Jump to content

Hello UrbanPlanet Upgrade

GRGridGirl

By GRGridGirl
in Grand Rapids

Recommended Posts


  • Replies 67
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Raildudes dad Hamlet

Raildudes dad

Posted
Posted

It could be the speed of your actual computer, sure. There are an amazing amount of items that must load in your browser, but having said that, I'm using a two year old MacBook Pro for example, and the speed is improved over the previous version of the site. A couple of staff members have also concurred that the site loads speedily for them, though another staff member has also stated that it is loading slow for him. The fact that it is loading fast for many concludes the thought that it is an issue with the actual site/server and that it is either the speed of your Internet connection or the speed of your computer in rendering items in the browser.

Some browsers are also slower than others. Firefox, Chrome and Safari are going to be quicker than Internet Explorer.

I will go through when I get some time and try to compress some of the graphics on the site a little more (I did this on the previous version as well). This should help a little. I can't say I'll get to it today or this week, but I will get to it soon. There are other items that have greater priority.

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Neo City

Neo

Posted
Posted

All that said, I'm still going to frequent the site and the new look is nicer.... I just wish it was snappy.

Any chance you'll bring back the mouse-over menus on the home page? I loved mousing over Forums->Midwest->Michigan->Grand Rapids without having to click through the pages.

I'm going to be optimizing a few things to make things snappier over the coming days (hopefully).

Regarding the menus on the home page, they're there and they have been for a couple of days now. Please clear your browser's cache and reload the site. Drop-down navigation menus should be on *every* page:

post-1-12568123481875_thumb.png

post-1-12568123481875_thumb.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Neo City

Neo

Posted
Posted

Neo, did the personal mailboxes and private message capability go away? Or is it merely in a different place?

Thanks!

It's still there! One of two ways to do it...

(1) Click the icon that looks like an envelope below the user's avatar to PM the user.

(2) Click the user's name to go to their profile (i.e. http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/user/2658-Veloise/) you can click to send them a message. PM's did change a little and are now conversations and work in a similar way to that of Facebook. You'll be able to see inline all of the involved people in the message.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Neo City

Neo

Posted
Posted

Not there from this vista. I see the "add as friend" for most, and yours also has "view blog" and "view gallery" icons.

(Maybe because I'm a cheapskate.)

I'm really not sure why you're not able to see it. I logged in as a test user I have (is in the regular member group) and it was there for me.

Please clear your browser's cache and refresh the site and see if that helps.

Here is a screenshot from my test user:

post-1-12568238834627_thumb.png

post-1-12568238834627_thumb.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Raildudes dad Hamlet

Raildudes dad

Posted
Posted

I think I figured out why the site loads slower. Even as a guest, I see the attached photo's. Old version, I had to log in to see the photo's (I prefer that for a quick peek, sign to later to look at photos in threats I'm intersted in). The "view new content" gets me every forum, not just the one I'm looking at. The upgrade didn't do anything for me, probably reduces the number of times I look and post :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Neo City

Neo

Posted
Posted

I think I figured out why the site loads slower. Even as a guest, I see the attached photo's. Old version, I had to log in to see the photo's (I prefer that for a quick peek, sign to later to look at photos in threats I'm intersted in). The "view new content" gets me every forum, not just the one I'm looking at. The upgrade didn't do anything for me, probably reduces the number of times I look and post :(

I'm sorry to hear that the upgrade didn't do anything for you. I'm certainly open to resolving issues, but need more folks to express their opinions.

I would imagine most folks sifting through a site would be a little put off by having to register to see any photos in a thread, but I could be wrong. I'm pretty sure I didn't change the way this works...I believe guests always had the ability to view photos in a thread.

Regarding the view new content, you can now choose to 'watch' an entire forum (or specific threads) and it show up in our watched content. We also have a large number of RSS feeds available for your convenience.

I'm still actively working on performance issues, but I made great strides over the weekend in relieving some of the slowness. The site has been very fast for me since Saturday afternoon, but is obviously dependent on the speed of the viewer's Internet connection.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jwazzz Whistle-Stop

jwazzz

Posted
Posted

Thought I'd give it some time before commenting - I love the new site design. Took a couple visits to get used to but I think it has a much cleaner look and I haven't experienced any of the previously reported problems. Hats off to those responsible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

Posted
Posted

I'm sorry to hear that the upgrade didn't do anything for you. I'm certainly open to resolving issues, but need more folks to express their opinions.

I would imagine most folks sifting through a site would be a little put off by having to register to see any photos in a thread, but I could be wrong. I'm pretty sure I didn't change the way this works...I believe guests always had the ability to view photos in a thread.

Regarding the view new content, you can now choose to 'watch' an entire forum (or specific threads) and it show up in our watched content. We also have a large number of RSS feeds available for your convenience.

I'm still actively working on performance issues, but I made great strides over the weekend in relieving some of the slowness. The site has been very fast for me since Saturday afternoon, but is obviously dependent on the speed of the viewer's Internet connection.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AlexPKeaton Burg

AlexPKeaton

Posted
Posted

I've waited a little bit to throw my $0.02 in. I figured some changes might take a little getting used to so I shouldn't complain until I've fully formed an opinion. Turns out I really don't have any major complaint. :) The only gripe I have is with the taller advertisements following the first post on a page. If they were more horizontal it would be more obvious posts continue below and they wouldn't be so awkward visually. Along the same lines, it seems like there are taller and wider margins for many elements on the page which require a bit more scrolling as well. All in all pretty minor, and I've pretty much gotten used to the changes anyway. As a programmer I do like to see things kept up-to-date, so thanks for the level-up!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Neo City

Neo

Posted
Posted

I've waited a little bit to throw my $0.02 in. I figured some changes might take a little getting used to so I shouldn't complain until I've fully formed an opinion. Turns out I really don't have any major complaint. :) The only gripe I have is with the taller advertisements following the first post on a page. If they were more horizontal it would be more obvious posts continue below and they wouldn't be so awkward visually. Along the same lines, it seems like there are taller and wider margins for many elements on the page which require a bit more scrolling as well. All in all pretty minor, and I've pretty much gotten used to the changes anyway. As a programmer I do like to see things kept up-to-date, so thanks for the level-up!

Thanks for your input on the changes. I'm trying to come up with a way to make the advertisements a little less 'in your face' in topics. The best solution I've come up with is to break them up into two 728x90 ads (horizontal banners). One would be placed in the current position after the first post, the other would be placed before the last post.

I'm sure it won't come as a surprise that we've been hit hard with the drop in ad revenue. Most websites have been struggling with how to deal with the loss of revenue and like any other popular site, it isn't cheap to keep running.

I'll see if I can't implement the above solution as soon as possible and see how that flows for everyone. The ultimate goal here is to make everyone happy since without you guys we simply wouldn't have a forum as great as this (of course I am biased...). :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.