Whats changed at Pixalo?

***Steve*** · 19-09-2006, 19:19

What’s changed at Pixalo?

You may have heard the rumblings that we have been working hard behind the scenes to implement some big changes and additions to the site. We have no doubt that you will already have noticed that some things have changed but we can now reveal exactly what we have done in detail.

After much discussion, the team decided that the plain grey that we have been running on, while being neutral, felt flat and uninteresting. To that end we are now using a darker theme that is also much more three dimensional in appearance. While this no doubt spices up the forums we have tried to keep a nice balance of it not becoming overpowering or depressing. The new theme benefits from all new buttons, new graphics and has subtle splashes of colour and a few discrete animated gifs.

Personal Gallery links

Under the name of the poster on every post we have now put a ‘Personal Gallery’ button which if clicked will take you straight to that member’s gallery here on Pixalo. This should now make it very easy to find shots and other members galleries from anywhere on the community forums. Although this was already in place we would like to thank Angela who also suggested this as a possible addition (she could not have known at the time that we had already included it).

The image editing ‘ok tick’ has also been replaced with a matching button to fit in perfectly with the new theme. This now sits above the personal gallery button if the member has the option enabled.

Top Community forum navigation

The top navigation has changed; FAQ, Members List and the Calendar have all been moved from the horizontal bar to the drop down menu under the ‘quick links’. This was done to tidy up the navigation and also make room for a major new addition…

Members Website List

A while ago one of our members (OrangePeel) made a suggestion to having one area for all Pixalo members to list their personal websites so that everyone could see them. We liked this idea but wanted to make a good job of it. We have looked at many solutions to do this over the last few months and found most to be sadly lacking. Finally we have a solution and have implemented what we feel is a great addition to the site.

In the navigation at the top of the forums you will now see a new link to ‘Members websites’ this takes you to a whole new section of the site. All community members are free to add in up to 3 personal websites which will be listed. These can also have your own site design button and a short written description appear next to each. Each site added is then linked by text and/or by clicking on the button that you uploaded (if you added one). The software also tracks the amount of people who view your site, who go to it from Pixalo and who come back to Pixalo from your sites. The numbers are clearly shown on the right so that you can track your progress. A random website is also highlighted and moved to the top of the page each time the list is viewed, this again will help you get your personal site noticed. This new section is offering all members a chance to include their own personal websites in a free link directory to gain maximum exposure and inward links to help with search engine listings of your sites.

Please read and follow the more detailed instructions that can be found here before adding in your personal websites.

Gallery changes

Besides the new, more dynamic colours and theme on the forums, we have also carried the theme through to the gallery and the review sections. This is a significant improvement and visually makes the site a pleasure to use. The gallery layout has also been altered; this now includes a sidebar with added boxes of information and members photos. This is another opportunity for member’s photos to be noticed and gain more exposure. Included are a random photo box, a recent photo box and a list of the latest comments. So the more photos you upload and comments you add on other peoples work, the more exposure you will receive.

Main Pixalo website

Finally to bring everything into line, we have totally re-coded the front end of the site.

The main site page has now changed substantially and includes RSS feeds directly from the forums as well as picture feeds from the Members Gallery. Here again there is a good chance to get your work noticed as all new uploads to the gallery are shown. The front page also includes the current and some past winners’ works from our Pixalo Theme Fortnight challenges as further recognition of their achievements.

The news section and a new ‘about us’ sections are already coded but as it is a big job to recode all of the main site at once and we didn’t want to hold off the other new stuff until it was completed, you will find that some of the articles and tutorials are still using our original style. Over the next few weeks these will all be re-coded to match the rest of the site and tie in seamlessly, after which we can then begin work on the many new articles and tutorials ideas that have sadly been neglected.

Feedback and further suggestions…

We have done extensive testing of all changes but there is nothing like letting the members loose on it in a live environment to see how things go. If you find anything that is broken, any images that need updating or indeed, anything that you don’t like and think could be made better, please let us know. If we like your suggestions and can implement the changes we will, if not we are happy to give you feedback as to why.

We understand that not everyone takes to changes well and it may take a little while to get used to seeing the Pixalo site differently, it might seem unfamiliar and not feel like ‘home’ at first. With the best intentions we have tried to balance everything to make your time here both enjoyable and productive. We hope the changes are received positively.

Ohh and we might also accept a little praise if you think we got some of it right

Thanks a lot

The Pixalo Crew

Finally every member of the Pixalo Crew has been involved with these changes, not just with coding and feedback but with suggestions, ideas and support to the others during every stage. These changes have come about through team effort and would not have been possible any other way. I would personally like to thank each one for their dedication, commitment and good humour.

