2008 Arrives At Last, And In Style

Sure, technically the new year began 14 days ago, but I wouldn’t know it. I’ve been hard at work re-imaging MetroRiderLA both visually and conceptually for 2008.

Clearly there’s a new layout. This is the heart of the changes. It’s a Wordpress theme that I built from scratch (my first one!) and it was designed to specifically address some issues that I (and others) had with the original MetroRiderLA template. In addition to color (at last!), I’ve tried to heavily orient the layout around the community, which has become one of the strongest features of the site. People love to talk here, and I want to make sure it’s easy and fun. Let’s go over all the changes.

VISUAL FEATURES
First off, there’s color. What’s more, you can choose the colors (and imagery) you want. I’ve added a theme switcher at the top of the right column that will eventually offer a variety of themes based on the various Metro rail and bus lines, as well as other Los Angeles transit landmarks. Right now you can choose between the Red Line and the Orange Line themes. The colors are also used throughout the site to help highlight elements better, namely the contributors, which I always felt got lost in the original theme. Now there should be no questions as to who has contributed a particular post. You may have also noticed that there are now only two columns, and because of that the main content area is much wider, which will hopefully make posts a lot more enjoyable to read. It also allows for larger images. The menu bar on top now features drop-down menus that holds all of the links, the search tool, as well as links to the various supplemental pages (About, Posting Guide, Comment Policy), and the Login/Register link and RSS feed. One of the most prominent features added to the sidebar is space for advertising. This is still in the experimental stages, but I’d eventually like to get local, transit-oriented business to help sponsor MetroRiderLA the blog and some of the other MetroRider ideas that will come forth in 2008.

COMMUNITY FEATURES
The number of comments is still prominently displayed to the right of the headline (which is now clickable and leads to the permanent link for the full story) and when clicked leads you to the redesigned comments section. Hopefully the wider column makes reading comments easier. Also, comments can now be edited! After you post you have a 15-minute window in which you can go back and edit any mistakes, typos, etc. from your posted comments. I hope this is a feature commenters can appreciate, I know I love when other blogs offer the capability. Troll Control is still there and I cleaned up the icons a bit, hopefully you are still encouraged to use them when necessary. On the sidebar, right beneath the first sponsor, you will find the “Recent Comments” section, now expanded to the most recent nine comments, an upgrade from the four or five offered in the original layout. I also added a section on the sidebar called “Hot Topics” which showcases the three most popular posts (based on comments) of the week. Posts now also come equipped with an “Email This” button which allows you to email a post with a link to a friend. I think this could be a great way to spread the word about MetroRiderLA and the Los Angeles Transit Oriented Lifestyle*. To the left of the “Email This” link you will find a “Rate It” bar, where you are encourage to rate every post on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. I urge everyone to do this because it gives essential feedback to our contributors which will only serve to improve the content on the site. If you love an article, give it 5 stars, hate it give it 1 star… seriously let us know what you like and what you dislike. It’s completely anonymous so don’t worry about hurting anyone’s feelings. I want people to use this feature!

OTHER STUFF
There’s now a Flickr Photostream in the sidebar of the most recent contributions to the MetroRiderLA Flickr pool. The Yelp! map is back as well as a Donation box where we will run periodic fund raising drives to help support certain MetroRiderLA causes and projects. There’s also a new lengthy disclaimer at the bottom of the page that makes MetroRiderLA liable for virtually nothing.

*THE TRANSIT ORIENTED LIFESTYLE
You may have noticed I changed the tagline from “Los Angeles Public Transit Lifestyle” to “Los Angeles Transit Oriented Lifestyle”. This is because I have realized that being a MetroRider is more than just riding buses and trains, it’s about all the elements of a car-free life. “The Public Transit Lifestyle” was just too limiting. “The Transit Oriented Lifestyle” was inspired by the Transit Oriented Developments (TOD’s) that we all love, in that although they are called “transit oriented” they are really (in theory at least) first and foremost pedestrian oriented. Public transit is just one of the many means those of us who reject the car culture use to get around. We also use bikes, taxis, private buses, Flexcars (err.. Zipcars), and friends among other things. Sure, mass transit (and public in the case of Metro) is at the core of our mobility because it often offers the most efficient, easy, and reliable way for us to get around without a car, but it is not the end-all-be-all. So what defines “The Transit Oriented Lifestyle” is a conscious choice to orient one’s life around transit (and all that requires) as opposed to orienting one’s life around the automobile.

IN CLOSING
I hope you enjoy the changes in the site, and I sincerely hope that they make participating that much more fun. There’s bigger changes coming soon as well, not visually but conceptually… better posts, more posts, and MetroRiderLA initiatives that should really capitalize of the community and the lifestyle we love. Feel free to let me know how feel, if you would like to see anything else, and your thoughts about MetroRiderLA in 2008.