This is a new version of our Opinion Talk blog that has some enhancements to help you maneuver through the postings and comments. We appreciate your participation in this blog, and you have helped make it one of the best read blogs in the Beehive.
So let's get to the changes. First off, the most recent comments are now posted on the right navigation bar so readers can quickly see the latest responses from our blog community. That was something readers had been requesting.
Second, the search function is much improved. It had been lacking in the previous version of Opinion Talk. Give it a try.
When you go to the main page, you can quickly see how many comments an entry has received and click on that link to read those comments. You can also see the author of the posting at the top of the item instead of having to scroll to the bottom to see who wrote it.
When you click on "Archives," you get a monthly roll of all postings going back to our first Opinion Talk items in January 2006. That should provide a nice history for those who are interested in previous postings.
We are working through some of the technical parts of this upgrade, and are still making changes. Give us your feedback on this new version of Opinion Talk.
Ooh... looks good, Opinion Talk.
I like the color bar at the top and the blog roll on the side. If only the Beehive had thought to include a blog roll.
I like it as well, but we need more people adding to the threads. Maybe the Bee can work on generating more traffic to this page.
Correction Rich, we need more sane people adding to these threads. I believe readership is high but many are loathe to post because it's a waste of time. One can't discuss opinions or exchange ideas. Bloggers posting an interesting issue have to wade through pages of accusations, name calling and defamation. I'm with you Rich but I have found that if I want a nice evening of conversation you can't go wrong with a dog.
I admit to sniping back only because they get me sick and tired, of being sick and tired of all the trash talking.
I'm likely to go elsewhere, but will come back to read only. Obama is going to win and I will sit back and listen to them whine about how crappy everything is (like Bush didn't make everything crappy already).
The only thing about having a nice conversation about a dog is that it can bite you, here they are toothless, and harmless, and yes at times brainless!
I snipe back too Rich. You are right it is hard not to. Don't let a the bad apples run you off. If it's not the Presidential race they'll find something else to complain about. Still sure you wouldn't rather pet a dog?
We'd probably have more posters if we weren't so snippy. I've seen first time posters get jumped on and of course they never come back.
I like the new layout just fine Jim. The archive's are a little tough to navigate though. The posts need division lines and bold titles. I wouldn't be surprised though if it's a temporary thing that they are working on. My wife codes websites and it's not unusual to get the site up while you're still working out bugs.
How can we control the lines. I hate it when they are broken into fragments instaed of one
block
I'm not sure what you mean Isabell but I'm talking about lines like those you see on this page between comments. We can't control them, they are written into the code of the web page. The same goes for the headers or titles. The web designer has to code in that they be BOLD with a larger font, unless the blog software takes care of that. In this case apparently not on that page.
At any rate, if I could make a suggestion...or a request. Can we have our posts come up right away? As with most forum softwares? The advantage of course is that responses happen regularly at the optimal time, and the blog keeps moving. The downside is of course that it's chancy to let people post without moderation, but how much moderation is needed? Or is that a really dumb question given the circumstances?
Isabell - are you hitting the enter key when you get to the right side of the comment box? If you do that, then it would cause the line fragments. To prevent this just keep typing and let the computer wrap the words across the page for you. This same will be true if you type your comments in a program like Word and paste them to the comment box. Let the computer wrap the lines for you. It will automatically adjust to make the text fit. I know I had trouble with that after writing so many years on a typewriter. Just a thought about what might be causing the fragments.
Thanks! It turned out to be the line wrap. I am not perfect yet, but it will come in time...I think.
Okay, I've got one small complaint. Mostly I like the changes, but when I go to the monthly archives, the headlines are in the same size and font as the rest of text, so it's hard to tell where one topic ends and the next one begins.