Yep, another 'new look' to YOUR Collector Forums

Thanks to Rich Felter (Flacoastie) and Sandy (for starting the ball rolling) for taking a look at the names and descriptions of the individual forums. And thanks to all who provided suggestions to Rich.

You'll find some changes made. Some forums got moved to a different catagory, some got renamed, some descriptions changed. Even a few new Forums.

Along the way, Jenifer provided some fresh images from her recent trip to the East and a new color pallette was picked.

Can't please all the people all the time, but every once in a while, a fresh coat of paint helps keep the CF looking sharp.

Might take some getting used to putting your new topic in the right place, so don't get fussy if a moderator moves a thread from one place to 'nother.

We've discovered it's possible to post a message above any given Forum. So you'll see one in "The Test Pad" (Formerly "The Play Room") with information on how to prepare, upload and include photos in your posts.

There's another in "The Trading Post" (Formerly "The New Marketplace") with basic rules.

For those who like to 'quote' a previous post when making a reply, you might just think about doing that mostly when your response is several places removed from the post to which you are responding. No need to do so if your reply follows the post you are replying to by just 1 or 2 posts.

Thanks for everyone's participation. Thanks also to our 'silent supporters' and we know you're out there.

I like the new look! Thanks to Sandy, Rich, John, Jen, and all the other folks that made suggestions.

Nice colors, but dislike the pictures. Not a big SOL fan.

I think the new look is great. Thanks John. I hate to start out disagreeing but...how can you not like the Statue of Liberty?

Thanks Jen for adding your beautiful photography work.

The modifications to the layout of the Collector Forums are wonderful. The renaming of topics and descriptions was a great idea.

Personally, and if it isn't too difficult, I would like the the CF picture change with the seasons, four times a year.

Congrats for a job well done!

Bob

John
The new forum looks great.
We also need new monitors.
There are a few monitors right now that haven’t made a single post on this forum in 6 months. I think one of the qualifications of being a monitor should be you have to be active.

Lori I am not a big SOL fan as a Lighthouse either... As a statue it is the best in the world!

A think there needs to be a greater difference in the active and un-active forum icons or maybe it's hard to tell what is pictured in the image..

Like the new look. Thanks to all who worked on it.
HCS

That's helps, John, adding the "NEW", it makes it obvious...

Well Folks,

Congratulations and a thousand "thank you" to everyone who worked so hard on the project.

Of course I love the Statue of Liberty – in the same way that I love the American Flag.

But when I first saw our NEW image, I didn’t even realize what the picture was until I took a very careful look. Also the dark blue versus light blue is extremely difficult to differentiate – at least for me. The red “NEW” notation blends too close to the blues. Maybe make it yellow?

Don’t forget that some of us can’t see as well as we used to. And my X-Ray vision seems to have become much less reliable. :rolleyes:

bobo

Looking Good!
Like the added colors.
Bob

Looks GREAT! A nice surprise. Didn't notice the new images at first, since the sunlight outside the cafeteria here kind of washes my laptop screen out...but now that I've turned the brightness ALL the way up, squinted, and put the computer in my face, I like it!

Like the new titles, too....a nice and helpful change. Even for me, an active member for two and a half years, I can see it being very helpful.

Thanks to all those who helped get the ball rolling, swept the ice to keep it in motion, and got it safely into the house to make it shot rock! (I miss curling, so I have to drop a curling reference in.)

I like the NYC skyline at the top of the website, but I do not like it as the flag for each forum. I seems too crowded at the small size. Of course, I will be in the minority.

NIce job and the topic titles are much better than before. My monitor displays the "New" postings nicely, but those that haven't had discussion recently are very dark and the view is not readily recognizable. Any way to lighten them?

Otherwise, kudos to the new layout.

Sandy

You are definitely NOT in the minority. Sandy and I appear to agree with you.

bobo

I actually find it helpful that the "Old" indicators are really dark. The "New" ones stand out much more than previously.

And besides...there's nothing new there anyway. Isn't it better to have the new posts easily pop out at you?

Just MO.

Isn't it better to have the new posts easily pop out at you?

Just MO. [/QUOTE]

You are right Greg - the NEW does really POP!
HCS

The small size of the "on" and "off" is to make the main page listing all the forums reasonably fast to load and not occupy so much screen.

I added the "New" after reading reactions here.

Moved the Forum on www.HarbourLights.com to the Harbour Lights category and changed the description a bit.

WOW! I've been gone for a couple days (busy with orders etc.unfortunately no trips) and I come back today and its a whole new forum. Very nicely done folks. I do like it. Congratulations to all who worked on it.

Why don't I see the "NEW" in red. Am I doing something wrong? Inquiring minds want to know.

Disregard the above. I updated the post indicators and now the NEW is there.

I love the new look!

I have to say I agree with Bob and Sandy on this point. I love Jen's pano,btw, but then, I haven't seen anything of her's I didn't like and admire.

I also must say I am not fond of the red. It just seems too harsh to my eyes, and it is very distracting from the beauty and calmness of the photo. I do however appreciate the neat name changes. That's refreshing and creative.

