BikerRealm.com

mtheory · #1 (**permalink**) 07-08-2008, 11:56 PM

Been working on this for a while now. An exploration of niche-based social networking.

Literally a smorgasbord of opensource

-PHPizabi social network platform (a bit of a security nightmare but worth the trouble)
-Sparks Event Calendar (we integrated it with a MySql db)
-Yahoo Maps (Flash api)
-Thickbox (a beefed-up cousin of lightbox with enhanced content capabilities)

Bikers Realm - Motorcycle Network & Community

Comments welcome

davebarnes · #2 (**permalink**) 07-09-2008, 12:15 PM

Mark,

I tried to click on the Tavern banner ad and nothing happened. I expected to be transported to the Tavern's website.

,dave

mtheory · #3 (**permalink**) 07-09-2008, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davebarnes

Mark,

I tried to click on the Tavern banner ad and nothing happened. I expected to be transported to the Tavern's website.

,dave

That opens a thickbox overlay. Do you have javascript disabled?

Dubbya · #4 (**permalink**) 07-09-2008, 05:01 PM

I think Dave's a bit of a purist. Rest assured knowing that when he gives you his qualified expert opinion, he may not draw you a map, but you'll know approximately where the bear p00ps in the buckwheat.

He's been at it for awhile now so he tends to employ "old school" methods when evaluating a site. In doing so, he's sure to pull any number of dirty rotten sneaky tricks from his repertoire, some of which include:

Measuring page load times.
Disabling JavaScript just to see what happens.
Viewing the page with a 24" monitor.
Checking for spelling and grammatical errors.
Clicking on hyperlinks just to see if they work.
Checking for image alt attributes.
Right mouseclicking to see if the page code is viewable.
Disabling browser plugins to see what happens.
Looking for a Mute button for page background music.
Making sure the business address and contact information is easily found.
Looking for contact information.
Making sure the site is aesthetically appealing.
Testing the site in more than one popular browser.
Telling the truth without sugar-coating it.

JK Dave, you know you rock!

davebarnes · #5 (**permalink**) 07-09-2008, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtheory

That opens a thickbox overlay. Do you have javascript disabled?

No. I use Javascript on all my sites and it works.

It works OK in IE7 under Windows XP Home. I did have to click more than once to get the popup to open and close.
It does not work in Opera 9.5

The look is quite different in IE7 and Firefox3. For example, the symbols appear left and right in IE and only on the right in Ff.

Dubbya · #6 (**permalink**) 07-09-2008, 05:26 PM

IE6

JavaScript error on page load and after clicking the buttons to launch the "thickbox"

"swfobject is undefined"

It sometimes takes a couple of clicks to close the box.

**incrediblehelp** · #7 (**permalink**) 07-10-2008, 07:13 PM

mtheroy what script do you use for the initial pop-up message when first visiting the website?

mtheory · #8 (**permalink**) 07-10-2008, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by incrediblehelp

mtheroy what script do you use for the initial pop-up message when first visiting the website?

Thickbox
ThickBox 3.1

It holds a php page that determines the content thru the http post info.

It's called from the Flash body of the page via the ExternalInterface class
The window is only opened on the first visit at which time a Flash sharedobject(cookie) is installed to let it know next time not to open the overlay.

Thank for your interest and looking.

**incrediblehelp** · #9 (**permalink**) 07-10-2008, 09:16 PM

Thanks mtheory