Progressive Blue -- Contact us page

This site looks great! (3.00 / 3)

A lot of hard work, no doubt and a big thank you from me.

I do have one suggestion that is not essential in any way, but merely a convenience.  Right now, the width is such that I must scroll left and right to read the margins on either side.  My new monitor is huge and I never have to scroll anymore most places.

This site, as with others, is a work in progress.  I love the progress so far.  This is a nice home for those who want to put action with words as well as get informed along the way.  Wonderful.

Also, I don't see a "contribute" link to donate to the building and use of this site.  Where is that at?

alwaysquestion

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by: alwaysquestion @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 14:35:35 PM CST

Love that you're already thinking of contributing! (3.00 / 4)

Actually, we haven't quite figured that out yet.  Right now, we're self-financing just to get started. But don't put the wallet away permanently, that's on the to-do list!

On the width issue, turns out we can have one of two choices: a variable width blog that would adjust for different browsers etc, or the be-A-oootiful banner we have that RedJet made and is fixed width.

After looking around at a bunch of different sites on different monitors (like Open Left, Raising Kaine, and other soapblox-based blogs), we realized that the same issue (a bit of scrolling to get back and forth) appears across the lot of them.  We also realized that we hadn't even noticed it at the other blogs until we created our own!

So, we went with the banner -- just remember to look at the little righthand corner of the banner.  See that "e", notice how it matches the letters in our logo and in the e-signal just under the logo?  That "e" was found on a brick wall somewhere, and RedJet was inspired.  Pretty cool, huh?

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. MLK Jr  

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by: edgery @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 19:21:16 PM CST

[ Parent ]

thanks for reply! (3.00 / 3)

I do like the banner.  And I hadn't noticed I scrolled at other sites, so will take another look.  But I wouldn't change the banner, so that's that.  I haven't broken any fingers scrolling yet.  Will let you know when that becomes an issue.....;)

About the donations....I wouldn't tell anyone how to run their site, but I do think perhaps something like the Kos system whereby people can contribute and also you could perhaps take on advertising in the future if you deem appropriate.

Anyway, don't be shy about a donate button.  People will think it through for themselves if they can give or not.  Some will save their $ for campaigns and others who have a bit extra will help the cause in other ways as well.  Something to think about.

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by: alwaysquestion @ Thu Feb 28, 2008 at 20:26:56 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Hi--question (3.00 / 2)

Would it be okay if I started a weekly fitness diary?  I've promised myself to start training today for a half marathon or a marathon to be run in the Fall, and wrote a diary about it last night...there are a few people who are interested in beginning to train and checking in.  

Thanks,
CW

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by: CanyonWren @ Sun Mar 09, 2008 at 11:16:00 AM CDT

The answer is Yes. (3.00 / 3)

Sounds great.

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by: pioneer @ Sun Mar 09, 2008 at 13:27:25 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Thanks (3.00 / 2)

I'll post it on Sunday's

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by: CanyonWren @ Sun Mar 09, 2008 at 13:55:35 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Great! (3.00 / 3)

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by: peacock @ Sun Mar 09, 2008 at 16:03:52 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

My first comment ever... (3.00 / 2)

...and it ends up a complaint (sort of).

I love this blog! But then I am also put off by it for the same reason that an earlier commenter pointed out: the display width. Add to that your choice of typeface for posts and comments.

I used to be a graphic artist and did quite a lot of related research on typography. Here is what I found, in brief:

Shorter sentence lengths are far more readable. Here's why:

When we read we see not just letters or words but in fact assemble groups of words in our brains. So, for instance, the previous sentence is broken down visually as:

When we read
we assemble
groups of words
in our brains

What is especially fascinating about this is that rather than interpret each letter, our brains actually seek out shapes (and lengths) to tell us what each word is.

There's an excellent short explanation here. And here's the highly misspelled example they give to prove the point:

Aoccdiig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

It is because the shapes of the misspelled words above are familiar to our brains that we can read the sentences. This is the same phenomena that results in typos.

This also accounts for why a page printed in a gothic script, for instance, takes so much longer to read... the shapes of the groups are unfamiliar to our brains.

Now akin to this are the cues we take from word group shapes as we move from group to group. And the result is that the more word groups there are in a sentence, the greater the difficulty in reading and comprehension. Just consider what it would be like if all nespaper articles were each just one long paragraph.

This is also the reason that newspapers and magazines are printed using columns of text, and the reason that books use larger print sizes with ample borders, keeping the sentence length short.

In short, you are doing a disservice to your posts and diaries by making sentence length visually too long, because it affects both readability and comprehension.

But along with this you have also chosen a sans-serif  typeface (a mistake in common with DKos). This too adversely affects readability and comprehension, and likewise is the reason only serif typefaces are used in newspaper and magazine articles, as well as books (though sans-serif is fine for headlines and headings).

In short, the typography runs the risk of (subconsciously) negatively affecting readers. And in a blog as good and as important as this one, poised to grow by leaps and bounds, that's a shame.

Again, this is just my two cents, but whether you give the option of variable screen width or just narrow the column width for posts and diaries (and hopefully change the typeface), your readers will find the content far more accessible.

p.s. A visit to almost any major online publication, such as the articles at the NY Times, will best illustrate the points I have tried to make.

And I hope you will understand that these points are only offered in hopes for your ever-expanding success.

