Change Is Hard!

June 16, 2012


It's been a week now since we updated the look of FictionDB and I have to tell you it's been something of a wild ride. At times I've felt like Facebook implementing the Timeline. I've received a few complaints and if the complaint is truly something that will make the site easier to use, I usually implement it right away.

I have to admit to being something of a process improvement fanatic. If I can figure out a way to do something better or faster, I will do it. I certainly don't sit around trying to find new ways to aggravate people. What most people forget is that I am the biggest user of FictionDB. There are few people who spend more time on the site than I do. Take yesterday, for example. I searched for something and wanted to see the covers for my results and realized that the functionality to do this didn't exist. Well, believe me, it does now.

Another issue has been with really old browsers. FictionDB now requires a minimum of Internet Explorer 8 for full functionality. We recommend Firefox 13, IE 9, and Google Chrome 21. Browser upgrades are free and you can get the latest version by visiting the software maker's website. If you have a really old IE browser and choose not to upgrade, you will not be able to see the buttons on the site. Buttons include ratings, book lists, editing, etc. We have access to the number of people visiting the site who use these old browsers and the number is very small, so we are still recommending the upgrades rather than trying to code the site to fit such a small percentage of visitors.

Luckily I've been through this several times, so I don't let the comments get to me. Each time we've changed FictionDB, some people love it and some people are unhappy. I know that for every complaint I receive, there are probably 10 people who are fine with the changes.

If you have an idea to make the site easier to use, we're always happy to consider it. Those of you who've been with us for years can attest to this fact.