New Site launch imminent TODAY
Submitted: Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 13:04
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ExplorOz Team - Michelle
Just a heads up - we are about to switch over to the new site so get ready for a big change. Now I know some people don't like change and will rush to complain so I urge you to play around with the site for a few days/weeks before you pass judgement.
The main purpose of the change is to have ExplorOz as fully responsive site - which means that no matter what size screen you are using the site will automatically adjust layout to present the optimum for your screen. It also means we no longer need the mobile site - and that means no matter what device you use you have access to the whole site and all its features and tools.
In our testing we have about 99.9% of the site working perfectly but we have a list of a few small things that we will need to resolve later but it's time to press the big green GO button (there's no such thing, but sounds good eh?).
As always, we do listen to your
feedback and will be interested in time to refine and improve the site further but for the time being - please just let us get this roll out done so that its business as usual.
What we do urgently want to know about is anything critical not working - anything broken, missing, server errors etc. Hopefully there's none. Please report errors via email to info@exploroz.com or use the
feedback form.
I will be preparing a launch newsletter today too but wanted those online now to know about this.
Cheers and see you on the other side!
Reply By: Swaggie - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 14:22
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 14:22
Goodluck with the change over...
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Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 15:01
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 15:01
Yeah, good luck with the new site. Michelle & David.
Oh dear, the "edit button" brigade will have a sleepless night tonight. :-)
Bob
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Reply By: Member - John - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 15:06
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 15:06
No, not the Green button................................
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Reply By: The Landy - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 16:59
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 16:59
Strewth, you pressed which button...
Good luck...Baz
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Reply By: Nomadic Navara - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 17:11
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 17:11
Is there a link to the new site so we can assist with the testing?
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Reply By: Mick O - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 17:23
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 17:23
OMG......is this the end!!
Alert....alert....
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Follow Up By: Member - John - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 17:50
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 17:50
That's the red button................
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Reply By: Member - Will 76 Series - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 17:42
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 17:42
Michelle,
OK, thanks for the heads up sounds good.
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Reply By: Idler Chris - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 18:05
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 18:05
If David want's to enjoy this weekend then I suggest that you do not press the button until Monday morning. I am not casting aspersions on David's work, but in house testing can never hope to equal realtime and with such a big system and such a big change. Gook Luck.
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Reply By: Allan B (Member, SunCoast) - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 18:14
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 18:14
Shush.....
David's busy!
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Reply By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 18:32
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 18:32
It's done... phew!
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Follow Up By: Sir Kev - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 18:35
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 18:35
Looks :)
Cheers Kev
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FollowupID:
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Reply By: Idler Chris - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 18:35
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 18:35
Gee Whiz it has happened already - first impression - looks good
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Reply By: Member - John - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 18:52
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 18:52
Michelle, I know you said to give it a while to settle down, but first impression is that it is terrible. The fact that replies are closed means that you can't just scan the replies and read the ones that may interest you. Is there anyway that the replies can be shown in full?
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:42
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:42
Exactly what I knew people would say at first. As we said - give it time. There is some very clear logic behind it and you need to experience the site on all your devices and give it a few days until you get used to it. Took me a while but now I really find it better (I was very hesitant at first too). Of course, in time we can consider adding a button to force them open but there is some solid evidence of benefits for keeping them closed - the one's you haven't read are flagged! so you can quickly jump just to read the bits you haven't read and its no issue to click open a few above or below if you need. On some devices it is much better zipped up to start so you don't have to scroll so much on your phone to see the OP's post. Give it time ;)
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Follow Up By: Member - Scott M (NSW) - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:09
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:09
sorry - agree with
John & Jan
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Follow Up By: Crusier 91 - Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 06:32
Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 06:32
I 2nd that Scott.
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Follow Up By: Les - PK Ranger - Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 08:18
Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 08:18
Yeah it's a pain having to open them individually, but will give it a chance for sure.
