Alright, so we've launched the new version of TechRepublic and we're very pretty excited about. See:
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hiner/techrepublics-2011-upgrade-simpler-and-lot-more-social/7473
On the other hand, we know that we've moved your cheese (see http://bit.ly/moved-my-cheese) and we realize that many of you who come here everyday are going to take a while to get used to the new layout.
However, we'd like your constructive feedback, and your help in running down bugs and alerting us to things we've inadvertently (or purposefully) changed that could have unintended consequences. Please post your feedback, bugs, errors, (and even applause) in this thread. If someone posts something that you agree with or were going to post then use the "+" voting button to vote it up. If someone posts something you disagree with then use the "-" voting button to vote it down.
Thanks in advance for helping us make the site better. We always appreciate your time and input.
Discussion on:
TechRepublic's official feedback thread for the 2011 upgrade
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To a smiley face.
Might deflect the shilt that is sure to come.
Myself, I think you and your people done good.
Might deflect the shilt that is sure to come.
Myself, I think you and your people done good.
As usual, TR uses a pleasing colour scheme, though a bit bland on a notebook without colour matching. Navigation is more complicated and will simply perpetuate the ongoing issue with people not finding their chosen content or posting in the wrong places.
NOTE: When you edit a comment, all previous formatting is lost and you have to space paragraphs all over again.
I've come to expect that though, no matter how many changes have been made and how many times TR asked for feedback to find out people want it simplied, it continues to look too busy and takes what would be very simple navigation and turn it into a confusing mess of links (techs, you can't live with 'em and you can't teach them what KISS means).
Oh hey, I just realised that, under a group of unrelated sidebars all offering links or ads, there is still a short Hot Discussions list (well a bunch of big blue bars with links anyway), hang on, it was on another page too, in a different place though.
Sorry but you guys could have done WAAAAAAAAAY better.
I know it takes a while to get comfortable with changes but this is just bad navigation gone worse. There's no logical layout, it changes depending on what page you are on, ads and galleries are mixed with links.
The right side bar is just a mix of rubbish with no logical layout at all. The last layout was the best yet, after many changes, but this is just good potential made to look like a mess.
NOTE: When you edit a comment, all previous formatting is lost and you have to space paragraphs all over again.
I've come to expect that though, no matter how many changes have been made and how many times TR asked for feedback to find out people want it simplied, it continues to look too busy and takes what would be very simple navigation and turn it into a confusing mess of links (techs, you can't live with 'em and you can't teach them what KISS means).
Oh hey, I just realised that, under a group of unrelated sidebars all offering links or ads, there is still a short Hot Discussions list (well a bunch of big blue bars with links anyway), hang on, it was on another page too, in a different place though.
Sorry but you guys could have done WAAAAAAAAAY better.
I know it takes a while to get comfortable with changes but this is just bad navigation gone worse. There's no logical layout, it changes depending on what page you are on, ads and galleries are mixed with links.
The right side bar is just a mix of rubbish with no logical layout at all. The last layout was the best yet, after many changes, but this is just good potential made to look like a mess.
Holy crap! Not only is my avatar missing, now I have to open a new account with another picture host. I only assume TR gets paid for image loads or something. So I grudgingly open an account with another hokey online host, pull my avatar from my current picture hosty, upload it and guess what? IT'S A DIFFERENT SIZE AVATAR NOW! So now I have to open in Fireworks, resize, trim redraw, all of my avatars (about 8 for the year) because, for some unknown reason, TR changed sizing and forces using their chosen avatar host. Thanks again fella's! Oh hey, look at THAT, ANOTHER mess of links in a big blue bar at the bottom of the page, NIIIIICE layout guys, didi everyone design a panel at home and then they were all just thrown onto a page with no rhyme or reason? ICK! Of course, you have to scroll by a hideously balanced left white space with bar after bar of links on one side, in order to get to it though.
