TOPIC:

Looks like the board has had a New Year's make over! It seems much easier to log in now. Before after logging in I lost my place/page and had to look for it again - now it stays right where I left it!! Yeah!!

I also like the preview pane that you can choose to see as you type your post, very cool!!

Thank you Mr Techno Guy!! Well done!! Happy New Year

I like it! As with anything new, it will take some getting used to! But it is nice. I'm still having the problem of the jumpy pages and typing 2 or 3 words before they show up on the screen! It's only with this site, so I don't get it!

I see we got something like the karma back, where you can click on a 'thank you for this post'. And there are lots of little symbols by posters' names, for gender, location, other stuff.
Erica

I like that they switched the poster's names back to the left side--since we read from left to right, it is much more flowing. But, I don't see anything about gender or location on my screen. Is that something each poster has to add to their profile?

But, one thing I hope Mr.Tech Guy can do soon, is please, please make the blue font darker, as I can barely see it! Anyone else having that problem? Also, I hope you can enlarge the font on the posts a bit, too. Just wait until you hit 40 or 50, and you'll know what I mean!

And, what is the purpose of all the lines at the top of each section when you open a thread? That's annoying. I don't like having to scroll down to see the new posts.

April

April go to your profile - click on Edit - Click on Forum Settings - then you will see "Preferred Message Ordering" and then click on the little arrow and you can set what you want, the Default or First Post First or Last Post First.

Go to your profile and look around - you can put in your gender, where you are from, if you want to be shown online or not. Go play in your profile.

I don't think the blue is too light. Not sure what you mean about the lines at the top of the section.

I like the new stuff Mr. Website Guy.

Oooooooooo. Lots more to learn to navigate. My screen is different than the rest of you.

Melinda,
I know about being able to edit our own profile, but thought that people's locations and genders would show up with their user name, without having to click on their profile, like some other forums do. (I think this one used to list your location, didn't it?)

Maybe it's just me with the light blue, as I have an hereditary eye condition called Fuch's Corneal Dystrophy. I do have trouble with small print and low light situations. But, I think a lot of us who are older may have similar problems. I really have to strain my eyes to see the Latest Post listing.

Sandi, I like your photo. You look totally different from the way I pictured you. Are you a photographer, too?

April

April:

Okay, curious, how did you picture me?

By day, I work in an office where I'd be better off if I were cloned. But my passion is photography. I am in the process of setting up an online gallery to sell photos. I just need time to get it finished. I'm a Smugmugger and enter their photo challenges every two weeks. It keeps me creative. I have done some shoots for money, mostly senior pics and engagement photos, but I prefer doing it for fun.

What do you do?

Sandi,

I love your avatar. You're beautiful. It would be very cool if you could do photography full time. I always figure better to make money doing something you love dearly.

I like the new format too. Great job to whom ever did the work. I too pictured you differently Sandi. I didn't expect someone in her twenties. Thanks Rodger

Sorry Rodger Mac - but when I saw your Mr Potato Head avatar, I could not resist hunting for a photo of Mrs Potato Head, whom I love! I hope you don't mind but the photo I liked the most included Mr Potato Head!

Vanessa

Wow, it looks pretty good, i like it

Sandi:
How did I picture you? Well, it wasn't a precise image...but like Rodger, I thought you'd LOOK more middle-aged!
(I know from your posts that you couldn't possibly be in your twenties.) Let's just say, my image was of someone older, maybe with glasses and slightly overweight, a "sensible" looking gal, as my father would say. And, here you are, looking like some impossibly young and perfectly hip celebrity. You really do look like a photographer, or at least the way I'd picture one, anyway. Maybe it's time to give up the day job, and take a leap of faith!

There is much to be said for doing something you love. I didn't figure out what that was until I hit my early 40's, even though it had been an interest for me for some years already. When my youngest (twins) were two, I decided to go part-time to school, to study homeopathic medicine. I was still able to be a SAHM, but it was also great fun to be stimulating my brain in different ways, and meeting all kinds of interesting people from every culture, along the way.