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Reply By: Member - John (Vic) - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:12
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:12
Interesting, first thought was I was logged into the mobile site.
Looks clean and simple on an iPad.
Will take a little while to get used to the look and layout.
Seems to load quick and quite responsive.
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Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:15
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:15
I see the rotating icon on the left changes to an arrow after you have viewed the post, is that correct?
Shows which posts you have viewed.
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz - David & Michelle - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:27
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:27
John,
Yes we are now tracking your reads in your profile - so no more dud since last update stuff. The system will now remember across all devices which piece of each thread you have read and which has been updated. It will take a few days for you to catch up but once you start it will make it a lot easier and you will be able to pin point each update very quickly.
David
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz - David & Michelle - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:30
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:30
There appears to be a bug in the has read system as my read sin this post have gone away - I will find and fix this tomorrow. But the intent is as above.
David
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Reply By: Member - John - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:21
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:21
Michelle, second problem, I have received an email saying I have a reply, click on the link to take me to the reply and it took me to the thread, but no reply on the thread.
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:39
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:39
Possibly that reply was posted by me and I've since deleted it. I was mistakenly logged in as another person after helping them with their account and I forgot to log off, so I deleted my reply. It wasn't worth reposting - was just a short comment about the update being delayed as it took longer than we thought when I first posted this thread.
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Reply By: Member - Clive S (Int) - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:35
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:35
Am I missing something? In "Places" I used to be able to search for a place to travel from and a route would be calculated and shown on the map. How do I do this now. Help!
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:37
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:37
Correct, that feature has been missing for some time. Is not a result of the new site today.
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Follow Up By: Member - Clive S (Int) - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:01
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:01
That's a shame. I last used this feature in June to plan my vacation. It was the feature I used the most.Will it be reintroduced? Thanks.
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz - David & Michelle - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:22
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:22
Clive
Yes it will and the new engine I am working on is way cooler than the last one with the ability to drag the lines around to change the route etc. Coupled with the new mapping engine it is super duper. But the responsive re-write got in the way - We have done 9 weeks full time on this rewrite and reckon there is about a week more teething to deal with but rest assured it is on the early redo list.
Darn - just doing this update has shown some borders that should not be there, more work. YEAH.
David
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Reply By: Member - John - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:44
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:44
Michelle, the reply in the email was from a post about best time to travel to WA, wasn't a post from you. I just clicked the link to see your reply and it took me to the thread, but no reply from you. I can read it in the email, but not in the thread.
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:48
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 19:48
Ok that's still because a post has been deleted I would think. Nothing wrong there I don't believe, but happy to
check it out more if you want me to. Please forward that email to me - info@exploroz.com
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Reply By: Gone Bush (WA) - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:04
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:04
Looks clean, modern, uncluttered.
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Reply By: Member - Tony H (touring oz) - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:15
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:15
Hi Michelle
Have we got an edit function yet?????
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Follow Up By: Idler Chris - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:47
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:47
I have had a look and cannot find it if its there. What a bummer.
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Reply By: Frank P (NSW) - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:32
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:32
I like it. Great work, what a monumental effort!!!
A button to expand all replies would be a great addition - it's hard to get context when you have to click each reply individually. IE combining the best of the old with the new.
Cheers
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Follow Up By: Frank P (NSW) - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:35
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 20:35
Oh, no post-posting edit facility :-(
Even if it was there for a limited time it would be useful. Other forums have it with few problems. Or so it seems to me.
Cheers
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Reply By: Member - Scott M (NSW) - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:07
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:07
1st impression ? -
1. "no matter what size screen you are using the site will automatically adjust layout to present the optimum for your screen." - nope ... worse and narrower
2. don't like having to expand the replies in the
forum threads - too much hard work - would prefer to see all the replies expanded in the text - pita.
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Reply By: Member - ACD 1 - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:26
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:26
2 things...
And no I'm not shouting it just seperate a the two items.
