daniel_von_flanagan
<redacted>
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 9,463
Works all day. Posts all night. Needs sleep.
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« Reply #45 on: July 02, 2009, 05:34:26 AM » |
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The new site's home page and other pages look sharp, crisp, clean, modern, and much more similar to other online news sources than previously. It is something of a blend of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal sites with the column setup of the latter but the lightness of the former. The rotating images on the home page are eye-catching.
It's only the forum design in which there are things I don't like. And I think if there is going to be a change, why not improve or add some features? I agree with kedves: Home page good, forums bad. Oh, on the fonts thing: I like that people can't make their fonts big or colorful, I predict that people who overdo this will be people who post everywhere and inappropriately. (вεṡïḋεṡ, ώε сαṉ αlɾεαḋÿ ρøṡτ lïќε τhïṡ; ฬђคt ๓๏гє ๔๏ א๏ย ฬคภt؟ ) - DvF |
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The U.S. Education Department is establishing a new national research center to study colleges' ability to successfully educate the country's growing numbers of academically underprepared administrators.
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normative_
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« Reply #46 on: July 02, 2009, 08:36:44 AM » |
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I agree on the font size. I wouldn't mind different colours, but I have no burning need for it.
I've had a look at the job adverts. What I like about the new format is that you can further isolate your search by region (though I would include other areas of the world as well...it happens frequently enough where I'm looking). What I don't like so much is that you get a list that goes on for several pages, rather than one list. I liked the previous quick overview. It's more time and hassle to flip through the pages.
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Fortune favors the bold. Excellent analysis by Normative. All hail Normie! Normative, that was superb. |
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francie_
The Really Cheerful
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 3,815
The Voice of Reason
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« Reply #47 on: July 02, 2009, 03:38:25 PM » |
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Looks like the "sneak preview" period has ended. Now we wait to see if any of our suggestions were taken to heart.
Mods, any word you can give us regarding the changes would be greatly appreciated.
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Oh realfrancie, so clever!
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fiona
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« Reply #48 on: July 02, 2009, 07:38:46 PM » |
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Re the font size: it's not a matter of being a showoff, but of being able to read it better. Some of us don't have the eyesight we used to.
The Fiona
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The Fiona or perhaps La Fiona
Professor of Thread Killing, Fiork University
The Right Reverend Fiona, PhD, Bishop of the Fora
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keineidee
sun-starved, candle-huffing, magic-8-ball-reading
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 1,869
fighting the hobgoblins with fecklessness
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« Reply #49 on: July 02, 2009, 09:24:15 PM » |
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I mentioned it there, but will also mention it here: I powerfully hate the wide right margin, and especially hate the overlap of the right margin layer on top of the forum posting box. Crazy-making.
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"Miniver thought, and thought, and thought,
And thought about it."
-- E.A. Robinson
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conjugate
Compulsive punster and insatiable reader, and
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 17,026
Tends to have warped sense of humor
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« Reply #50 on: July 02, 2009, 11:26:24 PM » |
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Re the font size: it's not a matter of being a showoff, but of being able to read it better. Some of us don't have the eyesight we used to.
The Fiona
Well, that might be fixable via browser settings. Check around under menu items like Tools and Options for text size. I don't remember how to do it myself. |
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Unfortunately, I think conjugate gives good advice.
