Hi Everyone!
As you can see, AlpineZone has undergone a major redesign; probably THE biggest redesign in its 14 years on the Interwebs. The vBulletin 4 updates that happened a few weeks ago were a necessary precurser to deploying the new forum theme that you see today.
We decided to focus on a redesign for a few reasons:
For the Forum side, very little is going to change. There are two new styles available to you, as well as two traditional styles. AlpineZone fixed is now the default style.
You can change your style easily by selecting from here:
It would be really useful if you guys could report any issues with the site that you encounter. I am working to update all the links with redirects to make sure that anyone coming to AZ will be directed to the correct pages, but if you see somethign busted, let me know.
I do have some work already to finish migrating over the Gear store that existed previously; as well as the Lodging section that lets you book hotel rooms. I should have those done in the next few weeks.
Obviously, we chose to perform this implementation during the summer months when traffic on the site is down. But we believe this redesign is a big step forward in making the site easier to read and navigate, and also to encourage new member registrations!
Hope you guys like it!
As you can see, AlpineZone has undergone a major redesign; probably THE biggest redesign in its 14 years on the Interwebs. The vBulletin 4 updates that happened a few weeks ago were a necessary precurser to deploying the new forum theme that you see today.
We decided to focus on a redesign for a few reasons:
- 1. Make site navigation easier and more intuitive - previously, navigation used to be in the center of the page; while content was on the perimeters. Once you were within the site, there wasn't always an easy way to find your way around within AlpineZone itself. The new design has a clear breadcrumb system and drop down menus that are organized like before; but with more detail. The home page itself now contains new information from around the site; including the newest news articles, trip reports, forum topics, and more.
- 2. Make the site render better - AlpineZone is being accessed in more ways than ever before. Mobile phones, tablets, netbooks, macbooks, and regular PC's with a huge variety in monitor size. The old design was static and
- 3. Make the site easier to update and maintain - The new site is on a great system to easily deploy, change, and update content on the site, particularly in the news sections, making it significantly easier to get out information.
- 4. Make advertising less obtrusive - You will notice the header ads are now "above the fold" and the forums are higher up, bringing content up quicker.
For the Forum side, very little is going to change. There are two new styles available to you, as well as two traditional styles. AlpineZone fixed is now the default style.
- AlpineZone Fixed - this is the style you see right now. It has a fixed width layout.
- AlpineZone Fluid - if you prefer a full-width experience, you can change to this layout. It's identical to Fixed except the content stretches the entire way across the screen.
- Retro Winter - This is the theme that most closely mirrors the way AlpineZone used to look during the winter
- Retro Summer - The same as winter, but with the summer colors applied
You can change your style easily by selecting from here:
It would be really useful if you guys could report any issues with the site that you encounter. I am working to update all the links with redirects to make sure that anyone coming to AZ will be directed to the correct pages, but if you see somethign busted, let me know.
I do have some work already to finish migrating over the Gear store that existed previously; as well as the Lodging section that lets you book hotel rooms. I should have those done in the next few weeks.
Obviously, we chose to perform this implementation during the summer months when traffic on the site is down. But we believe this redesign is a big step forward in making the site easier to read and navigate, and also to encourage new member registrations!
Hope you guys like it!