Ask Designer Shy
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Yes, yes, YES.... I am the evil designer of the new NB. (Someone was going to do it eventually, so why not me? :))
While I designed the site, many of the nuts and bolts features we were so used to -- along with certain aesthetic elements -- were beyond my control/outside my jurisdiction. But ask me anyway, as I can glean some insight on these matters. I am "sporadically" in touch with the guys at the top, but as you can imagine they are very busy working on improvements and juggling so many issues that come with a brand-new, from-the-ground-up site and new server.
I also figured it was time to open a new forum, so we're not dealing with the multiple-page headache of our comments.
- Shy Fonts
As the tracking feature.
Can someone explain to me how to delete PMs?
are undeletable!!
They are like stains, you can never get rid of them!
BWUAAAA HAAA HAAA
"Lib free or die"
Stop making me laugh. It's just too easy.
Yeah, I'm pretty much "of understanding" that our inboxes are going to be a mess. Yuck. I hate being disorganized.
Shucks the evil bug killers fixed it.
they have destroyed my evil plot of dissssorganizing your inbox!!!!!!!!
I thought I might get used to the grey font if I just gave it time, but......no. Everything expressed in the grey seems like it's making less of a statement. It reminds me of how a pair of black jeans looks after it's been washed fifty times. They just don't look "sharp." They've lost their joie de vivre; their "chi."
So could we please, please, PLEASE have black font AND tracking back?
not a question, just a comment:
imho (fwiw ;), the "hot topics" line at the top of the page is just a space waster, especially because it takes up real estate on the all-important home page.
MrShy, I've read Newsbusters for about four years and post occasionally. The reason I kept coming back was content and COMMENTS. This new format with all the white space and small font combined with a major amount of space dedicated Twitter, Facebook, Newsbusters staff, etc... is disheartening. The amount of content/comments per page has shrunk and it is a chore to navigate around. Kinda like my dog asking why I got him Fixed when he wasn't broke.
NewsBusters is becoming the Incredible Shrinking Website!!!! There is soooooo little room for the blogs and the comments. And of course the long thread of comments is getting SKINNY!
"Patience is a virtue."
"So is breathing!"
- North By Northwest, 1959
- Shy, Damage Control Dept.
I'm not feeling very virtuous right now. ;-)
Hey, as someone mentioned above, will you guys be posting the updates or time frame on where you are on debugging the new site?
Well, it's been a nice ride, but your influence seems to be..."I'll bring it up, when I can, if I can...." I understand that...been there, done it. It's not your fault...I understand that also. That being said, it's time to move on.
I read horizontally, not vertically. Never followed threads in the old system after the 4th or 5th sub-reply because of the pp display, no sense in trying to read them here at all, because it starts almost from the original post.
I considered long whether to donate during the fund raiser, since I felt this site serves a better purpose than donating to political campaigns. You see, here I could speak and be heard; donating to a politician is to never be heard. Unfortunately, there appears to be no difference any more. There is no one listening here either.
Glad you tried; it just fell short. That's the most charitable way I can put it. Best of luck in your future endeavors.
V/R
Clyde
I'm in touch with the people at NB who are behind the rebuild/development of the new site.
Please be patient, as I'm pretty confident they're working to fix the narrow-width issue with the new format.
- Shy Who Tries
On my monitor these replies mostly are 2" wide?!?! What's up with that?
Nice job standing in there and taking the shots for the team. I've tried a couple of site designs myself, in Photoshop, and I know how difficult it can be. I didn't even try to code them- way, way over my head.
My only suggestion at this point -and it's more for Matt than for you- is that he post another thread that says something to the effect that they're listening, and working on fixing the bugs and addressing the member-concerns. I know you've mentioned that, but Matt came out with the "We're here" post the other day -it would be nice to see him post a "We're working on it" follow up. It might help calm the anxiety around here.
Tell you one thing though- I think the massive amount of comment -through multiple threads- is an indication of just how important NB is to so many daily lives. That's a great credit to everyone involved -including you- and hopefully the powers that be realize this and don't second-guess the upgrade.
Just my two cents. -Bob
Great idea, that NB post a follow-up thread updating people -- especially the many committed, long-standing NB'ers who've been loyal followers and have helped to spread the NB word -- on the progress of the smaller functioning components of this fine site.
I'll forward this to Matthew when I have a minute, if he hasn't already read it.
- Shy Remixed
I must admit MANY things are bugging me about the new site! One thing is that when I click on a comment to read it, I'm diverted to the page, then taken to the bottom of the page to a reply box. Sometimes the comment is halfway up the page and I have to scroll down to find it. I'd also like to see more than the four most recent comments. Before NB showed about 8 recent comments.
O.k., so I went to post this and I see I only have a preview button. I can't just hit save from here?
