New Look For MLBTR

I think the site looks great, and you're right it is definitely easier on the eyes. I like the new logo too, great job!!!

It's been said that a light text on a dark background (i.e., as you had it originally) is less strain on the eyes, and that the people who originated the webpage screwed up badly.

I'll miss the black background, but content matters most. Congrats on making this a full-time gig, and I'd personally like some pointers on how to get some cashflow from a website. :)

I really don't think the grey-on-black was harder on the eyes at all - in fact, it made the website stand out. While it may look more "normal" now, I think it also looks slightly more bland - that first attention grabber is no longer there. I think the revamp was an effort to produce a more professional product, but frankly, I think the other one looked more intriguing at first glance.

It certainly makes it easier for me to surf at work without fear of being nailed from across the room by the boss... :)

Though i do agree with ted, i also side strongly with achilles17 in that some aspects of the redesign make it a bit more bland. i loved getting online and getting my daily dose of trade rumors from such a well-written and well-done website. that's certainly not to say that either of those are diminished with the redesign, i simply think the new version lacks some of the personality of the old. it was (and still is) a unique site and i liked that it had a different feel to it. i will certainly continue to read it as often as always because i think the content and writing are both phenomenal (congrats to tim on that one). i agree with your point though that the white on black will be missed for many in a nostalgic way (i think many of your readers feel the same way you do on that matter). some of the new features are big improvements however. when it was first unveiled, i loved the new logo and i still like it just as much now. the old one will be missed with the familiar collage of studs greeting readers with each access, but i like this one a lot. the format and layout of the site are much improved as well. i didn't have any real problems with the old layout, it just seemed rather scattered sometimes but i didn't mind as i love the content. the navigation bar and prominent search bar and RSS feeds are nice additions and i agree with you in that this new format will likely attract more new readers and allow the site to expand. i would guess that many of the old readers will continue to visit regularly (despite the occasional bouts of hysteria caused by the newfound lack of any credible site featuring the familiar white on black design) as they appreciate everything you do to make this site what it is. i think this was the right thing to do and i will continue to read every rumor that you can dig up. thanks tim.

CHANGE!!! ARGGHHHH!!!

just kidding i like it. but i'd read this site if it was red text on an red-orange background

The old look was a lot better. This is a strain on the eyes now.

At the very least, the site had a unique look to it, now it just looks like every other website. I liked the font and the original banner better too.

Overall, I think the website is worse off now than before in appearance.

I do like the organization now better than before. That is one area that is a lot better.

I agree with Zolthorg about a revert button. It really has lost it's originality. When Gammons released his top blog sites way back when, I checked them all out. Yours was the only one, "to me", that didn't look generic, or created from a template. Yours had a secret mood to it! That has all changed with this new design. You know that feeling you get when your favorite band goes mainstream? That just happened to my favorite baseball site!

I'm gonna miss seeing the old logo. Who'd you say it was Tim, Edmonds I think?

Keep bringing the content, and I'll keep coming no matter what the style!

so much easier on the eyes.

Looks great

im pretty sure the reason long texts in books/magaizines/newspapers are black on white is because it is much cheaper than printing white on black.... but i agree with most that the site lost a little cache but gained in some other aspects as well

I agree with a lot of these other posters. Liked the old way much better, with the white on black. Not that this would cause me to stop visiting the site, but it would be cool if there was an option to have either background, so the people that liked the white on black can keep it that way. I am sure it isn't that difficult to do. I remember myspace did something similar, they changed the format of the site, but they left the option for the original way also. Will definitely miss the white on black though.

"Don't listen to those who say it's easier to read light text on a dark background"

Yes, I am sure they are all lying through their teeth. In reality it kills their eyes to read, but they like to pretend that it doesn't.

I respect and agree with your Mainstream opinion Tim. In terms of success I wish you endless.

Yet I welcomed this change as much as I do Wrigley Field being sold and renamed. But as with both, I am not going anywhere. Loyalty even with your not so secretive mood.