∀ε>0∃δ>0∋|x–a|<δ⇒|ƒ(x)-ƒ(a)|<ε |
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moderator
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« Reply #51 on: July 02, 2009, 11:39:44 PM » |
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Yes, the sneak preview period is over. Thanks for taking some time to look at it and let us know what you think. We appreciate it. We can’t promise every issue raised will be addressed, but be assured that we’re serious about listening to your feedback. This is major redesign for us — and is accompanied by a move for the first time to a modern content-management system that will contain all the articles, photos, job ads, and blog posts on chronicle.com. So there are substantial issues for us to work out that stretch far beyond the design. (We’re basically rebuilding most parts of the site from scratch). That said, the Forums are not being overhauled. Instead, we are skinning the same version of SMF so that it works within the new design. Obviously, we made some mistakes in doing that and we’ll get them taken care of. We're also examining the latest version of SMF, which came out recently, to see if it works better. We’ll look into the font issues that posters mentioned. It’s fine with my browser configuration, but clearly not OK for everyone. We can increase the font size across the board in the Forums. We will make sure that no pages or buttons or scroll bars end up underneath other boxes. That’s certainly not acceptable. We’ll look at the colors — but they will be broadly in the same blue color palette. Finally, the width of the column. For now we’ll be keeping the narrower column, which I realize frustrates some (maybe many) people. We will consider other options (I’ve already talked about some this week with the developers) but we’re balancing a number of issues, most notably how to connect the Forums to the other parts of the site and do so within the constraints of the templates. I’m happy to talk further with anyone about these issues or anything else related to the site. You can reach me directly at scott.smallwood@chronicle.com. And thanks again for giving it a look. -Scott Smallwood Managing Editor, Chronicle.com P.S. We don’t have a firm date but hope to have it launched later this summer. |
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oldadjunct
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« Reply #52 on: July 03, 2009, 01:09:09 AM » |
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Yes, the sneak preview period is over. Thanks for taking some time to look at it and let us know what you think. We appreciate it. We can’t promise every issue raised will be addressed, but be assured that we’re serious about listening to your feedback.We’ll look into the font issues that posters mentioned. It’s fine with my browser configuration, but clearly not OK for everyone. We can increase the font size across the board in the Forums. We will make sure that no pages or buttons or scroll bars end up underneath other boxes. That’s certainly not acceptable. We’ll look at the colors — but they will be broadly in the same blue color palette.Finally, the width of the column. For now we’ll be keeping the narrower column, which I realize frustrates some (maybe many) people. We will consider other options (I’ve already talked about some this week with the developers) but we’re balancing a number of issues, most notably how to connect the Forums to the other parts of the site and do so within the constraints of the templates. I’m happy to talk further with anyone about these issues or anything else related to the site. You can reach me directly at scott.smallwood@chronicle.com. And thanks again for giving it a look. -Scott Smallwood Managing Editor, Chronicle.com P.S. We don’t have a firm date but hope to have it launched later this summer. Your call is important to us, thank you for holding. We have already committed to a color palate. If you object please press 1 to be disconnected immediately, or 2 to have this message in 2nd Dynasty Egyptian, press 3 for Laotian. If you object to the new margins, press pi or please hold for the next available operator... Thank you for calling. Your call will be answered by the next available adjunct. Because your call is important to us, it will be recorded for customer service purposes. Please be aware that under FERPA your questions will not be answered and your customer service adjunct will be unavailable for follow up. Your current hold time is....... (dial tone) |
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Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Fiction is baseball; Rhetoric is football.
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daniel_von_flanagan
<redacted>
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 9,463
Works all day. Posts all night. Needs sleep.
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« Reply #53 on: July 03, 2009, 04:47:39 AM » |
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What oldadjunct said. Incidentally, anyone with tired eyes who uses Firefox as browser should get the nosquint extension. - DvF |
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The U.S. Education Department is establishing a new national research center to study colleges' ability to successfully educate the country's growing numbers of academically underprepared administrators.
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normative_
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« Reply #54 on: July 03, 2009, 04:48:58 AM » |
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What oldadjunct said.
Thirded. Great post, OA. |
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« Last Edit: July 03, 2009, 04:49:31 AM by normative_ »
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Fortune favors the bold. Excellent analysis by Normative. All hail Normie! Normative, that was superb. |
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leadership1
New member
Posts: 1
Leadership, Leadership Management and Leadership
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« Reply #55 on: July 03, 2009, 05:08:58 AM » |
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I absolutely love the design, you've taken the chronicle in a good direction.
