Website Update!
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I have been working many long hours for the past several weeks on updating the look and feel of the website. Finally I think it is at a point where I can put it up for a preview. I’m taking Microsoft’s approach - making a beta version of the website “live” and the only option available - mostly because that is the only option really available. 
I anticipate there will be problems with the site, and some things missing that you are used to. Don’t freak out when you see something missing or not working. If you do, you will be censored or banned. (Ok, just kidding. But yes, I am aware lengthy discussion about the Moderator’s involvement in keeping the site “clean”. The right balance of moderation is always a challenge. I take this opportunity to thank the moderators for their help. Ok, back on topic…)
If you have comments about the look/feel of the site - Love it/Hate it - please share.
If you find an error on the website, please share here and/or email me at idahofallz@gmail.com
I have lots more I’m working on for the website. I hope to have more ready for you all soon.
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Comments
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0 
0 And we don’t need “recent posts” listed twice either… working on it…
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0 0 Not too shabby!
However, the blue background in the chatbox doesn’t really jive with the rest of the site now. Perhaps changing those colors up to match with the overall theme of the site? Otherwise….as Jim Carrey would say…..”I like it ahhlot”!
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0 0 Orange and Maroon!! I love it!
Go Hokies!!!
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0 0 Joe, much improved. I kept getting all winter depressed every time I visited, given the cool colors. I agree with CR67 on the chatbox — maybe try a color scheme similar to the black on white of this big box. It’s a little boring — but a lot easier to read.
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0 0 I like the way the site looks now but I do miss the picture in the upper left hand corner that always changed. I did like seeing a new picture everytime I refreshed the page! Other than that looking good!!!
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0 0 I like it, but could the print be darker - or is that as dark as it can be? There’s a lot of white and my eyes like more contrast.
I wonder if you could fit 5-6 most recent articles on the front page by not showing the whole thing. ie - a teaser paragraph or two, left off with ellipses …. and “click here for more”. Then new visitors to the site could easily view the most recent articles.
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0 0 I miss the ability to “Return to Top of Page” after each comment. The chatbox color doesn’t really go with new site. Other than that, I think I like it. It just takes some time to get used to it.
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0 0 I agree with the “return to top of page” link, but it’s not a major issue as I just hit the “home” button on my keyboard now which does the same thing.
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0 0 The (formerly numbered) comments need their numbers back.
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0 0 I like it ,not so noticeable to the boss.
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0 0 Definitely need the numbers back. And alternating colors for comments, too hard to follow sequentially.
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0 0 Yes please darken the font!!
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0 0 Two more things:
1. previously returning to a thread with new posts took you to the new post, now it takes you to the top
2. previously it didn’t indicate a new post in a thread when the viewer wrote the post, now it recognizes my own post as a new post
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0 0 also, rather than having the chatbox at the top or bottom, can’t it just remain fixed on the side while the thread side scrolls?
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0 0 And it would be my dream wish to have a direct message system like city-data, where the connections made can move into offline life
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0 0 and for my emoticons not to cause that double space as above
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0 0 no community means community ,those offline are not the way to go . she might try citi - data for that
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0 0 How about getting the pictures to rotate again? That big wooden indian head is kinda scary! 
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0 0 What about adding a “Free Classifieds” section to the site? I think that could be a great addition. I’ve got a ton of things I’d like to get rid of, but I’m not the garage sale type.
just a thought….
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0 0 you can’ t read the comments in the chatbox because their greyed out until you refresh the page.
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0 0 007, try craigslist .org or freecycle.com to sell or give away your stuff.
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0 0 and anonymous 5 posts above, I’m right here, no need to refer to me in the third person. City-data is where I got my great idea
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0 0 If the emoticons are going to drop the spacing, can you put a squiggle on it so it looks like a balloon?
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0 0 yeah, I know about those. Just thought it’d be nice to have something here on site.
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0 0 I’ve often thought it would be nice to have a little “garage sale” type classified section here. We hate having them too and sometimes have more specific $$ items for sale. Having a link here for users to sell could also increase overall traffic if we forward a friend something for sale we think they may like.
Would also like to see numbered comments and “return to top” button.
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0 0 Why recreate something which has worked so well it has spread like wildfire across the nation and the world? I have furniture, pets, a job, and a boyfriend all from Craigslist. Clearly CL has not yet reached full functionality in SE Idaho, by that I mean people actually post things in other places, but in other areas CL is where EVERYthing gets posted, jobs, stuff for barter, trade, etc. , and in the short time I’ve looked at Idahos CL, its already grown, sort of like the 100th monkey phenomenon.
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0 0 imho
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0 0 You got a boyfriend off of Craigslist?? Scary! I didn’t realize they had personals on there too.
You might wanna keep that little tidbit of information on the downlow!
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0 0 You are always so thoughtful, guest house, but I am not ashamed of my upstanding firefighter/paramedic boyfriend, only sad to move away from him. Why do you think I should be embarrassed by him? I’m not embarrassed about my job, nor the pets, nor the furniture. But thanks for looking out for me.
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0 0 One in eight couples married last year met online.
