Norgdom

Just a quick post to let you know about some of the changes we have been making around the site to try and improve the user experience for you. Most of the changes we have made have been requests by you, our loyal Cit Js, so keep the feedback coming.
First off we have added a WYSWYG editor to the comments. The biggest advantage of this is that it now makes it easier for people to add links to stories. If you highlight the word you want linked, a little pop up box will show up and it is there that you add the URL (the web address in your browser bar) for the page you want to link to. Just a note that the URL should always include the http://
Thanks to Busybee for the suggestion.

Note: There are a couple of browser issues with this feature if you are using Safari.

We have also added a recent comments box in the right-hand column of the front page. This way you can track which stories are being commented on around PerthNorg. We have some improvements to make on this, but hopefully you will find it useful.

If you want to see what stories the comments relate to, just put your cursor over the comment and a the story heading should pop up.

Thanks to Em and Ianspence for the suggestion and sorry that it took so long to get it to you.

We now also have a page where you can read all the top stories across all categories and not just those in the news, sport, entertainment, business, lifestyle and technology. The left-hand column on story pages now reflects this and you can also click through to a full page of all the stories if you hit the heading or More Stories link.

Thanks to Cit J JordanBrock for the suggestion.

Next up is Just In also has a page of it’s own. This way you can have a look over the Just In stories, rather than just the last few that have been added by our Cit Js.

You can get here through the frontpage by hitting the heading of the Just In.

Thanks to Cit J Teddlesruss for the suggestion.

Other minor changes include the Blogs have now been added to the navigation bar, and you can acess the blogs through a drop down menu there. Thanks to Abstract Gourmet for the suggestion and keep those great posts coming. I blame you for my inability to give up caffeine.

There have been a few other tweaks around the place but that covers the major things.

Let me know what you think and keep the comments coming. Read you round the norg.

The West Australian Web Awards are on again and this year we have been nominated as a finalist in the online news category. Congratulations to everyone who has been nominated.

Here is a list of the finalists:

STUDENT

Adventures of the SunSmart Kid Educational Game: Patryk Pawlowski, Marius Storm, Adam Richings and Martin Malek
Risbec Design and Drafting: Daniel Roffman, Alex MacRae, Moe Aung, Keith Atkinson, and Andrew Ellis
Veronica’s Assisin’s Official website: Tim Paul (who by thw way was also the designer on PerthNorg)

PERSONAL

Bloggy Hell: Myles Eftos
Here Yesterday: Ray Stone
Man with no Blog: Gary Barber

SMALL BUSINESS (1-5 employees)

Carola Kinasha: Freckle Creative
f22 photography: Sumo Group
Ken Drake Photographic: Clever Starfish

MEDIUM BUSINESS (6-30 employees)

Bam Creative: Bam Creative
Furniture Options: Spoon Media & Angela Bonfato Creative
Partnership Financial Services: Sumo Group

CORPORATE 31+ EMPLOYERS

Fleetcare: Sumo Group
Plan B Financial Services: Sumo Group
Satterley Property Group Redesign: Sumo Group

E-COMMERCE

MLC 100: The Globe Advertising and Design, Spin Technologies
Moments of Color Design: Moments of Color Design Studio
PADC Creative Hub: Sumo Group

FLASH

Discoverers Welcome: Market United
Risbec Design and Drafting: Daniel Roffman, Alex MacRae, Moe Aung, Keith Atkinson, and Andrew Ellis
Synergy SmartWays Energy Calculator: Market United

GOVERNMENT

2007 State Of The Environment Report: Freckle Creative
John Curtin College of the Arts: Freckle Creative
Marine Life of the Dampier Archipelago: Bam Creative

NOT FOR PROFIT

Black Swan Theatre Company: Sumo Group
Soil Quality: Spin Technologies
UWA Perth International Arts Festival 2007: Block Branding and Clever Starfish with PerthWeb

ONLINE ADVERTISING

BankWest Instant Saver Photogallery: Market United
Open Offices Australia: Addictive Media
Scratch N Win Campaign: Loaded Studios

ONLINE MEDIA

GAYinWA.com.au: GAYinWA.com.au
Highgrade Publishing: itomic
Perth Norg: Freckle Creative

ONLINE APPLICATION

88 Miles: Mad Pilot Productions
PADC Creative Hub: Sumo Group
World Brain Book: Sumo Group

If you look in your browser while browsing PerthNorg you will notice a little favicon now. This makes it easier to find us if you have multiple tabs open. It looks like this:

If you subscribe to PerthNorg through RSS it looks like you will need to resubscribe to get the favicon to appear.

The other feature we have now included is the Recent Comments box which shows all the recent comments on the site to direct you to where the conversations are taking place.

Let me know what you think and ofcourse what else you would like to see.

Hope to read you round the norg

As mentioned in my earlier post, we have just moved into new digs in King Street Perth.

We share the offices with Softteq, who took the initiative and leased out the space so that we can set up a co-working space for all of us IT creatives
We are hoping that other web and IT professional will join us and create a place that has all the benefits of an office 2.0 - collaboration, sharing, social networking and fun.

Here Nick gives a guided tour of our new offices. Feel free to contact him if you are interested.

Watch out Silicon Valley …

http://www.youtube.com/v/7ZxSGUBWc8U

Ok, Myles and I are on a roll (aren’t we Myles?) For those of you who missed the memo, Myles Eftos is now working here at Norg Media as our in-house developer. This means we can move quickly on all the grand plans that we have …um, planned.
One of the first problems I wanted to rectify on the site was the fact that our great bloggers (or regular columnists for those who are offended by that ugly word) tended not to go a bit unnoticed on the frontpage.

So in place of the green box which hosted their icons and links to their blogs, but sadly not much more, we now have a little blog updater which will push through the headlines of the most recent blogs (or columns).

In the meantime, we are busy looking at features we would like added. But I’d also like to throw that open to all of you.

Here’s a pic of Myles and I in our new offices (more indepth blog about that to follow) and as you can see I have him under my thumb already…