Your Suggestions for Our New Look

[imanurse55]

That's really strange. The only solution I have now is to edit the post right after posting so the paragraphs get added correctly.

 

Maybe that will be fixed with the next update of either IPS or the iPad's iOS.

Thanks for the explanation and glad you were able to replicate what I was explaining!

[lois106]

Does anybody have any suggestions for us?

I amy be a little stupid but the reply icon is not obvious so I used Quote.  And it took 3 visits to the site to find the  Very tiny signin icon.  I would like these to be simpler for simple people like me.

[Amy]

The quote button is the way to reply directly to a post. If you don't want to actually quote what was in the post, you can just delete the text that pops up.

 

To reply to the thread itself, you can use the button at the top of the thread or scroll to the bottom where the big reply box is.

 

I think people will get used to the location of the signin button over time.

[Afghaniac]

Does anybody have any suggestions for us?

I haven't read all the replies to your post, so please pardon me if I'm repeating somebody else's suggestions. If it's feasible to make your columns of message text narrower, that would be a big help. Though I admire Amazon for its great website, my biggest beef with it is that it's hard for the eye to track text in such wide columns. Even when I minimize my screen, it's still too wide. Same with the 'ville. Whenever I print out recipes or patterns from the Web, I copy them into Word and reformat into a double-column text so they're easier to follow. My only other suggestion is that you make the typeface darker on the list of messages. It seems pretty faint. Thank you for soliciting our input. You all are doing a great job, and I know this site will just continue getting better with you two at the helm.

[TallGirl]

I know that this is not the problem of this site but it ismy computer or Internet explorer that is the problem but can anyone tell me why when I have the checkmark box checked to save my username and it doesn't    I have to sign in everytime even though the checkbox is checked. 

[Amy]

I know that this is not the problem of this site but it ismy computer or Internet explorer that is the problem but can anyone tell me why when I have the checkmark box checked to save my username and it doesn't    I have to sign in everytime even though the checkbox is checked. 

Log out, clear your browser's cookies and cache, close and reopen the browser, then try to log back in with the button checked.

 

Then log out and see if it remembers you when you try to log back in.

[MimiFL]

I absolutely love the mobile site, I can finally log in during the day now!!

 

One thing that's missing, though, is the page number. There's no way to (easily) tell what page you're on, and you have no idea if it's the last page or not. Is that something that could be added? I've lost count of the game pages I've posted on, and then realized I was answering a post that was obviously not on the last page!

[Amy]

I'm not sure how much customization we'll be able to do to the mobile skin. We'll do what we can.

[MimiFL]

Thanks, Amy!

[Donna]

I've changed the forum default font to what it was on the old forum. It should appear larger, and hopefully it is easier to read now.

 

I am still working on other stuff, like too much bright white background and the light gray font in some places.

[grannyannie]

I just want to say that I love that we now no longer get kicked out of the thread we were in when we send a PM to someone!  That used to drive me crazy in the old format.  Not that it was a big deal, but sometimes you only have a minute and to have to go to the thread, PM the person, then find your place again in the thread took up precious time.  Maybe there was a shortcut that I never knew about, lol.

[mattenylou]

I've changed the forum default font to what it was on the old forum. It should appear larger, and hopefully it is easier to read now.

 

I am still working on other stuff, like too much bright white background and the light gray font in some places.

 

Thank you, when I logged on this afternoon, I wondered if the font had been changed... Then when I posted something I was pretty sure they were bigger, because I had an easier time getting the curser between the letters I needed to edit.

 

I poked around, didn't notice anyone else saying anything... so I wondered if these old eyes had rejuvenated,  OH well.

 

Thank you, it's much easier to read, sure do appreciate that!

[Sarah Jane]

Well as I have only just re-joined I can only tell you what the difference is between it a few years ago and now. I agree with other that it is very hard to read with so much white space. I have to wear glasses/contacts and I cannot handle glare. Now when I look at threads my eyes are watering from the glare and I'm having trouble reading anything at all. Font I notice it still the same and that's fine when I can see it. You have said you are working on that so I look forward to it improving. Second the idea of it being too wide also. That creates more white space and when you are using a laptop like mine it has a 17"monitor I am having to look from side to side and it throws out my focus too. I don't think you guys need to try and modernise it to be like every other website/forum out there. That's why people like it here. I noticed straight away when I joined yesterday the difference and was quite dissapointed that I can no longer read the site properly and cannot spend as long on here due to glare giving me migraines.