EDIT BUTTON - as always it is raised again. Is it possible to shift the submit button to the end of the row rather than next to the preview button? My fat fingers have often hit the submit by accident. This may make it a more conscious decision to preview before submitting! I was going to suggest this before but never got around to it.
WHAT I HAVE PREVIOSLY READ - with the new "I'm thing about it rotating thingy" changing to an "I've read this arrow thingy" and the collapsed responses - we now have to go back and re-read the whole thread because they all say updated - whole I often go back over old posts - it's usually the ones I want.
Anyway - just sayin'
I do like the new Homo screen with what looks like less advertising though.
Cheers
Anthony
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Follow Up By: Member - ACD 1 - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:30
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:30
Oh excrement! Where is that edit button when predictive text goes feral!
Should say Home screen
Cheers
Anthony
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Follow Up By: Member - ACD 1 - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:36
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:36
Just checking to make sure my above "edit" was there and...
All of my "I've read this arrow" have turned back into the "I'm thinking about it rotating thingies"!
Is this something I've done wrong or are others getting it.
I'm using an iPad with IOS 9.01
Cheers
Anthony
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Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:47
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:47
Thats Apples predictive text, gives me the bleep s also.
Seems to sometimes change words after you hit submit.
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Reply By: Motherhen - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:39
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 22:39
Extra slicks to open the menu and go to any sections. Extra clicks to open replies. Not nice at all.
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Reply By: Member - ACD 1 - Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 23:03
Thursday, Oct 01, 2015 at 23:03
How do I select to open a thread in a new window like the other version of the website?
Cheers
Anthony
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Follow Up By: Frank P (NSW) - Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 10:25
Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 10:25
In Chrome, IE, Firefox and Opera, right click the thread title and choose from the list of options.
You cannot do the same for replies within the thread, though.
Cheers
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Reply By: fisho64 - Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 00:50
Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 00:50
straight up, the little rotating circle next to the replies and followups is irritating-this normally is used to denote that something is downloading or trying to?
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Follow Up By: Les - PK Ranger - Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 08:21
Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 08:21
Yes, I waited about 30 secs until realising nothing was opening.
The ol' left index mouse finger is going to get an awesome workout cruising the site replies, not sure this will work for most people ??
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Reply By: Australian Landscape Jewellery - Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 05:46
Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 05:46
Michelle, I was about to lodge another advertisement but to be honest, I am finding the new layout so awkward to use that I am hesitating to do so. I will give it a couple more days to settle down. I am a bit pushed for time but when I can get to spend time with it, I'll send you a a more detailed description of what I am finding awkward. Perhaps by then I will have sorted out how the site works better?
Mike.
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Reply By: Crusier 91 - Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 06:29
Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 06:29
I hate being negative, but I really don't like the format.
So much easier to read before than having to open every reply.
Same happened with willy weather.
Why change something that already works very well...............its got me.........
All the best.
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Reply By: Peter - Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 07:47
Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 07:47
Hi I like the new format. It ties in with mobile sites well.
I tried to submit
feedback but the link did not find form.
One future development for reading replies could be an expand all button. This would open up all replies to allow people to scan if they wished. I know this may increase server workload.
Peter S
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Reply By: Member - Charlie M (SA) - Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 07:50
Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 07:50
Hi Michelle
I am having to re login each time I re
logon after shutting down explorer.
User name is clicked to auto
logon
Charlie
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Reply By: The Landy - Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 07:50
Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 07:50
Hey David & Michelle
Good work in moving forward with the site. Like a new model car, some will like the new style, for others it will grow on them and others will never adjust, but will still "drive" it none-the-less.
And like a new car, improvements "under the bonnet" are not readily visible and I suspect that is the case with the new site format...
On
blogs, is there/will there be any change to the formatting?
Cheers, Baz
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz - David & Michelle - Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 11:55
Friday, Oct 02, 2015 at 11:55
Yes that is on the cards but I have had to ensure the existing thousands of
blogs work basically as before.
David
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