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Cigar Box Nation Redesign

Hello everyone,

I wanted to let you know that we are working on a redesign of Cigar Box Nation's look and feel (known as its "theme" or "skin". Basically, this means the banner, the colors, how the different content boxes look, etc. This current theme has been in place for several years now, and was never all that great to begin with (I know, because I'm the one that came up with it), so it is definitely time for an update.

The core functionality that makes up Cigar Box Nation is not changing, only the way it looks on your computer screen. You'll still be able to upload photos and vids, browse groups, post forum topics and comments, update your own pages, take part in the chat, etc.

We are working with a professional Ning theme developer on this project (you can see some of her Ning design porfolio here if you want), with a goal of making the overall site look much cleaner, and more modern, while still retaining a "vintagey" feel that is in keeping with cigar box guitars.

The Cigar Box Nation logo (star/upraised fist/CBG) will be kept. We will also be making sure to keep some of the key stuff on the front page that you all love so much (Photo slideshow, Videos, Top Content, Forums, Groups). We are going to be working hard to make it easier to nagivate the site in general though, especially for newer users. So the main menu is going to be revamped and some other navigational aids added.

My hope is that the end result of all of this will be a much better looking and easier-to-use website. I am sure there will be some bumps in the road, and I know that not everyone will like every change. This process of having a professional, modern theme developed is not cheap, but I think it is an investment very much worth making.

Feel free to post comments and discuss all of this. I'll do my best to reply as possible.

Ben "C. B. Gitty" Baker

18 members like this

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by the anonymous pick on May 27, 2015 at 8:53am

with the success of this site , it deserves a makeover and spa treatment ;-)

and we thank you for your efforts and costs in making things smoother for us .

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on May 27, 2015 at 9:01am

Fingers crossed, good luck wishes and hoorays. I led redevelopment of my last company website and it is a mountainous task that is always well past due when initiated and further past due when completed. I'm looking forward to seeing the update. :)

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Permalink Reply by Ben "C. B. Gitty" Baker on May 27, 2015 at 9:06am

Making any serious changes to a site like this, with so many members and a long history, is always tricky. We don't want to upset long-term users, but want to make it as easy as possible for newer users to feel comfortable getting around the site.

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Permalink Reply by Slowpaw Steve T on May 27, 2015 at 9:19am

yes change is good - best of luck with the work Ben, i liked the last change and everybody soon got used to it ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Greg Thompson on May 27, 2015 at 10:54am

Never a bad idea to refresh. We'll adapt quickly. Good luck with the process.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 27, 2015 at 11:22am

Ben,

You own it, you go right ahead. We'll either evolve, adapt, or die. Hopefully, the redesign will make things easier to Search and Find, as well as provide some much-needed re-categorization. Gardens need mulching and trimming.

Plus, loopy new page themes and vibrant colors await once Happy Elephant fun ball has been entering. Express multiple enjoyment for your indescribable business attempts! Aardvark says, "Go, Voyager!"

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Permalink Reply by Ben "C. B. Gitty" Baker on May 27, 2015 at 12:07pm

I'll trade you a $100 C. B. Gitty gift card for whatever it is you took a toke of before writing that second paragraph!

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 28, 2015 at 6:45pm

Chinglish. Read any English-Chinese-English multiple-retranslated electronic device user manual produced in the last 20 years.

But I'll take the gift card. ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Mark Lindsay on June 2, 2015 at 6:43am

Or go to the Bad Translator online. You enter any text (up to 250 characters) and hit Translate. Bad Translator then translates the text from one language to another at least 10 times. For example...

Original text:

"Cigar Box Nation"

...10 translations later, Yandex gives us:

"A pack of cigarettes state"

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Permalink Reply by TN Twang on June 2, 2015 at 7:09am

Tried it. Cute idea.

Looks like the translations stay reasonable until it is translated in and out of Chinese--where it gets garbled because metaphors and similes don't work. Maybe that explains why we in the US have such problems with Chinese-made products. ne c'est pas?