Clued
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The Cluetrain Manifesto:
Networked markets are beginning to self-organize faster than the companies that have traditionally served them. Thanks to the web, markets are becoming better informed, smarter, and more demanding of qualities missing from most business organizations.
And political parties
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The Dean Blog
New Thread: Homepage Redesign Comments
Many of you have been leaving great comments about glitches that have appeared in the redesign of the homepage.
Nicco and Jim Brayton (our new web developer) are working on many of the changes you’ve suggested. As you find small errors, however, please let us know by commenting in the thread below.
Posted by Mathew Gross at 10:18 AM, 8/01/03
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| 1. Markets are conversations |
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Hi, Jim! Welcome aboard! Nice job.
Are you one of the Top Secret weapons that Trippi was going to use the extra $258k to acquire?
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DeanTV heading links to email signup. Posted
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Glad to see the Blog link at the top of the site now, just one little glitch though….the ALT image tag still reads Meetup!
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Hi – great job on the redesign!
The white text against the black has a fuzzy or blurry aspect on the vertical segments of the characters. I have a pretty high resolution screen, yet the vertical segments are quite weak and the text is not as easy to read as the other elements.
Thanks!
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I can’t find the Dean Mart! I was going to buy a bunch of bumper stickers to give my friends and family, and there’s no quick and easy link anymore…
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| 2. Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors |
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Hi Jim,
Three things.
1. Several people have mentioned the error still in the Sleepless icon with Alexandria instead of Falls Church.
2. I’ve been tracking the Signup numbers in a graph as your graph of Meetup numbers. If you want the excel numbers in order to make a nice graph let me know:
http://www.smcm.edu/users/isterling/dean.html
3. The blog icon should be at the top of the page as several people have mentioned. Highest priority.
Thanks and great job, Ivan
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I am having the same problem. Where is Dean Mart?
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I do not like the expanding menu items on the left. It is confusing that clicking on some of the top-level items takes you to a web page, and others expand the menu. Also, after you click on one of the items, the menu does not stay open, which is annoying.
I think you should just expand all the menu items and make clicking on the top level menu always take you to an overview page.
Also, I don’t like it that clicking on the blog link opens a new window.
— former web designer
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On pages like this one:
http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=policy_statement_civilrights
The sidebar of issue links is inset a bit far, with extra white space on the right, and the left side of the red line is jammed up against the body text.
Also, the justified body text is fine for narrow newspaper columns, but it just doesn’t look right online. Especially when you see big empty spaces between words. But even on the other lines, it just looks odd for the text to push right up against both sides of the page.
These aren’t errors, of course, just stylistic suggestions.
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| 3. Conversations among human beings sound human. They are conducted in a human voice |
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Oo. Excellent — both the redesign and the request for comments. Brava!
Quick comments:
1) I would like to see an easy to find section with major policy speeches — things like the June 23rd restoration speech, the CFR speech, the economic policy speech and yesterday’s environmental policy speech — all in one place.
2) Someone suggested this previously, but a rotating header picture across the top (Dean smiling, serious, casual, formal, etc.) that changes randomly with each reload would be cool.
3) A personal note from the Governor beyond the bio. “Welcome to my site.. blah blah blah.” (Also, it would be good if the Guv would post regularly to this site. 🙂 )
4) This may be better suited for BFA and may not be appropriate for reasons that involve political stuff I’m ignorant of, but it would be neat if there were a ‘Meet the Campaign staff’ page with pics and short bios of people from HQ along with pics/bios of official staff around the country and then maybe spotlights on volunteers. Admittedly, there are touchy issues, but it might work.
5) It would be nice if the page were liquid–that is, if the width expanded and contracted with my browser/screen size. We have a liquid design at valuejudgment.org that also uses 3 columns (although much simpler than what you’re doing.)
That’s it for now. Keep up the good work!
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***NEED TO MOVE DEAN MART***
It is under Get Involved.
It should be under Tools & Resources.
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More oddities. Again Safari on Mac. Left-hand link text is dark blue on a black background. Much too low contrast. The hover color is even worse, some sort of midnight blue.
Tests out okay on Mozilla for Mac where it’s white on black with orange hover.
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Paul in SF:
I’m using Safari 1.0 (v85) and to me the links are white on black with an orange rollover.
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Speeches should be more prominently located than in just the Pressroom. Especially “The Great American Restoration” speech. Which, I think, should play a greater role in the web site and the campaign. Posted
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| 4. Whether delivering information, opinions, perspectives, dissenting arguments or humorous asides, the human voice is typically open, natural, uncontrived |
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Glad to see the photo with Mrs.Dean…very nice..
