Sneak peek - the look of the new MRH web site
Here's how the current mockup of the new MRH web site looks.
Some things to note about the new site look ...
1. We're moving permanently to the new shorter URL - mrhmag.com and the site now emphasizes that.
(The old URL - model-railroad-hobbyist.com will continue to work indefinitely also)
2. Notice the rotating header has been replaced with a rotating slide show at the top of the page - this rotating slide show will include both ads and our "yes, it's a model ..." images. You can now click on any slide show image to get more info. Each image will remain on the screen for about 5 seconds and then do a 2 second fade to the next image. If you want to navigate to any image that just went by, you can use the nav buttons on the sides.
3. On the right at the top of the menu sidebar there's a rotating block that shows one sponsor logo at a time, to remind you who is sponsoring our site. In this sample page, you can see the BLMA logo.
4. Notice at the bottom of the first post of any thread there's also now a banner ad. As much as possible, the banner ads will be topically placed. For example, you'll see Digitrax ads and Fast Tracks ads in the Track and electrical/DCC forum.
We believe this allows us to sell ads on our web site to help fund this venture, but this is a classy approach that's not too annoying or in-your-face. Certainly, there will be no popup ads, and any ads you do see will be informative and model rallroading-specific.
One final note - while the version of the site shown in this mockup is operational on a test server at our offices, the look of the actual site once we roll it out could be different than what we show here - you never know what great ideas we may come up with between now then then. We're hoping to roll out the new site sometime around the first of the year to inaugerate our move to monthly!
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I like the new MRH website. I'm building a new website for our NMRA club here in OKC. Right now it's on the Oklahoma City Community College server:
http://apollo.occc.edu/gleef1025/project_website/historical.html
What do you guys/gals think?
I'm trying to make a little nicer website than what we had in the past.
It just seems to me like most NMRA websites are lacking.
The gateway NMRA website has some good content however.
The empty box in the upper righthand corner will get a semaphore animated by flash.
What could I do better?
Looking forward to the new site
Looking forward to the new site, Joe. Nice and catchy and no too crowded.
Roy
Roy
Geared is the way to tight radii and steep grades. Ghost River Rwy. "The Wet Coast Loggers"
New look
Looks fine, will the magazine still be in PDF format?
The magazine remains the same
The magazine remains the same except it will now be monthly. You will still have the PDF and online versions just like before.
The web site will do more, and will now have tastefully done ads in addition to the magazine.
Joe Fugate
Publisher, Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine
Read my blog
I DON'T LIKE IT!!!!!
Just being a contrarian. It looks fine to me. Although, the large 3D buttons at the top look a little website old school (i.e. late 90s). You can also go to http://www.elance.com/ and bid out the design. There is also another site; I can't think of it right now. There are web designers in Eastern Europe and India that will create a "killer" site for $500 (all graphics, design, look and feel, etc.). You might want to take a look at these options.
Excellent!
Ah, some constructive feedback - something we can sink our teeth into!
The buttons could use some rework to bring them up to 2010 web site standards - although if you read the book "Don't Make Me Think - A common sense approach to web usability" they rightly point out that graphics designers can make a site look really cool but as confusing as heck because buttons don't look like buttons.
You have to admit, there's no question these are buttons! But we'll look at some more modern-looking alternatives that still look like buttons.
As to getting outside services do our web work, well ... you're talking to someone who has done web sites for multi-million dollar companies and has managed projects with a dozen or more full-time web developers on them. While you can always teach an old dog new tricks, we've done some pretty sophisticated web sites in our day and we keep up to date on web site design practices. We even think we've got some tricks up our sleeve that others are not yet doing ...
Joe Fugate
Publisher, Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine
Read my blog
Dile Up
I am concerned with accessing the new site through dile up. The Atlas site has a slide show feature on its opening page now, and it is infuriatingly slow at loading the links over dile up because the show takes up so much of the bandwidth. Paying the phone company by the minute on metered rate can get expensive if I encounter such a graphics intensive site. If I read the features description right, you will have at least two slide shows (the Pics and the Ads), which could make it even worse, and it will be on every page. This is not so bad if I am somewhere that I have access to high speed, and fortunatly I currently do have such an occasional access option for downloadeng the magazine but there is not a guarante that I will always be able to find such.
Most sites I encounter that insist on automatically showing a vidio or slide show before I can do anything else do not see a return visit from me if I have to do it over dile up.
Rick
Rick
Mobile Devices
Joe, is the new site going to be more mobile device friendly?
buttons
I agree, I don't like the buttons, either...why do they have to look like buttons?? people are past that, I think...how 'bout a drop down menu titled "viewing options"?
I love buttons ...
Yes I do. I wonder how many model railroaders with DCC equipment have been able to operate without them. Page links clicked with a mouse ? maybe.
Joe Fugate - "you da man". Yes, I recognize your expertise in user interface design and web functionality - it shows. Perhaps you could modify the buttons so they don't look so ancient (personally, they are about as indispensable to me as flanged railroad wheels) - just don't put any daisies or roses on the page, please.
Bill D.
N Scale (1:160), not N Gauge. DC (analog), Stapleton PWM Throttle.
Proto-freelance Southwest U.S. 2nd half 20th Century.
Keep on trackin'