The Daniel Collection - website update

Ok, I'll bite...

I think that the collection is very impressive. But, I don't like at all the non-intuitive implementation of scrolling on the site. For me it is awkward to use, slow and hard to get the list to stop scrolling where I want it. Maybe that is just me, though.

Bill

No it isn't just you, I find it irritating and annoying too. What's wrong with plain old ordinary scroll bars that everybody knows how to use?

Bill & Alun

Thanks for the comments - as you both seem to find the site irritating and annoying I have a radical solution which can be immediately implemented - tailored to the individual too.

Dont visit again - clearly it is not suited to you.

There - a customised response to an expressed problem. Thanks for taking the time and a Happy New Year to you.

Jonathon

*PLONK*

Hmmmmm......

I thought that you were interested in constructive comments. Obviously you weren't -- you were just saying that you were. Why is that?

Bill

Ah. Apparently constructive feedback is *not* welcomed. Congratulations on telling scores of people who might have actually visited your site to bugger off.

todd

Todd

Dont recall actually using the language "bugger off" but clearly this sits more comfortably with you which tells me more than I need to know

- thanks for this clarification. Perhaps the answer is password access

- or country restrictions. To all the "scores" of people you allude to - visit or dont, but dont be swayed by others' opinions, make you own mind up. To those of you who do visit - most of whom are known names in this area of art - I say "Happy New Year" and hope that, knowing me, you read this string with wry amusement. Interesting how quickly something deteriorates into such an unconstructive thread - one of the reasons I rarely bother posting to groups. Perhaps the world of wood turning is so flush with collectors that you feel comfortable in your language - after all what is one less person who would otherwise seek your work out.

Wow, my first plonk of the new year.

What kind of yahoo spams a usenet group, asks for opinions, then gets annoyed upon receiving them? They weren't even rude or obnoxious, just blunt.

I would have been interested, but am certainly not going to go to this site and risk sending ad revenue to this twit.

Mike Patterson Please remove the spamtrap to email me. "I always wanted to be somebody...I should have been more specific..." - Lily Tomlin

A nice site. I think it would benefit visitors if there was a little more information about yourselves, and each of the woodturners featured.

I agree somewhat with the comments about scrolling, the biggest problem being the direction of the arrows seems wrong. It's a bit like driving a car with a steering wheel that needs to be turned left to go right:) It is nice though not to have an ugly scroll bar stuck in the middle of the page.

What magazine was your collection featured in? Is it available on line anywhere?

Mike

"Yahoo", "plonk" - what planet are you on? Or are you just Lilliputian? Spamming? This would imply an offer to buy? Check facts first perhaps? Hmm ad-revenue. Wonder where that little gem came from! Ad-revenue from a privately owned, run site - please tell me how to generate some and perhaps I can stop running this at a loss. UK collector, one of only 2-3 serious collections this side of the pond

- sharing collection with those interested and perhaps wasting my time.

We are well known by The Woodturning Centre and Albert LeCoff (you do know where this is dont you), many US galleries, the AWGB (same applies) and many other turners whose names WILL be known. All in all a highly entertaining and instructive thread.

And twit - hmm books and covers Mr Patterson. Another turner not to bother with when we visit the US.

Derek

Thanks for the post. We deliberately omit information about ourselves for security reasons mainly - and also to focus on the wood which is what the site is really about. Experience has shown us, to date at least, that those who want to meet us either visit (by prior appointment when, contrary to the view you might pick up from this thread, they are made welcome and usually given a meal) or when at a show, get someone they do know (Stuart Mortimer, Mark Hancock, Mark Baker etc) to introduce them. However quite happy to enter into private correspondence - just use the email link from the site. Perhaps we can correspond without some of the nonsense evident above. You have correctly determined the reason a scroll bar was excluded from the middle of the page as it would have been both disproportionate in size and style - including an iFrame style. In passing, few realise the complexity of the site, using as it does multi-layers, absolute positioning etc etc. To your last question - the collection was featured in Woodturining (copies of the article appear in the site) and more recently in the Financial Times' "How to Spend it" weekend mag however we have not yet got permission to include the FT article on the site.

Ok. At the risk of being flamed, or dis-invited, as other have already been, here goes....

