A Fresh New Look for HomeTheaterForum.com (1 Viewer)

[Jonathan]

Well, to bring some light to the situation:

Colin and I decided to move forward with a redesign of the frontend part of the site back in January. There were a few different factors that played into that decision, but probably the biggest one came from our trip to CES. After talking with a lot of manufacturers and reps, there was near universal hesitation to work with HTF due to its dated appearance. And without relationships with manufacturers and other companies, there is no feasible way to keep HTF afloat, let alone see it flourish.

I understand the transition might be challenging. And due to some behind the scenes technical reasons, the process has been far from smooth. The redesign was not a step we took lightly, but a necessary decision to keep HTF running.

And although I may not be able to act on it quickly, and have many different considerations in play, I really do appreciate any and all feedback. I appreciate the honesty in this thread. And I very much intend to continue working to help HTF survive and thrive for decades to come as a place that our members are proud to call home.

 

[JohnRice]

People tend to not like any kind of change, but sometimes it's necessary. Most of the time, after a couple weeks, everyone adapts.

 

[TonyD]

What is dated about the way the site looks?

 

[TonyD]

DvDTalk is as dated as a site can possibly be.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

And the "Howdy" on the username at the top? How hokey can you get?

Yeah, if you're putting that to a vote, the "howdy" gets a thumbs down from me.

 

[bmasters9]

Yeah, if you're putting that to a vote, the "howdy" gets a thumbs down from me.

And from me!

 

[TonyD]

Talking about the esthetics of this site and that’s up there is weird

 

[EricSchulz]

@Jonathan as others have said, some people don’t adapt well to change. I’ve been on here for close to 20 years and every time the site has changed I’ve lived through it. I’m sure I’ll make it through this time. Especially if the “howdy” goes away.

Seriously though, I appreciate the reasoning behind this. I’d rather see a sleek yet functional design that gets the financial support it needs than lose HTF.

 

[John Dirk]

@Jonathan as others have said, some people don’t adapt well to change. I’ve been on here for close to 20 years and every time the site has changed I’ve lived through it. I’m sure I’ll make it through this time. Especially if the “howdy” goes away.

Seriously though, I appreciate the reasoning behind this. I’d rather see a sleek yet functional design that gets the financial support it needs than lose HTF.

My sentiments, exactly. @Jonathan , the added context is much appreciated. I sometimes forget, my generation is no longer at the forefront of what drives the economy. I personally like our "dated" look but I can definitely appreciate the need for a more broad level of appeal.

 

[darkrock17]

These two pictures of the house from Beetlejuice perfectly represent this thread.

Here is the house in it's original state. This is the HTF as we've known for as long as we've all been on here.

Here is the house after being remodeled. The possible new layout isn't anywhere near as drastic as Delia Deetz did on the house, but it's change and a lot of us on here don't like that.

Both are visual pleasing in their own ways depending on whichever style you like. The best thing to do with HTF is to mix a little of the old with the new, like what TCM was trying to do with it's recent new logo design, but that's not been warmly greeted or accepted by the fans though.

 

[Malcolm R]

It just means fewer people will be using the home page. I've already redirected my links to jump directly to the forum pages, bypassing the home page.

 

[TonyD]

I don’t think I ever look at the home page.
It’s always been somewhat of a mess if you ask me.

 

[TonyD]

Just took a quick peak. Not sure why these lines don’t include links to the topics mentioned.

 

[TonyD]

Ah, actually they are there but basically invisible.

And the one that looks like a link is not.

 

[Mike Frezon]

There's a lot of us who remember when things looked like THIS!

Change is inevitable. And necessary.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

There's a lot of us who remember when things looked like THIS!

For as long ago as that was, looking at it again makes it feel like just yesterday. Wow!

 

[TonyD]

That doesn’t look bad at all.

 

[Mike Frezon]

In 2003 we were ramping up for our live chat with Van Ling!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I'm just grateful for all of the owners over the years, from Ron and Packer early on through to Colin and Jonathan today, because they have supported and nurtured a community that has been very important to me for the last couple decades.

As long as the community remains, I support whatever else needs to be done to keep the site afloat.

 

[Colin]

I'll just add that we have no interest in changing anything simply for change sake. Our goal with any changes is the sustainability of the website. We do greatly value input and want to see HTF thriving for decades to come.