Change of layout in Cas City

[Marshal Halloway]

We are in the middle of changing the layout of Cas City. To avoid downtime, you will experience a mix of the old and new layout in the weeks to come. We hope you will like this change. The forum will remain the same except for some changes in the header (top of page).

The idea is to make it more user friendly and also easier to update.

You can look at the main layout on the front page (Main Street).

This work will be done from november 05 through January 06.

[Bitterwheat]

i like the new changes make it easier to go to different forums quickly.  Keep up the good work

[Marshal'ette Halloway]

Thank you Bitterwheat .
Means a lot for me and him to hear that.

Marshal has been hammering at it for about..ohhh.. going on 18 hours now.
Wouldn't stop and eat supper.. so he grabbed some summer sausage and cheese and coffee and ate while working on the computer.
3 guesses who is still there, and the first 2 don't count!  ...
All I see is a nose pressd into the screen ..mumbling and shaking his head and doing, undoing and redoing..
and mumbling some more.

( I thnk he is talking in Norwegian, so when I hear that, I give him a wide berth ...LOL)

I have made a few more collages for the Barracks and I think I am going to call it a night.
Again, thanks for noticing and commenting. Makes all the work worthwhile if people like it.

Marshal'ette

[The Arapaho Kid]

I have to be up front on this.  The layout is fine, but it's a little busy.  It looks like you are trying to cram a lot of stuff in a small space.  This is not good.  Too much stuff is distracting.  I've worked on military newspapers and you want to keep the front page simple.  If there is stuff you really want noticed, use what's called "Second Coming" type.  That's the large typeface.  Keep all your like things grouped together in the same area.  Put yourself in the readers position and read it they way they would.  There should be a left to right flow with items on the page.  Be conservative with graphics and pictures.  Use them but sparingly.  Keep columned items to the left.

And that's my "two bits" worth!

[Marshal'ette Halloway]

Do you think so? Hmmm.. I think it is a lot less busy than the old one... but I like change...and I'm pretty easy to please on some things. Unless I am doing it..
then I turn into a picky perfect psyco crazy woman..until I get it just right.

I think this new one is much easier to get to the forum ..and I love the way that a new profile of someone comes up different every time.
Ads aren't so crammed together either and they change faster too... but to me I see the ads better.
And it is super easy now to get on any forum that you want to visit.. i really like that part.

Thanks for your comments Rap.  We look at everything in a positive way.

Marshal was editor of a gun magazine in Norway and he says that magazines and newspapers are very much different than websites.
Kind of like comparing apples to grapes.
But he appreciates and listens to all ideas and suggestions too.  Even mine. ((**feeling very important**))

It is just the beggining of a whole lot of work. Each section will be changed somewhat and hopefully everyone will find it lots easier to navigate and move around in.

[RRio]

Marshal'ette...

You're killin' me...

All I see is a nose pressd into the screen ..mumbling and shaking his head and doing, undoing and redoing..
and mumbling some more.

( I thnk he istalking in Norwegian, so when I hear that, I give him a wide berth ...LOL)

P.S. Keep the pistol at the top of the header. I've always liked it. (Even though it's reversed)
... and make that man go to bed!!

RRio

[The Arapaho Kid]

Hang on there!  Don't get the wrong idea here.  This isn't a "do it my way" thing.  I like the new styling of the front page and it'll probably take a little to learn how to navigate around in it/on it, but that'll all come in time.  I was just tossing out some thoughts there.  Stuff I learned when I was a military journalist.

[The Arapaho Kid]

THE MARSHAL...WORKING ON THE NEW CAS CITY FORMAT

OYE VEY....GET THAT MAN SOME FOOD!

[Slim Silver]

I like it!  Much more user friendly access to the various forum boards.  Did I miss it or is the Misc. board not included in the quick link?  I generally check the Misc. board each time I sign on, but then I may be the exception.

[Marshal harpoluke]

 

Nice new layout, what was wrong with the old one?

[Stump Water]

...it's a little busy.  It looks like you are trying to cram a lot of stuff in a small space.  This is not good.  Too much stuff is distracting. 

I feel exactly the opposite.  My only "publishing" experience is in web page/site design... no print experience.  I want it all on one screen.  No scrolling.... No "next page".  I'm running 1024x768 screen res., which is the de facto standard these days, and it's all right there on one screen. 

And there's only one easy-to-read font with a couple of different sizes and/or effects.  Much easier on the eyes than pages that look like font experiments gone awry.

[PWDFR POSSE]

I agree with Slim on this!  I like it alot & it seems much easier to manuever around!

Keep up the great work guys!  I would have to say that CAS City is the finest cowboy sight out there!  JMHO!