P-E · 19-09-2006, 19:41

Er..............It's different

dod · 19-09-2006, 19:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by P-E

Er..............It's different

Yep, not sure I really like the new colour scheme to be honest

Chris · 19-09-2006, 20:01

Oooh, now that was a suprise

thanks for all the hard work team Pixalo

***Dave*** · 19-09-2006, 20:17

No probs P-E & Dod, we appreciate honest feedback. We feel such a change is going to take a couple of days for people to become used to this style & we would appreciate repeat feedback once again

dod · 19-09-2006, 20:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave

No probs P-E & Dod, we appreciate honest feedback. We feel such a change is going to take a couple of days for people to become used to this style & we would appreciate repeat feedback once again

No doubt it's like roses

***Dave*** · 19-09-2006, 21:12

Surprisingly enough OrangePeel is the 1st memebr to add himself to the members websites :- http://www.pixalo.com/community/toplist.php

**Angela** · 19-09-2006, 21:39

The major changes are superb chaps! Well done and thank you!

My only comment would be that, like others, I'm not sure about this colour either. But, I'll live with it for a few days and see if it grows on me!

Re : members websites. Is it just photo sites or are we allowed to add links to other pages such as Blogs?

**Angela** · 19-09-2006, 21:51

Just one problem, I've listed my website in Members Websites but for some reason, the code Pixalo gives to paste into my site to link back doesn't work and now I can't find the link. Do I have to re-register my site to get the link again?

Foxesbrew · 19-09-2006, 21:51

My first thought was what have i cocked up now?

But as i realised the changes were meant to be ,i found myself very impressed. Welldone crew i think its great

spxxxx · 20-09-2006, 07:05

Looks good

Only problem is I couldn't find the "add" on the members wesite page for about an hour

Now it doesn't show..............

Anyway excellent work - it must have taken hours

***Steve*** · 20-09-2006, 07:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angela

Just one problem, I've listed my website in Members Websites but for some reason, the code Pixalo gives to paste into my site to link back doesn't work and now I can't find the link. Do I have to re-register my site to get the link again?

I have replied to this in the Members Website thread for you, shout if you have any more problems

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angela

The major changes are superb chaps! Well done and thank you!

My only comment would be that, like others, I'm not sure about this colour either. But, I'll live with it for a few days and see if it grows on me!

Re : members websites. Is it just photo sites or are we allowed to add links to other pages such as Blogs?

As long as they are yours, you are allowed to add upto three individual sites. Blogs are welcomed as well

Quote:

Originally Posted by spxxxx

Looks good

Only problem is I couldn't find the "add" on the members wesite page for about an hour

Now it doesn't show..............

Anyway excellent work - it must have taken hours

There seems to be a couple of teething problems with some of the code, although we have tested it previously both on a test environment and here where it worked fine, it now looks like there are still a couple of gremlins in the system. I am looking into this at the moment and hope to have things running properly soon. Your site has been registered in the system but is not correctly showing at the moment. I'll come back to you with the detail on how we can fix it very soon.

Thanks for the feedback and for bearing with us.

***Steve*** · 20-09-2006, 07:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by spxxxx

Looks good

Only problem is I couldn't find the "add" on the members wesite page for about an hour

Now it doesn't show..............

Anyway excellent work - it must have taken hours

Your site has now been added succesfully, it just needed to be validated by a Pixalo Crew member before it it would show on the list.

spxxxx · 20-09-2006, 07:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve

Your site has now been added succesfully, it just needed to be validated by a Pixalo Crew member before it it would show on the list.

Many thanks - at least all the replies show that people are using the site......... I think plenty of hard work ahead

