1 of 1- Uwe
- Moderator - Gold Patron
Offline 
- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
- Posts: 4,442
Let's Improve This Forum
While we are in the process of raising funds to keep the forum hosted for the next year, I thought it would be a good opportunity to discuss ways to improve the overall forum experience for everyone.
1. Superficially, it's in need of a cosmetic update and I've been working on a few designs in my spare time. Along those lines, is there a specific colourway change you would like to see? Is there a specific typewriter model that should be included in the main banner? Or perhaps just a logo and a more abstract look? Let me know!
2. When the forum was created (and as it grew), there was a bit of a rush to be all-inclusive. Looking back, I'm now wondering if we have too many sub-forums. Some get very little use. Does this clutter things? I'm tempted to cull and streamline things, and reorganize the entire sub-forum structure, but what are your thoughts?
3. What's missing? Is there anything not being offered that would be beneficial? Keep in mind that there are limitations to what can be done. For example, I know direct photo uploading would be the biggest addition but that's not an option provided by the hosting service.
4. On a broader scale, what would you do to change Typewriter Talk?
- Laurenz van Gaalen
- Silver Patron
Offline
- From: The Netherlands
- Registered: 20-7-2019
- Posts: 422
Re: Let's Improve This Forum
I would like to keep the forum as original as possible. Why not treat it the same way as our typewriters? Let's honour, use and enjoy the old school design, functionality and structure. To me it is beautiful.
- Pete E.
- Typewriter Talk Elite
Offline
- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
- Posts: 2,738
Re: Let's Improve This Forum
Not sure if it is an option with what is possible....
But with my advancing age, the use of mostly a "white" background for all the pages is quite difficult on my eyes.
Does Boardhost allow an option where one can select a back-ground colour for the page-displays by which we could choose a darker grey or even a black background colour ? As part of one's profile set-up ???
.
- Uwe
- Moderator - Gold Patron
Offline
- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
- Posts: 4,442
Re: Let's Improve This Forum
Pete, you can't change background colours as part of your profile, but I can change the background globally. I just temporarily pushed it into a shade of grey to demonstrate this, and to make sure I understood what you're suggesting.
- •
Thread Starter- Pete E.
- Typewriter Talk Elite
Offline
- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
- Posts: 2,738
Re: Let's Improve This Forum
Hi Uwe.
Your change is 100% perfect. It is now so much kinder on my aging eyes.
Thank you !!!
- M. Höhne
- Gold Patron
Offline
- From: Maine
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 656
Re: Let's Improve This Forum
Sorry, Pete. And sorry to complicate things, Uwe, but I very much hate low contrast print and my old eyes back up that opinion. The sample you show here (I thought my screen was failing) is not as bad as much of the modernish trend to light grey-on-white and dark-tone-of-any-color-on-slightly-darker-grey, but it is still not as readable for me as black-on-white (which in turn beats white-on-black). All that is just "for the record"; I will accept the consensus here. When i find something unreadable, I just magnify the image a bit. And also FYI, I read on a full-size screen, not a phone. Anyway, looking forward to many more decades of Typewriter Talk.
- mikeytap
- Platinum Patron
Offline
- From: Georgia, USA
- Registered: 25-12-2021
- Posts: 380
Re: Let's Improve This Forum
Loving the gray in place of blinding white.
- Be kind
- fountainpensplus
- Gold Patron
Offline
- From: Eugene, OR, USA
- Registered: 11-10-2021
- Posts: 156
Re: Let's Improve This Forum
I’m in the camp that needs higher contrast to read well. My 2021 16 inch MacBook Pro screen may be deteriorating or it’s my cataract developing, 74 year old eyes but my screen is never bright white. For me the lighter grey background of the User information on the left is easy to see but the darker grey background of the message section not so much. Is the Post a reply where I'm now writing a white color or just a lighter grey like I see it?
For the record I worked heavy excavation construction for 50 years so I also wear hearing aids and eleven years ago or so my sense of smell diminished. The outside world is always too bright for me so I get the strongest photo chromatic lenses I can buy. - George
- Uwe
- Moderator - Gold Patron
Offline
- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
- Posts: 4,442
Re: Let's Improve This Forum
Just to be clear, this was not a permanent change, just an example to answer Pete's question about the possibility of changing the background.
I've now (temporarily) changed it to a lighter grey and welcome any suggestions for an effective text vs. background colour combination.
Further to this, I've started reading up on website design fundamentals for aging eyes (50+), and have learned a fair amount. Normally I would experiment with any colour changes offline, but since I can't do that with this forum the experiment will have to be done on the fly.
Sorry everyone, it might look a little wild here for the next while until we land on the right formula. 
- •
Thread Starter