Comments on: TBP 2.5 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/tbp-25/ Macro Perspective on the Capital Markets, Economy, Geopolitics, Technology, and Digital Media Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:43:00 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: ardano http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/tbp-25/comment-page-1/#comment-126866 ardano Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:08:40 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=9558#comment-126866 Dear Barry: Didn't read through all the comments, but an easy link/tab from the old "The Big Picture" to the new "Ritholtz.com" TPB might also help. Many of us have both auto fill and an old bookmark on multiple computers and are being sent to the old format...have you considered a way to jump from old to new? thanks for TPB Dear Barry:

Didn’t read through all the comments, but an easy link/tab from the old “The Big Picture” to the new “Ritholtz.com” TPB might also help. Many of us have both auto fill and an old bookmark on multiple computers and are being sent to the old format…have you considered a way to jump from old to new?

thanks for TPB

]]> By: sellthekids http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/tbp-25/comment-page-1/#comment-126833 sellthekids Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:28:53 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=9558#comment-126833 catching up on my weekend reading... Barry posted: "• Flash Intro: I hear you — This seems to really be a killer for some people." really? is everyone reading this on an iPhone? otherwise, shouldn't you all be using FireFox and have FlashBlock installed? http://flashblock.mozdev.org/ i have only seen Barry's flash once...the day he demo'd the site. catching up on my weekend reading…

Barry posted: “• Flash Intro: I hear you — This seems to really be a killer for some people.”

really? is everyone reading this on an iPhone? otherwise, shouldn’t you all be using FireFox and have FlashBlock installed?

http://flashblock.mozdev.org/

i have only seen Barry’s flash once…the day he demo’d the site.

]]> By: Douglas Watts http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/tbp-25/comment-page-1/#comment-126750 Douglas Watts Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:12:39 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=9558#comment-126750 As a graphic designer (going back to smelly Compugraphic machines and hot wax and manual paste-up), I think the new and the old lay-outs are fine. I like the new format. Dropping the side columns of stuff makes the main entries easier to read, in part because the type size is larger. I also like Times Roman as a body type over sans serif. It's easier for the eye. Sans serif types are hard to read as body type. The eye needs those little serifs. This is why you don't see any books or newspapers with body text in sans serif. Congratulations, Barry. The new design looks nice. And thanks for providing it. I know it took a lot of work. Cheers. As a graphic designer (going back to smelly Compugraphic machines and hot wax and manual paste-up), I think the new and the old lay-outs are fine. I like the new format. Dropping the side columns of stuff makes the main entries easier to read, in part because the type size is larger. I also like Times Roman as a body type over sans serif. It’s easier for the eye. Sans serif types are hard to read as body type. The eye needs those little serifs. This is why you don’t see any books or newspapers with body text in sans serif.

Congratulations, Barry. The new design looks nice. And thanks for providing it. I know it took a lot of work.

Cheers.

]]> By: Gabriel http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/tbp-25/comment-page-1/#comment-126725 Gabriel Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:20:58 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=9558#comment-126725 Barry, here are some ideas on minor touch-ups. <i>Sidebar:</i> 1. Feeds - should probably move to the bottom - limited use. Also, this one doesn't need to be Open by default (that can save some space). And the user may actually see the Halogen Guides without scrolling down. ;-) 2. Media Reviews - should probably move towards bottom - limited use (but I understand why it's at the top). 3. Some bullets open/close to display lists, but others take you away from the page; there should be some visual clue for the different behavior. Also, some of those bullets are hot and some are not (and among those that are hot, the action is inconsistent). <i>Tabs:</i> Order of tabs seems intuitively driven by your traffic statistics. I know I visit Cafe, Video, Media most often. But Book Club may probably be better towards the end. Order of those tabs should be consistent with the order you choose on the sidebar items, (as much as possible, because there are some additional items on the sidebar). Just my $.02 Barry, here are some ideas on minor touch-ups.

Sidebar:
1. Feeds – should probably move to the bottom – limited use. Also, this one doesn’t need to be Open by default (that can save some space). And the user may actually see the Halogen Guides without scrolling down. ;-)
2. Media Reviews – should probably move towards bottom – limited use (but I understand why it’s at the top).
3. Some bullets open/close to display lists, but others take you away from the page; there should be some visual clue for the different behavior. Also, some of those bullets are hot and some are not (and among those that are hot, the action is inconsistent).

Tabs:
Order of tabs seems intuitively driven by your traffic statistics. I know I visit Cafe, Video, Media most often. But Book Club may probably be better towards the end.
Order of those tabs should be consistent with the order you choose on the sidebar items, (as much as possible, because there are some additional items on the sidebar).

Just my $.02

]]> By: Chuck Ponzi http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/tbp-25/comment-page-1/#comment-126716 Chuck Ponzi Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:37:05 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=9558#comment-126716 Please, threaded comments. Please. Please, threaded comments. Please.

