Cruise Talk: The New CT Layout is On It's Way!

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»	Cruise Talk » Mid-Ships Lounge » The New CT Layout is On It's Way! (Page 1)

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Author

Topic: The New CT Layout is On It's Way!

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 10-17-2006 04:26 PM

Joe is obviously rolling-out the new Cruise Talk layout. Now we obviously 'instantly' dislike it, simply becuse it's different!

But when we have come to terms with it, lets give him some feed-back. He may not want it or even take it, but never the less, lets....

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Brian_O
First Class Passenger
Member # 3910

posted 10-17-2006 07:01 PM

I have no problem with the static ads but I would appreciate it if the animated ads and, even worse, flashing "Congratulations" banners were somehow neutered.

Brian

Posts: 2698 | From: Pointe-Claire, QC Canada | Registered: Jun 2003 | IP: Logged

Waynaro
First Class Passenger
Member # 3484

posted 10-17-2006 07:16 PM

Its definately nice to have a different layout for a change. On my laptop, everything seem to be squeezed to the left 3/4 of the screen. I think I prefer the ad being on top rather than on the side.

The blue and green will take some time to get used to.

Posts: 6108 | From: Vallejo,CA : California Maritime Academy!!! | Registered: Nov 2002 | IP: Logged

CGT
First Class Passenger
Member # 3531

posted 10-17-2006 07:20 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Waynaro: Its definately nice to have a different layout for a change. On my laptop, everything seem to be squeezed to the left 3/4 of the screen. I think I prefer the ad being on top rather than on the side. The blue and green will take some time to get used to.

Yup, the HTML is not formatted to have pages automatically adjust their dimensions and layouts for different monitor resolutions, like widescreen displays, thus, if you do have a widescreen (like I do, and Waynaro), everything is squeezed to the left half of your screen with tons of empty space on the right. Many pages today ARE starting to adjust for widescreen displays, like Google News, or Macrumors.com, as examples, but many still don't.

[ 10-17-2006: Message edited by: CGT ]

Posts: 2760 | From: New York, New York, USA | Registered: Dec 2002 | IP: Logged

J.S.S.Normandie
First Class Passenger
Member # 6253

posted 10-17-2006 07:27 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Waynaro:
Its definately nice to have a different layout for a change. On my laptop, everything seem to be squeezed to the left 3/4 of the screen. I think I prefer the ad being on top rather than on the side.
The blue and green will take some time to get used to.

I have a widescreen labtop and am having the same problem.

However the blue and green I like!

I much prefer the "CruisePage.com" logo at the top rather than the "zap the mosquito" adds.

Posts: 1197 | From: Massachusetts where the Brittania was trapped! | Registered: Feb 2006 | IP: Logged

Patsy
First Class Passenger
Member # 5611

posted 10-17-2006 07:53 PM

I noticed it had already started with the photos. Having it all left is annoying after being used to it central but I daresay we'll get used to it eventually.

Posts: 2023 | From: Hythe, Hants | Registered: Apr 2005 | IP: Logged

desirod7
First Class Passenger
Member # 1626

posted 10-17-2006 10:19 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Patsy:
I noticed it had already started with the photos. Having it all left is annoying after being used to it central but I daresay we'll get used to it eventually.

The blue screen to the right is a claustrophobic distraction. I prefer the old layout

Posts: 5727 | From: Philadelphia, Pa [home of the SS United States] | Registered: Oct 2000 | IP: Logged

sympatico
First Class Passenger
Member # 797

posted 10-18-2006 08:33 AM

I like it!

Posts: 3305 | From: Toronto, Ont. Canada | Registered: Jul 99 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 10-18-2006 08:57 AM

I like the layout, I even like the adverts on the right, but the blue band does seem to be a waste of space.

The adverts only occupy a portion of the blue band. Could the blue band not be half the width that it is ?

(I do find the Zwinky who keeps taking her cloths off, a little distracting, but she's much better than bloody buzzing thing!)

[ 10-18-2006: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

eroller
First Class Passenger
Member # 1649

posted 10-18-2006 08:58 AM

I don't like the fact that all the content is pushed to the left on my screen. There is a wide blue margin on the right taking up more than 1/3 of the screen and it's distracting and also a waste of good space.

Ernie

Posts: 7046 | From: Miami, Florida USA | Registered: Oct 2000 | IP: Logged

joe at travelpage
Administrator
Member # 622

posted 10-18-2006 09:23 AM

Thanks for the feedback so far.

