Not Happy

[mamadeb]

I really *like* the XColiber site design for LJ. I've used it for years. I like the mouseovers. I think it's clean and elegant.

So I'm not happy that I just had to switch to Dystopia, which I don't like as well.

Is there somewhere on LJ for user complaints? Because I can't find it.

Comments

[brak666.livejournal.com]

I'm confused. Why did you have to change? Personally, I can't stand XColiber. Pretty much for all the reasons you like it.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Which means you haven't seen it.

They've made it holiday themed. Which means a fireplace, stockings, a tree and Santa.

And an entirely inappropriate menorah.

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

there's got to be a way you can customize the art out of the thing. any second now i bet cmshaw will be in here to help! :-)

in the meantime, i'd recommend opening a support ticket recommending that they make the holiday-theme stuff optional.

[gryphons-lair.livejournal.com]

It's not just that layout. It shows up on my Infopage, too, though not on my main page.

I think it's replacing the default LJ banner for the month.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Thank you. That's what I did.

I'm pretty sure it's not going to be answered.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Yes. It's the XColiber site them.

Which is why I had to change it.

[brak666.livejournal.com]

Well, I can see why you don't want that. Though, I have to say if I wasn't using Dystopia already I'd switch now. Above and beyond your very legitimate reasons for not wanting it, it's also pretty damn hideous.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

That's also true. If they'd gone with a more elegant picture, I don't know if I'd be as bothered. Or just a pretty winter scene. Which would have fit the site theme.

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

i've never had a support request go completely unanswered. worst i ever got was, after a couple of days i came up with my own workaround, so that by the time they got around to answering it (a week later) the problem no longer existed. i explained to them why they weren't able to observe the issue -- because i'd got tired of waiting for them to fix it, and done it myself -- and closed the ticket without credit.

[ratcreature]

Yeah that banner is not their best design work, and I actually don't mind Christmas decorations as such. If you're using an adblocker in firefox you could just block that specific picture in your browser, then you just see a blue bar without a logo, but all the other pictures from the LJ server remain visible. I like XColiber, but after a day I've had enough of that logo too.

[tpau]

i kept wondering what i nthe world everyone was talking about, but then i loggedout and finally saw excalibur (i hate it so i get lj in teh old-style layout) yuck. double yuck. tripple yuck :( post if htey reply to your support ticket?

[isabeau.livejournal.com]

It'll be answered; it just might not be answered in a way you consider helpful. *wry grin*

Oh, and it looks like you use Firefox -- would it work to just adblock the image? (I know that part of your objection is to it being there, which I totally understand -- and can't do anything to change, unfortunately; support volunteers don't have that kind of influence for the most part -- but it would at least mean you could use XCol without seeing it.)

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

I've gotten over the snit, pretty much. I just remember that last year's banner was snow flakes and they decorated Frank with lights, and it was cute and seasonal and funny.

I don't object to having holiday themed things available (although sticking a menorah in it doesn't make it mulit-cultural. Really.) I'd just like to be able to use the site browser of my choice without being required to have that picture.

I hate being overwhelmed *this* early.

How do I do the adblocker thing?

[ceilidh]

https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=10&application=firefox

You install this extension, and after you do that, you can right-click on an image on the page and block it from being seen again. This also comes in handy when people use icons you'd rather not see - really blinky or porny ones, or just plain ugly - you can just block them and they disappear forever.

[isabeau.livejournal.com]

http://adblock.mozdev.org/

site takes a minute to load, but you can install the extension and restart firefox and it should work. :)

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

I was told to switch to a non-XColiber theme (which I'd already said I'd done) and to suggest that there be an option to use an unchanged XColiber theme using their suggestions thing.

Which I did. And, honestly, it's such a simple idea with almost no effort involved on their part.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Oh, that is beautiful! It makes it even more elegant.

Thank you!

[ceilidh]

I think maybe in your suggestions post you should explain why you feel the graphic is inappropriate. I have a feeling they've heard so many complaints about 'this is tacky and ugly and i hate it omgg!!' written in netspeak that they might automatically dismiss anymore complaints out of hand, even when you have an intelligent and legitimate complaint.

At first glance, I just thought it was cute and festive, but I can see where you would feel the menorah randomly stuck in there would be inappropriate. I think maybe whoever designed it didn't mean to be offensive, just trying to be inclusive, without realising that just randomly sticking things places could be offensive. Of course, not meaning to be offensive doesn't make it any less offensive, but if you explain why it's offensive hopefully that could help them not repeat this mistake in the future.

They probably should just go with a generic winter scene (snow, trees, fireplace) as opposed to holiday. Then again it's not winter in the southern hemisphere, but... :))

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Would anyone, I wonder, be bothered or even care if they *didn't* have a seasonal banner at all?

As I said. I'm overwhelmed early this year - and Chanukah isn't until the evening of the 25th as it is.

[ceilidh]

I certainly wouldn't be bothered without a seasonal banner. It's not like they *have* to change it, after all. But something snowy with maybe some little lights would have been more tasteful, I think.

[sekhmets-song.livejournal.com]

The banner is pretty thugly, I must admit. And, yeah, I am sure anyone outside of the mainstream Christian mold found it offensive. Like you, I wish they could have just gone without. Or a nice winter scene would have been nice, if they felt they had to do something.
I was going to suggest Adblock, but I see it has already been done. If you didn't have it already, it's a great thing to have. I have a couple of friends on my flist who have some pretty disturbing icons (bloody eyeballs and the like). This way, I can lose the icons and keep the friends. Also, it feels nicely powerful to block ads with it, if you go to ad-pay sites with any regularity. Eventually, your load times are slashed.

[sraun]

I saw the banner picture you objected to on my default login page - it went away yesterday. Maybe you could go back to XColiber now?

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Thanks to friends who showed me how to use adblocker, I'd already gone back.

Apparently, it's on the front door now - which is appropriate. Of course they should decorate their front door, just like an apartment house or a hotel should decorate their lobbies. But you don't string lights in someone's private space. That should be up to them. I view my journal, including the portal and the default comment page, as my space.