[Amy]

I don't think you guys need to try and modernise it to be like every other website/forum out there. That's why people like it here. I noticed straight away when I joined yesterday the difference and was quite dissapointed that I can no longer read the site properly and cannot spend as long on here due to glare giving me migraines.

 

We aren't actually trying to modernize to be like every other site. Current software now defaults to what is more of a "Web 2.0" look. The main layout you're seeing is the default layout for IPS, with changes to Crochetville colors, etc.

 

If the screen is too wide for you, you can change the width of your browser window to something that is more comfortable for you.

 

As already mentioned, the background color will be changing from white to something with less glare. It's much more involved than just changing the color of the white background here, as that affects that color all throughout the website. While it might look good here, in other locations it creates problems. So there's a lot of experimenting to do before we can release a lot of color changes.

 

So please be patient with us a bit longer as we are working on making changes.

 

We won't be able to make everyone happy, but we'll do the best we can!

[Amy]

What does everybody think about the change in the default font? Is it helping to make things easier to read on the main forum page and the New Content listings?

 

Color changes are still coming. Don't want you to think we've forgotten about that!

[imanurse55]

I do like the change in font- and am looking forward to the color changes!

[Skysmom]

I definitely like the font change!  Thanks to Amy and Donna for all your hard work. ♥♥♥

[auntbubbels]

I feel bad saying this, but I didn't notice the difference - the previous font was fine with me so I guess the change wasn't obvious 

[FrLopLady]

I didn't have a problem with the font either so I didn't notice.  

 

I still have some problems with the view last un-read post.  It doesn't always show up in a thread (CAL lol) that I KNOW I've posted to and read.  Hmmm maybe there isn't a new post since last I saw it..doh... :

 

My smilies don't work..but I am going to blame the combo of my browser/computer

[FrLopLady]

Pictures!!  It used to be if there were multiple pictures that were in  a single post that there was a way to scroll through them.  I'm finding I have to close each picture window to open the next.  Is is this *#( computer or is there not a way to scroll?

[Donna]

Pictures!!  It used to be if there were multiple pictures that were in  a single post that there was a way to scroll through them.  I'm finding I have to close each picture window to open the next.  Is is this *#( computer or is there not a way to scroll?

You can still scroll through pictures. Hover your mouse towards the upper right of a photo and a next button will appear (if there is a next photo). Do the same thing towards the upper left to get the previous button (if there is a previous photo).

[Donna]

I don't think you guys need to try and modernise it to be like every other website/forum out there. That's why people like it here. I noticed straight away when I joined yesterday the difference and was quite dissapointed that I can no longer read the site properly and cannot spend as long on here due to glare giving me migraines.

Amy already replied, but I wanted to address this, too. We had to upgrade because our existing software had gone past end-of-life. It was not a choice; it was a necessity. (Out-of-date software is vulnerable to all sorts of dangers on the internet.)

 

Regardless of whether we had upgraded to the new vBulletin or moved to IP.Board (as we did) the layout would still have been a more modern look because that is the way software is now. We are using the default IP.Board theme, which we have tweaked by adding our crochet background and changing come colors here and there.

 

We love what we have always been. We're not trying to be something else. But it would be irresponsible of us to run on out-of-date software.

[Donna]

Per requests, I have done the following:

 

1. Changed the background color of posts to the same color it was on the old forum  (a soft bluish white).

2. Added a thick, dark blue line as a separator between posts.

3. Reduced the width of the forum.

4. Made the dividing line between the post and the signature a slightly darker gray.

 

I have other colors to work on, such as the white background in the thread listings / new content listings, and some light gray font. These changes will be coming!

 

The color changes thus far took a few days because I was initially trying to get the colors as close as possible to the old forum. But I found the more colors I changed, the more there were to change! So I settled on the changes that were really needed instead of trying to exactly duplicate the old.

[Donna]

I feel bad saying this, but I didn't notice the difference - the previous font was fine with me so I guess the change wasn't obvious 

That's okay! As long as it's better now for those who were having difficulty, that's all that matters.

 

It wasn't actually a size change, but a font change. The font Helvetica is more slim and squished together. In the font Verdana, each letter is wider and taller, and there is more space between the letters. Here's a screenshot of the old and new.

 

[Donna]

I haven't read all the replies to your post, so please pardon me if I'm repeating somebody else's suggestions. If it's feasible to make your columns of message text narrower, that would be a big help. Though I admire Amazon for its great website, my biggest beef with it is that it's hard for the eye to track text in such wide columns. Even when I minimize my screen, it's still too wide. Same with the 'ville.

How is the width now? I think you should find it similar to the old forum.