Welcome to the newly redesigned and updated LTH Forum

LTH,

Welcome to the newly redesigned and updated LTH Forum. We've made changes to the way the website looks, and to how it works on the front end and behind the scenes. And if you're reading this via your mobile device hopefully, your experiencing some increased usability and functionality.

As for the look, the first thing many of you may notice is that we've introduced a new logo that we hope communicates our current status as a resource and a community. We like to think of it as a stamp of approval. Beyond that, we've introduced a new color scheme, a new layout and new typefaces that we believe will make the site more appealing and easier to read while also matching up with the extraordinarily valuable and current nature of the information we all share here.

As you poke around, you'll find that some buttons look different and that some areas of the site aren't called what they previously were. Please, don't worry. It's all still here. We've tried very hard to align many of these items with current internet and website conventions, so while they may be new to LTH's website, they're probably not new to our web-savvy readers.

We've done our best to test everything out, make sure it's working correctly and ensure that nothing's missing but we know that our members use the site in a multitude of ways, so it's entirely possible that some elements may need to be addressed further. To that end, we've created a dedicated forum [LINK] for feedback, issues, questions, concerns and suggestions, etc. Please feel free to post any items there that you'd like us to address and we'll get to them as soon as we can.

More than anything else, our goal was to make improvements that will benefit the members of our community and enhance the LTH experience for anyone who visits us. We really hope that comes through. Ideally, the result is that LTH is still synonymous with unparalleled, inimitable content but now, it's presented in an updated, aesthetically-pleasing and easier-to-use package. And again, your feedback on any and all of this is welcomed and encouraged, so please, do not hesitate to share it.

Thanks,

Ronnie & Matt

massive improvement on mobile

Personal opinion, but I really dislike all the stuff on the right side of the screen like the upcoming events. It's distracting when trying to read. And it's the same pictures over and over. We have a thread for events. We have a thread for openings and closings. We have a thread for GNR winners. And we have button for active topics.

Just my opinion so please don't shoot me.

I agree with midas. I feel like it's very spread out; I liked how everything was visible without so much scrolling. But it the look is very attractive!

I must say I'm surprised. I didn't know such a vast overhaul was in the works; I didn't see anything in the Advisory page.

Just a personal quibble. Is there any way to make the spacing a bit better when writing text under a pic? It used to be so that the text underneath looked as if it was a caption for the pic but now it just looks like bad spacing was used or a new paragraph was started then abandoned.

One other thing. If there was ever a time to ditch the index threads that stay atop each chat section, it's now. You have to scroll halfway down to get to the active topics. Kind of annoying. That said, much love on the effort and time it took for the redesign.

Da Beef wrote: One other thing. If there was ever a time to ditch the index threads that stay atop each chat section, it's now. You have to scroll halfway down to get to the active topics. Kind of annoying. That said, much love on the effort and time it took for the redesign.

While I do not have specific issue with the index threads, I agree with Titus here that the sticky threads clog up the top of the forum menus. This might also have to do with the size of the font taking up more real estate. On the old format, weren't the stickies differentiated somehow?

And not to pile on, but my other nit is that on the main bb page, I used to like how it listed latest post not just by author and time but also the name of the post or thread.

Reading through all these comments is making me realize how we all navigate this site so differently.

Overall, many improvements here! My gratitude for the hours of work you guys must have put into this. I have no issue with the side bar features, I think they'll be attractive to new users and I also think that the new menu at the top of the page will be very helpful for folks that are approaching the site for the first time.

awesome

---ganked from my FB

The new look for LTHforum, my food writing omphalos since 2004. What began as a T.A.Z. shunning Jim Leff's inhibiting early-Chowhound, blossoms fecund over the past 12 years. I hone my food writing voice on the steel of LTH. For over a decade now I call this disparate group of writers and aficionados and lurkers home. Some voices died, some lost interest, had their attention directed elsewhere. There were deaths(that's how old we are as a forum). LTH engages new voices, divisive, divers opinions. Onward.

1. I just realized that when I use the search function, it sends me automatically to Google. I was looking up Darest I?, but when it brought me to the exact post I wanted, there was no link to the thread itself anywhere, so I couldn't scroll up to previous posts.
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=28422&start=90&sp=505306
This occurred with the "old search" option as well, however, my question is more for the site overall. I recall the old site's banner with the topic name, etc. was at the top, but now it disappears. You have to scroll all the way to the top. Is there a way to "freeze panes" to use an Excel term?
2. I saw the arrow that was mentioned in boudreaulicious' post, answered by GP, but that icon as well as all the rest, including the emojis, are microscopic. Can the size be increased?
3. The box on the upper right side "LTH has a new look. Read about it. Discuss it." does not take me to the discussion. It takes me to the open letter, and when I click on the link, it says I'm not authorized to read the forum despite being signed in. Since there are two New LTH posts in that area, it's confusing to figure out which is which.

