Major Theme Changes

NorioDS · 2013-10-02T19:14:26+00:00

Just a heads-up on some major theme changes... Dropped the GFSA theme song in the header. Made it a little bit more mobile-friendly (moreso on tablets than...

Major Theme Changes

NorioDS

Just a heads-up on some major theme changes...

Dropped the GFSA theme song in the header.
Made it a little bit more mobile-friendly (moreso on tablets than phones!)
Dropped the crowd
Made the header-height "shorter"
Moved the RSS icon down, next to the top menu
Removed header-ad on smaller displays
Removed majority of navigation-links like Articles, Reviews, etc. (they will be back later)
Got rid of the popup (it might be back in another form)
Added 2 large ads on the right
Added 1 large ad after every first post
Made the site not show anything to anyone using AdBlocker. Just turn it off for GFSA and you're fine
Made the header stay put when you scroll
Replaced the old, tiny, ugly social sharing buttons with new, pretty ones

These changes were made to:

Improve forum display for most people on very wider AND narrower displays
Simplify the header a bit
Improve forum usability
Help us pay bills

Notes:

Most of the ads don't show on tablets or devices smaller than 1280 pixels in width
The ads aren't going anywhere. Don't ask me to take them off

Edit:

Floating header has been reverted due to problems on tablets.
Paid subscriptions are now available to those who don't want to see any ads (see link @ top of every page)
Re-fixed some problems with mobile. Works nicely on my phone now, if it's turned sideways. Not bad in vertical either. Shold work well for most people running at least iPhones, iPads, Samsung Galaxies, Samsung tablets, etc.

aja

Norio said:

The ads aren't going anywhere. Don't ask me to take them off

Sorry guys but it is becoming unbearable. After having to deal with the annoying pop up every time I access the forum and shaky forum software (i.e. log in and out functions), I now have to try focus on the text with flashing adverts on the right. Major overseas forums do not need to resort to these tactics and their member bases are much larger, hence higher hosting costs. I have slowly but surely been logging on less and less because of the adverts.

The admin can do whatever they want, it is their site, but notice that some of the long time members are not posting as frequently as before. There must be a better way.....

I am typing this as I watch epilepsy inducing adverts from dating sites in 72pt font while the actual screen space devoted to our precious posts gets smaller and smaller. Google adwords are effective because they did away with the in your face banner advertising of the 90's. Subtlety is key.

Cheers for now... :goodtimes:

vic

....that the current outlay or format of the Forum is not nice....dis onlekker ! ☹

I can only agree with Aja....I notice his thread is also locked, thus no further discussion possible there.

☹

studmissile

A change is as good as a holiday. This is what the web has become. The new site might be a little confusing for new members, but I can live with it.

AlanRatcliffe

I'm unlocking this topic again - I'd actually like to see discussion on the matter.

Norio and I haven't had a chance to discuss all the changes yet - which is entirely my fault as I've been busy with the new house and builders, etc.. At this point I'm giving it a chance myself to see how I feel. There are some elements I like (the more compact display and nav and the removal of the annoying popup ad) and some I don't (ads down the right hand side).

MikeM

I could live with the pop-up. I don't like this. Browsing in 1080p looks silly. The header scrolling is also unnecessary.

Thankfully I have enough anti-scripts and other things to block the ads even without adblock.

I'd far have donated towards the forum than see it turn to this just to maintain itself. Pretty sad.

NorioDS

Mike, monthly donations to turn ads off are a future possibility.

Does it look silly in 1080p because of the space on the right? I'm not concerned if that's the case.

However the shadow going across the header is ugly. Does this only happen in 'fox or Chrome too?

Sean

I'm certainly not going to miss that metronome "joke"...

