Welcome to the 2010 AnandTech Beta
by Anand Lal Shimpi on March 29, 2010 11:52 PM EST- Posted in
- Guides
That old design lasted us a long time, didn't it? :) Welcome to the 2010 AnandTech Beta. We've done a lot of updating behind the scenes as well as (obviously) on the front end.
Most obvious is the brand new look and feel. For a site that reviews the latest and greatest tech, we can't get by looking like we're still living in 2004. Now when the 80s make a comeback we'll be on top of that, you've got my word.
We've ditched the left hand column, streamlined some of the ads and widened the content column. While each article will still give you a preview of 10 comments, we finally have an option to view all comments on each review page. Right now we've got this set to 50 comments per page but we'll be tweaking as need be. We're also cutting down on the number of page loads you'll encounter. In view all comments mode there's no page refreshing between comment pages. We'll be bringing this feature to more parts of the site in the future. User friendliness is our drug :)
The front page allows for both linking to our superlong articles as well as shorter stories that can just appear on the front page for quick scanning. By default the latest 5 articles will appear in the rotating carousel up top, but if something super interesting comes up we'll promote it up there (similar to what did on the old site). The expanded summaries on the front page will give you more insight into what it is we're talking about in the article before you ever click anything.
Tags are enabled but not in full effect just yet. We'll be beefing up search, comments (the return of ratings!), galleries, Bench, user profiles and site layout/color customization over the coming weeks. We're planning on this being a regularly updated thing so if you see anything that warrants our attention let us know.
It's not all about a pretty face though, we're still going to be publishing the content that you demand from us. If you haven't seen it, be sure to read Ryan's GeForce GTX 480 & GTX 470 Review. And I'm commemorating today with a new SSD article addressing one of the longest running questions you've been asking: how do SSDs perform in RAID?
As always, thank you for your support over the years and for reading the site. It's been a pleasure to be able to write for you all over the past 13 years. Thank you guys for giving me and all of us the opportunity to do just that. If you haven't been able to tell by now, I love writing this stuff - and you all make it possible.
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ScorcherDarkly - Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - link
Whoa...I like it.Sebec - Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - link
I kind of liked the old design better, where you could see the most recent article headlines all at once, rather than having to scroll. I find it to be a hassle. Also the giant banner ad right above the AnandTech logo looks rather tacky.Makaveli - Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - link
I didn't even notice the banner Firefox and ad block :PBut ya I agree the placement could be better so much unused space on the left and right side of the screen maybe you could move it there.
boobtoober - Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - link
Yo, if you like this site you should consider whitelisting it. You're not supporting Anandtech by running Adblock...erple2 - Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - link
Does the site get revenues from viewed ads, or from clicked on ads? That's something that only Anand and company can really answer. In which case, is a blocked ad worse than a non-clicked ad?I suspect that the answer is "a bit of both". I suspect that ads that are shown are worth some small amount, ads that are clicked on are worth more, and ads that lead to a "sale" are worth even more.
that is all pure speculation, however.
Anand Lal Shimpi - Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - link
First and foremost, the most important part is that you support the site by reading the content. I appreciate everyone who does that. So, thank you :)The majority of our ads are not paid for on a per click basis, it's per view. The more views we can offer, the more appealing we are to advertisers. We have strict policies against popups or other obnoxious ads. If there's ever something you see that really bothers you, please email me directly with a screengrab and I'll take a look at it (anand@anandtech.com).
The choice to block ads is entirely up to you. Regardless of whether or not you do, I still value you tremendously as a reader. It helps us if you don't but I understand the reason why some do. It's your choice but I value you the same regardless of your decision :)
Take care,
Anand
BZDTemp - Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - link
Nice no BS answer I can respect. I always though that only ad click really counted but since it is not so I'm gonna whitelist anandtech right away. (does this mean I get more say with regards to the new design - just kidding).Voo - Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - link
That's a great response but as a fellow reader I really think deactivating Adblock is one small way to help such an awesome site and I personally think that's very much worth it.totenkopf - Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - link
Wow. I appreciate such a stand-up, honest approach. By the way, classy place you run here, Anand. I also like the new look. I loved being able to see all the latest articles without having to scroll, but realistically, I'm here everyday so it's not all that necessary. I'll make sure to give ol' Anandtech a plug everytime I get the chance. Thanks for everything, guy!ptrinh1979 - Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - link
I thought about that space on the left and right too, until my gut instinct told me it could be there because the site would also need to accommodate users who may not be viewing the site on a widescreen device, or those who may not have their browser window maximized (windows 7 winkey+left/right arrow). So i tried both scenarios - I thought the site looked really good in both scenarios - no wasted space on the left or right sides.