If you’re visiting Broken Sidewalk in a browser, you’ll have noticed a few changes. The latest version of the site is online and hopefully will make Broken Sidewalk better moving forward. All site functionality remains the same as before with a few additions. I will be rolling out the final upgrades over the weekend. If you see any bugs, please let me know.
Now that the tedious process of reworking Broken Sidewalk is complete, I can dedicate all my extra time to writing content. I have also been traveling and documenting New York in my free time this summer. There’s a lot of important things going on in Louisville and beyond and Broken Sidewalk will continue to cover the issues as before.
Here’s a rundown of a few things that have changed in the new version of Broken Sidewalk.
- Aesthetic redesign including a new branding strategy.
- Featured content appears at the top of the page and the content section is streamlined for easier viewing.
- More connectivity to social media like Facebook and Twitter. One click buttons allow you to share articles and discussions with your friends.
- Discussion forums return by popular demand (although they won’t be live until this weekend). More info on that later.
- Trying out a new comment system. Not sure if this will stay, but it does offer several advantages over the old system.
- Working on a new mobile version for iPhones and other smart devices. There’s a crude version up now that will be tweaked over time.
- There are a few other small upgrades behind the scenes as well that hopefully allow the site to load faster.
- Stay tuned for several other small changes that will come online in the next week or so.
I have tested the site on the latest version of the major browsers and everything looks okay. As before, please not that Broken Sidewalk does not support Internet Explorer 6 as a matter of policy. I haven’t tested the site on that browser and I’m not making any guarantees it will work with IE6. I suggest upgrading your software or switching browsers. There are some formatting problems on the Opera browser that will be fixed soon, but not many people use that one any way.
Please let me know your thoughts on the changes in the comments and any issues you experience. As always, your thoughts about improving the site are also welcome. Thanks for being patient and I look forward to writing about some important issues again.
The new layout is fantastic. I've been wondering where you've been hanging out lately, and this answers the mystery.
Well done, and good luck with the revamped site.
The Branding is a great effort by the way – did you do it yourself?
Love the look, Branden. Looking forward to the updates you’ve got in store. This has been a favorite blog of mine for a while.
I’m not a fan of the ads, but I know those help bring in some bacon. Other than that, everything looks great! Love the new logo.
Great look! I really like the upgrades for Facebook. A lot my friends read BS now, so it will be fun to post articles in my feed and get my friends and family weighing in on the issues.
Branden, I really like the new look. Thank you for all of your hard work. BS had become one of my favorite stops each day!
Wow this is exciting! 🙂
I was worried that the site was going to go dark! I'm glad your back!
Glad to have you back. Can't wait for the regular content.
I totally get being (relatively) down to upgrade site software. I’ve been doing the same at Louisville History & Issues. So I feel for ya. I tend to be a lot more incremental in my changes though. I would be interested to see how people adapt to major revamps like this one.
Looks pretty good to me! The only issue I see straightaway is the difficult-to-read captcha.
Thanks for the input and kudos. Trying to get all the little quirks inherent in the process worked out. The forums are up and running now if you want to check them out as well.
I do all the design work on Broken Sidewalk, Matthew, which takes a lot longer (but I think it’s worth it). The new logo, etc. has been in the works since the Spring (and folks at the Livable Louisville event got a sneak peak at the logo) so I’m glad it’s finally fully launched.
I don’t particularly like ads, either, Mary Beth, but web sites cost money to keep up with server and domain fees. Broken Sidewalk isn’t a money making site – but I don’t want it to be a money-losing site, either. Hopefully I’ll have some time to get some local advertisers so at least it’s local business showing ads.
Thanks for the understanding, Steve. I tend to do a major upgrade and then focus on writing for a long time, making only minor tweaks as they are necessary. Several people have mentioned the Captcha issue and I’m looking for a new version. It has become a necessity, though, as comment spam had become a real issue.
Thanks again for everyone’s patience this summer with the BS hiatus. Please don’t hesitate to e.mail me with any other bugs or issues that might come up.