SITE UPDATE: Rolling Out Changes
What to expect while we switch over to our new design.
As many loyal readers have known for a few months, we are in the process of redesigning RT. We have been soliciting feedback for several weeks via our Beta site, the same site you now see in front of you. We are very proud of it and hope you will come to enjoy it just as much as we do. We continue to roll out changes and features to RT throughout this week and it's not an easy process. The bad news is that there is 10 years of data to move around here and it's a little tricky to get all of the servers that, well, serve RT to get synced, especially with some of our deeper and more challenging refreshes. To that end, please bear with us as we roll out the goods. There will ongoing tweaks and we may not have on our Sunday best for the next several hours. We're on it throughout the night and early morning.
Taking a step back, you'll notice we still have the Beta flag next to our logo. This is the first phase of several over the next several months for RT and we've got a ways to go until we feel like we're "there."
Known tech issues:
- There are several people reporting missing data from varying modules on the front page. This is a caching issue and will resolve with time. You will still get to see a snapshot list of movies in theaters, opening, and box office.
- There are dead ends and broken links. We are prioritizing and troubleshooting these throughout the night.
- The Tomatometer score is not appearing on some movie object pages. This is a caching issue, and will self-correct shortly.
- You shouldn't have to login to read posts and comments in articles, only if you want to post. We're fixing that.
- Slow load times: corrections are imminent. The pages are actually lighter than the previous versions.
- Pixelated photos. RT has actually always had this issue, but today's higher-resolution monitors expose this weakness even more. We are exploring varying methodologies to make it pretty.
- Search. You guys are reporting search errors. We are aware and making appropriate changes. You will still be able to find movies by title and read the Tomatometer once we find the gremlin.
General comments:
- Only the look of RT has evolved. Our core methodologies for the Tomatometer, top critics (aka Cream of the Crop), and Certified Fresh haven't been touched.
- Your same editorial team is in place, writing the same articles, with only a new capo whom we hope you'll say hello to. We have launched additional columns bringing you closer to the critics, broadened editorial to dive into the past with Total Recall, and are working tirelessly to get you exclusives and the most up-to-date movie news.
- Thanks for your comments. We are happy to hear them. Please submit them here.
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Jonno2008 writes: on Jan 15 2008 08:26 PM ARG, my eyes! I hate change so much! Even if i eventually get used to it and perhaps like the changes in the end i just can't stand any kind of change. Personally i thought everything was just fine. You don't fix what's not broken! :P But yeah, i'm not really digging the new stuff. But maybe that's just because of my fear of change heh. (Reply to this) |
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Floor Man writes: on Jan 15 2008 08:42 PM I'm not sure if this is a broken link issue, but... In any picture gallery, I have to click a photo, go BACK, click a photo, etc. I miss the "clicking the picture goes to the next one" idea; also, buttons for such functions would be much appreciated. ? (Reply to this) |
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shaolin74 writes: on Jan 15 2008 08:43 PM This site used to be fun. I'm not digging the layout. It looks like an Excel spreadsheet. If I wanted to look at a spreadsheet all day, I'd actually do my work. (Reply to this) |
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shaolin74 writes: on Jan 15 2008 08:47 PM Also on the actual movie review pages, you should take away the right column. I would assume these are the pages people actually read. Could you possibly make the reviews any more tightly packed & smaller? Its unreadable. (Reply to this) |
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Calishands writes: on Jan 15 2008 09:20 PM The site looks great although I am sure there will be a few minor bugs that is fine...Just make sure its not to flashy! There's flashy but I don't want my beloved movie home to become to Vane and self obsessed! Can a website be vane? I dunno but Just make sure the looks don't out do functionality. (Reply to this) |
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FrankTheTank writes: on Jan 15 2008 09:23 PM Yeah, I sorta agree. Not to rain on the parade of RT who probably went through hell to get the whole new setup up and running... ...but it's WAY too much. I cannot click on a movie without being bombarded with reviews, photos, videos, related links, advertisements, search options, premises, box office information, etc. I'm up for change, but simplicity is the key. I feel like I'm having a seizure when I check a movie's main page. (Reply to this) |
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whitmorec writes: on Jan 15 2008 09:58 PM I'm confused. Why is everything in capital letters? Are the reviewers shouting their poinions in those speech bubbles? I have to sit back from the screen just to read everything properally. Please fix this. Oh, wait - maybe you will hear me if I write: PLEASE FIX THIS! Any better? (Reply to this) |
