This is awful!

30 March 2002 | Me

[Nogbad]

No, this is awful!
I don't know where anything is anymore!
Where are the sidebars?
I used to go straight to them
to find out
what was going on.

[ArneFufkin]

I have a respectful question to ask you ... in your professional judgement, is the new interface, when used in similar capacity, more economical in resource burden than the last?

[Teacher317]

I'm still trying to get used to the new layout. Change is always difficult, especially when it's happening to those things that we are most comfortable with, like FR. Thanks for all your tireless efforts, though.

One small suggestion: it took me a while to subscribe to all of the topics on the topic page (not every state, though, just my own). Can you make just one link that would subscribe to every topic in each section?

[Drew68]

My personal theory is that they are using this disaster to "cull the herd" of everyone but the die-hard addicts as an initial step towards becoming pay-per-view.

Why cull the herd *and then* start charging? Wouldn't it be better to start charging first and then the herd will cull itself.

I speculated on another thread that this might be an effort to cull the herd and then quietly close the site.

Then I removed my tinfoil hat.

[Geezerette]

I'm gonna be stateless right quick, too ... but for another reason as well. The first thing that greeted my eyes when I logged on, was an Arizona FReeper bashing my side o' town!!! He must have been giving someone advice on where not to live in Phoenix!

I didn't want to get into it, so I let it ride. Glad to know I can de-state myself!

g

[Logic_3]

I have just registered (hello..) and customized my account to show "breaking..." in the right side bar... but! "breaking is to "short", only 5 items, i want 50!.

[Mad Dawgg]

"Thank you. I am now stateless. It's come to this."

Hmmm I think this whole change thing is now starting to scare me... If the guild threads die I would sadly depart from FR...

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Are you playing the bad cop today?

BigMack

[MissAmericanPie]

I have DSL and it's still slow as molasses with all the searching and seeking I'm doing on here. OH well, overcome and adapt, but alot of people are not posting anymore and that is worrisome. I would hate to see FR loose steam and lurkers because the site has become too complicated to use.

[ethical]

Lavender? Oh yuck! This is very strange.

[SunnyUsa]

breaking news (which thanks to a freeper on another thread I was able to find, and put back on the side) also has "freep this poll as one of the FIVE items".

I liked when Breaking NEWS was just that, important things!

Are they not going to care what gets classified BREAKING NEWS ANYMORE TOO???

[Lazamataz]

Hardly simple-minded! I've designed user interfaces for over 25 years, and had them extensively reviewed by teams of professionals. Personally I had considered the Free Republic interface and layout of last week one of the BEST examples of great user interfaces I've ever seen. Simple, effective.

JohnRob, put this man on your team. You need his experience.

[Free the USA]

I agree you can no longer select more than 50 post to view at a time, When the pace picks up it will be impossible to keep up.

[white rose]

Back to my theory #2, eh? I was afraid of that.

[no-s]

Excuse me, I did throw a few bucks into the kitty...and this is what happens?

There are several important UI principles violated with the latest round of changes, making FR slightly harder to use. The invested experience of the people who use FR has been discounted, which is disconcerting to many. I don't think FR mgt really appreciates this. Telling your users to "suck up and bear with it" is offensive to the relationship.

When I see purportedly "experienced" people do this sort of manuever "In Real Life" I give them a big downcheck, no matter what goes right. It's noxious.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

Oh I know. If the Guild dies we are all doomed.

NO GUILD, NO PEACE!!!!

[FITZ]

Change is always difficult, especially when it's happening to those things that we are most comfortable with, like FR.

I don't think it's good to complain until a few days of trying the changes ----I always think I won't like the new changes but then I do, but you have to learn them before you like them.

[SunnyUsa]

"with the latest round of changes, making FR slightly harder to use. The invested experience of the people who use FR has been discounted, which is disconcerting to many..."

Well said!

AND I was thinking that they wouldn't have done all of this just prior to a FR fund raising....

I bet the donations would've been way down if they did.

IF people weren't complaining and supporting this site with generous TIME and DONATIONS - why did they change it all???

[Teacher317]

Errr, I hope my post didn't seem like complaining... especially since I addressed to the Robinsons themselves! I was just trying to explain why many were railing about the new look, and give the only constructive suggestion I could think of. Thanks for your comment. It expressed my thoughts a little more clearly than I did.