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'Final Update' As of 4/14/14, we have uploaded all pages for the transition. We have also changed the default site search page to the new version. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know. We welcome & appreciate your feedback! Thank You For Visiting MyCatholicSource.com! |
Exciting News: We Are Transitioning To A New Look!
The following are some Q & A concerning our transition...
[Note: The following was last updated on 3/7/14. Although we plan to leave this page up for reference purposes, please note that various items herein may no longer be timely.]
Q. Why the change / what are the goals?
A. We are changing our look for a number of reasons. For example, we particularly hope to improve our site's appearance across multiple browsers. We also hope to provide a better experience for visitors with widescreen monitors. We believe our efforts in this transition will also be critical in keeping our site online & maintainable into the foreseeable future.
Q. What is changing?
A. Changes are primarily technical/seo & appearance oriented. We plan to always keep the SAME orthodox (small 'o') content (or at least as much of it as possible). Regarding specific appearance changes, you may notice that we have tried to somewhat maintain the present 'look and feel' of our existing site, yet we have incorporated various new elements (e.g. ability to expand the display to fit both large & small screens, addition of a watermark/background image, addition of some color changing elements). Online forms have also been revised and a 'share your thoughts' feedback box has been (tentatively) added to the side border. We have also shifted the side border to the right. Furthermore, we have added a new search page that we hope visitors will find helpful for searching this site. We have also revised database driven pages. Again, please note that the changes are primarily technical/seo & appearance oriented. Note that behind the scenes, we have generally attempted to improve the quality of our coding. Although we have generally chosen not to include a validation image on individual pages of our site, the vast majority of newly redesigned pages have been validated and could have included a validation image like the one below...
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Q. Can I preview / comment on new look?
A. A sample preview page is now available at http://mycatholicsource.com/mcs/cg/new_design_preview.htm . Please take a few moments to visit the sample page and then give us your opinion on the new layout. You can submit your comments using the form at http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/fdb/transition_feedback.htm . We really appreciate your feedback! [Note: Please see question below for some important information concerning this sample preview page]
Q. What should I know about the preview page as it currently appears?
A. The preview page is not yet in a final form (the same goes for all other pages that use the new design). We are still evaluating links on the top, right, and bottom borders, and we expect to be tweaking how links on the borders open (e.g. whether links should open in new windows). Also, the new design does not yet include some items that we expect will be included on the final version (including app ads at the bottom of the page and a link to the encyclical 'Quas Primas' mapped into the top border graphic). If you have any comments about the new design, please visit http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/fdb/transition_feedback.htm . Also, if you experience any issues with the page, please be sure to include the name and version of your browser. Thank you in advance for your feedback!
Q. Is the new design final?
A. Not totally final, no. We will be tweaking the new design as we proceed with the transition and receive feedback from users. Also, we have not yet fine-tuned the links on the top, side & bottom borders of the sample page. We hope to be making these changes in the near future, so please check back soon. In the meantime, we'd love to hear what you think of the new design. Please submit your comments using the form at http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/fdb/transition_feedback.htm . Thanks in advance for your feedback! [Please Note: While we plan to 'tweak' the design somewhat over the coming months, some changes we are implementing are considered 'final' (e.g. shifting the side border to the right, inclusion of a background image, etc.). Even so, we welcome your opinion on these items.]
Q. Will all pages be converted to the new look?
A. The new design will be applied to pages that share common borders. We are not planning to convert pages such as topic pages, news pages, apps page, and other pages that already expand to fit the entire screen to the new look. These pages may undergo underlying coding changes, but their overall design is not expected to change.
Q. What about the new site search page?
A. We have introduced a new site search page as part of our site redesign efforts (click here to use). The new site search page is presently in beta form (and will probably remain so throughout the entire transition). Afterwards, it may be offered as replacement for or as an alternative to the current site search page. The new site search page may offer a number of advantages over the old page. For example, the new page may provide the ability to perform more advanced searches, it may allow the use of wildcards and negative keywords, results may contain highlighted keywords, alternate spelling/word suggestions may be provided, recommended links may be provided, related images may be displayed, more than one category may be searched, etc. Please click here to tell us what you think of the new site search page.
Q. What about the new online forms?
A. Along with our site redesign, we have shifted to a new style of online forms. These new forms are able to provide more immediate validation information to users. We hope you will like the new forms! [Note: Data submitted via online forms may be sent to us via e-mail. To avoid having submissions filtered out as spam, please avoid using certain keywords (e.g. common spam keywords). For additional assistance with the new online forms, please click here]
Q. What about the new view/search pages?
A. We have switched to a new style of view / search pages. For more information and assistance with these pages, please click here.
Q. How long will it take to complete the transition?
A. We hope to complete the transition sometime in 2014.
Q. What is the current status of the transition?
A. At this time, we estimate that the site redesign is over 90% complete. [Note: This estimate is based on a count of total number of pages]
Q. Will pages / links / etc. be updated during the transition?
A. At this time, our efforts are primarily directed at converting pages from the old to the new layout. While we would like to make updates to certain content (including updating links), this would significantly slow down the overall site transition. We therefore expect that the majority of such updates will have to be postponed until after the site transition process has been completed.
Q. Will old site/old data still be available during the translation?
A. We do not expect there to be significant availability issues with the old site/old data during most of the transition. However, it is possible that there may be some occasional availably/functionality issues as we update pages.
Q. Why do some pages have the old look, while others have a new look?
A. Since the transition will be completed in phases, some pages will maintain the old look, while others will have the new look. As the redesign progresses, the percentage of pages having the old look should greatly decrease.
Q. Why do some of the older pages have appearance issues?
A. We have curtailed our efforts at resolving appearance issues on older pages in order to move forward with the transition. We hope these appearance issues will be resolved once the pages are converted to the new design. In the meantime, if a page(s) is particularly problematic, please let us know so we can try to address that page(s) as soon as possible.
Q. How can I provide feedback / ask questions about the transition?
A. Please contact us concerning the transition using the form at http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/fdb/transition_feedback.htm . Please be sure to include your valid e-mail address if you are hoping for a response. Thanks in advance for your feedback!
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