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new look and feel in forums and I don't like it


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So I went on a quick trip and come home and find the PN forums have a new look and feel. I have to admit, though

I'm ranting a bit as well, that I do not like the new look and feel. Sometimes I think too much technology or

whistles and bells and the experience suffers. I understand the need to remain competitive, breathing in new

life, but now it seems dificult to just read what I want to read. I never was a fan of the unified view, just a

simple listing of forum by topic and a broad listing of each posting was nice and easy, now it pops up all over

the place with help and hints I don't need and a confusing listing below. Its irritating because I want to click

and it wants to hover a dialog box telling me the obvious - medium format is for medium format discussions, yeah

I got that from the title, duh. ok I'm venting I digress. I don't know which listing, the bold or subtle is the

current posts I want to read or just general 'latest posts', I can't make heads or tails of whats in front of me now.

 

I have been a lurker on PN for years under a few names (I keep forgetting passwords and changing email addresses)

and was on the verge of actually paying the subscriber fee this time but now I don't know. Am I the only one

that doesn't like the new look and feel to the forums? if So I'll go elsewhere that's not a big deal. Sorry for

venting, part of me knows why change is implemented and a big part of me resists that change. I really do not

like how PN forums are now and fear I may be the only one unfortunately I don't think the quality of other photo

forums is all that good, here people contributed a lot.

 

Just my opinion and I'll probably get yelled at for it.

 

Confused by whats on my screen.

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Chris,

 

I don't like it either but the site has value and deserves to make money to stay alive as subscriptions alone don't do it. As it can be seen at a glance who subscribes and who doesn't, there seem to be many who don't feel a subscription is a valid exchange for the information they receive from this site -- you apparently have been most at home in this group for years.

 

I can't imagine that anyone who has been tuning in to this site over the years thinks the ads and some format decisions are improvements, but I suspect they still appreciate the communication and the quality of art displayed. Is it worth the peripheral distraction of ads? I think so. $25 bucks a year? You bet. Do the ads suck? Absolutely.

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Peter,

 

Chris did not comment on the ads, he commented on the new look of the forums, which might be confusing for some, its just normal. Opposing change is human nature.

 

Also, since you discussed the economics part, I dont think that this site runs from the subscribers annual fees. What brings sponsers to a website, its popularity, and the popularity is not by subscribers here, its more by the registered users who make this popular. The moderators can correct me if I am wrong.They come here because the quality of this site, like Chris said is the best out there.

 

Chris, I don't think this is that different than before, you can now additionally see the popular discussions which is an added advantage. You can choose not to see it and go to the new ones. Its just a changed way of looking at it.

 

I learned this from someone and always remember it " I would rather change my mind and succeed, than stick to what I think is right and fail".

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Being old enough to collect Social Security I like the new type size.

(By the way, if you don't care for the larger type size just hold down CTL

and press either + or - to change the size.)

 

I also like seeing the number of responses to an original post.

 

But, the most important element of any site is the content -- and that

hasn't changed. Photo.net's content is still excellent.

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Bruce just likes to complain.

 

Chris, I'm confused. The "unified view" is the same as it ever was.

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/unified/

 

Perhaps you are referring to the "forum index page"?

 

http://www.photo.net/community/

 

I'm not sure why you are even using that page if you are already familiar with the site. Why not just navigate through the dropdown menus? The Forum Index Page is meant for people who don't really know what the site or forums are about.

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Personally, I like the listing of the active threads on top.<br>

<br>

But...<br>

<br>

I really dislike the titles of the treads below being in <b>BOLDFACE type</b>. It really makes them harder, not easier, to

read. If the title of the threads below can be rendered using the normal typeface (just like the title of the active threads on

top are), then I think the thread listings will become much more readable than they are now.<br>

<br>

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I agree with Peter. Check my post on this thread: <a

href="http://www.photo.net/site-feedback-forum/00Q6mS">http://www.photo.net/site-feedback-forum/00Q6mS</a> (closed down

don't know why, would like some feedback).

<br /><br />

One thing that bugs me is that the typeface changed for the forum listings, but in the message body it's still

the old one, seems a bit "decoupled".

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I'm pretty new to photo.net, And I have to say,

 

I dont like the forums at all.

 

Flame me if you wish, But I've created a few web-sites myself and being totally honest, These forums are visually boring (not what you'd expect from a big photographic site which I'm sure has tons of budding photographers willing to freely submit some stock photography to help the forums and themes.

 

Even using a system like Phpbb would be far more user friendly, and navigation would be far easier.

 

below is a link to the last website I created, (for a gaming clan) but it is now barely used due to myself leaving them and the others not being able to work the admin side of the site.

 

http://thefallenonesclan.com/tfo/

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<p>I <strong>loathe</strong> phpBB and its ilk. I hate forums with

busy-busy-lines-boxes-images-silly-fonts-hundreds-of-dropdowns-and-shaded-backgrounds and other rubbish.</p>

 

<p>All I want to read are the words. Anything - and I mean *anything* else on the page is a distraction. Most sites

put other rubbish to make the page look pretty because the words on their own are too weak and meaningless to

stand up for themselves. Luckily that's not the case at photo.net.</p>

 

<p>Most web "designers" haven't a clue about readability, usability or design and should be shot if they attempt to

step within 500 feet of setting up a forum.</p>

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Sorry Leigh,

 

These forums have looked this way for almost a decade now. We make small changes, but we're highly unlikely to EVER make the kinds of changes that would make Photo.net look like your gaming clan website. For one thing, I personally dislike that kind of clutter in a forum and for another, I would instantly hear from a couple hundred thousand angry photo.net members who feel the same way.

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  • 2 weeks later...

simply that (like you say) things have been this way a while..

While 99% of websites ar econstantly updated and kept fresh & modern.

 

i'm not implying that photo.net should undertake a massive change or even become anything like my own example.

certainly not, a Gaming clan site is aimed at a certain target audience, and so will undertake a certain "Style"

 

my whole point was, Photo.net forums, look lazy, unprofessional and just plain boring.

Personally I dont care if they do or dont change( I'm here for the words, not the font)

 

But I would recommend maybe a slightly more "Visually professional system"

as appose to the sort of thing, people have been seing on the bottom of amazon item descriptions for 10 years.

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