The content column has now been expanded for ease of viewing and if you haven't seen yet the tabs for editing your posts are back and are now above the title. Thanks for all the feedback.

Am I missing something? What happened to the forums? Please tell me the Fresno top 10 thread is still around. That thread has more Fresno history than any book I've read.

Rob DeFrees

In past, one of the things that I adored about the site was the emails sent telling of new posts to thread I wanted to stay on top of. Mind, I am right busy and mailbox is very well used but it was always nice to stop and see what the latest tirade was. MOI is not the only one posting and do love to see what others are saying.

Am I think as a brick or what. Is that feature gone?

Oi!! Never count the Swedes out. Jag prata svenska! I had good fortune to do business in Sweden and learned the language. I will always remember roaming the roads of Stockholm and my many bike rides in the countryside around Uppsala.

And I love the comment viewing options!!!

Sorry I wrote so negative earlier, but...

These improvements (especially the background options...since I'm probably on one of those older monitors you were talking about) will greatly improve the user-friendliness of the site.

Sucks that they forced your work out so quickly. I think it was indeed damaging to whatever bit of trust we had in McClatchy/The Bee.

Tested Quality > Rushed Delivery.

Things I can live with:

1) The logo, if both R's are facing the correct direction.

2) The fist and the pencil.

3) The trivia beneath the logo.

Yeah, I know I have to live with whatever is given, but there's my 3 cents. :-p

~Rell www.myspace.com/559rell www.myspace.com/trellthareallamane (music production)

Thanks edluv! How refreshing to hear a positive comment! That just totally made my whole week. We are currently working on expanding content column to maybe about 600px rather than the current 425px. It looked good on paper, but apparently isn't as functionally friendly as we'd have liked. We've just got to find a happy medium between our requirements for ad placement and UI ergonomics.

I've now added view options for the comments so you guys can display and sort the comments in whatever way you like. Does this resolve the issue on the comments?

A new theme is on the way, so individuals can decide whether the want a light or a dark page. Please bear with us as this is no simple task, but actually a substantial amount of voluntary work that we will happily do because we care about accommodating your concerns.

outside of the slim columns for text, i love the new site.

that's right. i love it. i like the new logo. i don't care if it conjures up memories/associations with communism or the former soviet republic.

and, today i noticed that they're now giving several options of how to view comments. super freaking cool. so, i can go back to viewing comments in chronological fashion. or, should i choose to look @ them in a threaded fashion, i could do that. or, i could collapse them all.

awesome. great work on that.

the one thing i'm still wanting (other than larger text columns compared to ad space) is either a button or a space in all the drop down menus for the calendar. it used to be there in the menu bar, it's not now.

FWIW, I use an LCD monitor and I like the white-on-black set-up.

I understand that you're working on a solution, and maybe there were extenuating circumstances, but that fact that you attribute this to a "small population" of Fresno Famous users who are using a CRT monitor worries me. It sounds like you're making excuses.

Accept it, and grow. But really, overreacting? I think we've been understanding.

like i said before, we're working on a solution as fast as we can. Please note that this is an issue that only affects a small number of the fresno famous population that are on older CRT monitors, which tend to display much darker colors and lower contrast than new LCD displays do.

We will try to be as empathic as possible, but I cannot stress enough the importance of describing the situation you are experiencing so that we can properly diagnose and resolve these issues. We fully welcome and value your opinions, negative or positive, but please understand that only fact can lead to resolution.

Thanks for your patience and understanding during this transitional period.

Not fond of the new site design, plus what I posted a week ago has been condensed into something completely lost on anyone looking at the Music category only to find 5 million posts by the same person, obliterating everyone else. this should not be allowed, and all posts by kimlien should be taken off. Completely unfair to others who want to get the word out about other events.

And yes, white type on black background only works if the letters are HUGE and movie poster size. This just gives me a headache.

robin ralston

wow, ok guys, i thought you were just way overreacting because you hated the new design. Today is the first chance i've had to see the website on a CRT monitor and it looks HORRIBLE!