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0 0 Unfortunately, Craigslist has become one of the best “hook-up” places for homosexual men looking for flings or one-night stands. A look at the personal section on that site shows many people all over looking for sex, cheating, homo and heterosexual contacts of many nature. Hey, to each his own I say, but I have wondered if this is one reason why it hasn’t caught on as quickly in Idaho as other areas of the country, like, say, San Francisco? There seems to be a certain population using it in Idaho (”men seeking men”, women seeking women, etc.) without any problem, yet I still meet people all the time who have never heard of it. Down the road I think it will become more popular here for legit purposes. That feature will be a turn off to many people IMO.
Either way, a local only or trade classified section on ifz is OK by me. The only thing users have to remember, if you are concerned with your anonymity, eventually you have to make real contact with another user to sell your item. Either that or you can both wear paper bags over your head when exchanging the goods.
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0 0 A paperbag with the userid on it!
I just don’t click on the men seeking men or women seeking women, and never see it, like I never see the adult gigs etc. There is alot more “fluff” on the idaho site, it is legit in other areas, with the “fluff” (no pun intended) limited to the areas where it belongs.
Look at the SLC Craigslist, it is healthy and thriving.
AND, law enforcement gets a HUGE amount of usefullness out of CL, for stings, investigations, and to post wanted info. I am always aware of law enforcement being privy to what is posted as well as posting, and I think that is great and all the more reason it should be popular.
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0 0 And it also seems a better place for people who want “hook-ups” than what I’ve read about IF parks. I’d rather people were meeting online than running into them at a park with my kids!!!
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0 0 Sorry Crystal….I certainly didn’t mean to offend.
Yeah, I known A LOT of people over the years that have tried online dating sites, but every one of them had a bad experience. I don’t know one person to this day that has met someone online and stayed with them longer than a month.
So you most likely are one of the lucky ones. Personally I would never go that route as I see it as one step away from the old newspaper personal ads. But hey, to each his/her own. if it worked for you thats great! I’m not knocking your methodology of finding a date.
I do think 007 had a great idea in having a little local classified section on the site. I’m sure he wasn’t talking something like craigslist, but something small like reader mentioned. A “garage sale” type post where local folks from SE Idaho can list items.
(of course minus the personal ads as we don’t want to turn this into a dating site) ((no offense))
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0 0 I was first told about craigslist by an undercover officer several years ago. Seems the local men were using it in secret to arrange “meetings”. Both out and in the closet guys. Unfortunately, these meetings occurred in local parks from Pocatello to Idaho Falls and I’m sure around the rest of the state. They had sting operations to nail the guys who showed up for a little action, called it soliciting in a public place or something like that.
Craigslist can be very useful. If you can get past the gross part of it.
I don’t get the comment you made about Idaho Falls parks, what you’ve read??? - although we’re getting too off topic anyway.
I vote scratching the grey shading in the chat box. Whenever I used to log in, I scrolled down to read the last several comments to catch up. I liked the “ding” whenever a new post was made.
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0 0 Being that Crystal lives in California….everything to do with Idaho Falls comes from “what she reads”…..I think that’s what she meant?
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0 0 Reader, I must be referring to the same thing as you with your undercover friend and the sting. People are dumb enough to use it for drugs and prostitution, I say let them and then round ‘em up! Also, though, for something like shared housing, folks will use “420 friendly”, or “tina,” to indicate they are ok with drug use, which I find useful, ,since I am not. Yeah there are wackos online, but there are alot more normal people, in my experience, and I cannot even count the nice good folks I’ve met whether getting free stuff, job interviews, advice, or my wonderful boyfriend.
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0 0 Thanks 007.
The only real weirdo I’ve met online was a Federal Homeland Security Agent (yes I checked his id - online without notice and in person).
I have met way more than my share of weirdos OFF-line.
I don’t know if I’m lucky, just discerning. I got to know my guy over time and in uniform, nothing scary there.
I don’t see why classifieds here would be a bad thing, and I really want to see folks with userid’d on their paper bags!
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0 0 BTW, 007, How do you think I bought a house in Idaho? You just got past one indelicacy, geez…
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0 0 If you don’t have anything nice to say….
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0 0 We just got over and worked out the whole “arguing” phase …..lets move forward, not backwards. (and I think you were referring to guesthouse, not me) But that’s ok. 
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0 0 You are right, and you are right. Make it a double
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0 0 I did mean Guest House. If you didn’t have to read about it, you must have been there! LOL
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0 0 Ummm……you guys do know where Craig’s List got started, right?
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0 0 attn: crystal is baiting again
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0 0 Anonymous, are you baiting me for taking the bait? Feels familiar….
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0 0 I really like the look and feel of the updates. WTG Joe!
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0 0 ooh child, I’m not sure what you are impying about CL, in which eBay has a 25% stake, and which at over 10 billion page views per month is the 7th most viewed site on the planet, but this is about Craig from CL (who by the way uses his real name because he isn’t hiding anything!):
“In 1995 while Craig was working at Schwab, he started craigslist as an email list for friends and co-workers about events going on in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1999, Craig retired from IT consulting to work full-time on craigslist. What started as a fun side project in Craig’s living room has since grown into one of the busiest sites on the internet, helping people with basic day-to-day needs such as finding a job, an apartment and a date, all within a culture of trust.