Just don't turn into Fred Durst!

Cool deal, thanks Tim.

Also thought of something else. If at all possible it would be nice if there was just a tiny bit more border before the comments section starts. Right now the page is not centered on the screen ~ not a huge deal, but makes me feel a bit tilted when reading it. In my current tired state, I’m finding myself leaning to the left of my chair ever so slightly. Considering we have a couple posters who might have a drink (or ten) when reading/posting, it might prove to be a bit of a health hazard… (yeah nrmax, looking out for ya buddy)

PS, the “an error has occurred” page (which sadly didn’t go away) still has the old scheme.

Needs more color...

i think it looks great. i can read a page of material without having to visit the optician. i wouldn't worry too much about the complaints... everyone will get used to it before too long, and we're all going to keep coming back for the content. Thanks.

I'm not gonna lie, I was a bigger fan of the old version. The new design is weak and bland. Kind of boring if you will... The old one was unique and colorful. This new design looks like every other blog online. Either way, I'll still be reading on a daily basis but the old version was much more appealing in my eyes.

You can tell that the average viewership of this site must be about 18-22 years old with 20/20 vision. Take it from someone whose vision isn't the best, the old layout would cause a headache to me if I read it longer then 5 minutes.

This might be a little too drastic a change though, personally I would like to see the text on a light grey like your sidebars are using Tim. But it's a welcome change regardless for me.

also i wouldnt mind the gray like the sidebars

I like the new look. Much brighter than the old Gothic look.

i miss the old site. maybe cause i just got use to it after going on like 5 times a day for updates, but still. Its going to take a while to adjust to all the contents being moved to the right side. i see how it can shy away some of the users. Its kinda plain, but it is about the content of the rumors and rumblings.

I prefer the old look, but I guess the new look is OK, just a bit bland. I agree with the majority of opinions here, which is: it's the content that matters, and the content is fantastic!!! Keep up the good work, Tim, and thanks very much.

It doesn't matter what your site looks like when you first build it: people will say they miss that look when you change it because people resist change. Ignore them. Looks great.

One suggestion though: I don't think it's really necessary to list all of the teams in one giant list. Why not just have it say "Rumors by Team" and then have a dropdown list? It's make it even cleaner and would be just as easy to understand/use.

Looks the same in Google Reader. :)

This is actually the first time in a long while I've clicked out of reader to see the site. I think it looks great.

Trusting your gut is a good thing. Keep up the good work, thanks for the site!

P.S. Holy crap, I just did a preview of this post and it was back in the old color!

-Eric

Although I would prefer all the links and everything to be back on the left hand side.

Looks great + still easy to navigate = thumbs up.

Like the old format much better. It made the site stand out and now it just looks like an amateur's blog. I think you should put a poll on here and let the dedicated readers decide whether they like the new or old format.

I agree that it looks like an amateur's blog. I don't really feel like it is any easier on the eyes either. It just doesn't seem to stand out anymore.

Much better.

I don't feel like I'm reading the obituaries or viewing an "inappropriate" site now.

LOL

I loved the old look, but this looks very good as well, anything to improve the site is okay with me. One thing I don't like is all of the links and things on the right side, is that a permanent change?

AAAAAAHHH my eyes! It's so bright! I thought my browser bugged. But you're right. This design should attract new users more easily. The wider display and big font is very nice. Don't have to ctrl + mouse scroll to magnify the text anymore.

The redesign isn't bad. I am disappointed that Typekey is still being employed though :(

I have two suggestions:

1. Put an extra space between posts, to seperate them just a bit. They kind of seem right on top of each other.

2. I'd rather see the navigation bar on the left side than on the right.

Other than that I think the site looks fine. It doesn't hurt my eyes (nor did the old site) and the comments section is much much better (though still operated by Typekey...yuck).

Does this redesign come with less Cubs' fans?

My eyes are sensitive to bright lights at night, and the dark color of the old web page was very easy on my eyes, and it was a pleasure to open up after the bright pages of the other sites I visit.

