Questions and comments about the new look to the forum.

**Woodsheal** · 19th March 10, 05:21 PM

The tartan's back, and it looks great...!

**DesertCeltic** · 19th March 10, 07:08 PM

The site looks great

**dutchy kilted** · 19th March 10, 07:51 PM

I always thought the content was more important than the look, but I am still glad to see the return of the tartan.

**joecool** · 19th March 10, 08:42 PM

I've been away from the forum for a few weeks (checking sporadically here and there of course) and I have to say that I really like the new design! I know that a ton of hard work went into it and I think it looks fantastic! Job well done!

**ronstew** · 20th March 10, 07:57 AM

Originally Posted by KiltedPilot

There is one criteria by which the design is failing in my opinion, however. You might call it the "relevancy factor".

When I click on a post, I want to see that post. That is what I clicked on the link for. I don't want to see anything else. So, an important measure is how much of the (vertical) area of the screen is dedicated to the information I wanted to look at (the post), and how much dedicated to stuff I did not want to look at (adverts, titles, logos, padding, etc).

At the moment, on my laptop, when I click on link to look at a post I see precisely nothing of the post itself. I have to scroll up one entire screen to start reading it. You might say the design currently results in a relevancy factor of 0%.

Mike went on to say some nice stuff - it wasn't a slag. His whole post (# 15 in this thread) is here

But the situation he described is actually worse now than when he wrote it on March 8. A second row of banner ads has appeared, pushing content further down the page. This is mitigated somewhat by the slightly smaller header photo.

I don't love it, but I can live with it. Advertising pays for this site. I did want to mention it, though. I hope that it does not get worse.

**morrison** · 20th March 10, 06:03 PM

Thanx fer the tartan!

I do indeed like the outlining tartan. I makes me feel all. . .

pleated-like? Wrapped in a comfortable, inviting surrounding.

**sydnie7** · 21st March 10, 05:58 PM

As I noted in another thread, I particularly like the way our restored tartan wallpaper bleeds into the edges of the photograph. I hope that effect is maintained if/when another photograph is chosen, assuming the effect remains pleasing.

**starbkjrus** · 21st March 10, 06:09 PM

It is definitely better.

I might suggest to shrink the ADs at the top down so that the double row is no higher than the single row used to be. I would expect they would still be very visible / readable but not take up quite so much room

BUT....let me say that everything else is looking just spiffy. Cleaner and neater and I think the fonts / colors etc. being used now are easier to read than the site has ever been.

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 22nd March 10, 04:53 AM

Originally Posted by starbkjrus

It is definitely better.

I might suggest to shrink the ADs at the top down so that the double row is no higher than the single row used to be. I would expect they would still be very visible / readable but not take up quite so much room

BUT....let me say that everything else is looking just spiffy. Cleaner and neater and I think the fonts / colors etc. being used now are easier to read than the site has ever been.

Before the top banner ads were extended from four to eight, as an advertiser I had a conversation with Steve about this topic. I expressed concern that adding a second row would dominate the top of the forum too much, so that when you logged on, all you would see would be ads, and no content.

Steve assured me at the time that he had already thought of that, and would be reducing the image sizes so that the new double row of banner ads would only be 1/3 larger than the single row was.

Having seen the double row for several days now, I don't think it dominates too much, in my opinion. On my screen at home here I can still see the top six new thread posts in the list below the ads. Of course, this will vary depending on your monitor size. I imagine if I were using my wife's netbook, it would be a different experience!

**Paul Henry** · 22nd March 10, 05:04 AM

On both my laptop and main computer I can't see any of the threads/posts unless I scroll down.
I appreciate the need for raising funds from the advertisers, but I do think that they are getting a little too much prominence, a new visitor to the site first sees a screen full of suppliers rather than educated and erudite posts!
Having the spaces around the boxes is good, but they could be reduced a fraction, without much harm or loss of readability.
I think we have to remember this is a forum not a sales page