Lee, you mentioned

Bill, Right-on.
I received a post back to me by Cindi Hayes (M).
Cindi did not like me critisizing CNET for Bad Ads (Pop-Ups) and lousy forum formats concerning really bad typography and design. Did you receive a cryptic message from her also because of your posts?
I was being polite to her.

I have log-in problems daily for the last nine months. No one gives a dam! Cannot log in! Have to go to the latest CNET Newsletter and follow the links to any forum. DURR!

Send a post to Lee Koos. Most are not answered.

Our Forum Design. Not good.

Make a suggestion to Lee: Not answered.

One good thing still is present: Some Moderators and a great deal of members that care!

Thanks for your post Bill,

Kevin Smith

But then I can just imagine how many he must receive daily

I had reason to communicate with Lee several years ago and received all replys. Its been a while but I did communicate with him in January and he did respond to my email.

The new profile layout/design is great! It's a dead-on match for the latest version of the graphicly enhanced Cnet homepage. I can't wait for it to completely replace the current setup.

However, will the ''final version'' have some of the same limitations on the amount of content you can display? For instance, the old setup allowed for a total of 2900 characters, while the new accepts only 1550 (almost cut in half). (Right now the ''imported'' profile character limits remain in effect, but the new limits cut the profile off if you try to edit it in the ''new format'' instead of the old/current one.) Also, the new divisions, although creative and more personal, limit what one could say about a particular topic. (Half of my computer configuration is cut off for room to write ''I primarilly use technology for''...a catagory I'd never use, though many would find refreshing.)

Is it possible to have a total character limit and let each user divide it among the different ''categories'' as he/she wants? That's the biggest/only change I'd like to see in the ''new version.''

Thanks for listening,
John


P.S. Is Cnet cutting out the "email member" option...I didn't see it available in the new layout?

John, do not hold your breath fo the new version.

Kevim

regarding CNET, some of the links you provided were community services that ZDNET had for years that CNET acquired when it purchased ZDNET. There were many others including hotfiles.com and gamespot.com and the original university type online classes that ZDNET offered that are no longer around since CNET made the buy.

Donwload.com merged its database with hotfiles, but did away completely with keeping the files on the CNET site and saved huge dollars by eliminating the dispatchers and most of the reviewers when that happened and no longer has the ability to test and virus protect the files available as they are all linked directly to the author site for the download and there is no longer any control over what the author or some hacker does to those files. That's why there is no longer the coveted 'star' rating for the programs.....the downloader carries the risk for the file even when download.com recommends it.

The on-line 'how to' "classes" you offer now are free, but are quite limited in what you learn compared to what ZDNET used to offer in its subscription only university classes. It's kind of like a 'lite' version of programs that come pre-installed with vendor computers now. I would think that offering on-line classes that are more detailed but charged for would be beneficial again to CNET. Has anybody considered going that route?

Gamespot.com has two flavors of registration...free with limitations in the forums and charged for that gives you extra goodies such as demo downloads, etc. Has anything been considered to having the computer help forums also be split that way? Free for most things, but charged for more detailed or one-on-one tech help?

The unfortunate part of our end, Lee, is that we no longer have access to the people who actually write and service the CNET sites like we did with Chris Faust. We aren't asked for advice on what to offer as priorities PRIOR to new software being implemented like we used to be....now we're asked AFTER the fact and nobody at 'your' end pays any attention to that advice because what we get is what we end up having to get used to even if it's broken and inefficient.

This is the third software change that nobody has listened to us about.....and it hasn't gotten any better as it progressed forward. It's only gone backwards from what we used to have. And the only thing we are ever told is that changes will happen, be patient, and there are other priorities. If nobody is paying any attention to the USERS for this software, how can you guys figure out the priorities of what we really NEED and not what you think we either should have or get used to? All you guys have to do is take a look around at OTHER forums, and it would be fairly simple to understand what we need because we've been saying the same things over and over and over.....and we're ignored over and over and over.

I'm not saying it's your fault, Lee......I'm saying that as long as we can't talk to the people who are actually servicing the software, nothing will change no matter how much you try to sugarcoat it because they are like the kids hiding under a blanket on the bed. If they can't see you, you aren't there.

TONI

What about a larger font size with preview that Lee was going to address six months ago? Still the same crappy Arial typography and small point size.
I hope eveyone remembers what I said?
?If it isn't broken, don't fix it!?
Same old, same old about fixing it. The older version was much better.

Kevin

the users system. The font size on my two computers, one with a 17 inch CRT and 17 inch LCD in dual monitor mode, didn't change noticeably at all.