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I like the new design, but would also like to see rotating pictures of Dr. Dean on the front page.
Right now you have a nice image of him in the header for every page–that’s great. Unfortunately, the image is repeated (with the “Dean” signs in the background) at the top of the content for the first page. It bothers me to see the same image twice so close together, and to me it works much better as it is used in the banner/header.
Even if you can’t do the rotating images, please consider changing the bigger picture on the home page.
Thanks for listening!
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I mean Dr. Steinberg…!!!oooppps
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| 5. People recognize each other as such from the sound of this voice |
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Regarding the Community Outreach pages–
I wish we could find a way to celebrate our unity without creating special pages for sub-groups. We gain little by dividing ourselves up into constituencies instead of uniting around common goals.
This tired rallying around diversity has no parallel on the other side in the culture war, and it’s one reason they’re strong. (Don’t underestimate them.)
I would hope that a more subtle reading of our increasingly blended and tolerant peoples could find a way to articulate a vision that takes us beyond narrow identity interests.
Could we address the concerns of our potentially broad and diverse base by focusing more on issues or actions? Can we weave everyone’s concerns into a whole? This would by far be my preference.
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I wouldn’t have Dean randomly changing images on every refresh. That should be a feature of Kerry’s website, I believe. Posted
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Ok, looks good over all, but here are some comments
1) like others have said – get rid of the black to Grey monochromatic left column. Instead of starting with black and fading, use a dark blue and fade to a lighter blue/slate. Black may be hip, but I dunno for a political site 😦
2) Give the blog some credit… move it up with meetup.com’s logo (and maybe scale the meetup logo down a bit, it is the strongest element on the page due to size & color …)
3) get rid of the 750px table. it looks like hell on large monitors, and doesn’t give much for smaller ones… if you want to keep it, center it to make it better for us with over 1024×768 monitors 🙂
4) Drop down (hide/show) menus. I like them, but there should be some sort of “click to show full menu” or some such. Why you ask? because not everyone visiting will be as savvy as we are, and it may be confusing to grandma and grandpa (not to mention mom & dad for some of us who are a bit older…)
5)Left column: too much “dead space” (cant call it white space now can I LOL). above and below each item is too much room, tweak the stylesheets a bit to close the margins in, especially in the search form
ie: form {margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px}
and tweak till right
6) why 2 site search boxes (left column one in its own “box” the other below convio logo)? This is a bit confusing. Do they both search DFA? or does one search something else?
Overall its a good facelift, just needs tweaking here & there — good job 🙂
-John
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I don’t like how the link to the blog is now hidden under pressroom. It is such a huge aspect to the campaign that it should have its own big fat prominent link right there by “home”. Thanks!
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OT: Regarding Bush ‘blurring the lines’ on gay marriage/civil unions in his speech.
I posted a comment on this yesterday when the speech first broke news.
Bush/Rove&Co (and especially the soft-money “issue” ad buyers) will be doing this from here out.
Bush realizes that a great percentage of Americans thought the 9/11 hijackers were Iraqis. These uninformed people supported the president’s war aims — they really thought it was clearly self-defense. The administration still has not made efforts to clarify this to the American people — they *need* voters to be confused. Polls show generally that the more Americans know about what they are doing, the more they are against them.
This is pointed out as well in that support for the war declined as people’s education levels increased. The more literate and in touch with the news people are, the more the realize what the President is really up to.
I believe this is generally why Dean’s supporters have the demographics they do — Internet users are among the more educated and informed Americans.
I believe this is where we will win or lose. If the administration confuses and blurs the issues enough, they can trick people into supporting their aims. This is why they ‘bait and switch’ virtually every issue – they make people think one thing, and do another. Only the more informed actually realize they aren’t doing what they said. This is where the Republican soft-money will go – to confuse voters, blur issues and ‘trick’ people.
And it will work. It’s a proven tactic by now. Generally fool-proof and funded by soft money.
Efforts to combat this must be focused on understanding ‘who’ the messages are being targeted at. Knowledgeable people are likely already with us — it’s the ill-informed who are at risk. Those with lower education and attention spans than Dean’s current more educated base.
We need to ask not only “how will the message play in Peoria?”, but also “how will it play in trailer parks in Peoria?”
On the good news side of this issue, it seems to me that this is the first efforts of Bush/Rove&Co to begin campaign specifically against Dean. We’re on their radar and they’re already campaigning against *us*. Pretty exciting news actually.
