I’m using Firefox and the site looks like it has settled down a bit. It was a little shaky yesterday.
A little trick I learned for those of you using Firefox. You can zoom into the screen if those red sides are really annoying you. Use the ctrl+ or ctrl- to adjust the size of the screen and get rid of the side bars. The added bonus is hte text is larger for those of us putting off our eye appointments. ctrl0 gets you back to normal and Firefox remembers your setting for each site.
It’s not the format of the board that determines its quality, but the quality of the people who post there.
Chicken or egg? The people who have to use the board regularly will go elsewhere if the format stinks or it’s not easy to use. It’s not like this is the only site on the net.
This is a great board due to the quality of the regular posters and that something that the web lackeys can’t take away.
Only time will tell if people will stick around and put up with this format. I may check in from time to time to see if it’s changed but for now, it’s time to hang out elsewhere…
Great tip–thanks from me & my eyes.
I like the sparkly “submit a car question” button.
And this is how the I.T. nerds earn their huge paychecks. They initiate some “neccessary” changes then bank on the fact that we must call them time after time to “fix” or explain the changes. All this, of course, on the clock. Here at my Ford dealer it’s a never ending circle.
That wasted space can/will be sold to advertisers.
A little trick I learned for those of you using Firefox. You can zoom into the screen if those red sides are really annoying you. Use the ctrl+ or ctrl- to adjust the size of the screen and get rid of the side bars. The added bonus is hte text is larger for those of us putting off our eye appointments. ctrl0 gets you back to normal and Firefox remembers your setting for each site.
Same thing with Explorer 7 and if I remember correctly some earlier versions as well. I don’t recall if the save settings works however.
I also has problems with lining up the titles and the buttons when zoomed in. Looking at it the kerning is also off.
It isn’t just you, Joseph. Or, apparently, you and me. What WERE they thinking?
I do not like when you go to the next page there is 1 or 2 posts from page before repeated.
When that happens, check to see if 1 or 2 posts were inserted (as replies to other posts) ahead of this page. That could push posts from the previous page on to this one. I haven’t noticed them deliberately overlapping (repeating) posts from one page to the next.
Of course, it would be nice to be able to see which topics (threads) I’ve posted to, and whether there have been postings to them since I last checked. All good forum software does this – I wonder if this is custom brew or stock forum software? I’m not sure I like the threaded organization – I have to reread a lot of old posts to find new ones since I last visited, rather than finding them all at the bottom of the thread.
from the looks of it, they were thinking of how much money they could bring in from using so much ad space. 1/3 of my screen is the actual forum, and even then about 2/3s of that is the actual posts, the rest of it is used by that cars.com ad and the other junk. it’s no fun when your screen is 1920x1200
If you increase your zoom level from 100% to 125%, it improves the appearance to a great extent. This control should be on the lower right-hand corner of your screen, just above the clock.
At least I can sign in now.
(the glass is half full, the glass is half full…)
Thanks to how silly this forum software is, lots of you won’t see this post. Or, at least, you’ll have to spend some time going through old messages first.
In any case, for those reading this who are interested in a more useable forum, please see this post about a new car-chat forum I’ve created (it’s free too):
http://community.cartalk.com/posts/list/1506209.page
Hope to see you there!
Jad
http://www.theoldwrench.com
I’m not crazy about the red borders either. Utilizing only 2/3rds of the page is wasteful.
Just my opinion
Here’s a new forum:
I wonder if they changed to a whole new engine on this thing. Lots of duplicate topics, which probably indicates a serious code problem.
good job Tandy man,I may buy something,and yes IM talking too you.
ctrl + scrolling the mouse wheel does the same thing
What difference does it make what we think? When they first redid the board they asked for our input and promptly ignored us for over a month. Then despite many problems ?they? claimed that all the kinks were worked out, and then they hid our comments (yes I know you can find them if you search for them)
Yep, ?they? pay attention to us, not.
“They” are the main reason I’m not here much anymore.
Sorry, but I have to agree,… no likey!
Visually, it seems to be better than the previous layout, but execution is quite flawed. Here’s why:
There are two topic categories! TWO? Seriously? Car questions and Second Opinion? That’s all you could come up with? geeze How about a “Hot Topics” category that lists topics by volume of discussion or a taxonomy category where you can look at topics that are specific to a vehicle model/year/brand/engine. The taxonomy category could be executed through a search function or by requiring new car questions to fill in a small form on what type of vehicle and component of the vehicle the topic concerns. How about also then adding a category that is a taxonomy of components of topic. Both of these additional categories should not be their own separate categories, but simply feeding off the main car questions category so that there is not duplication and stretch.
There are too few topics on one page. Most people are not all that interested in flipping through additional pages of topics. During a flurry of new topics, some will simply not even be noticed.
Some things I do like, are the drop down entry fields when responding to a question or comment and maybe the star rating, even though I haven’t really figured out what the purpose is, but sense some potential there.
All in all, the design is a good concept as it moves away from the cluttered, unsightly, and information overlaod forum format that is so widely in use all over the internet. Nice attempt at the Web2.0 (sorry for all who have had enough of the “web2.0” term, but it gets the point across).
A for effort, more like a C- for execution and usability.