New AMCA Website!!!

[frichie68]

Not being a computer whiz, the only difference I see is the ugly water color (?) first page/cover painting. I don't see how this would attract any prospective new members. Sorry, not impressed.

[frichie68]

The home page photo is really boring. At least the old one changed pictures-and actually showed the subject in a way that could be understood by anyone.

[pisten-bully]

Flash has not worked on iOS products for years but for the time being we have no plans to change that function because it does work on most modern devices.

Finally the front page image. In my opinion, there is no single image that would appease everyone.

Sigh.... while there is certainly no image that would appease everyone, there absolutely is a programming language that will work on both IOS and Android mobile platforms. Why your programmers consciously decided to use Flash instead of something like HTML5, with the full knowledge that Flash won't work on more than 40% of the mobile devices in use today, is beyond me. In one way it's disrespectful, in another way it limits full usage of our site at a time when we are trying to increase usage.

Heck, if that's the logic you're using you may as well change the site to Harley Davidson only since most of the antique motorcycles out there are Harley Davidsons!

[c.o.]

Cory: Good to hear from you again. My mouse does not have a dial. All I get is a large image of the bottom half of a Knucklehead gas tank. There is no heading, no scroll bar or anything else. Sometimes when I move the pointer to the bottom of the page it will scroll down. Tom

Hey Tom, it just might be time to recruit those grandkids...

[frichie68]

I like the old homepage photos better.

[bobdo]

I have to ask about the website homepage image.
Obviously the image is Photoshop'd but was that emblem altered?
Being on 1940 tanks, I wonder if it is some kind of transition emblem that I've never seen.
If it was altered in Photoshop for some reason, it was expertly done.

[T. Cotten]

Filibuster!

I found the "fine print" agreement hazardous to anyone in business, and opted out.
(But then got notification that I had registered anyway.)

Folks should all note that anything and everything that I may post here, online, or send to a customer as a courtesy never came from the Library, and unfortunately, never will.

....Cotten

[fillibuster]

I'm always curious about the library. When do we plan to upgrade the library?
Perhaps I don't know how to use it. Or is the content limited to what falls under the marque names on the left?
Should we expect to find product information from names like Linkert, Schebler, Bosch, etc?

Or should I just give it a rest? for a while?

[pisten-bully]

Flash has not worked on iOS products for years but for the time being we have no plans to change that function because it does work on most modern devices.

That's right, but IOS should not be ignored as a platform for mobile device programming ....because while they were sleeping the programmers missed the fact that IOS is just as viable and in widespread use as the others... so effectively any programmer that relies on Flash intentionally serves to cut out a very large number of users. When you say "it does work on most modern devices" that may be true by a small margin worldwide, but it won't work on at least 40% of the mobile platforms in use... and that's just short sighted IMO.

[Keith Kizer]

I don't think that it was a good idea to use Adobe Flash for the Chapter Map section for mobile units such as the iPhones - maybe the latest work with it but not older ones. Doesn't seem to work with some older Blackberry software as well.

On Mac laptops still running earlier versions of Safari the scroll bar on the right side of the screen is not very visible and the scroll wheel or touch pad may not work. Depending on what particular operating system is installed a switch to Firefox as a browser may solve the problem.

I note that in the Chapter Map section a number of the links to Chapter web sites are either broken, out of date or are not listed (perhaps non-existent?). This was a problem on the web site for some time.

While the new layout is "different" it looks like much of the text info is the same old stuff.

I was looking forwards to the site being partitioned in to a public information and promotion side and a "member's only" (password protected) side of the main pages (as well as the forum section). Apparently the revision of the page concentrated on "look" rather than anything else. Looks like it was rushed at the last minute to meet the "January deadline" and did not get a lot of testing.

And the front page top picture - What were they thinking??????????

AFJ

AJF, In regards to the maps, we did not change anything from the previous site. Flash has not worked on iOS products for years but for the time being we have no plans to change that function because it does work on most modern devices.

I did go through and update the Chapter Directory Information prior to the launch of the new site but that is a constant moving target with frequent update to officers based on Chapter meetings. The one comment we have had and a change we will do soon is to add Chapter website address/links in the directory. Currently you have to access this though the map but I believe we can add this with our new system. The webmaster has to create a new field to extrapolate the website data to the directory. We will get to work on that and make that happen. Once that is done I will go back and re-check all the links and revise as needed.

Yes, the text on most pages are the same, but then there was no reason to change the information. Keep in mind the biggest reason for the new website if for it to work on all types of devices. The look and functions are to keep up with the times and ease of use.

In regards to the forum, it is meant to be publicly readable, despite needed to be member to do any posting. It also most likely will not work on some obsolete operating systems and devices. As for public side of the sight vs members only, we strongly feel that the forum is the "members" side of the sight. Don't look for any changes in look or functionality on the forum. I believe most users are happy with the forum and any change would not improve it's purpose.

Finally the front page image. In my opinion, there is no single image that would appease everyone. We wanted the focus to be on the website and the dozens of other pages and not get stuck on a home page image. We look at the main image as background only. We carry that image over to public displays which have proved very successful this winter. Also, keep in mind, its only an image and one that could change from time to time. Bill Wood was tasked to come up with an image, which he has lots of hours in creating, that was presented to the AMCA Board for final approval.

Thanks for your input.

[Keith Kizer]

Allan, you are correct, thanks for that catch. That has been corrected now.

[Tom Wilcock]

Cory: Good to hear from you again. My mouse does not have a dial. All I get is a large image of the bottom half of a Knucklehead gas tank. There is no heading, no scroll bar or anything else. Sometimes when I move the pointer to the bottom of the page it will scroll down. Tom

[AFJ]

AFJ,

I cannot replicate the problem on my iPhone. Can you tell me what page this is doing this on? Keep in mind, once you click to Merchandise, the Forum, or the pages to join AMCA that takes you away from this new site to other websites that work off the old platform. They will not work the same way as the rest of the website. Those websites are future projects this year with the Cornerstone side being first.

Keith

I don't think that it was a good idea to use Adobe Flash for the Chapter Map section for mobile units such as the iPhones - maybe the latest work with it but not older ones. Doesn't seem to work with some older Blackberry software as well.

On Mac laptops still running earlier versions of Safari the scroll bar on the right side of the screen is not very visible and the scroll wheel or touch pad may not work. Depending on what particular operating system is installed a switch to Firefox as a browser may solve the problem.

I note that in the Chapter Map section a number of the links to Chapter web sites are either broken, out of date or are not listed (perhaps non-existent?). This was a problem on the web site for some time.

While the new layout is "different" it looks like much of the text info is the same old stuff.

I was looking forwards to the site being partitioned in to a public information and promotion side and a "member's only" (password protected) side of the main pages (as well as the forum section). Apparently the revision of the page concentrated on "look" rather than anything else. Looks like it was rushed at the last minute to meet the "January deadline" and did not get a lot of testing.

And the front page top picture - What were they thinking??????????

AFJ

[c.o.]

Do you fellas have a dial on your mouse? I noticed that the scroll bar is a little stealthy but a roll of the dial has all working perfectly on this computer.

[bikerdds]

Keith, I also had trouble scrolling down the page. Marty