Baen's website redesigned - Page 6

wigm · 01-07-2011, 12:17 PM

I'm all up for changes and updates but this one throws me off.
On my 1440X900 laptop monitor the first screen is taken by the flash "ad." Somebody learned an on mouse event for flash and that is cool but it doesn't tell my why I should be there.
I have to scroll down to get to any actual information, this should be the top news, The logo gets lost next to the banner up top, similar colors.
It's a good attempt, needs some adjusting. This is not the only site that does this minor anoyance (my personal view). I don't think a website should waste so much space at the entry point, your homepage should be the stepping stone to all great things.

To the people at Baen thanks for what you do, keep up the good work and I'm sure you'll find a balance with the re-design that appeals to most users.

roc · 01-07-2011, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedtouch

Oh geez, I didn't realize that. That totally sucks!

Aye - no wonder it took so long to load/render and spiked my CPU. Almost as bad as Oracle's support site for us Oracle techies. I wish Steve Jobs well in his crusade against Flash despite despising his walled garden...

DArenson · 01-08-2011, 05:16 PM

I just saw this thread and Baen's new website. MUCH better than the old website. It doesn't look great on my tiny netbook, but the old website was -- let's be honest -- horrible.

Worldwalker · 01-09-2011, 03:15 AM

When I see a website loaded with Flash and other glitzy gizmos, I know it wasn't made to sell products; it was made to sell websites. Those do their job very well, and they're being signed off on by exactly the person they're being pitched at, but it's not the job that the company paying the bills needs to have done.

The other big disaster comes from executives who want to "tell everyone about our company!" Which the website designer duly does. So they get a website with officer bios, company history, pictures of the annual sales awards ... and if there's a place to buy their products, you have to dig to find it. That sells very nicely to the executives who sign off on it, too, but it still doesn't do the job that site's supposed to do.

That's why the pros charge so much more than someone's 14-year-old nephew with his copy of FrontPage: we know about moving product, not just moving graphics.

pwalker8 · 01-09-2011, 11:14 AM

I agree with you, Worldwalker. As someone earlier mentioned, a publisher's customer isn't technically the end reader, but rather the bookstore buyer. On the other hand, the bookstore buyer isn't the person who is going to be visiting the website and the bookstore buyer is a lot more impressed with what your throughput is than the glitz on your webpage. A publisher want to generate buzz about their books and especially about their upcoming books. I'm not so sure the new website does that.

Darqref · 01-10-2011, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I agree with you, Worldwalker. As someone earlier mentioned, a publisher's customer isn't technically the end reader, but rather the bookstore buyer. On the other hand, the bookstore buyer isn't the person who is going to be visiting the website and the bookstore buyer is a lot more impressed with what your throughput is than the glitz on your webpage. A publisher want to generate buzz about their books and especially about their upcoming books. I'm not so sure the new website does that.

When I looked at SF Publishers a few years ago, the one thing I wanted to see was not only what was just published, but what was scheduled to be published. Baen used to do this very well, others not so much. The new design has that schedule at one link off a menu at the top that you can see even if you have flash turned off.

The point of the advance schedule was pre-ordering (which was also the initial reason for the design of the webscription program. If you know a new book is coming a couple months ahead, then you might be convinced to pre-order it at your local bookstore. This drives the number ordered by those bookstores higher, and makes the print run larger.

But honestly, the same thing can be said for ebooks - if I know in advance, I can either pre-order or at least know to look for it. All the other parts are nice, but I want to know what's new (and the publisher wants me to know that so I buy the new stuff.) Old things and backlist catalogs are great, but the publisher is living off the cashflow of what's new.

I could wish they did it without the big flash stuff, and I do wish they had better notice that more is below that first page of flash.

Belle2Be · 01-13-2011, 03:25 PM

I think it looks dated and cluttered, but I didn't see the old one so I can't compare if its an improvement or not.

OtterBooks · 01-14-2011, 01:52 AM

The website gives me vertigo but after the spinning stopped I found some good deals.