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conjugate
Compulsive punster and insatiable reader, and
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 17,026
Tends to have warped sense of humor
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« Reply #56 on: July 03, 2009, 05:24:24 AM » |
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Incidentally, anyone with tired eyes who uses Firefox as browser should get the nosquint extension. - DvF Thank you for that. I haven't fiddled with it yet, but it certainly helps. |
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Unfortunately, I think conjugate gives good advice.
∀ε>0∃δ>0∋|x–a|<δ⇒|ƒ(x)-ƒ(a)|<ε |
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voxprincipalis
Foxaliciously Cinnamon-Scented (and Most Poetic)
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 17,442
Has potentially infinite removable wallets
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« Reply #57 on: July 03, 2009, 06:19:15 AM » |
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For now we’ll be keeping the narrower column, which I realize frustrates some (maybe many) people.
This single decision is a dealbreaker and likely to make me not use the site. Everything else I can deal with, but this single thing is a huge barrier to usability. No one will use a site that isn't user-friendly. Wow, think of all the hours of my life I could get back. VP |
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If you need me, I'll be hiding under a rock until mid-August. Try not to need me, unless you come bearing Chinese food.
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notaprof
Not a
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 11,084
This space for rent
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« Reply #58 on: July 03, 2009, 06:48:14 AM » |
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For now we’ll be keeping the narrower column, which I realize frustrates some (maybe many) people.
This single decision is a dealbreaker and likely to make me not use the site. Everything else I can deal with, but this single thing is a huge barrier to usability. No one will use a site that isn't user-friendly. Wow, think of all the hours of my life I could get back. VP There may be a solution if you have something that I have at the bottom right-hand side of the screen. I have this is both Internet Explorer and Firefox and on every computer I have used but maybe there are some that don't have it. It is a plus-sign button next to "100%." When I click the button, it enlarges the screen to 125% of normal and if click it again, it enlarges the screen to 150%. The 125% setting leaves just the left column visible on my screen. The 150% setting makes the forum posting area completely fill the screen and extend slightly beyond so I don't always use that setting. However with the narrow columns in the beta version, the 150% setting used most of the screen and has nice big font that is easy on my eyes. You do have to use the mouse pad each time you move to a new page in the thread to recenter the center column on the computer screen but the ease of reading the larger font makes it worth it to me. If you click the down arrow next to the 100%, you can choose other larger and smaller sizes and can even do a custom size to make a perfect fit of the posting column to your screen and not have to see either of the annoying columns on the right or the left. This setting remains as long as I am on the forum, but when you go to other sites, you have to enlarge each new site you visit. There is probably a way to permantly do this and some smart forumite will probably come along and tell us how. I didn't notice this option until a couple of months ago so maybe some of you have it and just never noticed. If you don't have the option at the bottom of your screen, I am sorry and I don't know how I got so lucky. |
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"That's a great deal to make one word mean," Alice said in a thoughtful tone.
"When I make a word do a lot of work like that," said Humpty Dumpty, "I always pay it extra."
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voxprincipalis
Foxaliciously Cinnamon-Scented (and Most Poetic)
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 17,442
Has potentially infinite removable wallets
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« Reply #59 on: July 03, 2009, 06:57:16 AM » |
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There may be a solution if you have something that I have at the bottom right-hand side of the screen. I have this is both Internet Explorer and Firefox and on every computer I have used but maybe there are some that don't have it.
Perhaps you are on Windows? The size of the text is not a problem for me, so zooming the window so as to make the words bigger does not really solve my problem. There will still only be approximately six words per line, even if they are in 60-pt. type. (OK, I exaggerate because I'm so annoyed by this. I'm sure there are at least seven or eight words per line.) Besides, any "solution" that relies on the user being forced to manipulate their browser settings to navigate the site is not a solution. (I'm not yelling at you, notaprof.) VP |
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If you need me, I'll be hiding under a rock until mid-August. Try not to need me, unless you come bearing Chinese food.
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