It's not really changed since December 2001, when I first decided it would be a good idea to log my progress towards the FLM finish line. It was created as a motivational tool for me, then gradually morphed into something else that I can't quite put my finger on.
But I'm thinking about changing the look and feel of the site, and it's because we have something of a burgeoning community here that I want to gauge the opinion of others. According to the stats, the number of unique visits per day is increasing quite dramatically. A year ago the site was being visited by just 30 different computers each day. Now it's about 200, and increasing.
I'm desperate to get rid of the HTML frames. If you don't know what this means, don't worry. Think yourself fortunate. But it will help solve some of the screen space issues that I know some people have.
But other stuff: I've toyed with the idea of changing the name. A few months ago I mused on starting a running theme park called Plodderama, then I thought of changing the name of the site to Plodderama.com. I then forgot about it. I just started thinking about it again. Would this alienate non-plodders?
I think we should do more with the calendar.
I need to rationalise the menus.
I need to update the links and add some new items. I've got a few plans in this area, but any ideas would be welcome.
I need to do more with photos. I need to do a lot of things.
If anyone has any comment or ideas, I'd be interested. If I don't get any, that's no problem - I will be making some changes in any case.
Thanks in advance
Andy
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
"This town needs an enema"! - hmmm....from which film was that line taken?
pics taken of the route we are running adds much to the understanding. Nigel has done a bit, so have I, if server space isn't an issue I would like to encourage more. ( I would have loved to have seen a pic of where Antonio - for example - was (seafront) plodding!)
I'd vote for the name to stay, to ease recognisability
calender? what calender? I don't believe there's any mileage in this. A race in Cheshire is of no interest to me.
Race reports categorised or scored, so visitors can get a feel for what to expect. give headings ie size, flat/undulating, friendly, marshalling etc etc... more opinions the better!
Perhaps make the forum viewable to members only - would that encourage people to register or would they simply bugger off?
What I do not think, is that this site should try to be another runnersworld, excellent site that it is. Small and friendly here is the formula IMO - although only you Andy know which direction you want the site to go (or more likely, perhaps you don't know)
As I say, just ideas here, good and perhaps not so good. Perhaps more drivel later.
2) William Shakespeare (The "Stratford Streak") Shall I compare thee to a summers run?
Thou art more wordy and less sweated,
Thy forum completes the runners fun
While summer storms just leave one wetted.
We need more running and more writing, not more coding.
Heap of wrath, foul indigested lump,
As crooked in thy manners as thy shape!
Thou shalt hear from lawyers of mine,
Runneth vile Man, make good thy escape!
That's a fantastic picture MLC Man. Kind of like the Denbies Winery near Dorking. Or maybe not.
Interesting ideas about updating the web-site, Andy. Always good to keep the look fresh, and I'd be comforted by the knowledge that everyone, myself included, will always resist change, if ever asked beforehand.
Plodderama is an intriguing name for a theme park, but having spent this long building up the inimitable RunningCommentary brand, why would you need to change it ? Plodder might also be taken as an insult by some of the more precious souls and faster soles amongst us.
The word "Running" seems pretty clear and universally identifiable, but what risk the litigation fees if "Plodder" actually proved to be a term of abuse in several East European languages, as well as in certain parts of South Australia and the Iberian Peninsula.... ?
Good luck with finding the right blend of creative nirvana to complement your sharply-honed writing. If that remains to the fore, then all's well that ends well.
Thanks for the comments. Plodderama wasn't a wholly serious suggestion, more of a mischievous toe in the water. But I might change the .co.uk to .net.
Definitely intend to dispense with the frames, SW. They cause a lot of problems. In fact I already have a new look site sitting around with menus along the top, and have had for months. I suppose I just wanted to draw some fire in advance.
And I do intend to make the front page a bit more interesting / dynamic.
I'm constantly impressed/surprised by the interesting writing/food for thought on the forum, and want to make writing more of a feature.
Cheers
Andy
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
I think you should definitely keep the name, whatever else you change. As for the HTML frames - not sure what that means but if it's going to make it better, go for it. Look forward to seeing the new updated site - soon!!
1. Away with the frames.
2. Keep the name.
3. Menus: How about dropdown dhtml menus along the top. See http://www.milonic.com for a free version.
4. More photos.
5. A mailing list and newsletter
6. Diet/food/recipe section
For simulated marathon running, just climb into a tumble-drier (TIP: the larger, industrial ones are the best - you may have to develop a relationship with your local dry-cleaning outlet), along with a variety of sharp, heavy objects. Ask someone to set it going, and trust them to come back 5 hours later to turn it off and let you out.
It saves a lot of wear on your trainers.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
Personally, I'm a big fan of frames. I think having a left-hand navigational menu and a main frame for content is one of the best designs you can have. Although I do concede that they can create some issues for the developer.
Frames are useful, essential really, for database-driven sites and others that need to keep some areas dynamic and others static (more than just for navigation). But they cause problems. You have to be careful not to allow just one frame to open and fill the entire screen, for instance. But one of the worst problems seems to be that framed sites are hard to get 'spidered' properly, and often don't show up in searches.
I agree that a left-hand menu and a main window is a classic design, but you don't need frames to achieve this. I'm probably going to go with menus along the top to maximise the screen width for content. And just for a change. I don't think it will me a major problem to move the menus back to the left if necessary, but I do want to dispense with frames.
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
Let's not forget the ever-growing army of tech-heads who access the web on their PDAs and mobile phones, and for whom the fixed-width left-hand frame makes runningcommentary a pain to view.
Oh, that wasn't even funny.
Well, I'd better mention beer then. Here's one of my favourite funny beers (and not a frame in sight)...
Quote:Originally posted by Mid Life Crisis Man Let's not forget the ever-growing army of tech-heads who access the web on their PDAs and mobile phones...
Indeed, I just bought my first ever PDA the other day ( a Palm T3), and as usual when new technology enters a previously untroubled orifice, am wondering how I survived this long without one. I haven't yet worked out how to get online with it, but I suppose this may be a good test of a site redesign.
Anyone got any PDA killer apps I should know about...?
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
MLC Man has a point, and not just about the beer..... as one of the growing army of tech-heads, accessing the site on the Blackberry from home today, this Forum is actually the only part of the site which is accessible.
All of the rest, including Andy's running log, is not visible, and simply appears not to exist. The front page pulls up with a single arrow, and a lot of blank space.
