[Parker Clack]

I have made available a custom toolbar that you can install on your PC that will have direct links to us. So if you are cruising any other site all you have to do is click on the appropriate button in the toolbar and you are taken to that area on the forum.

Click on the toolbar on the main forum list page or here to give it a try. It contains no cookie or any type of spyware. You can add links of your own to the toolbar. And if you want you can always uninstall it.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

As of now it only works with IE but a Firefox and Opera version are in development and should be available in August sometime.

Parker

[Joe Fisher]

Parker,

I've been using it since sunday and I've got to say I like it so far.

[Parker Clack]

Joe:

Great. I like the convenience of being able to get back to a forum area from another site without having to use bookmarks, etc.

Thanks for the feedback.

Parker

[Steve Christou]

Quote:

I've been using it since sunday and I've got to say I like it so far.

Ni! I've been using it for weeks, I was Parker's toolbar tester, you should see what it looked like in the beginning Joe, like something out of Close Encounters. I needed a manual to figure out what all the buttons were for, after some arm twisting Parker got rid of the flashing lights and the looped music, Blue Danube wasn't it Parker?

I think it's very handy once you get used to it being there, looks nice too, you can reach any part of the forum quickly from wherever you are on the net, nice. And you can customize it, add your own links.

[Joe Fisher]

Quote:

Great. I like the convenience of being able to get back to a forum area from another site without having to use bookmarks, etc.

Also makes it easier to navigate within the HTF also. You could be in the middle of a page & just switch forums in a second. The other way would be to scroll to the bottom or top of the page to change forums with the forum jump scroll.

Quote:

Ni! I've been using it for weeks, I was Parker's toolbar tester, you should see what it looked like in the beginning Joe, like something out of Close Encounters. I needed a manual to figure out what all the buttons were for, after some arm twisting Parker got rid of the flashing lights and the looped music, Blue Danube wasn't it Parker?

[Linda Thompson]

One question:

Does using the toolbar for direct access to specific forums have any impact upon page hit counts for the main portal page -- particularly when using it to get here from another site? Or does it not matter?

I know a lot of us stopped using bookmarks for direct access to our favorite forums after the last big discussion about how traffic needs to be routed through the main portal page i order to generate revenue... Front door - revenue; back doors = zilch

I haven't installed the toolbar yet, so please forgive me if the answer to my question would be obvious if I had already done that.

[ZackR]

I was actually wondering the same thing. I always try to visit HTF through the main page now as well after it was explained that doing otherwise could potentially lead to lost advertising hits, revenue, etc.

[Parker Clack]

First off:

Steve. You suggested the music. You were in one of your 2001 A Space Oddity modes again. After a lot of screaming back and forth at each other (after your turned down the power amp) I decided just to do this on my own and do it right the first time. Thanks for the suggestions though. I just don't think that pictures of cats and dogs on the buttons was that good of an idea.

Linda, Zack and all. You make a very good point about bypassing the main portal page. If you click on the Home button next to the search area you are taken to the main forum page. If you use the pull down menu in the Forum button you can still click on the Main Portal Page.

I really appreciate you taking the time to go through the forum through the main portal page. That has really helped out a lot. We have added a lot of new Industry News information on the main page that isn't available on the rest of the site which hopefully will draw people to the portal page.

I started the toolbar as a matter of convenience for our regular members so that you can be surfing elsewhere on the net and get back here quickly. Or be on the forum and go to check out something and get back here in one click. It also has a great search box and a Pop Up Blocker built in. Toolbars have always been something that I have enjoyed using over the years and to have one personalized for HTF was something that I always have wanted.

Thanks for the feedback all of you and hopefully it will be something that all of you find it as your quick access to the forum.

Parker

[Steve Christou]

Quote:

After a lot of screaming back and forth at each other (after your turned down the power amp) I decided just to do this on my own and do it right the first time

Yes it was getting rather abusive, especially after you rejected my fine suggestions for a musical toolbar with synchronised lighting effects, you felt that it wasn't the direction you wanted to go with this particular implement [shakes head].


btw there are couple of ways of getting to the main portal page, clicking on "Home" on the toolbar and it's on the "Forum" button too. Which I've just discovered is what Parker also mentions in his post, greet mon!