Kevin
http://www.fightingdems.com
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| 6. The Internet is enabling conversations among human beings that were simply not possible in the era of mass media |
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Welcome Jim! Feel free to guest blog and tell us a little about yourself.
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I agree with oodles of other bloggers…get rid of the black. It’s freaky and intimidating, not welcoming like it should be. I think blue would look nice (and appropriately Democratic) but that’s just my $.02. I trust you guys to fix it up.
I really like the top of the website though…the American flag melting into Dean signs. Awesome. Don’t change that a bit.
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Hey when are you guys going to announce the TOP SECRET fund use? I know many of us are wondering why you are waiting so long… waiting for the Monday news cycle?
🙂
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| 7. Hyperlinks subvert hierarchy |
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GREAT NEW SITE DESIGN! I would suggest that you make the right side of the screen (where all the information is) should be revamped to be more visually pleasing.
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I am posting this from another message board. I have no idea as to its accuracy. I think the campaign should check it out, though (if they already haven’t). If it is mostly accurate, as an MD, Dean should really speak out on this one (if he hasn’t already):
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Please read this and make your voice heard. This can have very serious effects for all of us.
President Bush has announced his plan to select Dr. W. David Hager to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee. The committee has not met for more than two years,during which time its charter has lapsed. As a result, the Bush Administration is tasked with filling all eleven positions with new members. These positions do not require Congressional approval.
The FDA’s Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee makes crucial decisions on matters relating to drugs used in the practice of obstetrics, gynecology and related specialties, including hormone therapy, contraception, treatment for infertility, and medical alternatives to surgical procedures for sterilization and pregnancy termination. Dr. Hager’s views of reproductive health care are far outside the mainstream of setback for reproductive technology. Dr. Hager is a practicing OB/GYN who describes himself as “pro-life” and refuses to prescribe contraceptives to unmarried women. Hager is the author of “As Jesus Cared for Women: Restoring Women Then and Now.” The book blends biblical accounts of Christ healing women with case studies from Hager’s practice. In the book Dr. Hager wrote with his wife, entitled “Stress and the Woman’s Body,” he suggests that women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome should seek help from reading the bible and praying.
As an editor and contributing author of “The Reproduction Revolution: A Christian Appraisal of Sexuality, Reproductive Technologies and the Family” Dr. Hager appears to have endorsed medically inaccurate assertion that the common birth control pill is an abortifacient. Hager’s mission is religiously motivated. He has an ardent interest in revoking approval for mifepristone (formerly known as RU-486) as a safe and early form of medical abortion.
Hagar recently assisted the Christian Medical Association in a “citizen’s petition” which calls upon the FDA to revoke its approval of mifepristone in the name of women’s health. Hager’s desire to overturn mifepristone’s approval on religious grounds rather than scientific merit would halt the development of mifepristone as a treatment for numerous medical conditions disproportionately affecting women, including breast cancer, uterine cancer, uterine fibroid tumors, psychotic depression, bipolar depression and Cushing’s syndrome.
Women rely on the FDA to ensure their access to safe and Effective drugs for reproductive health care including products that prevent pregnancy. For some women, such as those with certain types of diabetes and those undergoing treatment for cancer pregnancy can be a life-threatening condition. We are concerned that Dr. Hager’s strong religious beliefs may color his assessment of technologies that are necessary to protect women’s lives or to preserve and promote women’s health. Hager’s track record of using religious beliefs to guide his medical decision-making makes him a dangerous and inappropriate candidate to serve as chair of this committee.
Critical drug public policy and research must not be held hostage by antiabortion politics. Members of this important panel should be appointed on the basis of science and medicine, rather than politics and religion. American women deserve no less.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
1. SEND THIS TO EVERY PERSON WHO IS CONCERNED ABOUT WOMEN’S RIGHTS.
2. OPPOSE THE PLACEMENT OF THIS MAN BY CONTACTING THE WHITE HOUSE AND TELL THEM HE IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE ON ANY LEVEL.
Please email President Bush at president@whitehouse.gov and say “I oppose the appointment of Dr. Hager to the FDA Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee. Mixing religion and medicine is unacceptable. Using the FDA to promote a political agenda is inappropriate and seriously threatens women’s health.”
Thanks
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| Seven Theses down, 88 to go… |
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12:31:24 AM  |
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Escapable Logic 
Are you one of the Top Secret weapons that Trippi was going to use the extra $258k to acquire?
Posted by: Phoenix Woman at August 1, 2003 10:21 AM | Link