Genealogy Chat

Hooray!

For well over 12 months I have been unable to email GR directly and thanks Phil it now works.

Feeling loved. <3

Gai :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

Hi Phil

:-D :-D :-D


Thank you


I shall have a look at some of those other features over the weekend.

I never use records on here,

I hardly ever use the Search facilities, and don't often get successful results when I do! But then, I'm usually trying to find threads or authors (ie, members) on the Boards

I enter GR on the Boards Summary page, and never go to Home Page ........ I really don't any reason to go there!

I will look at the Message Centre .......... didn't think of looking there, 'cos the white was hurting my eyes and I wanted to get off as fast as I could.



Have a good weekend



sylvia

I like Sylvia haven't been able to send emails to GR for a couple of years.

The Barracuda gets me all the time.

Gai

What more proof does anyone need that GR are actually trying to sort these problems out,

philmoir, Burning the midnight oil :-0

I rest my case :-D

or may be i should rest my sore eyes :-P

Roy :-D

It was pointless me saying I wouldn't renew as I've only just renewed for another twelve months.

I only looked at the forum side of things. Anything else was too much to do because my eyes were hurting.

I believe that I can get used to it but I won't be able to stay on long.

It's not easy having googly eyes.

J

If you are not a Spring Chicken Phil then I shall Goodnight Old Boiler Chicken... :-D

Will relook at Beta thingummy again tomoz when my eyes have had some rest..~~~~

Oh, and I wish I was still a spring chicken. My eyesight feels like it is deteriorating by the minute, but that probably because I stay on the PC too long!! :-D

Beat you to it Sylvia! :-) It's still (just) Friday in the UK. I have mailed a few members who have posted on the boards regarding blocked emails. I managed to get Jeremy's sorted yesterday, so hope we get a few more resolved (unblocked) on Monday.

Yes, yes, yes... we are listening to you regarding the "makeover" changes and the colour contrast.

The purpose of the makeover is to make things clearer and cleaner, not just in terms of colour, but in terms of helping to focus on what members are trying to do. We are trying to develop consistency, such as all input forms having the same size of data entry boxes, same location for buttons. Data entry forms and primary panels being predominantly green based, secondary having a purple header section and the grey based panels for general sections. As it was noted by a member earlier in this thread, there is a performance gain from a lot of this work, in that there are far less background images being loaded.

We are trying to get as much feedback as possible, and I would really appreciate those who have been invited to view the beta, to take a broader look across the whole site, and to compare.

Areas that I have not heard mention of yet, but have also been given a freshen are:

= the data entry forms, such as the search forms (both central and left hand side bar, the fields are now much wider and fatter), the message centre forms, the mini search forms that appeared above the messages is now off to the left and clearer (I hope).

= the two primary help pop up sections. The first appear to the right hand side of many of the large font page titles, and appears as a small circle with a question mark - click on these. Also at the top of many panels, again top right, and again a small circle with question mark, these also drop down.

= the search records menu has been decluttered, and the search trees link added to this search.

= the home page has a lot of things on it, but has actually less than before. Tell us what is of use and what is not, and what you would like to be on "your" home page. I know many on the boards don't visit this regularly, so what would make you use it.

= the top navigation menus have also been decluttered and rearranged. Yes this might take some getting used to, but this is just moving furniture to get a better fit.

= transcription detail pages don't have the "oldie" scroll background.

= if you opt to print the pages (exclude tree from this reference for the moment) then this should work much better than before.

These are just a few things I can suggest taking a look at. The boards are due for a major makeover and we didn't want to spend a huge amount of time on this section until we were really ready, but we are aware that it needs something.

In the meantime, have a good weekend everyone and thank you for participating (if you have access that is) in this beta review.

Regards
Phil

Oooooo...Lovely surprise...One of the GR team sent me a Pm a short while ago saying that he would try to sort out the email block on Monday....What a nice man,but I always thought he was one of the best on the team from a prior "chat"with him to sort something out,which he did..

And I bet you all know who I mean. ;-)

But that also means I shall have to be very careful with my language now I know he is reading our "mutterings"... :-D

Nice one Sylvs... ;-)

Fans ............... there are several of us who have the same problem with GR!

It is NOT us, it IS them



I have just looked at the Beta site


too bright

too much hard contrasting colour

Home Page too cluttered

Separating title from OP by lines, and using lines to separate from next title too confusing.

Text of title of Board or thread in turquoisey and description in black means that the description takes prominence. Should be the other way round.

