Sidebar on topic pages

[Shelley]

Okay, having gone back and studied the sidebar as it is now, I realise the "ugly" bit is the heavy black shape with the post number in it, I am sure it didn't used to be like that. Make lighter or change it will make it look more balanced.

I am sure how ever it ends up I will get used to it.

[Shelley]

P.S. sidebar doesn't appear on page 2 of the topic,

 

Yet:)

[abcdefg]

I'll be glad to post some menus tomorrow.

[Mati1]

2 hours ago, Shelley said:

P.S. sidebar doesn't appear on page 2 of the topic,

 

Yet:)

Actually, it does.

The black number boxes are a bit heavy, true, but it's the design from the front page.

 

Roddy, since the sidebar should draw visitors in you could link featured topics instead or in addition to recent posts.

I would like the sidebar to be narrower. You could start (if easy enough) by removing the portrait pictures and number of posts bubbles, making the format simple and less obstrusive, like the left column on the front page which contains the ads.

[Shelley]

I did say, yet. It wasn't showing when I wrote it.

[Mati1]

Haha, the admins are watching you.

[Shelley]

and you...

[889]

That right-hand sidebar on the threads page is just clutter. Best to keep the forum looking clean.

[陳德聰]

I am using the forums on my iPad, and I feel a bit cramped. I am not sure what the benefit of the sidebar is? One less click to get to new content? I find I hit the homepage button when I'm ready to get to the recent posts/blog entries, and it doesn't seem cumbersome to do so, whereas the sidebar doesn't even seem to reach all the way to the bottom of the page, so I'd only be using it if I got bored/distracted in the middle of reading a thread and wanted to navigate away.

[abcdefg]

@Chen -- I think you have hit on the crux of the issue.

 

17 hours ago, 陳德聰 said:

I am not sure what the benefit of the sidebar is? One less click to get to new content?

 

This new feature does absolutely nothing to help existing users. It does nothing to improve ease of forum use.

 

@roddy --

Quote

I like the idea of people who've dropped in from a Google search or a new post notification seeing a list of what else is active. 

 

It is designed to draw in new casual visitors who may have stumbled across Chinese Forums via an internet search for some isolated piece of information. The hope is that they will say, "Wow, there's all sorts of other good stuff here too."

 

It might help the website's click count or page views, or advertising revenue or something else of a commercial nature. But it does so at the expense of appearance and ease of use.

 

My personal quarrel with this new page layout is that it makes long posts with illustrations, such as many of mine, all that much longer, very narrow and vertical, and makes them visually unattractive as well as cumbersome to navigate.

 

Quote

@889 -- That right-hand sidebar on the threads page is just clutter. Best to keep the forum looking clean.

 

Agree.

@roddy

Quote

 

-- I realise it might look odd with very short, or very long topics. I think that's kind of unavoidable.

 

 

This latest "improvement" is fixing a problem that does not actually exist. And in so doing, it degrades and makes it more difficult to offer a type of content (illustrated topical essays, be they food, tea, or travel) which is in short supply on other similar internet forums.

 

That's why I object to it.

 

[陳德聰]

I am viewing on my iPhone right now and just realised the sidebar appears underneath the thread at the very bottom of the page. I think that's an okay place for it to show up, beneath the "recently browsing this thread" thingy. Cause then I can navigate to other content after having finished reading the whole thread.

[abcdefg]

1 hour ago, 陳德聰 said:

I am viewing on my iPhone right now and just realised the sidebar appears underneath the thread at the very bottom of the page.

 

I just now checked the website on my Android phone, and it appears at the bottom on that platform too.

 

At the bottom it isn't intrusive, destructive, and ugly. Agree that's much better. Makes it something which is "optional" and not as much "right in your face."

 

@roddy  -- Could you move it there on the full-size platforms too? (Such as on laptop computers.) It might be a way to do what you want without the current undesirable side effects.

[Mati1]

From roddy's point of view it's not an advantage to move it to the bottom on desktop platforms, because visitors who scan the first three posts and are about to the leave the page will never reach the page footer area, unless the thread is only one to three posts long.

[889]

Mobile versions should be sparse as can be so they download quickly as can be. Some people pay -- and wait -- for every single bit that gets downloaded to their phones. What Roddy's done to the mobile version does nothing but waste time and money.

 

Ditto that "Why you should look around" blurb which on mobile now very irritatingly appears at the very top of every single thread you browse.

 

Enough!

 

[Shelley]

13 minutes ago, 889 said:

Ditto that "Why you should look around" blurb

Yes, it sounds very needy. I like the idea of welcoming new comers and encouraging them to look around but I think the word "should" is a bit strong.

I get the impression that roddy feels the traffic and membership numbers could/needs to be improved. I wonder if there is a different way of doing this.

 

Something more open and encouraging:

 

Welcome to Chinese Forums, have a look around, make yourself at home. Feel free to join in the conversations or start a topic of your own to ask a question or start a discussion. Create an account,  its quick, easy and lets you be part of the wonderful place that is Chinese Forums.

[imron]

1 hour ago, 889 said:

Ditto that "Why you should look around" blurb which on mobile now very irritatingly appears at the very top of every single thread you browse.

I have never seen this.

[Shelley]

It was there and now its gone, it went so fast my post above become obsolete almost before I had finished typing. When I clicked submit and looked at the home page it was gone.

 

Is it possible to see it using the way back machine?

[889]

All I can say is, it's certainly there on Android using Firefox. Even on page 2 of long threads.

 

I have a page snap which I'll send to Roddy if this isn't supposed to be.

 

(Maybe it disappears once you're signed in, Imron and Shelley.)

 

EDIT: Yep, it only shows up -- on all platforms, not just Android -- when you're not signed in.

 

[imron]

10 minutes ago, 889 said:

Maybe it disappears once you're signed in

That would explain it.  I always leave my devices signed in.

[roddy]

That's it gone for now, but it'll return in some form. I'll try and and do something like give members the option to hide it (or perhaps existing members and show it to new sign-ups, I suspect it'd be a lot less of an issue if it was just there from day one).

 

Will try and respond in more detail to specific comments when I've got a bit more time. As for the welcome block - yeah, only shows to guests. Same with ads.