I do apologize for the lack of user testing, but we were not given an opportunity to do any. The deadline was so short that we just had to push this out. There were only 2 of us doing all the work, and we did put in a lot of time and really do care about you guys liking the site. The only thing we can do now is ask for your patience while we rectify these issues.

Black background? Number one tacky webdesign no-no: the mark of an amateur, especially on a text-heavy site.

It looks like MySpace.

Allusion to former Soviet Union in graphic and font choices? Cute backward R/Cyrillic text reference. What's the point? And, if not intended, return to comment one, part two. (It looks like the label from an old Russian sunflower oil container.)

Half the vertical space is given over to advertising. Since when do graphic artists split things 50/50? (Maybe it's not that way on your screen? If that's the case, see comment one, part two.)

You have got to be kidding. It looks like Billy from Family Circus took over.

I think any time a site is redesigned there are going to be problems -- technical and otherwise. I think the FF team is really in a good position to be getting this type of feedback too because if I got feedback like this it would help me out immensely.

I just redesigned my Fresno news & information site too -- lateupdate.com -- and it has a lot of the things that people are saying is now missing from this site. It's a redesign but it was really about getting the cleanest code for my site as I'm about to do some major stuff there as well.

The only thing bad about this is that the Fresno Bee said they would not change the site dramatically. I think it's just that the Fresno Bee is taking a step in a new direction and I'd be interested to see what the cool new features will be in the future here.

Here's what Valerie Bender said at the time:

The website will not change dramatically. Often known for taking shots at The Fresno Bee, FresnoFamous.com will continue to enjoy its independence from The Bee and will continue to host candid and open conversations on any topic of interest.

"Our hope is that many things that Jarah Euston had planned for the site's growth will come to fruition through the multitude of resources we have. It is also our intention to retain the personality behind FresnoFamous.com and that those in the public who currently participate in the site will continue to do so. We also hope others will join those conversations and make future contributions to FresnoFamous.com as we grow its readership."

I like the way the pictures look when you first get to the homepage, but other than that...

I TOTALLY side with you.

Sucks reading DOWN a post, then scrolling UP to the next post, only to scroll DOWN again.

Was there no beta test?

One of the main reasons I'm coming back to this site, lately, is to see when these problems are finally corrected.

~Rell www.myspace.com/559rell www.myspace.com/trellthareallamane (music production)

1. That comments now appear in reverse chronological order. Major annoyance.
2. Color scheme. My eyes are burning trying to read. And this site was originally designed as a forum for written content. Oh, the irony.
3. No "Categories." Apparently it's more important to have a giant Warner Company ad than it is to attract people to the site by making it interesting and easy to navigate by displaying timely content. Funny, because I doubt Warner Company will keep paying for ads on a site with no one on it after they've been driven away by lack of focus or good design.

Please fix it, or revert it back to the original. I was very unpleasantly surprised when I came back to Famous today after a couple months off. Make it stop.

looks good.

That's a pretty distorted view of what I said. Most people who get the hell out of dodge don't start a website about how cool dodge is in the first place. Nor do those people start an anti-corporate website and then sell said site to an international conglomerate.

But Jarah did. Then she left, never to return. Now, you must ask yourself. Did she do so because she really loved Fresno? Or was the site designed to help with a B-school application that was rather light, especially in the GMAT department? Who knows...

So "selling" means "selling out?"
Yeah, that's a great way to entice free thinking and an entrepreneurial environment. God forbid someone make money from their efforts, and even worse, to go off and better themselves through higher education.
It's no wonder people are getting the hell out of dodge.

"Sold Out

It sucks. Take the money and run. You probably live north of Herndon."

No, that was jarah...

I don't understand the change-STICK TO WHAT WORKS! and yeah, its totally not eye friendly
-GyPsYgOdDeSs

I am usually a fan of change. But not in this case. It loooks like the site took a step backwards. I have to keep looking away from the screen to keep my eyes from watering. It's boring and really pretty "turn offish".