Thanks to all who worked on the changes. Change is good, and it's impossible to always please everyone 100%.

The SOL probably wouldn't have been my first choice, but I think it looks great. I like the new forum descriptions. I never got around to reading or making any suggestions. It's nice that you made a photo gallery. When I first joined, I wasn't sure where to post photos. Some have posted in the map room and others in the photography forum.

Thanks for your efforts!

I know what you mean about the SoL..it's got a bit more of an "urban" feel compared to previous photos, and it's not a traditional LH. But, maybe it's because I live 25 miles from NYC, but I really like it there. Adds a new feel.

I need to get out there...maybe one month when I need to get a stamp in an emergency for my new "NPS Passport Stamp Every Month" programme...

I think Lady Liberty looks awesome, thanks for the great picture, Jen!

How about a version of this:

Maybe like this....


Since this is a Harbour Lights Collector Forum. Just a suggestion

Thanks for the comments, everyone! John and I were discussing what lighthouse to put up on the CF, and I suggested something from my NJ trip, since it was different than the West Coast or Great Lakes, and he suggested SOL. I thought it was a great idea; but not everyone knows that SOL is a "lighthouse" - especially since it's a statue of a woman! Should a lighthosue be put up? I wouldn't mind hearing the general concensus, but it's John's board. I'm sure he'd love to hear opinions, too.

My vote's with AZLIGHTKEEPER's shot.

Sandy

The Statue of Liberty has been a favorite of mine before I knew it was a lighthouse and of course it is the tallest lighthouse in America. Since we have lots of lighthouses how about a new one every month?

What a surprise! I'm gone for a few days and come back to find everything all changed! I do like the new look but have to agree with others about the small icon. On my computer (a Dell like so many of you out there), it looks almost blurred and it's difficult to tell that it's the SOL on there. I love the look at the top (Jen's gorgeous shot), but agree with Jim that perhaps the version he posted might be better. I can tell what it is and it does so much more justice to the beautiful lady. I am wondering, too, why the "welcome" forum and the "general forum" are listed under "Harbour Lights". Maybe they would fit better in "Forums" and that category could go at the top? Although I understand, too, the reasoning for keeping "Harbour Lights" as the initial forum. Very cool, everyone.

Haven't been here for awhile, nice surprise!
Good job looks great.

To use an image such as what Jim has shared would "expand" the height of every topic listed on a page. John chooses a panoramic view to minimize this effect. While I like Jim's image, I don't think it would be practical given what John is trying to accomplish.

Is there a way to use the same clarity of color that's on the "NEW" picture on the other picture? The only issue I have is that the other picture is so dark, it's hard to discern that it is the same picture as its twin.

Sandy

Well, the poll isn't over, but activity seems to be. All along it was a neck-and-neck race. With only about 37 voting, I've made an 'executive decision' and decided to go with the 'close-up' of Lady Liberty for the "New" and "Not New" icons. (It was 19-18 for the "Horizon" shot so that one remains at the top.)

I didn't make the "NEW" any bigger because I felt it a sacrilege to cover any more of the Lady than what I did. The reason one version was 'dark' the last time was to indicate that it was 'sleeping' - no new posts. Since that seems to have been a problem with a few people, I left them both the same except for the "New". If it's still a problem, change the resolution on your monitor or visit your favorite eye doctor.

The plan was always to change the images a few times a year. Since this is a volunteer managed site, setting an exact schedule seems a bit to strident. So let's say that Lady Liberty will be around until sometime after July 4, when she plans to retire somewhere in sunny Arizona.

Looks good, though now it's incredibly difficult to see the "New" word with the tiny font, non-contrasting colours, and non-darkened "Old" icons. Brightness all the way up on my laptop screen, squinting...

I'm going to NEED my favourite eye doctor.

But I'll deal with it. We can't seem to come to a consensus here...it's kind of funny.

Sorry, don't like the revised new look at all. Extremely difficult to see at a glance what threads have new posts, so to me the markers are pretty much worthless.

Is there something wrong with me, my computer or what?! I see the small icons perfectly well, although I still can't tell it's Lady Liberty. The "new" shows up bright and red and the "no new posts" icons still look dark, so I have no problem seeing where there are new posts. Am I not seeing the most recent version?

Grace, you probably need to hit the refresh button at the top of your browser window. Or choose VIEW/Refresh from the menu line.

Nothing wrong with you that we know of (but of course, we're not medical doctors.)

John, would it be difficult to give the "new" icon a bit of a frame (say in red) to set it appart a bit more without covering the Lady?

I like the new look and have not trouble seeing the differnce. But then I have a monitor with very good definition and that makes seeing detail much easier.

A frame - a THICK frame - would, I think, be a great compromise (sp?). It seems like we're not getting the nice dark ones back (at least this time), but we need SOMETHING to diffrentiate!

John, I've been told it wouldn't take a medical doctor. Would you believe that today is the first day I have seen the new icons? No amount of signing off and back on or refreshing would bring the latest version up! It looks terrific! I have no problem seeing anything and love that I can see Lady Liberty clearly. Thanks!