Posted July 31, 201212 yr So what do you guys think? It's certainly very different. Frankly, I don't mind it though it's going to take some getting used to. The navigation menu is a nice touch too.
July 31, 201212 yr There old page certainly was old and had a very old look. I do not like the functionality of it. Takes to long to read the headlines and they don't show the business headlines.
July 31, 201212 yr Ugh. Is the font big enough? It's like it is made for blind people. I personally like the old format with lots of links on the front page so I can scan all the headlines and click the ones I want. That's why I like msnbc.com (now nbcnews.com). Now I will have to search around the site much more, which I don't like.
July 31, 201212 yr They're both horrible. And this one though says "Northeast Ohio" in bold letters instead of "Cleveland" which makes no sense. Like the old site, the 'news' leaves much to be desired. Right now the top four stories: free hearing tests, live chat with cleveland.com, an obituary [that's fine], and some MTV crap. However right now, the latest news in the world including Cleveland: there is a power failure impacting MILLIONS in India, the Fed is considering a 'pre-emptive' stimulus package, and new 'boldness' of militants are threatening US-Pakistan ties. Cleveland.com makes the city look like Hicksville, USA--a small town that is clueless the rest of the planet.
July 31, 201212 yr I can't understand why major papers/media outlets (The Plain Dealer is #20 in the US, not bad at all) think making their page look like a blog is the right direction. My good friend works at the Washington Post and always comments that they are trying too hard to compete with blogs for content and style. If a newspaper stands any chance of standing out and getting traffic, I would think a more NEWSPAPER like interface is the way to go. Show me lots of content and articles with an easy navigation. Oh... and show me some NEWS, so that someone who isn't from Cleveland but happens to hit that page thinks the city paper is more than just a few local stories and some entertainment news.
July 31, 201212 yr They're both horrible. And this one though says "Northeast Ohio" in bold letters instead of "Cleveland" which makes no sense. Like the old site, the 'news' leaves much to be desired. Right now the top four stories: free hearing tests, live chat with cleveland.com, an obituary [that's fine], and some MTV crap. However right now, the latest news in the world including Cleveland: there is a power failure impacting MILLIONS in India, the Fed is considering a 'pre-emptive' stimulus package, and new 'boldness' of militants are threatening US-Pakistan ties. Cleveland.com makes the city look like Hicksville, USA--a small town that is clueless the rest of the planet. +1 It is an embarrassing way to portray CLE and NEO. My biggest beef is that there are other sites around the country that share the exact same format...related to the parent company, Advance Media. I KNEW that once you clicked on the (too bold too big) main page headlines that it would take you to an article in the OLD format (OLD font, etc.)...why just change the home page??? Wait until all of the site is done before you debut it. BTW...there is some sort of live chat with the web editor/director later this morning or early afternoon. Judging from prior comments about this redesign, she does seem eager to answer questions.
July 31, 201212 yr It also looks like crap on the iPad. The headlines are way too big and bold...and the name CLEVELAND.COM is hardly visible. I realize that it is free and let's be frank, it's a really good source of CLE news for us out-of-towners...but it certainly doesn't do CLE any favors when someone that is not from there reads it. I actually really like the look of the printed PLAIN DEALER...my parents still get it every day and I enjoy reading it when I visit them...but the online version never translated well.
July 31, 201212 yr I can't understand why major papers/media outlets (The Plain Dealer is #20 in the US, not bad at all) think making their page look like a blog is the right direction. My good friend works at the Washington Post and always comments that they are trying too hard to compete with blogs for content and style. If a newspaper stands any chance of standing out and getting traffic, I would think a more NEWSPAPER like interface is the way to go. Show me lots of content and articles with an easy navigation. Oh... and show me some NEWS, so that someone who isn't from Cleveland but happens to hit that page thinks the city paper is more than just a few local stories and some entertainment news. That screenshot is not how it displays on my screen. The menu bars/ads take up about 40% of my screen. I literally can only see 4 headlines when I go to the page without scrolling down. Awful. It's made for blind people.
July 31, 201212 yr Ugh. Is the font big enough? It's like it is made for blind people. Seems like Huffpo has set the standard for this and others are taking note.
July 31, 201212 yr They tried to go for the flat style that is en vogue right now (Windows 8, G+, etc) but as usual they don't fully integrate that style into all of their plugins, pages, and ad material so it looks like garbage. Not to mention the awfulness of scale.
July 31, 201212 yr Yea.. they can pick and sensor what gets "added" to the conversation, but the overwhelming response is very negative.
July 31, 201212 yr Okay, so after playing around with the home page off and on today, I realize that it is a terrible interface and I was way off saying otherwise. What a confusing mess.
July 31, 201212 yr I like the idea that there are more than three or four actual news stories accessible from the main page, but OH MAI GOD is that a poorly executed design. First, when did it become the Northeast Ohio Plain Dealer? Second, why does the navigation bar have to ever move at all? Load the front page, scroll down. There is that weird shuffling effect when you get a short distance down as the navigation bar pushes the ads out of the way and attaches to the top margin. Nobody is looking at the ads for mastercard, put them somewhere else. Third, too much white space. Does there need (on my small laptop screen at least) to be 2 inches of nothing on either side of the articles? Better yet, is this future ad space? I suppose they set the dimensions to set pixel amounts and not percentages. It reminds me of any email I've received from my grandmother; drastically oversized font, cluttered layout, and way too much useless information.
July 31, 201212 yr It's the exact same format as other sites that use the same company for page design - http://www.oregonlive.com/ This tells me all the "asking for feedback" will fall on deaf ears. The PD probably didn't even have much if any input into the design at all.
July 31, 201212 yr The FONT SIZE on the headlines is too large. Really annoying to have to look at it.
August 2, 201212 yr Just like the monopoly money design 'new' currency with super large numbers. Just like the self check machine at the grocery store that beeps and offers voice commands at the same decibel level as the swat team. Extra wide seats to accommodate our fat loads. We're becoming older, blinder, deafer, fatter, and stupider and we refuse to admit any of them. The website fits just fine.
August 24, 201212 yr This is hideous! The person/s responsible and who approved this, should be fired!
August 26, 201212 yr well at least with putting ne ohio on the header more prominantly than cleveland they are locally promoting regionalism. maybe it will sink in!
Create an account or sign in to comment