]]> By: Coruscation http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/tbp-25/comment-page-1/#comment-126703 Coruscation Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:19:04 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=9558#comment-126703 I am not sure if you were intending on changing the content with the re-design, but I too miss Barry's link fests. And I subscribed to Barrons because he could find three great stories there every month, and tell me which ones they were on the weekend when I had time to read them. Could you take the Amazon banner an make it tall, narrow and on the side to get some content into the top 2/3 of my screen ? New readers might benefit from a short explanation about how to create, maintain an account to comment. And let commenters choose their own password. I am not sure if you were intending on changing the content with the re-design, but I too miss Barry’s link fests. And I subscribed to Barrons because he could find three great stories there every month, and tell me which ones they were on the weekend when I had time to read them.

Could you take the Amazon banner an make it tall, narrow and on the side to get some content into the top 2/3 of my screen ?

New readers might benefit from a short explanation about how to create, maintain an account to comment. And let commenters choose their own password.

]]> By: Mark E Hoffer http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/tbp-25/comment-page-1/#comment-126687 Mark E Hoffer Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:03:11 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=9558#comment-126687 "The comment reg, however, is a keeper! I am spending so much less time dealing with Spam, trolls, flame wars, and garbage — its a pleasure." yeah BR, I know, I was, earlier, going to add a line : ~" easy for me to say, I don't have to deal with the admin..." Your doing a great job, past that, Scotty's comment, above, is a good one, too.. “The comment reg, however, is a keeper! I am spending so much less time dealing with Spam, trolls, flame wars, and garbage — its a pleasure.”

yeah BR, I know, I was, earlier, going to add a line : ~” easy for me to say, I don’t have to deal with the admin…”

Your doing a great job, past that, Scotty’s comment, above, is a good one, too..

]]> By: Scotty http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/tbp-25/comment-page-1/#comment-126671 Scotty Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:53:46 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=9558#comment-126671 Keep making the gradual improvements -- I really like what I have been seeing so far. The Cafe is brilliant -- you should emphasize it more. Its everything that Seeking Alpha and TheStreet.com are not -- its smart, focused, and limited -- thats the key. They are obviously casting the widest net possible, going for max page views, with quality secondary. You are clearly focusing on less being more. I would put a 10 person max on it. (How did you ever get the NBER dating committee / Harvard professor ? Awesome post.) Keep making the gradual improvements — I really like what I have been seeing so far.

The Cafe is brilliant — you should emphasize it more.

Its everything that Seeking Alpha and TheStreet.com are not — its smart, focused, and limited — thats the key.

They are obviously casting the widest net possible, going for max page views, with quality secondary. You are clearly focusing on less being more. I would put a 10 person max on it. (How did you ever get the NBER dating committee / Harvard professor ? Awesome post.)

]]> By: Barry Ritholtz http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/tbp-25/comment-page-1/#comment-126666 Barry Ritholtz Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:25:23 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=9558#comment-126666 Here are the RSS feeds -- <blockquote>The Big Picture: No header, no tabs, every post feed://www.ritholtz.com/blog/feed Comments feed://www.ritholtz.com/blog/comments/feed BP Cafe feed://www.ritholtz.com/blog/category/bp-cafe/feed Books feed://www.ritholtz.com/blog/category/books/feed Video feed://www.ritholtz.com/blog/category/video/feed Digital Media feed://www.ritholtz.com/blog/category/digital-media/feed</blockquote> Note they behave differently depending upon your browser. Firefox take me to a my Yahoo module add; Safari goes straight to the feed. Here are the RSS feeds —

The Big Picture: No header, no tabs, every post
feed://www.ritholtz.com/blog/feed

Comments
feed://www.ritholtz.com/blog/comments/feed

BP Cafe
feed://www.ritholtz.com/blog/category/bp-cafe/feed

Books
feed://www.ritholtz.com/blog/category/books/feed

Video
feed://www.ritholtz.com/blog/category/video/feed

Digital Media
feed://www.ritholtz.com/blog/category/digital-media/feed

Note they behave differently depending upon your browser. Firefox take me to a my Yahoo module add; Safari goes straight to the feed.

]]> By: a guy called john http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/tbp-25/comment-page-1/#comment-126665 a guy called john Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:19:07 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=9558#comment-126665 Don't expect that the content on the other tabs will be found. That's not how your site ever worked before. Assuming you want to put your posts on the homepage: slightly smaller font, slightly narrower content column, more teaser copy, headlines, etc (a la the quote) in the right column. Otherwise: Treat your homepage as a traditional homepage, highlighting more of the content, more marketwatch/street.com than blog. Looks like you are moving in that direction through the content expanded content. ~~~ <b>BR</b>: The other content will receive more highlighting in the future -- note the menus are now defaulted to open in the sidebar. Don’t expect that the content on the other tabs will be found. That’s not how your site ever worked before.

Assuming you want to put your posts on the homepage: slightly smaller font, slightly narrower content column, more teaser copy, headlines, etc (a la the quote) in the right column.

Otherwise: Treat your homepage as a traditional homepage, highlighting more of the content, more marketwatch/street.com than blog. Looks like you are moving in that direction through the content expanded content.

~~~

BR: The other content will receive more highlighting in the future — note the menus are now defaulted to open in the sidebar.

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