The continued yelling about the font size seems to come from the same computers, such as Wayne Hardy.

I am not saying that they are incorrect, or that they shouldn';t mention it, but that possibly CNET can't fix it for everybody from their end.

I also know that had my font size changed, Iwould fix it with no effort.

All of my monitors are running at 1240 X 1024.

All community properties on CNET.com use this font size, not just the forums.

Take a look around you Kevin (look at CNET.com as a whole--the big picture) you'll notice that the font size that we use in the forum is like those across our entire site.

I can't over-ride the CNET site standards. If this was my own site then that's a different story. But in this case...again let me repeat--it's NOT my call.

Maybe you don't understand this, but CNET is company of over 2,000+ employees, not a website that's run by a dozen or so people. There are calls that I can make and there are calls that I have absolutely no say in it. And this is one of them.

When we first launched the redesign of the forums, it was true that the fonts on thread tree were difficult to read, so we adjusted it by bolding it. Now it is much better (maybe not to your standards.) As far as increasing the font size?sorry, it isn't going to happen.

If you are having a difficult time reading the fonts my suggestion would be to adjust your browser settings to increase the font size.

If you can't accept the font size that is presented on our site and really can't stand our ads, etc? I really don't know what else to tell you? except that visiting this site or any other site is really your own choice.

-Lee

Press and hold the CTRL key and either move the wheel on your mouse a notch or two up or down or hold the CTRL key and use the PLUS/MINUS keys to do the same thing for people with no wheel on the mouse. Once you do that, all sites you visit will have that same size text until/unless you adjust it again.

The nice part is that it can be done on the fly without changing anything in the browser settings or in the toolbar, and once you get it the size you want it stays that way even with forum software changes that might change it again.

TONI

Toni, Hello again. I am on a Mac and cannot do what you suggested. Any thought on how to move the image closer on a Mac? Love to hear about this imaging.
By the way, you and the crew from your group are my favorite ?GUYS.? Always will be.

Now, only if the Board of Directors from CNET finally approved an increase in point size from 6 point to 10 point in Arial font, that would be good.

Toni, any shareholder stocks anywhere? Any corporate reports?
Did you know that it is illegal to print out a corporate financial report in anything under ten point type face.(MA)
Never knew that? TRUE! Ask about this.
Ask any Advertising/Marketing Agency, Printer, Professional Designer or Attorney about this. Interesting.

Why is CNET in six point sceen size on the preview mode?
Wonder why?

Kevin

Thanks Toni. Peter also clued me in.

Kevin

Lee, Got the message from you load and clear. Out of your hands! Really don't believe it and never will.
How can you believe that! (The Big Picture)
Someone gave you a bunch of BS. Of course you can change anything you want to unless that CNET could store on their hard drive and fonts that have only Arial in 6-point size stored on the server. That does not happen ever! Does not compute and someone is giving you the wrong report.
Figures!
Better have your supervisors view these forums and updates.

A lot of us are unhappy.
Not a good change and a step backward in my opinion. Not alone on this one. It is not just my thoughts.

Lee, Go back to the drawing board on this one and you have been misinformed by CNET.
If you believe their report, want to buy the Brooklyn Bridge?
I have it for sale and the contract is printed out in minus-two point type. Do you have a magnifying glass!

Here is what you said to your post to me:
?If you can't accept the font size that is presented on our site and really can't stand our ads, etc? I really don't know what else to tell you? except that visiting this site or any other site is really your own choice.?

Thanks, Lee, that is really what I really did not want to hear from CNET.
Normally, Lee, you are politically correct and never say too much? However, you have really screwed up on this post to all of CNET!

By the way, Lee, you have just sent you thoughts out to the entire world on this one? Choice? Don't like it? The heck with you! The choice is yours. Don't come here if you don?t like it! That's what I perceive of your post.
Think about that and what you posted.

Kevin Smith

Cursercowboy, Well said? I really don't know right now? Wish others expressed their oppions and thoughts. Would help! I really feel like I am wasting my time by myself.
So frustrating trying to communicate to Lee and the CNET when we can't even communicate with the individuals involved either. Who are they?
Corporate directors in charge of Internet Design?
They are the ones to dictate to Lee saying that our policy is to only have six point Arial in your Forum Page? BS!

Thanks, Kevin

bursted some time ago. They used to have three people handling the forums, now one guy part time and overwhelmed and probably with more interesting assignments.

As for the font size, that's ridiculous, simply read the post that Toni made above this.

