mike. We don't have ANY of the skins we plan to use in place yet. We're just working on the content now.

By skins, I mean the personalized background and images that set our site apart. What you're seeing now does look like a blogging site because you're seeing just the bare basics of the site...and many bloggers never take their site beyond that.

Bob

[wood-n-things]

Bob,
Thanks for the clarification....I'll be watching your progress to see how it goes....Not that what I think makes a hill of beans..that isn't what I was trying to say...I'll just be curious how it transforms...Oh I'll just hush up now...<smile>

[Janette]

Oh I knew about the articles Bob - just the way they were shown you could tell it was one article from that issue. By clicking on the new ones, it didn't occur to me that it would be single articles. I thought you were putting all of them up there - ok blonde moment over now.

[Scrolling Days]

I think it is a good idea being able to access old articles by category. The vivvo thing on the Forum seems kind of strange, though.......

"Good morning, Dave, (whoops), Shawn, how are you today?"



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"I'm doing well, HAL, (whoops), Vivvo. Can you find an elephant intarsia article for me?"
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"I'm afraid I can't do that, Shawn. Can I interest you in an article on the meaning of humanity?"


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___________

LOL, I've become more tech savvy since joining the Forum, I suppose I can get used to an ArticleBot poster as well.

I agree with the notion that the website should move away from an issue based format. I do think that issue based conversation should survive in some capacity, however. When a new issue comes out, people jump like crickets around here to anxiously discuss everything which is in it. I would suggest maintaining some area/sub-Forum where Forum members can discuss primarily articles and features in the most recent issue.

Just my couple of pennies.