Dick and Harold -- Dick -- I agree with your thoughts on providing the full dataset on member information that was available under the old site. On your point about animation...how much bandwidth is the rotating graphics you cite consuming? I did a check, using the rotating graphics on the homepage...each of the 4 graphics are about 65-kB large. That's a total of 240-kB for all the images, and then some code that causes the browser to rotate through them. Seems like very little overhead on bandwidth and memory for that particular function. Or is there something else in particular that you've found on a particular page that's being a bandwidth/memory hog? Harold -- here's something interesting I'd like to know. It was mentioned that the site has been set up with Google Analytics for tracking site usage. We on the Board certainly DON'T need access to that data, but I would be interested in you or Katie providing stats on how many people use dialup these days. Google Analytics provides that information under their "Connection speeds" section, and you can vary the timeline in which data is provided (i.e. from website launch until the present). My personal ham site (not my Division website) which serves as a resource for hams across New Mexico had 10,528 visits over the past year (Jun 09-Jun 10) according to Google Analytics. Of that total, 2.6% used dialup. Based only on my data for only my site, I can't be overly concerned to the point of making functionality *just* for 2.6% (or removing a feature that the other 97.4% enjoy just because the mere 2.6% can't) when technology continues its furious march forward and bandwidth continues to get cheaper and easier to obtain by the day. It would be interesting to see ARRL's stats to measure the true significance (or lack thereof) of those who use dialup in 2010. 73, Brian N5ZGT On Fri, 4 Jun 2010, dick@pobox.com wrote:
4 JUN 2010 - 1702 CDT
Hello Harold...
I'm glad to see some progress being made on the problems with volunteer (unpaid) leadership access to database information and other support services via our new web site.
I don't know if anybody else has complained about the reduction of the content of the ARRL membership database that is accessible via the new web site. However, I specifically want all of the membership information that was available via the old web site restored. It is much easier to help a member fix a problem with his membership data, if one can see the data and how its access is configured.
NEW ITEM:
This is a different, but very important, item that affects anybody trying to access the new web site via a slow-speed Internet connection. I want a button installed on at least the ARRL web site home page that allows the user to shut down (and restore) all animation for that connection. Animation is a bandwidth expense for both our web site and the user at the other end of the circuit. With a slow connect speed, the bandwidth "overhead" can make the connection worthless.
If it is not practical to provide individual control of connection animation, it should be eliminated. Appearance and video animation are nice. But it should not be allowed to get in the way of content delivery. Our new web site appears to ignore the KISS principle and this is a growing source of disappointment, disgust, and even anger for a significant percentage of ARRL members.
- Dick Isely, W9GIG
ARRL Director, Rocky Mountain Division On the web at www.RockyMountainDivision.org