Due to the fact that I had set mine by this method, I now know why my font size didn't change one bit when the forum changed theirs. Why not just set it that way and find something else to complain about in these free forums where Moderators get zero pay.

I don't doubt a bit that if they had the money to hire you and pay you, the changes would be implemented immediately.

the problem with fonts. I have not been aware that the CNet/ZDNet fonts changes for the past 6 years and I login almost daily. The only exception may have been for a few days when this last system update came about, but it was apparently corrected.

Have checked my other old Win98se computer and the fonts of CNet is still the same as they were 6 years ago with ZDNet.

Type in the address:
http://www.cnet.com/

In the left margin under "CNet Tools" click on "CNet forums"

Bookmark (Favorites) the URL which is:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-7600_7-5565323-1.html?tag=cnetfd.dir

Click on to the forum desired.
If your computer can't do that it is sick and not the fault of CNet as my WinXP, Win98se, and WinMe computers will get the forums very easy.

John, No problem at all. We are talking about the font size and stye in preview mode. Font size was larger before and in a different style with the preview image. Today it is in the font Arial, similar to Helvetica designed years ago.
Most people are not aware and never notice. Designers will and certain Moderators will notice also. Really was an old discussion six months ago. Tool bars was on that discussion as to the color. Tracking a discussion was also mentioned.
John, what is the best internet site that you can think of and why do you you think so? Check out the size and style of fonts also on that site compared to this message body style on CNET. Notice the difference?
Adobe.com has their one of their own Adobe fonts and it is really unique and very good.

Thanks for your interest and post.

Kevin

the text in these CNet posts seems to be in 10 point on my computer and in maybe 6 point where it indicates ''Posted by:'' and the date time in 8 point. Gee, I may be wrong, but that is what they appear to me using Word Pad as a guide, but my Word Pad only goes down to 8 point in Arial. I keyed in
http://www.adobe.com/
It sure looks to me like they are using 6 point at their home page.

CNet forums are my favorites, and of course larger type is always welcome, but I'm able to get along reading...anything in the internet so far, but have to use a mag glass or 1x power reading glasses to read some magazines, and all the fine print on those game boxes that show minimum/maximum computer requirements and some of the instruction pamphlets.

The 'also' on how to get to the forums was a reply to your above:
''I have log-in problems daily for the last nine months. No one gives a dam! Cannot log in! Have to go to the latest CNET Newsletter and follow the links to any forum. DURR!''

Regards,
JR

Deep subject, John.
You must be worlds ahead of me with your ten point windoz view. I only have a Macintosh system. Only shows what is true.
How do you increase the font size from six point to ten point using Windoz while viewing CNET?
Please send a cc to Lee. He does not have a clue to your IT solution either.
John, go to CNET FORUMS/Graphics you will find about point sizes. There is another forum called Web Design. That forum deals with issues on the subject as well. I am personally not into web design. Leave that up to the experts.

Adobe.com fonts are not just six point as well as CNET is just six point either. We both know better than that.

My favorite Moderators? Bob Proffitt, Toni, Joe.
Have I left anyone out, I am sorry. It is 2:00am and late.

My favorite Poster? Mrmacfixit, the most savy person out there, both for Mac and PC.

Thanks for your post John,

Kevin

Perhaps you should get off your Mac/Apple and trot on down somewhere to use a IBM class Personal Computer. Did I say I increased my point size to 10 in CNet?
I never said I, ''....increase the font size from six point to ten point using Windoz while viewing CNET?'' Guess you didn't read Toni's post or others on how to do that with a PC. I dislike anyone twisting my words, and especially so they can take a shot at someone (Lee).

My 19'' monitor is set at 800x600 pixels for viewing text as recommended by CNet and most internet sites. Again, I do not have a problem with the size of print with the CNet forums or with viewing just about anything on the internet even at my age.

If you cannot see that the print size is smaller at the home page of the Adobe site you gave, than the print of this text I writing, then it is either your Mac/Apple, or you need to change optometrist, or spend some time on the couch with your therapists.

Can't do that on my Mac or how Toni suggested on the PC. I love to hear from Toni. She is really one of my ?guys? that I pay particular attention to. I am on a Mac as I had told you before. Cannot do what she suggested. Wish I could.

I can view any point size there is on a screen. My original issue was with the change of font and size.

John, I am not taking a shot against Lee. Lee explained it before. His hands are tied. Corporate RULES!
I originally thought that Lee could change anything. Now, that I know more about the situation, I owe Lee an apology.

I will post that to Lee.
As far as this discussion leads to, I will not post back. Enough is enough.

Kevin