The tabs at the top of DG

I resisted the term "weblog" for years and years and then I had to start resisting the term "blog". Ahh well.

:)

dave

Personally - I like Diaries and Journals much better....feels real, not cybernetic.

My grandchildren call DG my organized "blog". Don't know the difference in a thread/forum/blog.

My GD came up the other day....snuck up on me since my pooter is upstairs, and said "Step away from the computer".in a deep movie voice....I think mommy put her up to it.

LOL!!!

Sorry Dave.... you can have your thread back....we're done.

Hey, a friend of ours still calls 'em b-logs even though he writes one. LOL

I have been working on this all week, and I believe I am almost finished. I'm not going to launch the new layout until Monday, however, as I want to be at my desk for several hours to respond to the bug reports that I am sure will come in.

I am very pleased with this new layout!!

dave

I like it! Good diary choice, too. Jianhua's diary is always inspiring though it's been awhile since I visited it, think I'll go there now :~)

Lana

Another screenshot.

dave

I hope I will still just be able to quickly access my watched threads and forum favorites. I like being able to go to Home Talk and review all the available forums when I'm looking for information on a specific issue.

Frankly I like the current layout but others may used the site in different ways and find the new way more useful.

June

I really like it! Clear, concise, intuitive. It looks like a lot of thought went into it.

looks good...will our home page remain the same? Watched forums, updated threads, etc?

I guess it's too late for me to put my opinion in...but it seems like that will just be adding an extra step, as I'm always opening a new browser tab and click the PlantFiles tab. I wish I had come across this sooner, but I think I'll still ask - why we couldn't just have two rows of tabs, as opposed to one row with main topics?

I'll get used to whatever you decide, Dave, but I sure hate to see the tabs I use most disappear.

RainGazer, two rows will only buy us time. We needed to do something that will allow our long-term growth.

The tab row is already too long. Adding a second tab will work until that too, gets filled up, and then add a third row? The whole point of doing this change is to give us long-term scalability.

The homepage isn't changing a bit. It'll be exactly the same as it is now.

dave

That makes sense, Dave. Thanks for explaining it to me. :o)

However, it makes me wonder, is there a way we could have a space on the homepage where we could put a limited number of links to favorite places on DG? Perhaps along the right side with the featured pics and such?

I'll give that some thought. Let me get finished with the new layout work and then we'll talk about future enhancements. :)

Thanks Dave! I didn't mean to pile more on you. Like I said, I'll get used to what you're doing and all will be fine. There aren't any changes you could make to run me off, anyway! LOL

LOL, yep...he's got us for the long haul. : )
~Lucy

Rain, I was with you until Dave said long termed growth - IMO he's correct, get it going now, it will be an easier add on later...

Dave, what font are you using? I really like the look and it's nice and clear to read.
The screenshot looks great.

I suppose you've decided against abbreviations and 'unnecessary' words in the tab line(s), such as Guides and Information to 'Information' or 'Guide & Info', or
'Guide-Info' etc, it could be tighter & still be clear...

kaperc, I'm using the Vera Sans. It's a free font you can download and if you have it on your system, DG will automatically use it.

dave

Thanks, Dave. I'll give it a try.

Dave, I did not learn of this discussion until after the changes, and I must say that I do not care for them. I work in the computer field and for a while specialized in user interface design issues, so I've run into this kind of problem before.

My main issue is that I have a slow connection, and your approach that was implemented requires a complete load of a new web page just to select an option of where you want to go. To me, this comes across as very clunky.

There are alternatives to the approach you have taken. A few that come to mind would be to put a navigation tree in a panel on the left hand side of the browser window so you could immediately see all of the destinations and use this for quick navigation. Another possiblity would be to use popup selection boxes instead of tabs. A third would be a facility that allows members to see a customized main window after log on.

Another issue for me is that this design problem appears to be driven by the expansion of the Dave's Garden site. For me, I have very limited use for the "home" sections at this time, and these additions basically dilute the "garden" experience, especially when they create navigation issues. However, I've felt for a long time that navigation and menuing issues for the site were not optimal. I do not object to expansion or addition of new features, and do appreciate your efforts to add value to our memberships and user experience. Perhaps some strategy to switch between the "home" stuff and the "garden" stuff will also help simplify.

One thing is clear, however, is that as you expand abilities and offerings on the site, you will need greater sophistication in how you handle "menuing". These issues are not uncommon and have been addressed successfully by others with many examples to be found on the Internet.

I'm not trying to be critical of your efforts here, but do think the changes recently made have moved my experience in the wrong direction.

Thanks for listening.

If you read through some of the other threads on this subject, Dave is already planning some things to improve the navigation. But I think the key thing is trying to keep things simple--some of the fancier things that other sites use don't always run well on older computers, and also there are many people here who really aren't that comfortable with computers, and some of the newer fancier ways of doing things aren't as intuitive for someone who's not really computer savvy. I think that's why Dave has kept things a little simpler rather than going for the latest and greatest programming bells & whistles.

Thank you, ecrane. I'm one of those that falls somewhere in the middle of being computer savey. Dave keeps it just where I am always comfortable.
I wonder what the demographics on DG might be......

I am still on vintage dial-up and the new changes are actually making this website faster for me! I love the changes I see every day, and while they may take getting used to sometimes, they really are great improvements!

Keep on truckin', Dave!

I love the new program, and, as for it taking longer to load, mine loads faster than ever, but I use Macs and that could be the reason.

I forgot to mention, I guess .... I have a Toshiba laptop with Microsoft Windows

I see a faster load time as well, with my poor island dial-up. But I also think that Dave is quietly assisting all us non-tech heads, and old foggies. Learning something new each day is a good way of staving off Altzheimers. He's thinking of us. Ha Ha!

Not all the members of DG are here for the gardening...though its true that most are. The home forums are just as important to their fans as the gardening forums are to their's. I think the main thing that Dave is trying to accomplish is to garner room for growth, while not making changes so drastic that the average user can't navigate. Computer savvy folks will get used to an extra click or two, but the rest can easily figure out where they are going and why.

Besides, it's called Dave's Garden! Not "A Compendium of Miscellaneous Gardening and Home Issues For the Edification and Enjoyment of Anonymous Lurkers"....

You rock Dave!

Yes Dave rocks, and do all the members of this site. He makes it happen, with assistance from his faithful followers, Trish, Melody, etc. etc. It truly is a community to be thankful to be a part of.

Oh Shari. Your gift for words and saying the right thing in just the right way......just astounds me......Besides, it's called Dave's Garden! Not "A Compendium of Miscellaneous Gardening and Home Issues For the Edification and Enjoyment of Anonymous Lurkers".....keep it up, girl.

Gotta laugh, my friend, most folks are begging me to shut up!

Who? I'll get 'em, Shari!

LOL!

Qestion Dave, are the birthdays now listed just the subscribers? I was noticing the other day that the member's birthday list was getting out of hand, and then lo and behold - - so am I right and now only subscribers are listed?

Shari, it is just subscribers now on the b-day lists. There is a separate thread on here about it.

Love your other name for this site!! LOL. Very funny!!