We'll be making some changes to site navigation on Tuesday Nov 22

[Skinner]

On Tuesday Nov. 22, we'll be making some changes to DU's message board navigation. These changes are part of our ongoing project to upgrade and improve the website. Our current navigational structure is the end result of a mishmash of piecemeal changes and the DU admins feel that it is neither consistent nor intuitive.

There are three major changes:

1. The navigational icons that currently appear at the top of some pages will be standardized so it is the same on all of our pages. Additionally, the DU logo will be added and will act as a link to the DU homepage.

2. The "gray navigation bar" near the top of most pages will be updated to include a link to the DU homepage, and to implement a clear hierarchical organizational structure to all of our pages.

3. The red links at the top of all of our pages will no longer appear on our discussion forum.

We acknowledge that these changes may cause some confusion to begin with, and we apologize in advance for any inconvenience. However, these changes are necessary in order for us to make site navigation more consistent and intuitive, as well as to prepare for some big upgrades which will be arriving over the next few months.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to work to improve Democratic Underground.

[SteppingRazor]

1. Bravo! I had always wondered why there was no homepage link...

The process of actually highlighting and deleting everything after "democraticunderground.com" in the address bar was really taxing me :evilgrin:

[Skinner]

2. Well, there actually is a homepage link.

It's the very first link on the entire page. It says "Home".

We get the feeling that you aren't the only person who missed it. Which is one of the reasons we're changing it.

[Skidmore]

5. So you're keeping it, right?

Hey, my BDays tomorrow and my brain cells are getting old. :)

Seriously, I'm bookmarked to the home page and I'll have to reorganize my universe.

[Skinner]

8. Keeping the homepage?

Yes, we're keeping the homepage. But the homepage is going to change in a few weeks.

[SteppingRazor]

7. Hmmm... my icons go from "Lobby" to "Admin"...

With no "Home" found anywhere. Am I blind. Well, maybe... but then, how am I typing this?

On edit: OOOOOOOHHH! Nevermind. I see it. Up in the red-colored links, where I never look. :blush:

[MADem]

10. Look above your icons, there are red links and the first one is Home!

Ahhh, and as I went to type this you had just edited your post!!!

Oh well, it's all a ball of confusion!! We will just have to adjust, adapt and overcome...keeps the mind young!

[Warpy]

14. Hey, some folks just can't read the word

Most of 'em are over at Free Republic, but nobody's immune. :evilgrin:

[The Doctor.]

24. Mmmm... big "gooey" buttons...

Seriously, this is one of the easiest sites to manuever about on the internet.

Any tweaking really is only that.

Happy tweaking!

[Skinner]

26. I am glad to hear that you think so.

We are hoping to make it even easier.

[Renew Deal]

3. Keep up the good work.

:thumbsup:

[Patsy Stone]

4. Thanks!

It should be much easier with those changes.

:thumbsup:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

6. Hi Skinner, I was wondering

When you talk about the major site improvements is there any part of that which may include the web access address so that our 'corporate' filters no longer block the discussion pages as restricted access?

At work I can get to the homepage and latest page, but then any link thereafter gets blocked. I used to be able to access it fine but I guess lately there are new web restrictions going around?

Just wondering if there was any upgrade that might help some of us access this site at work again :)

[Skinner]

9. Unfortunately, I don't really know how we could get around that.

Sorry.

[iconoclastNYC]

12. Check out gotomypc.com

Your corproate firewall may not block it and if so you can use this (pay) service to get onto your computer where you can surf to any sites and the corporate network is none the wiser about it.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

13. Wow seriously? I will DEFINITELY check that out, Thanks!

:hi:

[iconoclastNYC]

11. Speaking of useability they sound like excellent changes.

Esp getting rid of the double row of links which always baffled me.

[Lefty48197]

15. Will there still be a direct link to "discussion forums"?

Since that's the (soon to be eliminated) red link that I use the most.

[Skinner]

20. Yes.

But it will be in a different place. A couple different places, actually.

[Wilms]

16. That's cool.

Skinner, can you stick the new nav bar on the bottom as well as the top of the pages.

That'll spare some scrollin'.

Thanks for tweaking.

[Oceansaway]

17. 10-4 !!!

[newyawker99]

18. kick

:kick:

[newyawker99]

19. Will the donate feature also be moved to the home page?

Edit: I am asking this because I enter
DU through the Lobby.

[Skinner]

21. There will still be links to our donate page.

The link on the homepage isn't going to change (yet). And we'll probably add another link somewhere on the discussion forum.

[newyawker99]

22. Cool! Thanks for the answer.

:-)

[HereSince1628]

23. As long as big changes aren't accompanied by mushroom cloud

we can deal with it.

[applegrove]

25. Great Stuff Skinner! You guys & gals are the best!

[DemExpat]

27. I like what I see so far!

:thumbsup:

DemEx

[NMDemDist2]

28. kick cuz I like what I'm seeing here, Happy Turkey Day! but......

I kinda miss the "Greatest" Link next to the "Discuss"

it'll take a couple days to re-train my mouse :)