A new look to www.blondepoker.com........

[tikay]

I guess it's down to what people want to see. I would happily lose a few live updates to have a years diary from Peter, it would offer me so much more. That may be exclusive to me though and just a few others, which would make it a terrible decision for a website.

I can tell you guys are working your nuts off and a little frustrated and maybe a little lost, get yourselves together and have a team hug and redefine the blonde values that you started. It would also be a good idea for you all to stand back and take look at what you have achieved so far, it's an immense resource, a fantastic community and well on it's way to something big.

Keep your chins up.

Thank you.

But there, in a nutshell, we see the problem. We canvassed the Members a while back "what is the best thing about blonde?" (the Thread still exists somewhere) we asked. 80% said the Live Updates!

And yes, we do stand back & look at the bigger picture as often as we can, & yes, we have worked miracles in just over 2 yeras, & come a long way. But we have a very long way to go yet, & we all know it.

[Lee]

I hear ya TK, the only reliable way of finding out what the hell people want is to remove it and wait for the moans to have it reinstated - so frustrating.

If i walked around a shopping centre at 2pm on a Wednesday afternoon and asked "Do you think Job Seekers Allowance" should be scrapped, i would expect a different result to what i would get, if i surveyed the local office block full of people working.

Polls and surveys can be so hard to get a definitive answer from, but there is so little to use if they cannot be used.

As i said that point was probably exclusive to just me and a few others. A live update would never draw me to the home page, Peter's diary or someone similar would most definitely.

Perhaps it's time for a Blonde appreciation thread, keeps things on a level playing field then as threads like this can paint a untrue picture - which is unfair.

Tikay for prime minister and TightEnd as chancellor!

[tikay]

I hear ya TK, the only reliable way of finding out what the hell people want is to remove it and wait for the moans to have it reinstated - so frustrating.

If i walked around a shopping centre at 2pm on a Wednesday afternoon and asked "Do you think Job Seekers Allowance" should be scrapped, i would expect a different result to what i would get, if i surveyed the local office block full of people working.

Polls and surveys can be so hard to get a definitive answer from, but there is so little to use if they cannot be used.

As i said that point was probably exclusive to just me and a few others. A live update would never draw me to the home page, Peter's diary or someone similar would most definitely.

Perhaps it's time for a Blonde appreciation thread, keeps things on a level playing field then as threads like this can paint a untrue picture - which is unfair.

Tikay for prime minister and TightEnd as chancellor!

Thanks Lee.

Our Policy for the site is, naturally, dynamic, but at present we aspire to......

1) Have an interesting & informative Home Page, with fresh & varied content added daily.

2) Continue to improve the quality of the Live Updates, & keep them free-to-view. After The Irish Open next week, we are off to The Bellagio for the $25k World Championship. The Manchester GUKPT is next, we will be there, too. Expensive for us, & self-funded, but it's gotta be done. We'd struggle without our Forum Sponsors, DTD, though.

3) Keep the Forum strictly Modded, "no-flame" is our Policy, & we are determined to keep it that way. I get stick about the Forum from time to time, that's cool, but by Poker Fora standards in Europe, it is progressing well in terms of Traffic & Members. As to Forum content, again, I hear moans & groans, but that's self-fulfilling. If members want more interesting Threads, it's their Forum, they can start Threads which they find to their taste.

4) Grow bpc such that it pays for the entire Site. Until then, we need to pay the bills, so we encourage a little advertising from time to time.

Simple, really......or you'd think so!

[CRIPPIN]

I cannot think of a better poker forum....anywhere.

I like the homepage, the way the forums are categorised, the stories, articles....in fact the lot. It seems that there is a great community on here and whilst I'm sure that Lee is looking at it from a 'business' point of view, it is the 'down to earthiness' of the site that makes it so appealing.

Also, Live Updates, fantastic!! I'd love to see the viewing figures. Another site claimed to have the best live updates from Cardiff and their guy almost said it was a privilage to be in the building with the Blondes!!

So keep up the good work.

(I do however have some views/ideas about the blonde poker site and the issues that Tikay mentioned but that's not for public discussion, TK let me know if you are interested to hear.)

[tikay]

I cannot think of a better poker forum....anywhere.

I like the homepage, the way the forums are categorised, the stories, articles....in fact the lot. It seems that there is a great community on here and whilst I'm sure that Lee is looking at it from a 'business' point of view, it is the 'down to earthiness' of the site that makes it so appealing.

Also, Live Updates, fantastic!! I'd love to see the viewing figures. Another site claimed to have the best live updates from Cardiff and their guy almost said it was a privilage to be in the building with the Blondes!!

So keep up the good work.

(I do however have some views/ideas about the blonde poker site and the issues that Tikay mentioned but that's not for public discussion, TK let me know if you are interested to hear.)

Another site claimed to have the best live updates from Cardiff

Really? Well I'll just say that they must be good......! I could not be happier with what Jen's Update Team produce, or prouder of them all, & if someone is doing it better, good luck to them.