Craig continues to embrace his inner nerd though he no longer wears thick black glasses that are held together with tape, and he retired the plastic pocket protector some years ago.
Craig is involved with a variety of community efforts and is particularly interested in organizations promoting public diplomacy, mideast peace and new forms of media such as participatory journalism. He’s on the boards of Sunlight Foundation, OneVoice, FactCheckED, and VotoLatino.
Craig graduated from Case Western University. ”
Like it or not, CL is here to stay.
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0 0 cut -paste
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0 0 Hey, I am thinking of giving classes in reading cut and paste for folks who aren’t fluent. I do have a background in Language. anonymous, I’ll let you know when open enrollment starts
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0 0 I’ve always wondered what you ladies look like, your background, ethnicity, etc. Nemesis, Oohchild, Crystal and even Gypsy…what ever happened to her? I’d like to buy you all an adult beverage and find out who you are.
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0 0 meso you are back I thought it was adios,
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0 0 Well it was adios but I had a few beers tonight and, what the hell, I got back on to see what was happening. So, Anonymous, who are you? Pick a name. There are too many Anonymouses out there.
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0 0 Meso can’t leave….he loves this place too much and enjoys a good debate as much as I do!
( & I’m not talkin about “da-bait” either!)
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0 0 LOL
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0 0 I liked reader’s idea of meeting with paper bags on our heads, but paper bags with our userid’s on them. What a photo that would make!! We could have a party with debate teams. And we’d have to argue our assigned position on the chosen topics. What a blast!
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0 0 anonymous isn’t new, they are welcoming you back
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0 0 Cute Meso! Once you find out what all the ladies here look like (after a few adult beverages), what will you do next?
Poor Joe Eagle….
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0 0 Hey, Meso, nice to be part of your list…but you’d be disappointed here…fat old grandma (but my hubby is SWEET! … a real looker).
And I agree, nice to have you back, if Crystal can blithely wade through the slings and arrows, you can, too.
Joe E, the new look is very nice, thanks for making a lot of the old features come back. I do have a request…the top commenters section has been blank for awhile. It’s nice to know who participates and how often, sometimes it helps with the historical perspective.
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0 0 Nemesis….good to have you back too! I thought I was going to have to start a “Finding Nemo” post.
Happy Friday all!! Whoohooo! Now if we could just find that sun, we’d be in great shape!
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0 0 Did you guys see the private message features and your inboxes?! It’s so awesome!!!
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0 0 I think I already suggested this, but it would be divine if the chatbox would stay fixed on the right side of the page, I’m too lazy to keep scrolling around unnecessarily.
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0 0 OK, lots of updates made to the site:
- We’re down to two search boxes – one searches only the Articles, the other searches the entire site (including comments)
- Recent Posts down to just one
- Added alternating backgrounds in the comments area for easier reading
- For CR67 and Bloop: Chat box colors are improved (though still not a perfect match).
- For passingthrough: the Idaho Falls images are now random and rotating.
- For reader and Crystal: darker print for easier readability
- For Idaho Native and CR67: added “Return to Top of Page” for each comment in the comments section
- For Find Humor in Life and Crystal: Added numbers to the comments
- For tuff guy: maintained low-key colors for the undercover blog reader.
- For Crystal: a pseudo direct-messaging system
- For Cyrsta.: Fixed the simley error.
Thank you to everyone for the great suggestions. Let me know what I’m still missing.
(Thank you also for the suggestions about the Floating Chatbox and Classified are both good ideas, but they’ll have to wait a while longer before I can look into them.)
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0 0 You’re the best! I’m impressed! Thank you
:applause:
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0 0 Dang Joe, are you ready for a break?
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0 0 No! No rest for the website owner, it’s work, work, work!
And he LIKES it!
Thanks, Joe E, for your hard work and for making this site still very similar to what it was, before. I was a little worried but that has gone away, as you have continued a great tradition and have been very responsive.
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0 0 In the upper right hand box there is a tab for recently written articles, and a list of articles with new comments. I would also like to see a list of recently commented upon articles, for example, if there is an older article which was recently commented on, but I have already viewed the new comments, I have to then do a search for the article or go to the popular list to view it. I’d rather have a list of all articles commented on in the last couple of weeks-month.
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0 0 I’d also like to search for comments by userid with an option to view threads commented in or a list of comments.
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0 0 Below is a link to the comments following an article in the SF Chronicle.
Features used on that site that would be great to see here are:
1. Users can upload picture of their choice to accompany their userid
2. readers can click on the “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” for any given comment to rate it positively or negatively.
3. A “report abuse” button with each comment.
I tested the “thumbs up” button and was restricted from voting more than once, an essential feature.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/comments/view?f=/c/a/2008/06/08/MN4611595T.DTL
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0 0 I’d also like to be able to see a caption explaining each photo when I mouse over.
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0 0 And for chatbox to persist after navigating to Forum
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Working on fixing errors/differences I see. First of all… too many search boxes! Golly, how many search boxes do we need for one site anyway!?