19-09-2006, 19:19	#1 (permalink)
*Steve* Pixalo Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: An Englishman living in Germany Posts: 16,158	Whats changed at Pixalo? What’s changed at Pixalo? You may have heard the rumblings that we have been working hard behind the scenes to implement some big changes and additions to the site. We have no doubt that you will already have noticed that some things have changed but we can now reveal exactly what we have done in detail. After much discussion, the team decided that the plain grey that we have been running on, while being neutral, felt flat and uninteresting. To that end we are now using a darker theme that is also much more three dimensional in appearance. While this no doubt spices up the forums we have tried to keep a nice balance of it not becoming overpowering or depressing. The new theme benefits from all new buttons, new graphics and has subtle splashes of colour and a few discrete animated gifs. Personal Gallery links Under the name of the poster on every post we have now put a ‘Personal Gallery’ button which if clicked will take you straight to that member’s gallery here on Pixalo. This should now make it very easy to find shots and other members galleries from anywhere on the community forums. Although this was already in place we would like to thank Angela who also suggested this as a possible addition (she could not have known at the time that we had already included it). The image editing ‘ok tick’ has also been replaced with a matching button to fit in perfectly with the new theme. This now sits above the personal gallery button if the member has the option enabled. Top Community forum navigation The top navigation has changed; FAQ, Members List and the Calendar have all been moved from the horizontal bar to the drop down menu under the ‘quick links’. This was done to tidy up the navigation and also make room for a major new addition… Members Website List A while ago one of our members (OrangePeel) made a suggestion to having one area for all Pixalo members to list their personal websites so that everyone could see them. We liked this idea but wanted to make a good job of it. We have looked at many solutions to do this over the last few months and found most to be sadly lacking. Finally we have a solution and have implemented what we feel is a great addition to the site. In the navigation at the top of the forums you will now see a new link to ‘Members websites’ this takes you to a whole new section of the site. All community members are free to add in up to 3 personal websites which will be listed. These can also have your own site design button and a short written description appear next to each. Each site added is then linked by text and/or by clicking on the button that you uploaded (if you added one). The software also tracks the amount of people who view your site, who go to it from Pixalo and who come back to Pixalo from your sites. The numbers are clearly shown on the right so that you can track your progress. A random website is also highlighted and moved to the top of the page each time the list is viewed, this again will help you get your personal site noticed. This new section is offering all members a chance to include their own personal websites in a free link directory to gain maximum exposure and inward links to help with search engine listings of your sites. Please read and follow the more detailed instructions that can be found here before adding in your personal websites. Gallery changes Besides the new, more dynamic colours and theme on the forums, we have also carried the theme through to the gallery and the review sections. This is a significant improvement and visually makes the site a pleasure to use. The gallery layout has also been altered; this now includes a sidebar with added boxes of information and members photos. This is another opportunity for member’s photos to be noticed and gain more exposure. Included are a random photo box, a recent photo box and a list of the latest comments. So the more photos you upload and comments you add on other peoples work, the more exposure you will receive. Main Pixalo website Finally to bring everything into line, we have totally re-coded the front end of the site. The main site page has now changed substantially and includes RSS feeds directly from the forums as well as picture feeds from the Members Gallery. Here again there is a good chance to get your work noticed as all new uploads to the gallery are shown. The front page also includes the current and some past winners’ works from our Pixalo Theme Fortnight challenges as further recognition of their achievements. The news section and a new ‘about us’ sections are already coded but as it is a big job to recode all of the main site at once and we didn’t want to hold off the other new stuff until it was completed, you will find that some of the articles and tutorials are still using our original style. Over the next few weeks these will all be re-coded to match the rest of the site and tie in seamlessly, after which we can then begin work on the many new articles and tutorials ideas that have sadly been neglected. Feedback and further suggestions… We have done extensive testing of all changes but there is nothing like letting the members loose on it in a live environment to see how things go. If you find anything that is broken, any images that need updating or indeed, anything that you don’t like and think could be made better, please let us know. If we like your suggestions and can implement the changes we will, if not we are happy to give you feedback as to why. We understand that not everyone takes to changes well and it may take a little while to get used to seeing the Pixalo site differently, it might seem unfamiliar and not feel like ‘home’ at first. With the best intentions we have tried to balance everything to make your time here both enjoyable and productive. We hope the changes are received positively. Ohh and we might also accept a little praise if you think we got some of it right Thanks a lot The Pixalo Crew Finally every member of the Pixalo Crew has been involved with these changes, not just with coding and feedback but with suggestions, ideas and support to the others during every stage. These changes have come about through team effort and would not have been possible any other way. I would personally like to thank each one for their dedication, commitment and good humour.

19-09-2006, 19:41	#2 (permalink)
P-E Loves the place Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sheffield, S.Yorkshire UK Posts: 7,505	Re: Whats changed at Pixalo? Er..............It's different

19-09-2006, 20:01	#4 (permalink)
Chris Been here a while Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Isle of Wight Posts: 392	Re: Whats changed at Pixalo? Oooh, now that was a suprise thanks for all the hard work team Pixalo

19-09-2006, 20:17	#5 (permalink)
*Dave* Pixalo Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 14,909	Re: Whats changed at Pixalo? No probs P-E & Dod, we appreciate honest feedback. We feel such a change is going to take a couple of days for people to become used to this style & we would appreciate repeat feedback once again

19-09-2006, 21:12	#7 (permalink)
*Dave* Pixalo Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 14,909	Re: Whats changed at Pixalo? Surprisingly enough OrangePeel is the 1st memebr to add himself to the members websites :- http://www.pixalo.com/community/toplist.php

19-09-2006, 21:39	#8 (permalink)
Angela Pixalo Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Wimbledon Posts: 5,851	Re: Whats changed at Pixalo? The major changes are superb chaps! Well done and thank you! My only comment would be that, like others, I'm not sure about this colour either. But, I'll live with it for a few days and see if it grows on me! Re : members websites. Is it just photo sites or are we allowed to add links to other pages such as Blogs?

19-09-2006, 21:51	#9 (permalink)
Angela Pixalo Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Wimbledon Posts: 5,851	Re: Whats changed at Pixalo? Just one problem, I've listed my website in Members Websites but for some reason, the code Pixalo gives to paste into my site to link back doesn't work and now I can't find the link. Do I have to re-register my site to get the link again?

19-09-2006, 21:51	#10 (permalink)
Foxesbrew Forum Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: west sussex Posts: 1,131	Re: Whats changed at Pixalo? My first thought was what have i cocked up now? But as i realised the changes were meant to be ,i found myself very impressed. Welldone crew i think its great

20-09-2006, 07:05	#11 (permalink)
spxxxx Been here a while Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chesterfield, UK Posts: 407	Re: Whats changed at Pixalo? Looks good Only problem is I couldn't find the "add" on the members wesite page for about an hour Now it doesn't show.............. Anyway excellent work - it must have taken hours