First off, thank you for your work in displaying the talents of these amazing artists to the world. I appreciate your efforts and your support of woodturning through your collecting, photography and obvious love of turned wood.

The splash screen at the beginning is a nice change from the ubiquitous Flash movie. It still isn't necessary or particularly useful, but at least it is a nice image, tells the visitor what is inside and how to get there. If you changed the image each time a visitor arrived (from your secret-password approved list or non-restricted country), which is easily done, it would be a lot more interesting.

I understand that you want absolute control over how your site displays, but the level of control you are shooting for is not so easily accomplished, especially with a complex site such as this. Recommending a browser and a resolution setting is not a legitimate alternative to the hard work of getting your fairly complex site to style correctly in all popular browsers. Like it or not, many studies have shown that most people browse about 800 pixels wide, regardless of the size of their monitor, and will not resize just because you want them to. The more common choice is to immediately go somewhere else with their next mouse click. If you want everyone to get the most out of your site (and comments like "Dont visit again - clearly it is not suited to you." might point out that you do not), it is up to you to make sure that it displays properly or degrades gracefully... and yours, unfortunately, does not.

Your photographs are very nicely done. Disabling the right-click feature, however, smacks of pettyness. You've already displayed the photos, appropriately, at fairly small size and resolution, limiting the desire to steal. Better (in my opinion) than not allowing others to share them would be to have an inobtrusive copyright statement with the name of the photographer tucked into a corner. Yes, I know that these can usually be stripped out easily by a graphics processor, but most of the interested would just keep the images or at worst simply repost them, letting the world know forever more who took that amazing photo. I am also assuming that you have the permission of the artists to photograph and display their work in this restrictive fashion. I find it fascinating that the web sites of the artists listed in your links page do not disable right-click saving of the photos of their work - but you do.

Some of the gallery links (such as Laura Ponting) do not function correctly. Since I have not checked all of them, you might want to check the links throughout your site.

You need to spelll-chekc every single page of your site - and your emails for that matter.

Using non-standard design elements, such as the scroll arrows on your site, no matter how cool they are or how long long they took you to develop, are just that: non-standard. Non-standard navigational elements, in particular, confuse visitors and get them to leave faster than anything else. As has been pointed out by others, your scroll arrows seem to work opposite what I expected; this may be a cultural expectation and might be easy to remedy, if you are interested. I understand that you wanted something nicer than the standard scroll bars, and nicer ones do exist, as do page layouts that do not invite separate scolling in each frame (another "feature" you are using that is quickly, and appropriately, becoming rare) . Getting rid of the frames may, in fact, lead you to better, more attractive page layouts that are easier to maintain and style across your site. You have already received, and chosen to riducule, feedback that your site navigation is not working well. Fixing it is your choice.

An online reference that you may find useful:

Don't be put off by the name, it is a very useful site if studied with an open mind and a sincere desire to improve your web authoring skills. Pay particular attention to the secions on Mystery Meat Navigation. Have a Happy New Year, Jonathon I hope your 2005 brings you amazing finds for your collection. Michael Latcha - at home in Redford, MI

Sorry, I missed it before. I didn't realise the thumnails were clickable because the mouse pointer doesn't change shape when I mouse over. A very interesting article.

One question that you might like to add to your FAQ: Why did you start collecting woodturning?

...snip> > To your last question - the collection was featured in Woodturining

It seems that the above might be interpreted as a criticism by our thin-skinned web designer

-- I hope that you are not one of those who is going to be banished from the site forever or at least told to stay away.

Bill

Oh dear Bill. Get back in your pram and someone will return dolly to you!

Thanks Michael - reply sent off-list

Aspiring web designers like to feel like they're doing somethign "cool" or innovative. Usability out the window, they just want it to look good.

steve

Well "somethign" is perhaps the way you would write for a site Mr Wolfe but not my style. Not in any dictionary I can find. Or perhaps that is how you would articulate usability? Innovative and cool - hmm well perhaps if you are not familiar with layers and scrolling then yes. Then again perhaps you could educate me with examples of your "cool" work - a URL or two by way of return posting? Something a little more positive - and harder than cheap shots. Or would that be asking too much?