I used to like coming to the website, but now I don't know if I will keep visiting FresnoFamous at all. Which, I might add, is a shame considering that I really enjoyed getting to know the frequent writers on the site.

given the sum total of the comments here, i do not think it will "grow on people"--people seem overall to dislike it in the extreme

It sucks. Take the money and run. You probably live north of Herndon.

glad to hear you like the new look! we are hoping that it will grow on people.

I'll look into that on monday and see what happened to the lost fresno thread. I've got a list going of things that are missing, and will add this to it. This kind of feedback is great. it was such a daunting task to deal with the really massive amount of information this site has collected over the years, that it is no surprise that some things have slipped through the cracks.

And to the person who couldn't log in, i've gotta have some specifics if i am to fix it, like what's your user name for starters?

Some of the newer and older pics look better in that window shape on the main page. More resolution or size? And the dropdown menus are cool.

....."Lost Fresno" thread, that has many hundreds of posts over two year? Maybe I'm old and dead, but I can't find it....

Overall, I like the new look. You have to change, or fade away.....

The layout and proportions are cool.

The colors make the site more difficult to read/use.

I can't sign in, or log in. I wanted to start a new post, but since I can't, and since I really wanted to know this (pretend this is a new post).

Does anyone know what happened to Fresnowiki.org?

Also, where are the Famous forums now?

...and I don't too much like the image of the fist gripping a pencil either.

It's more about the thoughts and ideas of the writers, less the toughness of their words.

I'd prefer a studious, but cool-looking personage with a loose fist to their cheek and the tip of their index finger touching their temple. Add the look of deep thought or the slight smirk on their face that seems to be the result of a bright idea...

That would be truer to Fresno Famous. Why do the opposite of what the site was built on?

Everything was soft. Who stared at FF and turned the site to stone?

~Rell www.myspace.com/559rell www.myspace.com/trellthareallamane (music production)

more "generic, amateur website" and less "Fresno Famous".

This color scheme does NOT work for Fresno, Fresno Famous, or for my eyes.

It feels like I'm on the website for an online superhero comic book or a video game cheats page or something. (And yes, the lame star logo adds to the feeling).

Sadly, I don't like this change, much, at all.

I think the site needed updating, and I never really liked Marilyn on here anyway, but this isn't "fresno-friendly". This is "computer games, comic books, mad, young, armchair-rebel friendly. We are not nearly as dark/mad as this site looks.

Oh, and please make the trivia at the top reflect local information or take it off of the site.

Aside from the superhero feel, it feels like we dropped the "Fresno" to make "Famous.com"

Not a good look for us.

In short: DROP THE LOGO (for a broader, less comic-like appeal) and INVERT THE COLORS (for easier reading).

~Rell www.myspace.com/559rell www.myspace.com/trellthareallamane (music production)

(1) Ugly color scheme.

(2) Hard / painful to read, and I have 20/20 vision.

(3) Strange logo with the backwards R -- bad connotations, as many have noted.

(4) Very small proportion of the space devoted to content -- too many distracting ads.

(5) Strange trivia for a FRESNO site--I don't care about the tallest building in Maine.

(6) I agree with the person who says it looks very amateurish / 1999. So did the previous site, but in a charming and easy-to-read way...

(7) I often have the feeling that the same dozen people read and contribute to this site, which is sad, because it has the potential to be a vibrant forum of opinion and a clearinghouse of information. I think this horrible new format will serve to discourage potential new users.

(8) In sum, I think you would do better to go back to the old format for now, sans Marilyn if need be. My eyes beg you to consider it.

Thank you.

take a look at this cycling jersey...

http://www.cyclegarb.com/sounairfotec.html

Also, did you miss the cyrillic "R" in "Fresno?" The Stalinist letters? The prominent red star with a sun-burst behind it?

The theme or motifs does not look Communist it looks like the site went from the style of who ever did the Marylin Famous saying to the Obey Giant style of Shepard Fairey, the colors of both web sites look almost the same.
http://obeygiant.com

regarding the advertisements on here, There are Ads on here? I guess my browser AD blocker works well on this site, all I see it some very small text that says 'advertisement' and a large blank black box.

I use ADblocker plus on firefox, and IE7pro for IE, try them.

