Okay, wtf is with the new layout

[DWS]

yes, the corporate profit mentality does blur things a bit

 

[lostprophet]

well I have just suffered the new look for about 2 minutes, that was truly awful.

its a sad day for TPF


right well as this is supposed to be the 'fun' photographic forum lets have a fun sweepstake on how long it will be before the old styles and layouts are replaced by the new look advert-fest

 

[Dagwood56]

I don't like it ---way too busy! The stuff on the left is very distracting! All the ads! Don't like it at all.

 

[Phranquey]

Gotta join the chorus on this one...back to "classic" TPF for me.

"We fear change" - Garth Algar

:thumbup: People get into a comfort zone, especially navigating and reading a website, and when things change this suddenly, usually nothing good comes of it.
If you read a daily newspaper, and a change is made, even sometimes just the font, it can completely throw you off. Sometimes to the point where you don't want to subscribe any longer.....

 

[johngpt]

Quite distracting this new style is.

I prefer being able to concentrate on the photos and comments.

I never click on ads.

When I want something, I google it.

This new style reminds me why my home page in any browser is the google search engine and not the home page of my various ISPs. They are excessively cluttered. They are not harmonious in design.

I appreciate being able to revert to the previous style.

Thank you.

 

[ekool]

Almost universally there has been criticism of the left hand column, the new owners acknowledged that it "may" change and yet here we are, with the left hand column still in place. I suspect it will not go anywhere at all and we will instead be forced to "get over it" or to move on. the decision will be an easy one for me.

Just wanted to post a follow up -- if you are using the Photo Forum v3 skin you should now see the column on the right hand side. I hope that you guy's can give us a bit of time making these changes, not all of them are going to happen overnight so please be patient with us. We are listening to your feedback.

yes, the corporate profit mentality does blur things a bit

Well, we are 3 guys I would not call us a huge corporate company. We are all from a small town in New Mexico and this definitely is not our first rodeo

 

[MikeBcos]

Just wanted to post a follow up -- if you are using the Photo Forum v3 skin you should now see the column on the right hand side.

Much better - thank you!

 

[Iron Flatline]

I'm forcing myself to use the new layout now, after reading what is going on. I want to be supportive of TPF.

Here's my comments:

TPF is a community, so if there are changes in ownership or appearance, it is a big deal. For some of us this a very important part of our online social experience as it pertains to our hobby or work.

In that light, it would be hugely appropriate if changes are discussed and developed together with the community. You end up getting "Customer buy-in" much more quickly, while solidifying loyalty and commitment. No one likes change, and people have known that since we had to come down from trees.

Also, an announcement about any ownership changes would be cool. Bring us up to date, please.

Comments: the new look is not great. From a design point-of-view it's inconsistent. There are rectangles, buttons with rounded corners, and some that are just rounded at the top. Also, there are a few colors that just don't fit the pallet. Some of the icons (I like the cameras) are cool.

The Google Search function works extremely well, and was much needed. However, design it so it is clear that it will search the Forum, not just the Internet. Right now it looks generic.

The tag cloud is so 2004. Really, who needs it? And I don't even trust it to be true... it says "monkey" and "monkeys" and "primates" - not that hot a topic here... But then again, I think few people are using tags. I just don't see how it helps at all, except as a quick topical overview for first-time visitors.

The member panel could include more useful links. Is it customizable? How about New Posts by friends? That might actually make the Friends function relevant. Go to Subscribed Threads would be helpful. (How cool would it have been if you'd explored these things with us prior to making changes...)

But finally, I need to say that I find the whole right side column a waste of space. The member panel could be elsewhere, same as the Google search function. The tag cloud should just go away, and that just leaves the ad... which is the sole purpose for the right side column, I assume. Find a different solution. It really imbalances the lay out. This becomes a real problem for actual photo threads, and shows a lack of understanding vis-a-vis the community and it's common ground.

By the way, the ads running for me here in Germany are irrelevant to photography, and border on the cheesy. Right now I have a Green Card lottery thing targeting (what seems to be) North and Central Africans. I also had one for used cars. Again, it also feels wrong, when compared to the overall internet experience.

I can imagine a number of premium services. Providing a real gallery and/or photoblog environment would be a real opprtunity. I'd gladly pay for a good app/host (ad free, by the way.) Base it on the Pixelpost code, or look to make a deal with My Expressions.

I am available for PM conversations. I've spent considerable amounts of time evaluating online business opportunities around photographic communities, and would be happy to help you think through some of these issues.

One final comment: you can never make everyone happy, and some people squeal all the time, about anything at all. But at least try to get member's feedback, and ultimate buy-in. It's a matter of respect.

 

[Iron Flatline]

Problem:

My monitor is set 1024 x 1280. In this thread the image is so wide that it overlaps the bounds, and actually has an ad OVER the member's image. Not cool.

(I use Firefox on Vista)

EDIT: Nevermind, his images are silly large, no layout can handle that. But 800 px wide is definitely max with the current design.

 

[DWS]

Well, we are 3 guys I would not call us a huge corporate company. We are all from a small town in New Mexico and this definitely is not our first rodeo

I wish you well in your endeavor, and hopefully as a result of your size, you will remain attuned to the user community culture...

 

[Parkerman]

Problem:

My monitor is set 1024 x 1280. In this thread the image is so wide that it overlaps the bounds, and actually has an ad OVER the member's image. Not cool.

(I use Firefox on Vista)

EDIT: Nevermind, his images are silly large, no layout can handle that. But 800 px wide is definitely max with the current design.

Default layout handles it perfectly.

 

[Overread]

Ekool and his Corporate Mexican Army invade!

and now that is out of my system I have to say Iron has shown something that needs addressing - image sizes.

Firstly I would like to point out that TPF has always been an easy site to post images to because there is not strict guidlines on the limits of both image dimensions and image file size. This makes is an easy forum to post images to and (I feel) makes it far more approachable to people newere to the digital exchange of photos (whether they start from a digital or a scanned filme photo) - and I would like to see this flexability continue.

However, clearly there are conventions in place and it might be time that an upper limit (at least for image dimensions) is put into place and enforced - say 800pixels on the longest side - and no larger. This would not only allow for the new interface to remain functional in its current state, but also be fairer to those with smaller screens and slower speeds of connection. If people want to show larger sizes of images then they can link to them in a post. This is not going to cause (I feel) a major problem since this format is already something that many people have already adopted - an enforment of these limits would just be speeding up the process for some members

 

[Iron Flatline]

Seconded.

On that note, the Leica Forum has a limit of six images per post. That's pretty good.

Wow, discourse with users. Cool. Well, not discourse yet. Let's see if we get an acknowledgment.

 

[Josh66]

The largest image my monitor can handle (on the TPF Default skin) without having to scroll in either direction is 1180x700.

If we were to institute a size limit, 1000x700 sounds like a good starting point, maybe a little smaller to allow for smaller monitors. I usually resize mine to 800 on the long side (but I always hate that I have to scroll to see portrait shots this way...).

 

[mrodgers]

Default layout handles it perfectly.

Perhaps on your resolution.

There are many people who are still stuck on 1024x768 desktop resolutions. So many people read forums from work on crappy machines that the companies provide that I would think the 1024x768 crowd is still a giant majority. I run at 1152x864 at home and I still can't see more than an 800 px photo without scrolling. That is a huge annoyance. With the new format, even an 800 px photo would require scrolling. Tack on the fact that some people have extremely long user names that bump the avatar column over and the problem just compounds on it's self even further (I just made a new suggestion thread on those long user names...)