(I do however have some views/ideas about the blonde poker site and the issues that Tikay mentioned but that's not for public discussion, TK let me know if you are interested to hear.)

Yes please, always keen to hear. Not sure if you mean bpc, or the general site, but "shoot" please!

[CRIPPIN]

Tikay, you may have misunderstood me, the point was that the SITE claimed to be the best but their staff almost admitted that the Blondes were second to none, as they obviously are.

[tikay]

Tikay, you may have misunderstood me, the point was that the SITE claimed to be the best but their staff almost admitted that the Blondes were second to none, as they obviously are.

Thanks Mate. I was trying to agree in a way that was not derogatory to the other site.,....I think it's called "damning with faint praise".......!

[CRIPPIN]

apologies but my ability to 'read between the lines' has been numbed by the Fitou!!

[taximan007]

Live Updates are the dogs bo!!!

The Forum is without doubt the BEST i have EVER come across:

The Homepage, for a computer idiot like myself it tells me what i want/need to know.

I for one am happy

[kvnstv]

I know you all work hard and put a lot of yourself into your work, these are just my thoughts and I hope nobody takes it personal because you asked for opinions.

I'm to lazy to read all the other replies so I apologise for any repetition! To be honest I’m not a big fan of the homepage, over 75% of the home page is taken up by either the oversized blonde banner or advertising banners. Your homepage should be prime real estate with good links to the rest of the site. However on the Blonde home page  there’s a real lack of 'call to action' links and the one's that are there are hidden drop downs, also the sections on the main body of the page are not actionable and I think that’s a mistake. So you have Poker News/tournament diary/ online cardroom as headers then I really should be able to click on these headers, for instance I want to be able to click on the poker news header and see all the latest Poker News in one place in date posted order.

The forum needs to be the easiest place to navigate to as it’s your biggest asset and should be in its own category that you click on and visit instead of hidden away in the community section. Also you need to review the need for some of the other drop downs as I’m sure there not utilized often enough to warrant there profile. If you don’t have any navigation stats I can get you some software a friend of mine is developing which will assist in seeing what people actually view.   

I’m not a fan of the colour scheme either; when I read an online piece I want a nice easy read. So an easy on the eye white back ground with a mellow blue or black text, I like the verdana font but feel it’s a size too small.  I don’t like the articles section categories, they need to be better defined, general and tips and advice it’s too ambiguous. I don’t read many of the articles probable because the aforementioned reasons but also feel you need to better utilize and encourage blonde’s members to write for the site. I want to read about the big experiences of site members (say a first EPT) and also have a regular flow of the latest news with some humour chucked in as well. I just think it needs a better mix.

Whenever I feel the need to review what I’m doing I take a look at the biggest and the best and try to learn from the way they do things. Take a look at Amazon for navigation ideas, they spend millions on there designs, as for news and article take a look at the BBC. If you differ enough then you probable need to take a look at your approach.

[tikay]

I know you all work hard and put a lot of yourself into your work, these are just my thoughts and I hope nobody takes it personal because you asked for opinions.

I'm to lazy to read all the other replies so I apologise for any repetition! To be honest I’m not a big fan of the homepage, over 75% of the home page is taken up by either the oversized blonde banner or advertising banners. Your homepage should be prime real estate with good links to the rest of the site. However on the Blonde home page  there’s a real lack of 'call to action' links and the one's that are there are hidden drop downs, also the sections on the main body of the page are not actionable and I think that’s a mistake. So you have Poker News/tournament diary/ online cardroom as headers then I really should be able to click on these headers, for instance I want to be able to click on the poker news header and see all the latest Poker News in one place in date posted order.

The forum needs to be the easiest place to navigate to as it’s your biggest asset and should be in its own category that you click on and visit instead of hidden away in the community section. Also you need to review the need for some of the other drop downs as I’m sure there not utilized often enough to warrant there profile. If you don’t have any navigation stats I can get you some software a friend of mine is developing which will assist in seeing what people actually view.   

I’m not a fan of the colour scheme either; when I read an online piece I want a nice easy read. So an easy on the eye white back ground with a mellow blue or black text, I like the verdana font but feel it’s a size too small.  I don’t like the articles section categories, they need to be better defined, general and tips and advice it’s too ambiguous. I don’t read many of the articles probable because the aforementioned reasons but also feel you need to better utilize and encourage blonde’s members to write for the site. I want to read about the big experiences of site members (say a first EPT) and also have a regular flow of the latest news with some humour chucked in as well. I just think it needs a better mix.

Whenever I feel the need to review what I’m doing I take a look at the biggest and the best and try to learn from the way they do things. Take a look at Amazon for navigation ideas, they spend millions on there designs, as for news and article take a look at the BBC. If you differ enough then you probable need to take a look at your approach.

Great feedback, thank you. We continue to want, & listen to, the Members feedback.

I shall leave my better-qualified colleagues to comment on the design points - it's all above my head - the internet is still new to me.