#1181278 - Wed Nov 15 2017 12:48 PM
New Homepage Under Construction
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Head Honcho
Registered: Wed Dec 31 1969
Posts: 21449
Loc: USA
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*** IMPORTANT NOTE: this is just a rough copy so far. Links and things are likely missing. (search doesnt yet work, etc) *** You can see the current state of the homepage redesign here: http://www.funtrivia.com/indexnew.cfmThe idea of what the new homepage will be is there: logical links to the major parts of the site at the very top, and then "fresh content" below. i.e. new quizzes, interesting quizzes, etc. The idea is to really condense the sprawling mess that our current homepage is and make the site less overwhelming and more logically organized.
Edited by Terry (Wed Nov 15 2017 12:50 PM)
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#1181284 - Wed Nov 15 2017 01:35 PM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Mainstay
Registered: Mon Jun 28 2010
Posts: 764
Loc: Illinois USA
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It looks really good. I like the larger section to feature quizzes. But what's a footer?  Just kidding.
_________________________
"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." - Douglas Adams
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#1181285 - Wed Nov 15 2017 01:56 PM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Forum Champion
Registered: Tue Jan 20 2009
Posts: 5976
Loc: Briar Hill Victoria Australia
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Is there a way to make the numbers (of quizzes, topics, and challenges) somehow live? This would avoid future inaccuracy as new ones get added. Quizzes, of course, change regularly. Categories get added with some frequency, and challenges less often. That number could be adjusted manually every time a challenge is added or removed, but it would be easy to overlook.
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(Editor in Humanities, Religion, Literature and For Children) That's all, folks!
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#1181286 - Wed Nov 15 2017 01:57 PM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Head Honcho
Registered: Wed Dec 31 1969
Posts: 21449
Loc: USA
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Is there a way to make the numbers (of quizzes, topics, and challenges) somehow live? This would avoid future inaccuracy as new ones get added. Quizzes, of course, change regularly. Categories get added with some frequency, and challenges less often. That number could be adjusted manually every time a challenge is added or removed, but it would be easy to overlook. yep, easy peasy - done!
Edited by Terry (Wed Nov 15 2017 02:06 PM)
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#1181294 - Wed Nov 15 2017 02:47 PM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Head Honcho
Registered: Wed Dec 31 1969
Posts: 21449
Loc: USA
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It's really looking great, Terry! A bit of a shock at first and will take a smidgeon of getting used to, but some of our own individual stats appearing right there more than make up for it. Thanks! Glad you like it  Yes, like always, change is always a little uncomfortable at first. I've only been using it for a few hours and am already preferring it over the old homepage. The old homepage to me feels like a cluttered old house. A little uncomfortable to navigate around.
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#1181299 - Wed Nov 15 2017 03:54 PM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Head Honcho
Registered: Wed Dec 31 1969
Posts: 21449
Loc: USA
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Do you think you could add the checkmarks (or an asterisk if ASCII is easier) to the games dropdown? Would make a comfortable reminder now that the games list is a bit more tucked away. I actually thought about that.. the problem is that would have to be checked on EVERY page load, which would create lots of overhead. There may be an efficient way to do it (load once, then when you play games mark a timestamp in memory, then check each timestamp against reset times for each game to invalidate the resets, etc etc) but that's getting pretty complicated for now. I do like it in theory though.
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#1181300 - Wed Nov 15 2017 04:12 PM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Administrator
Registered: Thu Sep 04 2008
Posts: 7583
Loc: Germany
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I actually thought about that.. the problem is that would have to be checked on EVERY page load, which would create lots of overhead. There may be an efficient way to do it (load once, then when you play games mark a timestamp in memory, then check each timestamp against reset times for each game to invalidate the resets, etc etc) but that's getting pretty complicated for now.
I do like it in theory though. Actually, how about storing the *expiry time* when the game is played (after all, we know that one when you play - next reset)? You'd wind up with a string of about 25 elements that can be retrieved from the database as a single element. It would be written to only when a game is played and display would only require a simple parse of each element vs system time - one substring and one "less than" operation per game to be checked. The index of each game in the string/array would just be the usual game number you use everywhere.
Edited by WesleyCrusher (Wed Nov 15 2017 04:14 PM)
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FunTrivia Editor (Hobbies and Sci/Tech) and Administrator Guardian of the Tower
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#1181317 - Wed Nov 15 2017 05:53 PM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Head Honcho
Registered: Wed Dec 31 1969
Posts: 21449
Loc: USA
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The idea is good and I'd agree with getting rid of the Make Your Own Quiz and Community Activity sections. I know it's still a work-in-progress but so far I don't like the replacement at all. I don't care about Today's Quiz Selections, nor Popular Quiz Topics or Trending Topics (does anyone care about these?). I have limited interest in Newest Trivia Quizzes and Topic of the Day. I AM interested in seeing at a glance what I have played today which is currently shown under Daily Trivia Games, Hourly Games and Gold Members and this has now disappeared to a menu.
You asked for feedback... ;-) All of that stuff is at: http://www.funtrivia.com/games/Just set your browser homepage to that, and you get a better experience than before because you no longer have any other junk cluttering the page 
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#1181328 - Wed Nov 15 2017 07:22 PM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Mainstay
Registered: Sat Sep 04 2010
Posts: 722
Loc: Alberta Canada
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Are we still going to have our own personal shortcuts? If I may ask, I would also like to see our shortcuts on the page as they're shown now rather than the drop-down menu that you've put them into. I've been a bit "at sea" with the new changes and the shortcuts bar would be a welcome comfort rather than having to always go to the drop-down menus for everything. Perhaps you could give gold members the option of adding it to each screen as a perk? That would be a nice thing. Thanks T!