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CoUcH ToMaToE DoUgIe writes: on Jan 15 2008 10:26 PM hey, the CoUcHtOmAtOe, likes it the change! love all the blue font, being it is my favorite color, and hey it just seems more sociable already. I really appreciate you guys going to all this trouble for us and i just wished to thank you guys. keep up the fresh work guys! (Reply to this) |
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skletonkee writes: on Jan 15 2008 10:32 PM hated it!!! (Reply to this) |
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Phell writes: on Jan 15 2008 10:48 PM IMDB has to be laughing so hard right now... This is going to reverberate throughout the internets as an awful design decision of legendary proportions. (Reply to this) |
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Mudhole writes: on Jan 15 2008 11:10 PM Stevie Wonder in the web design business now? (Reply to this) |
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hewpot writes: on Jan 15 2008 11:10 PM wtF? I HAVE no idea how to use the site now, when i look at the rating for cloverfield it has a -1% as the RT rating, Lmao, wtf!?!?!? (Reply to this) |
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generasianx writes: on Jan 16 2008 12:09 AM i agree, this new design sucks! go back to the old design, RT. PLEASE. (Reply to this) |
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red_wine writes: on Jan 16 2008 12:09 AM I visit this site 3-4 times everyday. And I'm not pleased with the changes. I have green imprinted on my mind. Cant bare all this yellow. (Reply to this) |
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Siebener writes: on Jan 16 2008 02:48 AM looking at the new design feels like looking at Jar Jar Binks for the first time. ;-) i can't stop wondering: didn't anybody tell them? didn't any of the people involved have the guts to say: "c'mon george (or whoever it might be here) you can't be serious with that?!" i love RT for its content, and for the past three years i visited this page daily without registering, but this really made me wanna leave an opinion. hope there'll be a few changes made. still: keep up the good work! (Reply to this) |
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Introducing.. writes: on Jan 16 2008 04:18 AM NOOOOO this site design is terrible. Thank you for making the site less convenient to navigate and for ****ing up a great website. (Reply to this) |
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johnson_jclub writes: on Jan 16 2008 04:30 AM It does seem as if this was rolled out too soon. I just signed up and the "create a journal" page is all screwed up, with the word "heh..." in the top left corner (?). Design wise, there's certainly a few discrepancies. Font sizes are all over the shop, and title-case for regular text (eg: reviews) is a definite no-no. Some buttons have a hard shine, others (like the "submit" button below) have a soft gradient. I even saw one title that had an Apple-style inverted reflection... choose a style and stick with it. Table padding and margins are also widely inconsistent. On this page alone, the side margins are only about 3 pixels wide, while the padding between posts is much more. Finally, as so many folks have said, the colours are a backward step. This pale yellow-green is okay, but you're also using pale blue in some cells, which clashes terribly with the red/green palette. As an art director, I'd shoot my designers if they didn't present a more unified palette. My advice would be to revert the site back to the old one while you consult another design agency, or at least ask your current designers for a fully specced and approved *style guide* -- before they go any further. (Reply to this) |
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johnson_jclub writes: on Jan 16 2008 04:32 AM It does seem as if this was rolled out too soon. I just signed up and the "create a journal" page is all screwed up, with the word "heh..." in the top left corner (?). Design wise, there's certainly a few discrepancies. Font sizes are all over the shop, and title-case for regular text (eg: reviews) is a definite no-no. Some buttons have a hard shine, others (like the "submit" button below) have a soft gradient. I even saw one title that had an Apple-style inverted reflection... choose a style and stick with it. Table padding and margins are also widely inconsistent. On this page alone, the side margins are only about 3 pixels wide, while the padding between posts is much more. Finally, as so many folks have said, the colours are a backward step. This pale yellow-green is okay, but you're also using pale blue in some cells, which clashes terribly with the red/green palette. As an art director, I'd shoot my designers if they didn't present a more unified palette. My advice would be to revert the site back to the old one while you consult another design agency, or at least ask your current designers for a fully specced and approved *style guide* -- before they go any further. (Reply to this) |
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walkingdead09 writes: on Jan 16 2008 04:43 AM this looks like they tried to make their page a Tim Burton page, only screwed up really bad (Reply to this) |
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MaxRobert writes: on Jan 16 2008 06:27 AM This design is evil >: ( Come on! Bring back the old kind. This design (as it is now) looks amateurish! Shame on you RT. (Reply to this) |
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