Author Topic: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades  (Read 61650 times)

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Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #30 on: September 25, 2012, 11:13:22 AM »

Offline dark_lord

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like anything else, it will take time to get used to.  but for now, i, like most others, really dont like it at all.  bad decision to switch it up

Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #31 on: September 25, 2012, 11:14:12 AM »

Offline apc

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is the SB nation App not working? or is it just me?

Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #32 on: September 25, 2012, 11:16:29 AM »

Offline crownsy

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also, I know most of us probably come right to the forum URL, but for a site that to me has always been defined by it's forums, It's a real hassle to have:

1) no quick access forum topics

and, unless i'm missing something which is entirely possible

2) no direct link to the forums? really? it shouldn't take a scroll down, and then further drop down menu, and then a link to get to an integral part of the site from the main page.
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Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #33 on: September 25, 2012, 11:18:29 AM »

Offline kozlodoev

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One thing to note is that the look of the front page isn't going to stay static; there are a ton of different layouts that this software enables.

Take a look around the SBN network for some of the other examples.  www.StanleyCupOfChowder.com looks different today, for instance, than www.PatsPulpit.com.
All three of these look the same to me. I guess an indication that my current browser breaks the layout?

Of course, the fact that the most popular browser out there serves a broken product is not a good testament for the SB QA/QC department...
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."

Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #34 on: September 25, 2012, 11:27:18 AM »

Offline snowball

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horrid.  :-[

Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #35 on: September 25, 2012, 11:29:19 AM »

Offline crownsy

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I modify me previous #2, its just buried in the informational vomit of the first page, You have to scroll all the way down and it's off to the left.

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Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #36 on: September 25, 2012, 11:32:35 AM »

Online Roy H.

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also, I know most of us probably come right to the forum URL, but for a site that to me has always been defined by it's forums, It's a real hassle to have:

1) no quick access forum topics

and, unless i'm missing something which is entirely possible

2) no direct link to the forums? really? it shouldn't take a scroll down, and then further drop down menu, and then a link to get to an integral part of the site from the main page.

Yeah, there's the Forum Topics down on the left.  You can also access the forums via the "community" tab on the second menu.

But yes...  the easiest way to access the forums is via the direct url.


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Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #37 on: September 25, 2012, 11:36:10 AM »

Offline Boris Badenov

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I'll try to be as detailed as possible:

1. The most frequently changing items (latest news, forum topics, daily links) should be at the top of the page and easy to access, not so far down. Are the "Season Preview" and other "NBA Previews" going to be the first things I see for the next month? That doesn't make sense.
2. The daily links should, as they did before, show actual article titles.
3. A lot of space is being wasted with large picture backgrounds. (Look at how much real estate is taken up by the Bass article!). We come here to read, not look at the same picture over and over again.
4. On that same topic, pictures behind text just make text hard to read.
5. Those of us who come here mostly for the forums will just bookmark those, but will end up missing out on some of the front page content.



Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #38 on: September 25, 2012, 11:37:27 AM »

Offline Jeff

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a couple of things that may be tripping people up

1. the SBNation app is no longer supported - they redesigned to make accessing the site via the mobile web browsers seamless with the functionality of the site on a desktop/laptop

2. unfortunately they also don't support IE7 or IE8 - I'm told this is because only 4% of people use those browsers and that they are horrible - that doesn't help some of us that have to have an old version of IE to run stuff at work but I would encourage folks to upgrade to a new browser if possible - I do feel badly about this, but nothing I can do
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Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #39 on: September 25, 2012, 11:40:39 AM »

Offline edwardjkasche

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Seems to me that the people working behind the scenes are attempting to give these SB Nation sites more of a real "sports website" feel, ala Cnnsi.com, and less of a "blog" feel.  That's my initial reaction.

Personally, I liked the "blog" feel.  It was simple and easy to use.  This new site seems too flashy and it definitely takes away from the fan-contributing aspects of the old site.  The Fan Posts and Fan Shots have been pushed further down the page and have been designed to be easily overlooked as compared to the "main" stories.

Also, this isn't a "sports website" in the same way as a professional sports journalism site (Cnnsi, ESPN, Yahoo Sports)*.  None of the main stories here are broken first by reporters from CelticsBlog.  These are recycled stories brought here to spark discussion amongst the fan base (which is what I love).  So, why make it look like a professional site when it's not?

In the end, these are blogs and fan forums, not ESPN.  I think they should have stuck with the old format.

p.s. I'm also not a fan of change (in many instances).

*I understand that many of those "real" sites have devoted more and more space to personal opinions and conjecture, but they do still employ some journalists who break factual stories.

Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #40 on: September 25, 2012, 11:46:04 AM »

Offline Interceptor

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Goodness gracious, what a usability nightmare the front page is now. I'll give it a few days, but I think I'm changing my bookmark to come directly to the forums.

Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #41 on: September 25, 2012, 11:54:05 AM »

Offline Who

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Looks pretty good. I like the new look.

I normally hate changes.

Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #42 on: September 25, 2012, 12:19:51 PM »

Offline Amonkey

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One thing I dont like is for example, the first article all it has is a picture of Bass and the title of the article. Where is the article though? Do I have to click on it to read it? I am one of those people that just like to skim through the articles by scrolling down, read what it has or the quotes, and if I am intrigued further, click on 'continue to read' or keep scrolling down to skim through the next article. Now I wont be able to do that, meaning I probably wont be clicking to every article, which in all honesty, might make me a less frequent user since the 'news' wont be as accessible.
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Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #43 on: September 25, 2012, 12:23:04 PM »

Offline kozlodoev

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2. unfortunately they also don't support IE7 or IE8 - I'm told this is because only 4% of people use those browsers and that they are horrible - that doesn't help some of us that have to have an old version of IE to run stuff at work but I would encourage folks to upgrade to a new browser if possible - I do feel badly about this, but nothing I can do
This is an issue for me, apparently. At least at this point. Also for a couple of other people around, it seems. Will take another look at it with Chrome from home in the evening.
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."

Re: Discussion of CelticsBlog Upgrades
« Reply #44 on: September 25, 2012, 12:25:50 PM »

Offline WaltonsIllegitimateSon

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As one who enjoyed the advantage of skimming the stories to see their premise, the site just got far less functional.  The change puts a huge premium on the writing composition of each headline, so readers won't waste their time clicking on a post only to find they're not interested in it.

Also, I cynically wonder how much this change was intended to force readers to click more.  The new layout gives you far less at a glance, and compels you to click for any content at all!  The most obvious reason for such a change is to increase ad views per site visit.  More money for the blog, at the expense of usability.  Not a good tradeoff, in my opinion.