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by: two roads @ Wed Mar 12, 2008 at 17:31:47 PM CDT

Just wanted you to know we saw this. (3.00 / 1)

Thanks for your suggestions.

Our designer, RedJet, is taking a well deserved break after setting up the blog. We don't intend to make visual changes at this time.

Please understand also that everyone has a different opinion about what works visually, so we'll never satisfy everyone.  

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by: be inspired @ Sat Mar 15, 2008 at 08:57:46 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

So clueless about how to do links... (3.00 / 2)

Morning,

I was just trying to cross-post nyceve's diary from dkos (with her permission)...and I can't for the life of me figure out how to embed hyperlinks.  I've read the instructions but have failed.  Does it matter that I use a Mac?  Can you provide a different explanation on how to do it?  So sorry for any trouble.

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by: Quilldriver @ Thu Mar 13, 2008 at 09:57:02 AM CDT

never mind!!! (3.00 / 2)

I figured it out. So happy now. :  )

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by: Quilldriver @ Thu Mar 13, 2008 at 11:47:22 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Saved diary - how do I get the edit control back? (3.00 / 2)

Put it in "Draft" to come back later and edit. Can't edit, delete, or post it. No control after it was put in "draft".  

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by: NCCarboys @ Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 08:40:05 AM CDT

That's weird. (3.00 / 1)

I have to honestly say I don't know why the edit control would be missing on your draft. I think we're going to have to investigate that one.

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by: be inspired @ Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 11:02:13 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Try this. (3.00 / 1)

Go into your user page, under "Diaries" click on draft. There you'll see your diary, but you won't see any edit link.

Click on the diary's title to show the full diary and there should be an edit link at the top. You have to do that extra step of clicking on the diary title to be able to edit it. If you don't see the edit link then, let me or OneCarolinaGirl know.

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by: be inspired @ Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 12:09:06 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Hello, I have a question. (3.00 / 2)

I notice a few members are in the North Carolina area and are looking for work. I can't help much but I am a recruiter and I'm conducting a search for a Process Chemical Engineer for a client in NC. I don't know if any of you may know someone who would be interested in hearing about it...just thought I'd put it out there and I didn't want to risk violating protocol by posting it in comments. I know this isn't a job board, but it would be great to help someone on this site find a job. I know how difficult it is to find work as I was unemployed for 3 months and ended up accepting an offer to return here, a company I left 3 years ago. Please let me know your thoughts.  

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by: litoralis @ Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 09:49:55 AM CDT

Sorry to be so late getting back to you. (3.00 / 2)

I think maybe we ought to change the above post to make our email address more prominent, as we sometimes forget to check this page for new comments.

I haven't checked with the rest of the EENR crew, but personally I think it would be fine if you posted a comment about your job opening, or even a diary about it.

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by: be inspired @ Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 12:15:09 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

my question: (3.00 / 2)

where do us john edwards fanatics go to gab, commiserate, and discuss all things Edwards?
anywhere on the net?

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by: laurenc @ Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 19:27:10 PM CDT

One Edwards-oriented forum I know of (3.00 / 2)

Edwardian forum here


Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. MLK Jr  

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by: edgery @ Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 19:09:08 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Two additions, if you have room http://www.juancole.com/ (3.00 / 2)

to add to your blog list. This Univ. of Michigan prof is well connected and astute about the Middle East. Plus, Michigan has a large concentration of people of Middle Eastern descent.

Juan R. I. Cole is Richard P. Mitchell Distinguished University Professor of History  at the  University of Michigan. He has written extensively about Egypt, Iran, Iraq, and South Asia. He has given numerous media and press interviews on the War on Terrorism since September 11, 2001, as well as concerning the Iraq War and the building conflict with Iran from 2003. He has a regular column at Salon.com.

Cole commands Arabic, Persian and Urdu and reads some Turkish, knows both Middle Eastern and South Asian Islam, and lived in a number of places in the Muslim world for extended periods of time.

Abstinence programs breed hypocrites.

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by: OklahomaVoter @ Sun Apr 06, 2008 at 01:16:44 AM CDT

Good suggestion. (0.00 / 0)

We should probably consider that next time we go to update the blogroll.

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by: be inspired @ Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 14:21:48 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

This comment may seem trivial, but... (0.00 / 0)

I can't believe you are using a photo of 9 hands, and none of the hands seem to be those of a minority member of our society, or at least, any darker than my own (and probably yours).

Come on, peeps!  

Senator Obama's victory has shown us that we must come together as a nation, and that means all of us.

Represent?   Yes of course, but...  Let's mix things up a little more up in here, with respect to representing our nation's diversity!

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by: LASVEGAN2008 @ Sun Jun 22, 2008 at 17:00:27 PM CDT

Help! (0.00 / 0)

I spent the last three rather precious hours trying to submit a piece on the California budget problems.  I got this Error message: Unclosed HTML tag *****************  (I was not enabled to copy and paste the errror message.)(You can see I am trying and od not give up easily)

I spent hours trying to correct (find) it and I have finally decided t give up.  I would still like to post it and do wish the site were just a little more user friendly and intuitive.

Thanks,

I like this venue and still want to use it very much, but my time is increasingly precious and quite consumed.

Again, thanks and I am hopeful for your help.

Karita Hummer
KaritaHummer@yahoo.com

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by: Karita Hummer @ Fri Jul 31, 2009 at 15:47:33 PM CDT