Does the new 'look' of the site reflect Fresno? ... hmm not really, run down old buildings in south Fresno, and new strip buildings that look like they came from Irvine and Orange County are in North Fresno, and a Green Tree lined landscape for the center area's of Fresno, are what reminds me and would reflect Fresno, so a Brown, Green, Grey, and Rust colors are Fresno to me. LOL

I'm still getting use to the site, but man, what's up with the communist theme? Maybe I'm a bit older than the young hipsters in my 'hood, but I remember when the commies were out busting the skulls of anyone who quesioned their approach. Maybe the next redesign can be red and black with a prominent broken cross?

On the other hand, I feel a strange attraction to the banner...

I don't understand why the actual content takes up about 500 pixels wide and the rest is advertisements. Content is what drives a site like this. When I go here I see ads and get lost trying to find the content. Ads don't drive people to a site. Ads can pay for the people and the resources it takes to keep this up, but if the content is hard do find the traffic can dwindle then what do you have after traffic is gone? I thinks ads are good but the content and community is most important here please don't lose site of this.

By the way I would recommend check out your registration process. I tried to register and it looks really messed up. I am not sure who ldoud555 is but that is the profile it let me change the password and email. That profile already had a previous post too.

and what's w/the communist themes? is it supposed to be ironic that this corporately-held site is fighting against...itself?

let's make a little sense with our imagery.

Wow, early mornings...
"advertisers should be nice" should read "advertisers should be happy"

well, advertisers should be nice--against a dark background the banners pop. And at least there's no pop-up ads at this point.
All cynicism aside (ha), there are indeed some noticeable improvements, but the user interface is still confusing (possibly more so now).
Ah, wait, there's the pop-up ad...

I think the gray on black (and some hyperlinks were black on black), and load times should be reconsidered. The Internet is supposed to be inclusive-- allowing as many people as possible to view information. The text is difficult to read for me (and I'm in my 20s). And I really feel for the previous comment on dial-up. Thank goodness I have broadband, but when I visit my relatives' houses in other parts of the Valley, they don't have the luxury of even being offered broadband there. It's still a country setting. Rural kids, and other folks really need a site like this. Please think about designing for all viewers-- esp. with the Bee's corporate resources behind you.

If you look at the top of the page where it says "Account".If you notice a drop bar will appear that has the recent posts button.

I also feel that the background color is unfriendly to read. It hurts the eyes.

Woah! I'm on CABLE and this site is running SLOOOOOW.

I DO like the way new posts jump to the top (less scrolling)

-s

REALLY hard for me to read!!! (grey on black?)

REALLY hard for me to find stuff (where the heck is that 'recent posts' link?!?!?!!?!?

Graphics are fine, but not very impressive. Overall I feel the new look has a very amaturish feel to it. It's very 1999. The image no longer reflects FRESNO vibes...

-s

Yeah, sorry about the lost posts. Anything posted between yesterday evening and today at noon when the transition took place will sadly be lost forever. There were many technical hurdles to overcome to successfully complete this data migration. This was not just a redesign of the site, but also a move to a new hosting company.

I'm not so much a fan of the dark background and the 'star' logo. It reminds me so much of that one skater brand that everyone seems to be copying.

Also, some things I posted yesterday were lost. No big deal, but is that a glitch, or maybe I just posted mid-transition?

The dark background has a heavier feel to it. And the red star with the backwards r in Fresno reminds me of the old Soviet Union logo with hints of the Carl's jr logo. It's not as friendly or as alternative as the old one. But, what do I know? That's probably what's cool nowadays. I always thought the pic wasn't a real drawing of Marilyn but, was a drawing of a guy in drag as Marilyn. And that can't be infringement? Much success to you.

i didn't realize just how washed out marilyn looked until the new russian-propaganda-style logo popped out at me.
LOVE it.
who needs a faded blonde bombshell anyway.

Dasvedanya.

i dig the look. it'll take some time to figure out things, and figure out how i want to "get around" on the site.

one question: is there still a recent posts function? i've been living by that thing and i'd hate for it to be gone.

Rob DeFrees

Where did the "On The Road" piece go??

congrats on the new look