Re: Website Redesign
Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 5:06 am
I'm still working on a solution for the Video Gallery.
I think the "lightbox" feature (where the video "pops out" and opens on a black background overlay) is the main cause of the problem because the page has to basically load previews of all the videos. That not only slows down the loading of the page, but it basically gives up at a certain point so many videos just never load at all.
I've had several conversations with my web host. They have been good to me in the past, but the main problem is that this site is so enormous and powerful that it is considered a "business," so they expect that I have a budget and an IT team behind me who can handle updates and fix compatibility issues. But I don't. They've been trying to help me, but I really need to find a way to simplify.
Right now they are telling me that I am not close to my bandwidth limit, so I am in the process of redesigning the Video Gallery and moving the videos from the (less reliable) off-site location back to the main host. I have also redesigned the structure of the page. A test page with just the first nine videos is here:
http://rdanderson.com/videos/videonew.htm
[Update May 24th - the above link was removed. Use the regular link for the Video Gallery.]
It SHOULD load very quickly, and the little thumbnails SHOULD still float and move around when you choose a category or resize the window, just like before. But it no longer uses the lightbox. When you click on a thumbnail, it should open a new tab or page with the video. The video SHOULD load without a problem, it SHOULD play properly, and it SHOULD resize itself for different size screens. Also, since it is a full page that scrolls, there should be no issues with the video being covered or blocked by text. And the little "Close Video" button should close the page and return you to the Video Gallery index page without having to reload all the little thumbnails. (If not, you would be able to close the page in the usual way.)
I've tried it out on Chrome, Firefox, IE, and my Android phone, and it seems to be working (though weirdly on my phone the "Close" button appears on the left instead of the right). So... is it working for everyone else?
If it works, it will take me some time to move all the videos and create all the new pages, but hopefully it will solve a lot of problems. I'm going to try moving the videos over gradually so I can keep an eye on the stats and hopefully avoid crossing any bandwidth limits. If the whole page suddenly shuts down, you'll know the limit was hit. Then it's back to YouTube.
Let me know if you see any problems, 'cause after I create all the pages, it'll be too late to make changes.
Thanks for checking it out!
Kate
I think the "lightbox" feature (where the video "pops out" and opens on a black background overlay) is the main cause of the problem because the page has to basically load previews of all the videos. That not only slows down the loading of the page, but it basically gives up at a certain point so many videos just never load at all.
I've had several conversations with my web host. They have been good to me in the past, but the main problem is that this site is so enormous and powerful that it is considered a "business," so they expect that I have a budget and an IT team behind me who can handle updates and fix compatibility issues. But I don't. They've been trying to help me, but I really need to find a way to simplify.
Right now they are telling me that I am not close to my bandwidth limit, so I am in the process of redesigning the Video Gallery and moving the videos from the (less reliable) off-site location back to the main host. I have also redesigned the structure of the page. A test page with just the first nine videos is here:
http://rdanderson.com/videos/videonew.htm
[Update May 24th - the above link was removed. Use the regular link for the Video Gallery.]
It SHOULD load very quickly, and the little thumbnails SHOULD still float and move around when you choose a category or resize the window, just like before. But it no longer uses the lightbox. When you click on a thumbnail, it should open a new tab or page with the video. The video SHOULD load without a problem, it SHOULD play properly, and it SHOULD resize itself for different size screens. Also, since it is a full page that scrolls, there should be no issues with the video being covered or blocked by text. And the little "Close Video" button should close the page and return you to the Video Gallery index page without having to reload all the little thumbnails. (If not, you would be able to close the page in the usual way.)
I've tried it out on Chrome, Firefox, IE, and my Android phone, and it seems to be working (though weirdly on my phone the "Close" button appears on the left instead of the right). So... is it working for everyone else?
If it works, it will take me some time to move all the videos and create all the new pages, but hopefully it will solve a lot of problems. I'm going to try moving the videos over gradually so I can keep an eye on the stats and hopefully avoid crossing any bandwidth limits. If the whole page suddenly shuts down, you'll know the limit was hit. Then it's back to YouTube.
Let me know if you see any problems, 'cause after I create all the pages, it'll be too late to make changes.
Thanks for checking it out!
Kate