Font changed, and seems smaller and more difficult to read.


Told them to think about the age of their members, PLUS the fact that most of us probably do not have our computers set up in the most ideal situation.

Also told them I would not be able to continue being a member of GR unless the colours are changed, as I could not stay on the site for longer than 5 minutes with the new colour scheme ................vs the several hours that I'm on here currently.



THEN I tried to send it by clicking on the link in the email they sent me .............. [email protected]

As expected, it didn't go (surprise, surprise!)

copied the message over to gmail

gmail wouldn't accept [email protected]


nor would it accept [email protected]


gmail did accept [email protected]



now to wait until Monday for a response :-D :-D





sylvia

Thats zactly what happens to me Sylvs....They can send em to me easy enough but me not send em to them...

I have only ever 3 times tried to send them mail in all my time of being a member on here and not once have I got any through and not a one of them was abusive as I dont DO abuse as most people on here that know me should know by now.
I CAN do abuse,but save that for kicking my new dog called ....Jonesey(Te he)

But I now have an "intermediary "called Jonesey as well to send my "objectionable"mail to GR so I may stop kicking him,the dog that is.: :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

Sylvia, take a look at this, Pay particular attention to page 13, 17, and 18

http://www.answersthatwork.com/Download_Area/ATW_Library/Networking/Network__3-SMTP_Server_Status_Codes_and_SMTP_Error_Codes.pdf

Roy

For What It Is Worth


I have been unable to make ANY contact with GR that utilises my regular server ........... whether that is my usual email address or through this site.


I get a message somewhat similar to the one that FBG received .............


Delivery Status Notification (Failure)
Mail Delivery System [[email protected]]

The following message to was undeliverable.
The reason for the problem:
5.1.0 - Unknown address error 550-'Blocked'



This has been going on for about 2 years.



It is NOT my server





I have been told, by someone who knows such things, that it is probable that the GR server has been programmed to refuse to accept any mail from my server because some user, in the past, sent objectionable posts, or put objectionable posts on GR, using this same server. They were banned and in addition future postings from the server were refused access.

GR cannot seem to identify the problem, and neither can my server.



Consequently, I have a free account on gmail or hotmail purely and simply for the purpose of communicating with GR



Interestingly, GR can send emails to my home address without any problem .............. but I cannot reply to them.

Phew...Just managed to send that email to you Mr J.

Only just gone quiet(ish)here. :-S

Hi Gang,

I've just sent this message as my feedback. Thought you might like to look at the changes I've suggested to the new screen.

Off to rest the old boggly eyes now.

Jill

Hi GR Team,

I've come from looking at the new design. I've only got as far as the new pale on bright white so far and I'm sorry but it's too much, too bright.

My eyesight can't cope with such bright whiteness. I just can't view the screen for long before I can't see the text clearly without needing to squint and then I get blotches in front of my eyes.

I do like the paler text though. If you could find a way to tone down the severe white background or maybe tone up the text to give a little more differentiation.

How will records be presented please? I couldn't link into any via the 'sample' pages.

I don't know if you are all a young bunch at GR but some of the older ones like me are not going to be able to cope with such brightness. As it is, I suspect that late-night surfing which is often what I do is going to be much harder.

I will give it a good go so as not to appear to be objecting to the change.

And on that thought, to you young lot.

Change for change sake is a waste of your talents and energy when there are surely improvements in the function of the site.

NOW, as I keyed this message I have had my GR screen up on a 'restored down which cut out the grey colour either side of the white screen text. I maximised it again and I think that the effect of the white fields are accentuated by the grey surround. Why don't you see if you can up the tone of the text a notch and reduce the stark greyness down a bit and see if that makes a difference. I think that it will work.

Oh and please can we have the old tree back. I definitely like the way it looks and works.

I hope you see that I don't just make destructive comments but creative ones too.

Jill W

Sorry RR that reply was to fanny...but not to worry :-D

RR....That may be what I did...I now so Confusious I will need to go relook...When I get some peace.~~~~~~~~

Will do Mr J ...Emmers finished so I can do that now :-D

Errrr,nope...Wait a bit,one Sweetpea and Mr H to sort out first will do as soon as them in bed...Yep them here again...No peace for the Nasty Nanny :-D :-D :-D

JustJill, I received a reply to my feedback, part of which concerned the text and background colour, I don't think GR will mind me adding it here

"The issue of the pale turquoise text on the white background is a theme that is emerging in a majority of the feedback, so this will be something we look at doing differently. "