The challenge with any layout is to support the wide range of monitor displays that various users have. The main content area of the page is currently 770 pixels wide with space for a vertical ad of 120 or 160 to the right. That makes a total width of between 890 to 930.

If your monitor is set to a display of 800x600 this fills up the entire space. If your monitor is set to 1024x768 it fills up most of the space. The majority of internet users have their monitors set to these two resolutions.

That's why most popular sites on the web use a fixed width display. For those with wider display settings check out these sites and let me know if they expand or are fixed: site #1 and site #2 or site #3.

Joe at TravelPage.com

Posts: 29976 | From: Great Falls, Virginia | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Linerrich
First Class Passenger
Member # 4864

posted 10-18-2006 09:32 AM

quote:
Originally posted by joe at travelpage:
For those with wider display settings check out these sites and let me know if they expand or are fixed: site #1 and site #2 or site #3.
Joe at TravelPage.com

On my screen, sites 1 & 3 are fixed, like Cruise Talk. Site 2 (CNN) expands to fill my screen.

Rich

Posts: 4210 | From: Miami, FL | Registered: Jul 2004 | IP: Logged

PamM
First Class Passenger
Member # 2127

posted 10-18-2006 10:01 AM

All 3 sites hanger over left for me.. only "two resolutions" [thecounter.com] works as it should, centering whatever room I let it have [1280x1024]. All sites have the same effect in both Opera and IE.

Pam

Posts: 12176 | From: Cambridge, UK | Registered: Jun 2001 | IP: Logged

LeBarryboat
First Class Passenger
Member # 5308

posted 10-18-2006 10:21 AM

I think the new color is nice, I suppose I can get use to the body of CT moved to the left a bit, however, I very much dislike the pop-up ads which I have to close nearly everytime I open CT. Why can't the advertisers be limited to a banner ad to the right column area?

By the way Joe, why are you still using this old software for CT, when you could upgrade to the latest and greatest that groupee has to offer? I happen to use groupee for my own message board and it's pretty decent.

[ 10-18-2006: Message edited by: LeBarryboat ]

Posts: 1955 | From: Minnesota | Registered: Jan 2005 | IP: Logged

eroller
First Class Passenger
Member # 1649

posted 10-18-2006 11:11 AM

Hi Joe,
Thanks for your efforts!

On my computer, all three sites you listed are fixed to the left, but #1 and #3 have about 1/3 blank space to the right (same as CT) where as #2 only has about 1/4 blank space to the right.

Yahoo is a site that expands to fill my entire screen as an example.

Good luck Joe!

Ernie

ps - my resolution is set at 1280x1024 pixels.

[ 10-18-2006: Message edited by: eroller ]

Posts: 7046 | From: Miami, Florida USA | Registered: Oct 2000 | IP: Logged

eroller
First Class Passenger
Member # 1649

posted 10-18-2006 11:16 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
Welcome back Ernie! Wher have you been? Working? Cruising?

Thanks Malcolm! Actually a bit of both. Just off the CROWN PRINCESS a couple weeks ago for pleasure, and getting ready to sail NORWEGIAN DAWN in a few weeks which will be work related.

Hope all is well with you.
Ernie

Posts: 7046 | From: Miami, Florida USA | Registered: Oct 2000 | IP: Logged

joe at travelpage
Administrator
Member # 622

posted 10-18-2006 12:02 PM

quote:
Originally posted by LeBarryboat:
Why can't the advertisers be limited to a banner ad to the right column area?

The popup ads should only appear the first time you visit the site each day. A pop up blocker can make them go away as well. I would be happy to get rid of all advertising if you and others would be willing to pay a monthly fee to use the site but I suspect most people would rather put up with the advertising.

quote:
Originally posted by LeBarryboat:

By the way Joe, why are you still using this old software for CT, when you could upgrade to the latest and greatest that groupee has to offer? I happen to use groupee for my own message board and it's pretty decent.

I am still using this "old software" because I have almost 200,000 messages that I would have to migrate to any new system and just haven't had the time or resources to do that lately.

Where is your message board? The one on your site has a total of 3 messages - is that groopee?

Joe at TravelPage.com

Posts: 29976 | From: Great Falls, Virginia | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Willem
First Class Passenger
Member # 3005

posted 10-18-2006 12:11 PM

quote:
Originally posted by eroller:
Hi Joe,
Thanks for your efforts!
On my computer, all three sites you listed are fixed to the left, but #1 and #3 have about 1/3 blank space to the right (same as CT) where as #2 only has about 1/4 blank space to the right.
Yahoo is a site that expands to fill my entire screen as an example.
Good luck Joe!
Ernie
ps - my resolution is set at 1280x1024 pixels.