And, now that all of my kids are getting older, I absolutely love my work as a homeopath--though it really doesn't feel like work. For me, it's incredibly interesting work. It's very rewarding to see people's lives transform before my eyes, or see them out of pain. But, this work has also challenged me, forcing me to learn how to use a computer, and opened my eyes to really pay attention to the wonders of all of nature, the animal and plant kingdoms, and even so far as getting me excited about chemistry and studying the Periodic Table! (Something I NEVER would have predicted!) I wouldn't want to do anything else, and I find great joy in it.

I hope that your dreams of being a photographer might work out as well for you. Will have to take a look at your photos on Smugmug. But, I know what you mean, it's sometimes more enjoyable to just do things for fun, than for money, especially art or other creative outlets.

April

It's taking some getting used to, but I like the lay out. But I can't seem to find where we can preview what we've written before posting. Vanessa mentioned it in her post. And I guess we have to finish writing before being able to post.

Nope I don't mind at all. I picked mine because when I was on prednisone We looked alike. lol

Ha, thanks guys. I am NOT in my 20's. Double that. I do look like I'm in my 40's.

Full time photography is out. I need insurance.

And I love the potato heads!

Yes they do look like us on steroids! I never noticed before!
Erica

snowgoose wrote:

Sorry Rodger Mac - but when I saw your Mr Potato Head avatar, I could not resist hunting for a photo of Mrs Potato Head, whom I love! I hope you don't mind but the photo I liked the most included Mr Potato Head!

Vanessa

Vanessa! I thought the exact same thing. I was thinking Mr. Potato Head needed a Mrs. 'Course, we just watched Toy Story 3 so that might explain it!

Now that you mention it Rodger, I bore an uncanny resemblence to Mrs Potato Head whilst on 100 mg of prednisone, also!!!

Cindy, I found the preview pane whilst pressing buttons and having fun with the new features. You can find the preview pane options in the bar above the smilies options, and they are the square icons on the far right of that bar that look like little windows. One lets you see the preview pane on the right of what you are typing, and the other lets you see the preview pane below. Hope this is helpful!

I really like this option, because as you can tell I like to use different colours and fonts, and it is great to see the options I choose before posting!

Vanessa xx

Hey, thanks Vanessa! Found it. The preview page shows a larger size font while typing. I hope that is the size that will post. I do like the preview feature too!

Hope every one had a great New Year's Eve!

eklein wrote:

I see we got something like the karma back, where you can click on a 'thank you for this post'.
Erica

Personally I think getting rid of the number of posts & gold/platinum/fresh poster stuff under someone's name should be #1 priority. My opinion is it is childish.

Any more feedback? I'll have to tell Web Guy.

You are welcome Cindy! You mentioned changing the size of the font, if you go to the 7thicon on the same line as the preview panes you do that there !

Vanessa xx

Ok, that didn't work out quite the way I had hoped! what I said was if you wanted to change the size of the font, just go to the 7th icon on the same bar as the preview pane options and select the size you like !

Hey Sandi, My little experiment with font sizes has shown that the site does not seem to handle the larger font options well - it chops them off!

Another thing I have I have discovered is that when you choose the font size, colour etc - unless you re-centre the cursor after each choice, it does not work. Prior to the changes the cursor re-centred automatically. Maybe the Techo Guy can sort this out. Not a big deal for me - just a little niggle .

Vanessa xx

I kinda like the number of posts, but agree that the gold/platinum/fresh should go.

And yeah, what Vanessa said about having to re-center the cursor. Unless you change every thing at the same time, it only changes what is high lighted. Ok here's a question. Do we have the option of changing the style of font? Other than the ones in the task bar up there.

Is the "thank you for this post" new?

I love it! No more having to go back and forth several screens to log in to post.
Norma

Any more thoughts? I'm going to report to the Web Guy by the end of the day.

Greetings everyone. This is Jeff Cooper, PDSA's web site administrator. Sandi sent me the link to this topic and I read through the suggestions for the look and features of the Discussion Group. Here are the changes that I made tonight;

1. Removed the individual user statistics. So it no longer shows "Gold Boarder, Fresh Boarder, etc." and the number of posts a user has made.

2. Changed the color of the buttons to black so they are easier to read.

As far as the other font size, color, style changes - I am looking into those changes. I will try to make the light blue color darker so it is easier to read as well.

If you have more suggestions, you can post them here or email them to me at webmaster@pdsa.org.

I will do my best to configure the Discussion Group in a way that everyone is happy with it. Thank you, Jeff Cooper