Visual Update (Sept 2008)

[Andy]

Last night we tweaked a few things on the site, mainly related to either navigation or advertising. I won't go into details for everything - there are only a few important things to note.

Top Navigation:

There are two navigation strips at the top. The Stores link now has a dropdown menu, and the Amazon stores have been embedded in the site (http://www.youngwritersonline.net/store_us.php).

In the bottom strip, we added a link to the SBS Magazine blog and removed some other things. Overall, it's less crowded.

When nobody is in the chatroom, the Users Chatting link will disappear. When people are in the chatroom, you can see who's in it by clicking the [Number] that appears. Guests still cannot see who's chatting.


User CP Navigation:

The sidebar in the User Control Panel now has buttons that let you hide or reveal certain parts. For example, if you never use Subscriptions, you can click its blue button to hide all of its links.


Advertising and Sponsors:

We've put some advertisements and sponsor links on some pages to help pay for the site (which is going somewhat poorly at the moment). We will NEVER use ads that move, make noise, or pop up, and the ones we have added, we've tried to make as un-annoying as possible.


Bugs and Such

It seems Internet Explorer is having some minor issues with the new navigation at the top. It's nothing major - just that the dropdown menus are not properly aligned. I will try to fix this later today when I have access to a Windows computer.

If you see anything else that doesn't seem right, please send me a message.

[jordanisonfire]

Not sure if I prefer it. I don't exactly mind, it's not like it affects the site's awesome-o-meter. I think the ads are easier on the eyes and they don't all look terribly like scams.

[Andy]

Okay, I think I've fixed the Internet Explorer bug. Since the button's text was aligned in the middle, it figured the left side of the menus should be aligned in the middle as well. I also made the borders less thick and dark for IE - it should look less like someone took a piece of charcoal and smeared their borders. :)

If for some reason anyone's still seeing weird things, please let me know.

[Carraka]

Could you make the Users Chatting part of a drop-down menu that drops down from the chatroom link?

Just a thought.

Otherwise ... yeah.

It'll take a while to get used to the new navigation, but it's not like we don't have a while.

[Andy]

Sure, good idea. I'll do it later when I'm near an IE computer. :)

Not much has changed, really. Everything's near where it's been before.

[Nyx]

I'm not really a fan of the big blocky navigation on the top, I really dislike the random empty boxes...it just looks unprofessional.


http://i33.tinypic.com/25ul8pw.jpg


But everything else is pretty cool. Hopefully the new ads will bring in some money for YWO.

[Andy]

Would anyone else be in favor of removing the box edges at the top? Like so? (Ignore the messed-up Community description).

Or maybe have them evenly-spaced?

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m71/teenwrite/noborders.jpg

[Nyx]

waaay better without the line spaces?

[Starry]

Yeah, I definitely approve of the evenly spaced one. The random gaps make it look like there should be a link there but it isn't loading or something. (I've had massive internet issues lately, so I'm a bit paranoid about that sort of thing.)

[Andy]

Shaun and I were contemplating putting small text ads there - yes, there was a reason for the spaces. :P

[Majyk]

I suppose that way it does look more, well, even, but I also think it's fine the way it is. Right now it's like in little groups, that one looks like it's all together.
Okay, I was no help. xD

[Shaun]

I have big problems with taking the lines away. It might seem simple to us, because we're all members here, but to new users they won't notice that there are two forum sections if we take the lines away and on't separate.

[Carraka]

I prefer it without the lines, but I don't mind it with the lines.
Please don't put small ads in the spaces.
I think evening the spacing of the links might make navigation more difficult, since they aren't in clumps of ... related ... ness. Or not.

[Shaun]

We're not putting ads in those spaces unless someone gives us ten billion dollars to do so.

[Nyx]

I have big problems with taking the lines away. It might seem simple to us, because we're all members here, but to new users they won't notice that there are two forum sections if we take the lines away and on't separate.

Well then the sections should be loaded, because as Starry said, it looks like something should be there but its not coming up.

[Starry]

Can we make them evenly spaced then, and leave the lines in between the links? Or would that look funny? I just don't like the clumping.

[Majyk]

Does it really matter that much? I mean to us--the older members. It still works spaced out like this. And the little clumps sort of go together.

[Starry]

Sort of, but not really. The random gaps still really bother me, and probably will for a while if they aren't changed (considering I'm still annoyed about the really ugly new quote thing xP)

[Andy]

What do you think of this? The block lines are gone, and so is the blank space, but they're still in groups. It's a horizontal line going through the middle.

OR, the block lines can be added back, with these horizontal ones also.

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m71/teenwrite/test2.jpg

[Majyk]

Well, that at least it won't look like something's missing I guess. But I already said it looked fine, so... Yeah.

Sort of, but not really. The random gaps still really bother me, and probably will for a while if they aren't changed (considering I'm still annoyed about the really ugly new quote thing xP)

Things change; I suppose I just get used to them after a while. It's not like I have control over the way things on the site look anyway :p

[Starry]

Hmmm, that I like, actually. It's all pretty!

But if you take into consideration what Shaun said about new users not realizing there are two separate forum sections, you might want to add the vertical bars back in between each pairing but keep the horizontals.

Wow, I'm being picky, aren't I? Whatever, I don't have anything else to do at the moment besides complain. :)

[Andy]

Things change; I suppose I just get used to them after a while. It's not like I have control over the way things on the site look anyway :p
We don't change things for the sake of it. We only do it if we have to, or unless we both feel something's more convenient. The top was crowded, and there was no place for the SBS link. And we both felt the critiques looked easier on the eyes than the large blue boxes they used to be in.

[Shaun]

We do take what you all say into account, just not on every single thing :P. If we did that it'd be chaos :p. But we do appreciate that you voice your concerns. And now we'll make more changes based on what has been said.

[Nyx]

What do you think of this? The block lines are gone, and so is the blank space, but they're still in groups. It's a horizontal line going through the middle.

OR, the block lines can be added back, with these horizontal ones also.

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m71/teenwrite/test2.jpg

That looks a thousand times better.

[Zombified]

When I first logged on I freaked out at the changes, now I really like them.

Nice job Andy.

:)

[Shaun]

Don't thank him. I did all the work :P

[Majyk]

We don't change things for the sake of it. We only do it if we have to, or unless we both feel something's more convenient. The top was crowded, and there was no place for the SBS link. And we both felt the critiques looked easier on the eyes than the large blue boxes they used to be in.

Oh, I know. I like the way it looks now, though. ^^

[Andy]

You did not leave those spaces for ads, you left them because I said the forum sections weren't obvious enough, so you separated them! Men ...
You think you were the only person who thought they weren't obvious enough? I've gotten emails from new members asking where to post their literature. I don't even remember you saying that. I'm no idea thief.

I've edited the blank boxes at the top, which nobody yet has voiced concern over. And I will add a Who's Chatting link as a drop-down menu for the Chatroom soon, as suggested by Carraka. For now, just click the [Number] when it appears.

Another cool thing I forgot to mention: If you use the User CP Menu to change your sig or avatar, it will take you back to the previous page you were viewing after you're done.

[Andy]

Awesome, another vote of confidence! :D I actually sort of like the gray style now. Those three buttons always gave me a headache.

[Nyx]

It looks great,! ^^