Why do people do this when simple site changes to an existing format offer a vast improvements without redesigning the whole page and then reworking a ghastly layout for a year until it becomes sorta usable again. To think that with the money and resources C-Net has, this is the best they can come up with, a website that works like it was designed by n00bs on crack.
I've seen some sketchy changes here over the years, this has got to be just an early April fools days joke though.
Why do people do this when simple site changes to an existing format offer a vast improvements without redesigning the whole page and then reworking a ghastly layout for a year until it becomes sorta usable again. To think that with the money and resources C-Net has, this is the best they can come up with, a website that works like it was designed by n00bs on crack.
I've seen some sketchy changes here over the years, this has got to be just an early April fools days joke though.
You're suggesting we get paid for image loads? Please. You're a lot smarter than that. (But, then again, I did get a good laugh out of it.)
I thought there had to be some motivation to have a single chocie for user image storage.
All you need is an email address and an image, plus then you can not only use it on our site but others as well.
From our perspective, we get a service that scales images well and keeps up with the latest security and decency filtering in images.
Win-win from our perspective.
From our perspective, we get a service that scales images well and keeps up with the latest security and decency filtering in images.
Win-win from our perspective.
Jason -
Gravatar should be an option, not a mandatory. Not everyone wants to set up a Gravatar account. I know I didn't want to. It's like the sites that use stupid OpenID for authentication... I now have a WordPress account that I'll never use, just so I can post questions to StackOverflow. It supposedly cuts the clutter for users, but for folks who only need it for one site, it increases the clutter.
The better approach would be to push Gravatar, but have a fallback option using the old system.
J.Ja
Gravatar should be an option, not a mandatory. Not everyone wants to set up a Gravatar account. I know I didn't want to. It's like the sites that use stupid OpenID for authentication... I now have a WordPress account that I'll never use, just so I can post questions to StackOverflow. It supposedly cuts the clutter for users, but for folks who only need it for one site, it increases the clutter.
The better approach would be to push Gravatar, but have a fallback option using the old system.
J.Ja
I sighed when I realized I was forced to jopin another site, that offers free image storage for an email address, certainly an invitation to a flood of spam and junk mail from their 'affiliates' (anyone who wants to buy the addresses from them.
The main PO for me was the change in sizing though.
The main PO for me was the change in sizing though.
I thought TR might be offering a new library of avatar images but nope.. the profile link lead me to the Gravatar site. It would be nice if TR offered a short list of directly hosted icons. With only two of many websites asking me to join Gravatar; I'll be remaining a blank avatar likely.
It's not like an avatar is a requirement. If one doesn't want to use avatar, the default silhouette is always an option.
I'd still like to see the TR flag as the default instead.
I'd still like to see the TR flag as the default instead.
TR used to encourage it. they did a points and (reward?) system once to get people to complete profiles and upload an avatar. I know people's avatar's as I would recognize faces in the real world. TR once wanted to encourage use of avatars and completing profiles (as many good sites force you to do before posting) as it cuts down on spammers. People won't post spam links and run if it is a more involved registration process, thus you build a better community with fewer 'post and runs'.
Now you have a choice, register with a new host, upload and reformat an avatar, welcoming more junk mail and spam, or don't have an avatar. If the latter, why have them at all ,if they are all going to be blank avatars then there's simply no point at all in using them to begin with, just list by user name.
Now you have a choice, register with a new host, upload and reformat an avatar, welcoming more junk mail and spam, or don't have an avatar. If the latter, why have them at all ,if they are all going to be blank avatars then there's simply no point at all in using them to begin with, just list by user name.
I'm not interested in signing up for another site. Especially since I can't just use a garbage email address, (or can I?)
What could possibly be so hard about just letting us upload a small pic directly from our own PCs? FB does it and so do any number of other, smaller sites.
I set up an account and I *might* find a value in it at some time in the future, but I would have liked to take my time thinking it through.
There are sites that I use that I don't care to use a picture of me, others where I use a specific avatar for specific reasons, still others that I would prefer a more professional appearing pic. In my experience, one size rarely fits all.