I really do appreciate all the time and effort that goes into this sight. Keep up the good work.

This version hurts my eyes -- the old was easier on my eyes. This is too bright; I'm a cave dweller with low lighting, and this version makes me feel like I just had my eyes dilated.

But whatever, I'll keep reading either way. I'll get some sunglasses. ;-)

Tim,

If you are interested in having the best of both world (and have the technical expertise), you might consider allowing users to switch the color schemes, for example, it defaults to white and black and the user can reverse it with a click.

You can see another site that does this here:
http://www.blackviper.com/

Preview page is still black. However I think the background is too white. Maybe a light Grey or soft color for the whole page?

Posted by: napes22 | June 23, 2008 at 10:57 AM

What do you mean by preview page?

Posted by: Tim Dierkes | June 23, 2008 at 11:21 AM

He means that when posting a comment, you can choose to preview or post. When you click preview to preview your post, it still shows up on the old format.

For the most part I read this site via the RSS feed. However, I agree that the lighter background looks more professional. Having said that, black on white doesn't standout at all and thus MLBTR looks like "just another baseball site". If you added just a touch of color, the site would be more memorable to new users and reduce the bright white glare some.

Oh ya, and I liked the links on the left.

Regardless, the site still kicks.

I also registered just to post on this.

I like the new style. I especially like the menus to the right. They are much easier to get to and use.

That being said, I agree with those that say it could use a little more color. Some borders/shading, etc.

It still looks professional. And as long as the content stays as good as it is, I'll keep coming back (and posting now that I've registered...)

Tim -

In addition to the comments above, I may have uncovered a possible bug to look into. When I went to preview my comments, it took me to a preview page in the old black page format, and not the new pretty format.

I like the new banner alot and the black txt on white better as well. the look doesn't really matter to me though...i just come here for the content which is always great. keep it up!

A couple things...

1) It's much easier to read for most I'll assume, I've never needed glasses, so the old format didn't bother me, but I can tell the words jump out at you a little more with the black on white.

2) Just because it's easier to read, doesn't make it an improvement. Most sites that have a white background in my opinion based on my experience are usually redirects and my first impulse was to close the window when I saw a white screen. Add some color, it couldn't hurt... Maybe a shade of gray. Even a light to medium gray would tell people that this site is legit.

3) When you simplify the site to cater to the few people that wouldn't come here because of the color scheme, you are making a huge mistake. This site is about the true fan, passionate baseball people, etc. If a person is that put-off with the color scheme of the site to leave and not come back, they aren't the type of people you want commenting on a site like this. In my opinion of course...

You may just be looking for a hit count, so you can get more advertising dollars to fund the site, which I understand you have overhead and that makes sense, but just a word of caution, don't lose your artist integrity. You founded this site I'm assuming for there to be ONE place to get ALL information baseball involving the movement of players. Stay true to your vision and the money will come, you don't have to mainstream your concept to get Corporate America to give you advertising dollars!

I've run a business or eight in my time, one of which was grossing 1/4 million dollars a month between three stores. The one thing they used to say to me was, "your owner is a moron and a crook, your stores are a little rundown and aren't always the most clean, and your employees are a little rough around the edges, but you sell more than anyone else in the area, you do the best custom work around, and you guys pay your bills when you're supposed to, that's why we stay with you." That was from every regional director of every major car audio company in the country. We had all the best names and pick of whatever line we wanted. I realized quickly that our image and not aesthetically, but rather our competency, ethics, and ability, were the most important thing to the store succeeding.

*more clear regarding who posts...*

sorry

Wow I log onto the computer to check MLBTR, and even though I already saw the new layout I was disapointed again. It just doesn't look that great to me. Looks like the comments section at the bottom of an online newspaper story. I will still visit the site just as often, but it definitely, in my opinion is worse off then it was. Seeing as how (atleast from judging by these comments) around 80 percent of your loyal readers like the old style more, it really shouldn't be that hard to give them an option of which format to view the site under. Just seems like it is the right thing to do.