Hi,

We've moved all the pertaining to readability issues (that were here) over to a new thread. Please post over there if you're experiencing any readability issues. And please remember to provide us with your operating system and browser information, since these pages don't all look the same across different platforms.

Da Beef wrote:One other thing. If there was ever a time to ditch the index threads that stay atop each chat section, it's now. You have to scroll halfway down to get to the active topics. Kind of annoying. That said, much love on the effort and time it took for the redesign.

We agree but a still-unresolved glitch is preventing us from taking care of it at the moment. Rest assured, these threads will be moved to a less intrusive location as soon as is possible.

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators

It's beautiful and impressive. Thanks for all the work that went into this.

I can't see the threads I've posted in.
I can't see the threads that have new posts since I last read them.
I don't get the snippet of the OP when mouse hovering anymore.
There a far fewer threads visible due to the new large format.
It's very much harder to read and navigate.

Other than that I love it

ETA
Oh, Windows 10 and IE11

zoid wrote:I can't see the threads I've posted in.

The little icon of a person above the thread title (on the left side of the thread index page) indicates threads you've posted in.

zoid wrote:I can't see the threads that have new posts since I last read them.

chat > unread posts should get you there.

zoid wrote:I don't get the snippet of the OP when mouse hovering anymore.

zoid wrote:There a far fewer threads visible due to the new large format.

We'll look into these.

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators

Count me a Fan of the redesign. Like the clean lines of the easy to read format, no usability issues on three different platforms and overall amazed at the seemingly seamless migration.

Kudos to all involved.

I will miss the old logo, but I love the stamp design of the new one. Enjoyed seeing photos of the team and reading the bios. Nice touch.

Pie Lady wrote:1. I just realized that when I use the search function, it sends me automatically to Google. I was looking up Darest I?, but when it brought me to the exact post I wanted, there was no link to the thread itself anywhere, so I couldn't scroll up to previous posts.

Fixed. Good Catch.

If I understand correctly, lthforum is owned by people, and they can change it in any way they want, w/o requiring any input from anybody else.

On the other hand, most of the value of this owned property derives from the (voluntary, unpaid) contributions of the people who post here.

If all that is true - please post a correction if it is not - shouldn't there have been some sort of consultation with the people who post here before the site was put through the recent changes?

"We are considering a makeover of lth. Are you happy with the current layout? What changes, if any, would you like to see in our format?"

Wouldn't a post like that have been appropriate?

We had over 30 LTH members beta test the new site layout over a several-week period before we relaunched it. Many issues that have been raised in this thread were not identified during the testing period. We did our best to catch as much as possible but until the redesign went live, it was simply not possible to anticipate some of the issues that have been brought up.

Of course, we're continuing to make refinements that we hope will make the site as universally functional as it can be. Unfortunately, they cannot be implemented immediately. But we're taking them seriously and will be working on them regularly. And needless to say, we really appreciate everyone's patience.

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators

As one of the folks asked to test stuff out, I can confirm that we were given ample opportunity but I'm sure I'm not alone in that "testing" (in my experience that meant poking around a bit and trying a couple of test things) and using the site are definitely two different things. What's important to remember is that no one is being paid by us to do any of this--and it will be better, after some of these issues are ironed out. And some we'll simply get used to.

I experienced some of the glitches and differences from how I used the old site--and a week later, it's amazing how few of them really impact my experience. Those that do, I'm confident will be addressed--some already have--and I certainly don't expect it to be instantaneous. That wouldn't be very community-friendly, now would it? Take a breath and a step back and it will all be ok

ronnie_suburban wrote:We had over 30 LTH members beta test the new site layout over a several-week period before we relaunched it.

Well there's your problem right there; No one asked me!

Not crazy about the typeface but otherwise very nice

Looks nice! It's been awhile since I was here, but I'm going to explore now.

This is quite trivial but I really liked the harlequin LTH logo that you had. It seems as if this has been removed for something round that has no distinction what so ever.

toria wrote:This is quite trivial but I really liked the harlequin LTH logo that you had.

I think Mike G designed it, based on some of the designs at Superdawg.

Is there a way to change the default grey background on unread posts? I find my current default grey to be too subtle for optimum viewing.