[Tensleep]

Great!!!!

I like it!

Good work Marshal, you are always trying to make things better for us.

[LazyK Pejay]

I enjoy the new page. However, I have to agree with it being busy. My staff and I are responsible for our School of Pharmacy web page. After years of working on pages and designing them, the adage, "less is best," holds true for me. That being said I can live with the CASCity page just fine!

LazyK Pejay

[Marshal Halloway]

Thank you all for your comments.

The link to the Misc board is now on Main Street.

There are two reason why I had to change the layout. The old one was a little time consuming for me and to make updates easier, I have now made new templates for all the different sections in town.
Templates are layout frames and when one template is changed, several pages are updated at the same time, making it more efficient to maintain the site.

The other reason is that some sections in Cas City are hard to find unless you specifically look for it.

Cas City Forum Hall will not change. A forum is the "easiest" part of the website, because you as members do the update by posting. It is a lean back section where I can enjoy your "work" and take credit for it.... 

Well, I do make sure the backroom machinery is oiled and that the support is at hand when needed.

Again, thanks for being a citizen and your contribution to spread the word about our wonderful sport.

[Camille Eonich]

Well, I finally got around to checking it out and I'm with Stump.  It looks good, is easy to read, you don't have to scroll around a bunch.  I hardly ever went to the old home page because it seemed cluttered and I got kind of lost there.  I think that I'll be taking advantage of the new look quite a bit.


Good job Marshall! 

[Marshal'ette Halloway]

I enjoy the new page. However, I have to agree with it being busy. My staff and I are responsible for our School of Pharmacy web page. After years of working on pages and designing them, the adage, "less is best," holds true for me. That being said I can live with the CASCity page just fine!

LazyK Pejay

Thanks once again for all the input and kind words.
You guys and gals are wonderful.
I love the honesty and the input. And regardless if we can use the input..we still sit back and take it into full consideration.. checking things out wondering if we SHOULD use this or that. A website of this size has so much internal mechanisms..that it totally boggles my mind.
So if the Marshal kicks the bucket... you all know where you're gonna be don't cha'.......
"Up a s*** creek without a paddle."

Let me address one little thing here though, if I may.
I have heard several times that .. " less is best".
Sometimes that IS the best.. and we wish it could be like that on here.. but then again.. our sport has so many facets and there is so many different needs of people..that we have to be able to find a balance and cover all of those needs...and to try to do it where it is user friendly, pleasing to the eye..and doesn't take you all day to find something, by having to go to lots of pages or sections.

CasCity is more than just a forum.
If it was JUST a forum, it would be so easy to just create a few unusual names for some boards.. put a logo on top of the page.. set back and with minimal labor, work or time.. let everyone chat, talk share and drink coffee...and the Marshal could relax, visit with everyone all day long and just keep the one little machine oiled.

CasCity is like a huge Industry..and he is the janitor and everything between to the executive engineer.  (((weeeellll.. **scuffing the dirt with my toe** I guess I am the janitor))).. but everyplace need a janitor ..doesn't it?

There is so much information that needs to be exchanged and promoted..And there are so many people out there in the world that does such great work , that we want you all to be able to have access to that.
The main frustration that Marshal encounters ..( and keeps him pulling out what few sprigs of hair he has left) is the fact that more and more small web sites are popping up, which scatters just bits and pieces of information to people.

So..bless his heart.. he tries to take all of that scattered information ..gather it all up in an easy to unwrap package and present it to you, so you can have access to all of it with minimal looking. And let me tell you ~ it isn't an easy 1 day task. Nor does the work stop when the job is done. Everyday there is more and more coming into our town.
If it seems a bit busy.. it's because our sport is growing and it is busy.
But keep talking to us.. and we will keep trying to keep it alive and interesting and new and different.

The word "rut" scares us to death.. so from time to time in CasCity, you will see furniture changed and moved around.. or a building painted or a new one put up..new wooden sidewalks and even some new hitchin' posts and waterin' troughs for your horses.

The sport of Cowboy Shooting is growing and hopefully with your help and participation.. CasCity will grow right along with it.

[The Arapaho Kid]

Ok.....Now ya get two bits more! I like the new front page.  I like having all the boards listed over there on the left.  Makes it easy to jump to that board.  The new one is easy to navigate around on/in.  I didn't like the new front page at first because I was used to the old one.  But now I am finding the new one much better and I'm learning to navigate around in/on it.

Thanks Marshal!  Good job!

(In whisper mode)  Now who said ya can't teach an old dog, new tricks?

[RRio]

I like it! Two thumbs up!

RRio

[Silver Creek Slim]

Looks good ta me.

Slim