ATDrake · 01-14-2011, 02:08 AM

Baen's new website improves considerably if you have Flash turned off in your browser. As do many other websites, unfortunately.

But the aesthetics of this version are far above those of the last one, even if some of the functionality was actually better on the old site underneath the gaudy graphics and all.

Don't make me hunt through a drop down menu just to see your publishing schedule

. Considering it's the backbone of your business, the link should be prominently displayed somewhere obvious and textual. However,

to the prominent Bujold advertising banner up top.

Readerlover2011 · 01-14-2011, 03:27 AM

I like it.Thanks for sharing

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01-07-2011, 12:17 PM	#76
wigm Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 30 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Virginia Device: Kindle DX, K3, Nook, TouchPad	I'm all up for changes and updates but this one throws me off. On my 1440X900 laptop monitor the first screen is taken by the flash "ad." Somebody learned an on mouse event for flash and that is cool but it doesn't tell my why I should be there. I have to scroll down to get to any actual information, this should be the top news, The logo gets lost next to the banner up top, similar colors. It's a good attempt, needs some adjusting. This is not the only site that does this minor anoyance (my personal view). I don't think a website should waste so much space at the entry point, your homepage should be the stepping stone to all great things. To the people at Baen thanks for what you do, keep up the good work and I'm sure you'll find a balance with the re-design that appeals to most users.

01-08-2011, 05:16 PM	#78
DArenson ebookworm Posts: 268 Karma: 100026 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Canada Device: Kobo, Kindle	I just saw this thread and Baen's new website. MUCH better than the old website. It doesn't look great on my tiny netbook, but the old website was -- let's be honest -- horrible.

01-09-2011, 03:15 AM	#79
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	When I see a website loaded with Flash and other glitzy gizmos, I know it wasn't made to sell products; it was made to sell websites. Those do their job very well, and they're being signed off on by exactly the person they're being pitched at, but it's not the job that the company paying the bills needs to have done. The other big disaster comes from executives who want to "tell everyone about our company!" Which the website designer duly does. So they get a website with officer bios, company history, pictures of the annual sales awards ... and if there's a place to buy their products, you have to dig to find it. That sells very nicely to the executives who sign off on it, too, but it still doesn't do the job that site's supposed to do. That's why the pros charge so much more than someone's 14-year-old nephew with his copy of FrontPage: we know about moving product, not just moving graphics.

01-09-2011, 11:14 AM	#80
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,196 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	I agree with you, Worldwalker. As someone earlier mentioned, a publisher's customer isn't technically the end reader, but rather the bookstore buyer. On the other hand, the bookstore buyer isn't the person who is going to be visiting the website and the bookstore buyer is a lot more impressed with what your throughput is than the glitz on your webpage. A publisher want to generate buzz about their books and especially about their upcoming books. I'm not so sure the new website does that.

01-13-2011, 03:25 PM	#82
Belle2Be Peace, Love, and Books Posts: 355 Karma: 1242738 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kindle 3(3g), NookColor	I think it looks dated and cluttered, but I didn't see the old one so I can't compare if its an improvement or not.

01-14-2011, 01:52 AM	#83
OtterBooks Wizard Posts: 1,262 Karma: 2979086 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kindle 4, iPad Mini/Retina	The website gives me vertigo but after the spinning stopped I found some good deals.

01-14-2011, 02:08 AM	#84
ATDrake Wizzard Posts: 11,517 Karma: 33048258 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Roundworld Device: Kindle 2 International, Sony PRS-T1, BlackBerry PlayBook, Acer Iconia	Baen's new website improves considerably if you have Flash turned off in your browser. As do many other websites, unfortunately. But the aesthetics of this version are far above those of the last one, even if some of the functionality was actually better on the old site underneath the gaudy graphics and all. Don't make me hunt through a drop down menu just to see your publishing schedule . Considering it's the backbone of your business, the link should be prominently displayed somewhere obvious and textual. However, to the prominent Bujold advertising banner up top.

01-14-2011, 03:27 AM	#85
Readerlover2011 Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: none	I like it.Thanks for sharing

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