Hi..

A while back it was meantioned that a complete overhaul of the site is being considered. Naturally finances get in the way of such things but anyway.

As i see it changing the colours and graphics of a site is not too difficult, changing the actual layout is somewhat harder.

I have, what i joking call, "developed" a way of using multiple skins on a website, though it would require a reasonable re-write to incorporate it. Guess the question is...

If you could design a theme for T-Web.. what would it look like?

businesslike, for browsing in public areas?
barbie pink, for those kind of moments?
something like it is now?

or something totally different?

All of the above... this would be cool, but requires a big enough hike in membership to justify it me thinks.

personally i'd like to re-write the site in xhtml but i really can't see that happening though the ability to use CSS (for those who know what it is great, otherwise your not missing much) would make the pages print better, and be visible on things like TVs a bit better for them of us who use em! hell could cope with multiple screen resolutions then.

Ahh dreaming....

Oh i know how complicated it can be linking a DB up to the web, I'm assuming the site uses a lot of Server Side Includes. In which case adjausting some of them to control additional things shouldn't be hard.

Also its possible to design a site that works *whatever* the resolution. the hard bit is adjusting scripts to output the correct code, the multiple skins code is best handled at the users end via cookies etc. Yes you have to enable javascript for it to work, but it cuts down the server load somewhat.

Guess i'm more interested in what members actually *want* the site to look like. Also what page or pages would people like to use for 'mock ups' and i'll have a go at redoing the same page several different ways.

As for the database.. i can well imagine its a bit of a monster, what does it run on? i've always assumed MySQL/Perl/Apache.

the present design isn't so much clunky as a bit plastic. The webs moved on and what ever happens to the site i think its worthwhile sorting it out such that changing it in future becomes easy.

Drop down menus can be fun.. guess another question is.. how many people let javascript run while using T-Web? since most things like menus etc require it and there does need to be a way around this for people with scripting disabled.

The site as a whole integrates well, and offers a lot more than many other sites in one place all with the same look and feel. making that work and keeping it working is one hell of an achivement.. hats off to you katie you've worked magic here.

I'm a bit of a standards junkie for web design... just ignore me when i rant.

Hi Katie and Claire,
Actually, the TW site is very, very good. Katie, thank you for all the really hard work. It is obvious that you care a great deal about the site. The only two suggestions would be:
1). Perhaps a "What's new" section with links to the different areas (forums, blogs, etc).
2). In the forums section, perhaps using wider columns. (Again the increased resolution issue).

Thankyou again for the great job!!!!!!

Hugz,
Michelle Lynn

That's acctually not that difficult as an interim measure.

Most browsers are JavaScript enabled these days, but fr those that are not, it's very easy to serve them an alternative using the <script> and <noscript> tags.

where the JS is encapsulated in HTML commening, non JS enabled browsers don't understand the script and noscript tags, and so will display the page (note that the no-script tags aren't commented out, and so the HTML is read and used.

By contrast, javascript enabled browsers understand the script tags and run them, and understand the noscript tags, and don't run anything inbetween them.

In this way, you could run the dropdown menues in the script tags, and leave a standard html alternative, such as the existing menu for the time being, between the noscript tags.

Hi Clair,

Well there's a coincidence. I have just been talking to some of the girls about this very subject.

Trannyweb is essentially the graphic front end of a huge database and unfortunately that's very much how it looks too. I think the present design is very clunky.

About three years back, when this incarnation of TW was designed, it was decided that as 800 x 600 was by far the most popular screen resolution at that time, the whole site should be no wider than 750 pixels so that people with smaller screens would not have to scroll from side to side.

Since then screen sizes and resolutions have increased and so I think our new design should be scaleable and should fill the whole screen, whatever it's size and resolution.

For over 18 months we have had a new drop down menu in the wings, ready to replace the current rows of buttons. However, there have been technical problems with getting it installed.

There is also now a way in which several 'skins' can be incorporated in the site and users can pick which one they use. I believe it is very complicated though, which is why I have shied away from it.

However, just because I am not up to it doesn't mean that you can't have a go.

Anyway, I'd be most interested to hear everyone's ideas for redesigning Trannyweb. Please post your suggestions here.

Thanks and hugs,

Katie x

The new drop-down menus look very nice.

Thanks Stevie,

We've had quite a few problems with the new nav bar but I think we're over most of them now - touch wood!

Hugs,

Katie x