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#1181331 - Wed Nov 15 2017 07:31 PM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Administrator
Registered: Thu Sep 04 2008
Posts: 7583
Loc: Germany
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I am probably the most notorious shortcut user of he site (I have like 60  ) and I got used to the menu pretty quickly. If you have a lot of shortcuts, try out BREAK (for both name and URL, insert it at appropriate order numbers) and marvel at the result (it only works in the new one)
Edited by WesleyCrusher (Wed Nov 15 2017 07:31 PM)
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FunTrivia Editor (Hobbies and Sci/Tech) and Administrator Guardian of the Tower
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#1181373 - Thu Nov 16 2017 02:59 AM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Moderator
Registered: Sat Jun 10 2006
Posts: 3908
Loc: Merseyside UK
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If you have a lot of shortcuts, try out BREAK (for both name and URL, insert it at appropriate order numbers) and marvel at the result (it only works in the new one) Well, Wes, I might try that out if I had any idea what it meant! It sounds far too technical for me.
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Editor - Animals & Sci/Tech
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#1181384 - Thu Nov 16 2017 05:28 AM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Moderator
Registered: Mon Dec 03 2001
Posts: 20912
Loc: Sydney NSW Australia
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If you have a lot of shortcuts, try out BREAK (for both name and URL, insert it at appropriate order numbers) and marvel at the result (it only works in the new one) Well, Wes, I might try that out if I had any idea what it meant! It sounds far too technical for me. It did nothing for me, either.
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The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not smashing it.
Ex-Editor, Hobbies and Sports, and Forum Moderator
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#1181390 - Thu Nov 16 2017 07:57 AM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Administrator
Registered: Sat May 17 2008
Posts: 5470
Loc: Northampton England UK
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I'm primarily a games player rather than a quiz taker and I too don't need a home page full of quizzes. I take the point about switching my home page to http://www.funtrivia.com/games/ but that's still not a proper home page so all the side bar stuff, the links to other sections, etc., wouldn't appear. Yes, I can click another link to get to the 'proper' home page but it still means another click - and I spent too many years telling people to "get rid of the extra clicks" to like the idea of that. Sooo... would it be possible to have two pukka Home Pages? One with a central panel containing the links to quizzes (Topic of the Day, Quiz Selections, Newest Quizzes) and on with a panel containing the links to Games. Then include links from one to the other and users could choose which one they set as their home page without losing all the home page info.
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The Hubble Telescope has just picked up a sound from a fraction of a second before the Big Bang. The sound was "Uh oh".
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#1181402 - Thu Nov 16 2017 09:21 AM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Head Honcho
Registered: Wed Dec 31 1969
Posts: 21449
Loc: USA
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I'm primarily a games player rather than a quiz taker and I too don't need a home page full of quizzes. I take the point about switching my home page to http://www.funtrivia.com/games/ but that's still not a proper home page so all the side bar stuff, the links to other sections, etc., wouldn't appear. Yes, I can click another link to get to the 'proper' home page but it still means another click - and I spent too many years telling people to "get rid of the extra clicks" to like the idea of that. Sooo... would it be possible to have two pukka Home Pages? One with a central panel containing the links to quizzes (Topic of the Day, Quiz Selections, Newest Quizzes) and on with a panel containing the links to Games. Then include links from one to the other and users could choose which one they set as their home page without losing all the home page info. I'm not opposed to putting in some sort of homepage customization that would allow that sort of thing.
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#1181407 - Thu Nov 16 2017 09:55 AM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Mainstay
Registered: Sat Sep 04 2010
Posts: 722
Loc: Alberta Canada
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I'm not opposed to putting in some sort of homepage customization that would allow that sort of thing.
Great, thank you, that would be excellent. Tomorrow would be good. Just kidding! Yesss....thank you Terry!
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#1181410 - Thu Nov 16 2017 10:19 AM
Re: New Homepage Under Construction
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Enthusiast
Registered: Tue May 16 2006
Posts: 316
Loc: Napa Valley California USA
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I'm primarily a games player rather than a quiz taker and I too don't need a home page full of quizzes. I take the point about switching my home page to http://www.funtrivia.com/games/ but that's still not a proper home page so all the side bar stuff, the links to other sections, etc., wouldn't appear. Yes, I can click another link to get to the 'proper' home page but it still means another click - and I spent too many years telling people to "get rid of the extra clicks" to like the idea of that. Sooo... would it be possible to have two pukka Home Pages? One with a central panel containing the links to quizzes (Topic of the Day, Quiz Selections, Newest Quizzes) and on with a panel containing the links to Games. Then include links from one to the other and users could choose which one they set as their home page without losing all the home page info. I agree, flopsy, I too don't like all of those drop down menus and extra searching for which menu applies and the extra clicks. I know it makes me sound really lazy, and I suppose I'll get used to it, but I like the One-Stop-Shop format. I'll miss my Gold Member favorites bar being handy at the top too. I had the Buzzy Bee challenge the other day, racing through quizzes, but I like to check after each one to see if someone else won already, and I had a hard time finding the Buzz link each time.
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