There are sites that I use that I don't care to use a picture of me, others where I use a specific avatar for specific reasons, still others that I would prefer a more professional appearing pic. In my experience, one size rarely fits all.
Gravatar allows you to use a different picture on a per-site basis. It's a good system, and I like it, but it's not for everyone and it's not a good thing that TR forces you to use it if you want to use a picture.
J.Ja
J.Ja
I know they allow per email address, but I didn't see anything about per site.
I just now went and checked a webcomic I've been folllowing, and the comments I wrote in the feedback section... and now they have this gravatar next to them!!
And it's not like I've posted there through a login or anything, I just provided my email address in the comment form as required!
Talk about nebulous...
And it's not like I've posted there through a login or anything, I just provided my email address in the comment form as required!
Talk about nebulous...
Yahoo provides throwaway email addresses, so I guess you could put one of those up for gravatar. It'll still be accessable through yahoo, but it's hopefully insulated...
Such as Windows Live, Picturetrail etc. you now have to download, reformat, upload images to a new server that you have to sign up for and await a flood of spam and junk mail from. It would have been somewhat palletable if the image size remained the same though. Lose lose from a users perspective.
If the average new visitor has an attention span of 12 seconds to find what they want, this is dead in the water before the champagne bottle breaks on the bow. Some lifers will take time to muddle through the birds nest of links and panels, but it is not at all inviting for new visitors.
If the average new visitor has an attention span of 12 seconds to find what they want, this is dead in the water before the champagne bottle breaks on the bow. Some lifers will take time to muddle through the birds nest of links and panels, but it is not at all inviting for new visitors.
Well Jason for starters the sizes are different which requires you to resize or do without.
Then there is the slight issue of needing to join yet another site and spread what where previously Secure E Mail Address about. In the Past I was sure that TR wouldn't be sharing my E Mail Address with anyone and they where the only ones to get most of those which can not be dumped at a moments notice.
Now there is a site Gravatar who has 2 of my E Mail Addresses that would be inconvenient to loose though not Earth Shattering it would certainly be Inconvenient. The remainder they will never see and any Accounts that are already open or may be opened in the future will remain Blank.
Currently I'm not overly happy with the need to join yet another site just so I can post at TR with the same features that where in place previously. Maybe I'll get used to the FB Look of things but currently at the moment I'm debating weather or not to continue using TR as it's become inconvenient, hard to know where posts will end up particularly in Q&A Threads, Not Possible to Subscribe to Questions/Discussions without adding a post and seriously looks way too much like Face Book which I refuse to use.
I've also just seen that the Contact TR Link that used to be on every page is no longer there nor is there a link to report Spam Posts so I'm assuming that this was just an oversight that will get changed when it gets brought to your attention.
Col
Then there is the slight issue of needing to join yet another site and spread what where previously Secure E Mail Address about. In the Past I was sure that TR wouldn't be sharing my E Mail Address with anyone and they where the only ones to get most of those which can not be dumped at a moments notice.
Now there is a site Gravatar who has 2 of my E Mail Addresses that would be inconvenient to loose though not Earth Shattering it would certainly be Inconvenient. The remainder they will never see and any Accounts that are already open or may be opened in the future will remain Blank.
Currently I'm not overly happy with the need to join yet another site just so I can post at TR with the same features that where in place previously. Maybe I'll get used to the FB Look of things but currently at the moment I'm debating weather or not to continue using TR as it's become inconvenient, hard to know where posts will end up particularly in Q&A Threads, Not Possible to Subscribe to Questions/Discussions without adding a post and seriously looks way too much like Face Book which I refuse to use.
I've also just seen that the Contact TR Link that used to be on every page is no longer there nor is there a link to report Spam Posts so I'm assuming that this was just an oversight that will get changed when it gets brought to your attention.
Col
it is now called flag, and it gives you several options as to how to report the post, cool, I like it.
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