I do have the same resolutions on my 17 inch flatscreen and as CT is now fixed to the left, I have to sit more left from my screen as my left eye is not working properly.

Can you please adjust it to be fixed at the center ? ?

Willem

Posts: 1469 | From: In the namesake city of Cape Hoorn. | Registered: Apr 2002 | IP: Logged

LeBarryboat
First Class Passenger
Member # 5308

posted 10-18-2006 01:12 PM

quote:
Originally posted by joe at travelpage:
Where is your message board? The one on your site has a total of 3 messages - is that groopee?

My groupee message board is a private board for my friends and family and isn't cruise-related. The one on my cruise site is not groupee, just what is available on the website features. I still have not really launched my cruise website yet, however, I use it for some of our group bookings.

Posts: 1955 | From: Minnesota | Registered: Jan 2005 | IP: Logged

CGT
First Class Passenger
Member # 3531

posted 10-18-2006 01:42 PM

My widescreen resolution is 1680x1050. Yahoo (and others) merely *center* the content on my screen, while sites like http://news.google.com OR http://www.macrumors.com actually dynamically expand the content to fill the entire area of the screen, for *all* monitor resolutions, regardless of whether you have a standard or widescreen display. This is the preferable way it should be done. Widescreen is the future. For instance, Apple Computer's entire lineup is now widescreen. Standard (non-widescreen) was phased out a long time ago at Apple. However, much of the internet has yet to catch up.

[ 10-18-2006: Message edited by: CGT ]

Posts: 2760 | From: New York, New York, USA | Registered: Dec 2002 | IP: Logged

Vaccaro
First Class Passenger
Member # 465

posted 10-18-2006 02:08 PM

Joe,

First, the new look of Cruisepage is more in adequacy with our time than the old one. It did shocked me yesterday when I first saw it but it was because of the surprising change after a looooong habit with the old one.
I do prefer the new one, though I did like the "old-world" simplicity and difference of the old one too.

But, as already pointed out, the left filling of the screen whilst the right part is empty is quite disturbing.

I'm not speaking about dynamically expanding content (since your content has a fixed width as you explained), but wouldn't it be possible to include all this content into a <DIV ALIGN="center"> html tag like you did in your www.cruisepage.com home page (before it automatically redirect to the new content) or, since the <div> tag may sometimes be capricious with various contents, by creating a table containing all the new content by using a simple <table align="center"> html tag as I used in my (old and not dynamic) website or as we can see on many other sites?

In fact, I have not built webpages for the last two years and my basic knowledge regarding that may well not be adapted to the kind of dynamic content you're proposing.

Just a thought and keep up the good work.

Posts: 1193 | From: France ...where the greatest liners ever are born, ...by far! | Registered: Feb 99 | IP: Logged

Jonathan
First Class Passenger
Member # 5201

posted 10-18-2006 05:40 PM

Joe, couldnt you take the banner add and leave it on the right side then take the rest of the blue and move it to the left that way the main part will be mostly centered?

Jonathan

Posts: 559 | From: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida | Registered: Nov 2004 | IP: Logged

CGT
First Class Passenger
Member # 3531

posted 10-18-2006 05:57 PM

quote:
Originally posted by joe at travelpage: For those with wider display settings check out these sites and let me know if they expand or are fixed: site #1 and site #2 or site #3. Joe at TravelPage.com

All three of those sites leave gaps on the right side of my screen.

Amazon.com is an example of another site that expands (not just centers, but completely expands) to fill your entire screen no matter what resolution monitor your have.

Posts: 2760 | From: New York, New York, USA | Registered: Dec 2002 | IP: Logged

NAL
First Class Passenger
Member # 1102

posted 10-18-2006 07:06 PM

I am in agreement with Brian_O. I like it.

Posts: 2243 | From: Watsontown, PA | Registered: Feb 2000 | IP: Logged

Waynaro
First Class Passenger
Member # 3484

posted 10-18-2006 08:54 PM

quote:
Originally posted by joe at travelpage:

That's why most popular sites on the web use a fixed width display. For those with wider display settings check out these sites and let me know if they expand or are fixed: site #1 and site #2 or site #3.

CNN expands, the other two does not.

Posts: 6108 | From: Vallejo,CA : California Maritime Academy!!! | Registered: Nov 2002 | IP: Logged

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