Just noticed this today when I use my mouse wheel to scroll down a blog page (not the home page, but a blog with comments). When I scroll, the pages seem to go to a refresh mode which causes "flashes", for lack of a better word. Wish I could describe it better for you, but it's definitely annoying.
This is not on every blog post, but several of them.
The NB site (as well as many other sites) display on my widescreen computer with space at the left and right.
However, the Drudge Report fills the entire width of my screen, whether it's a widescreen or 4x3 monitor.
Is there any way for the NB site to fill my widescreen monitor; having the columns adjust accordingly?
Just curious.
Hey mom_rox...
YES, I was told (somewhere on a post the other day by one of the higher-ups) that they are working on this. The old NB site did this, so they're trying to apply it again. It just takes more development/coding time, that's all.
- Shy... For all your NB questions.
keep up the good work.
You can ask me questions or complain/commend the design that way, too. Go right ahead. :)
Also, you're all welcome to visit my web/media design portfolio.
- Shy Design With a Dash of Funk, Inc.
Did you purposely design the threads to take up less than half of the screen, or was that a suggestion by your employer?
I designed this site with the heightened annoyance/irritation level of its liberal guests very much in mind. And my employer encouraged this, of course.
:)
Enjoy NB 2.0 (or NB X.0 .... Cougar, Panther, you name it....)
- Shy Vermouth
I see the recent comments are back on every page. I have faith in you and NB's. The tracking feature and were back in business.
Your a stand up guy for taking ALL of the heat, appreciate it
Shy,
Do you think they will fix the problem (even on the old version) where if the comments go to a 2 pages or more in length that any *new will be identifieable?
To many times I had to scroll through all the comments on a 2nd or 3rd page finding the latest comment because NB dropped the *new when you went to the next page.
Hey, I'll put a word into Matthew about that... although, I think if it returns to the 300 limit (is that what it was?), than only when threads are unusually long is it an issue.
And UGH.... so now we have that middle column here, too? Oh boy.... get ready for a whole new host of complaints... we can't afford another column on these sub-pages with comments, with the way they thread. They should just put "Recent Comments" under the log-in/out box, I think.
HOWEVER, I do believe the site will be adjustable to the browser width soon, so maybe they're planning for this.
- Shy(ster)
where's the open thread?
EDIT: Actually, I see there's an open thread... (did it return today??)
where's the ability to show new posts first?
I'm confident the many features we were all used to (although, I never used this one personally, and didn't know it existed :p) will trickle back in. The site was completely redeveloped from the ground-up, including a new server (I think :p Again, I was just the designer.... "Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player.")
where's the backtrack facility to check past threads and see if any new posts are showing?
Tracking should return, too... many things got lost in the shuffle to get the new site up in a timely fashion.
why don't recent posts show in a thread?
"Recent Comments" should be on all pages, and they'll get around to this, too, I'm confident.
With all this said, I designed the new overall layout and look-and-feel, i.e. the new masthead (logo, navigation, carousel, etc.), *fonts, colors, and so forth.
* I agree with many here that the user comment font should return to the old version.... a basic helvetica/arial, and maybe back to black, and with some dividing lines perhaps, too. We all really liked the unique comment threading here at NB. My mock-ups concentrated on the articles (which I thought were a bit ugly on the old site, and articles are commonly a softer and more serif'y style...)
- Shy, Enemy & Hero of NB
Hey Hero& Enemy of NB...I'm in the minority I know, but I really love the new site, takes some getting used to, but as far as I'm concerned it's better...plus I love the softer color schemes etc...anyway, just wanted to thank all that did the work, much needed work too.
Plus I really like where the add on feature is listed at the bottomm of each blog post...really helps to remember to use it if you've been here a long time, having it where it was before you tended to forget.
Think you did a great job, plus I've followed all the questions you've answered others have had and it's helped me out with navigation as well along the way...plus learned from others who have said what/where to click in their back & forths.
Thanks!! And got your other post... sorry I didn't reply yesterday, but been so swamped...
I think anything new just takes a little getting use to, and they are working out a lot of the more rudimentary kinks that materialized in the process of developing an entirely revamped site.
One thing I really don't like now is this added column put on all the pages... It gives us the Recent Comments, but I figured they could put these elements into the far-right column :(
- Shy (Sort Of-) Help Desk
MrS...
Heck...that doesn't even bother me...must be getting mellower as time passes on...eh?
I truly like the way everything is spead out and at your fingertips instantly.
I like the way the comments are displayed as well without the boxes around it.
Heck...I just plain like it...a lot.
Hope all is and has been good for you in your world old friend...been busy myself...hows the music world been treating you?
Check back in a bit, got to get some things tended to...thanks for the reply, besides that, I know you've been swamped, I've got a kick out of it. ;-)
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What happened to the icon in the comments box which gave us the ability to indent?