Nice but I’m not sure I like some of the changes to the front page...one of the things I liked about Elfwood was getting front page exposure on occasion and I’m not seeing it with the new changes...and remember, you can overdo it with the advertising.

Thomas F Abrahamsson replies: "The front page exposure is still there, just like before, a mix of mod picks and random items."

I have to agree with Heidi about the front page. The random picks -section was handy not only for artists but viewers as well; I thought it was great that you could see a selection of different pictures right away without having to browse through the galleries one by one. Also, the Mod’s Choice Award loses a lot of its significance when you can’t see the awarded pictures on the front page. Otherwise I’m glad you’re making improvements on the site .

Thomas F Abrahamsson replies: "But, it is still there. "

Aaahhh, I get the system now. *kicking self in the head* I think the random pictures are a bit hard to get to, but I’ll stop complainig now, sorry...

Thomas F Abrahamsson replies: "But I might add some little headline or something telling what’s shown and why... "

Putting the ads side by side with the mod’s choices and random pics, and the same shape and size, is an epically bad idea. It’s too easy to confuse them and click on the wrong one. Of course this is exactly what the advertisers want, but it’s rude to all the dedicated users of Elfwood and does not treat them with any respect. It disrespects the artwork itself also, by equating it with money-grabbing ads. Please don’t do this, Thomas -- Elfwood has always been a place where the presentation of art and writing were highly respected and valued; this seems to be slowly diminishing. I understand you had to introduce advertisements to generate revenue and keep the site going, that’s fine -- but I think you should use a strong hand to keep them small and to the sides, so they don’t infringe upon the actual focus of this site. The new front page layout is frankly REALLY TACKY and unprofessional-looking. I do not think it is appropriate for the community you have laboured so hard to build.

I see that the art and ads got switched. Honestly, this looks much better and is more bearable. Still not a fan of it, but it’s certainly an improvement.

Thomas F Abrahamsson replies: "And not a single comment by anyone on how cool the cross fader actually looks "

If I knew what a cross fader was, I could comment on it. Though I might not be able to see it. I don’t know about other people, but the new mod’s choice system doesn’t work properly for me. Maybe it doesn’t like Safari or maybe it just has a bug, but it vanishes and reappears every few seconds. Due to that, wouldn’t be a stretch to me if the cross fader wasn’t displaying.

Thomas F Abrahamsson replies: "i am working on safari issues still, also google chrome screws up. "

I don’t really like the new way of displaying the mod’s picks/random picks. If I miss the one I wanted to look at, I have to wait for it to cycle back around? I liked being able to have that big selection to choose from and go from there..... Maybe that’s just me though.

Thomas F Abrahamsson replies: "and I am getting tired of all whining Anyway, please, I am going to add a row of small clickable thumbnailed sized item at the bottom of the highlighter."

I agree with Michelle above. I don’t dislike the new look but I used to like just going to the front page now and then and clicking one of the pics on the first page. Now, you have to go to the big picture to see what the random picture is. I liked having several where I could choose the ones of interest to me...

Also, not sure this is the right place, but I’ve noticed that in the description of techniques etc underneath the images, there are now two fields separated by a google ad, which I find confusing. Wouldn’t it be better to gather all the info the artist submitted regarding the image (media, technique, inspirations, content etc) in one area and have the google ads below or above - just not smack in the middle?

Thomas F Abrahamsson replies: "i have plans on adding a row of clickable thumbnails at the bottom of the item show area. "

Not a fan of the new large Java ’Mods Choice’ box. Mostly because it’s not very tab friendly with Firefox’s tabs. I know there’s a quick work around by just clicking the links below it so you can take my comment at salt’s value. Sorry, sounds like a lot of bad news from the posters.


Thomas F Abrahamsson replies: "its not java. but a good idea to make it rightclickable; I guess thats what u mean with ’tab friendly’? Cant do it now though ... on a vacation"