PeteM

Hey Admin,
If you're not making any money out of the site then I can understand the reticence to spend time to keep everything up to date and to make sure that it doesn't go down as frequently as it has recently. I also understand that you need to focus on the advertisers rather than the members. You gotta do what you gotta do. Good luck with the new format.
BTW, for what it's worth, I don't like the new masthead... it feels like a typical techno design and lacks warmth/character... but then I am a mere non-paying member who has the temerity to pass a crit.

warrenpridgeon

Could we not get it in the center of the screen?
<center>alles hier</center>
hehehe

Seems like the Z-index is messed up with the ad after the first post as it floats over the header when you scroll...

DaFiz

I'll also not miss the "jokes" that keep propping up when I open GFSA...
I've seen them all before and they do nothing but irritate me.
The ads on the right hand side don't bother me as I simply ignore them

The new layout is cool and opens just fine on my Mac OS...
No complaints from my side ?

singemonkey

Seriously regretting excepting this site from adblock. You guys have good reason to get ad revenue. But there's a point at which you're just losing it.

ezietsman

I'm sure with the collective expertise on here we could make a plan. If the forum looked like this when I joined, I would not have.

psyx

The stationary bar at the top makes navigation awkward on my android....

Attila

I don't like the adds within the thread.

a bug bear on this site has been uploading of photos /files why can it not be direct to the site rather than a link to a Photobucket or other

Sometimes things work because they are functional and easy to navigate to your point of interest and not because its glitzy -- IMO of course.

Wizard

It's tipped over.
The experience is ruined.

The "in-text" ads are the killer blow.

If you keep increasing the tax rate there is a point where revenue starts going down again as consumption drops.
In the old days Zimbabwe increased its sales tax too high and tax revenue went down.
Ads are like a tax and everyone is happy to pay a fair tax.

Of course there is a chance that the business model just doesn't work.
And that would be very sad for all of us.

What revenue do you need to generate for the site to be viable?
What does this mean per member?
I have no idea whether it is 10c, 1 ront, 10 ront, 100 ront pm
Can we buy our way out of seeing adverts?

Big-G

I appreciate that revenue needs to be gained, and you'd rather avoid the users a subscription fee (as most new users would not pay, and infact most current users probably wouldn't either), but does the ad on the right need to be quite so big? Could it not be reduced a bit? Between the ad on the right, and the banner staying put, my viewable area of screen is drastically reduced, and I am somewhat struggling to read threads, even more than the last time I tried to read a drum tab for a Jazz fusion band!

Keep up the good work, but please try and find a better way than this?

Many regards
G!

Lethe

It's perhaps a bit unpleasant... nothing I can't get over in a few minutes and continue reading posts...
I'm also curious with Wizards post above... how much would we need to pay.

My suggestion to the layout: Perhaps try keep the content pane in the middle like news24 does it. Having it on the left does feel a bit awkward.

Ads are irritating... but you gotta do what you gotta do...
What would must of you do when it comes down to paying for no ads or browsing for free with ads?

NorioDS

PeteM wrote: If you're not making any money out of the site then I can understand the reticence to spend time to keep everything up to date and to make sure that it doesn't go down as frequently as it has recently.

The forum going down lately has been because of my web hosts. They moved the server to a data centre in Centurion, promising stability, and it's been just the opposite.

PeteM wrote: BTW, for what it's worth, I don't like the new masthead... it feels like a typical techno design and lacks warmth/character...

I've always worried about losing warmth/character. That's what the GFSA girl did for me - it gave the site an idetentity but I'm still happy with the current "brand". It still seems sufficiently "alternative" enough to appeal to the rocker in me.

NorioDS

warrenpridgeon wrote: Could we not get it in the center of the screen?
<center>alles hier</center>
hehehe

On wider-screens, it should appear more centered. It won't look 100% centered now because of the new ads.

warrenpridgeon wrote: Seems like the Z-index is messed up with the ad after the first post as it floats over the header when you scroll...

Fixed - thanks! Never thought to look if it was z-index. Just assumed it was typical iframe issues. (Normally an iframe displayed over certain elements, specifically a dropdown, makes the dropdown peep through. This was the opposite so I don't know why I didn't think of it. Either way, thank you! ?)