*Updated* [Announcement] About the new SHARE bar on dotTech
December 3, 2011 64
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As I am sure most everyone has noticed by now, I have added a new SHARE bar to dotTech. This article is intended to ensure everyone is informed about what this bar is, what it is intended for, and what it is not.
Update: Listening to dotTechie feedback, I have modified the SHARE bar. It is no longer attached the left of the screen. It is now in the bottom-left corner and should not – in any circumstance – cover any content on the page. Please let me know if the bar is still obscuring your view of content and please, continue to provide the valuable feedback! (If the bar is obscuring your view of content it would be helpful if you could tell me the screen resolution and browser you are using).
What Is It?
The bar is based off the idea that Mashable popularized of having floating social media links. It facilitates the sharing of articles via e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Stumbleupon, and printing.
What Is It Intended For?
As already mentioned, it is intended to facilitate the sharing of dotTech articles. Clicking on any of the buttons in the bar allows users to share the page/article they are on via e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Stumbleupon, and printing.
The “Share/Save” bar at the top of every article wasn’t cutting it and I wanted to try something else.
How It Works
The bar is written in a mix of CSS, PHP, and JavaScript. It automatically appears on every page/article on dotTech (even the homepage). I wanted the bar to be an unobtrusive as possible so I set its location to be off-screen in the sense that it doesn’t show up on the main part of the website where the content is — it shows in the empty white space on the left. Furthermore, when that bar is open, it auto-hides itself when a user clicks anywhere on the page aside from the bar. (E.g. When you load an article if you click on the article text the bar autohides itself.) Users can open/close the bar by clicking on the SHARE button.
I am looking into being able to autohide the bar after X seconds and/or when the window is scrolled. This will help with the whole idea of being unobtrusive.
What It Is Not
It isn’t the root of all evil. It isn’t a get-rich-quick-scheme. It won’t do your laundry for you.
I understand some people may dislike this bar but you must understand sharing articles are a necessary way for a website to grow. Now, of course, if the bar really, really bothers you then that is a different story; but if you just dislike it because you won’t use it — please try to understand my point of view.
Is This Permanent?
It could be, yes. It really depends on a) dotTechie feedback and b) how many people are using it. At this moment in time consider this a beta trial of the SHARE bar. If it stays or if it goes really just depends.
Please Provide Feedback
As a webmaster, feedback is valuable to me. After all if my readers don’t like the changes I am making the changes are pointless. So please sound off in the comments below, stating your opinion about this new SHARE bar. However, please avoid any knee-jerk reactions. Before posting, I ask that you really think about
- Is the bar obtrusive?
- Will you use it?
- If you won’t use it, does the bar really bother you?
- How would you change it?
- Do you want any other social media links in there?
- [Any other feedback you can think of.]
If you find the bar to be covering content, such as text, please state your screen resolution and web browser so I can solve that issue.
Thanks everyone!
About the author: Ashraf View all posts by Ashraf
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@Everyone: Listening to the feedback, I have modified the bar a little.
It still autohides when clicking on the page; however it is now in the bottom-left corner and should *not* be covering any content on the page. If it is please let me know. It would be help if you include your screen resolution and web browser.
@Loculus: Please see if it still appears on mobile.
@Damacles 382: Is it still interfering with your sidebar?
@veronica1: Yep, altered it after 24 comments. :-P
Oh and you are very welcome! And so is everyone else that has commented. Sorry I haven’t replied to individual comments on this thread. I figured since my response would be the same to most comments it would be easier to do a @Everyone. Rest assured, however, that I am reading each and every comment.
As the bar is now on lower left of screen, I can’t understand what all the fuss is about. I never use social media so that part doesn’t interest me but being able to have the print or share email link handy is useful.
It certainly doesn’t bother me, looks neat, hides with one click, covers no text and as my browser width gets smaller it disappears altogether, so not covering anything. The majority of websites have similar bars now. If it is good for your website Ashraf then I say go with it. I certainly would use the email link as often send people here and have to write out the message myself. Tested this one and perfect. A thanks from me for all you do.
Longtime fan and very impressed with the cutting-edge sidebar share widgdet. And,as usual, Ashraf continues to bring a fresh new dimension to the computing experience.
My vote is “yes” for a welcome and permanent webpage addition.
@Ashraf: Nope,working fine now
1. Is the bar obtrusive? It was, and it obscured some of your precious text…, and accidentally I discovered that it went away when I clicked on a blank part of it, so no big deal other than a momentary but repeating annoyance.
Now something different is happening. (Same issue on Firefox 8.0 and IE 8. Screen 1024×768). I see the barely visible short right part of a sort of square (no text in it) on the lower left of the screen and a taller same width and also empty of info bar thingy just above it. The latter goes away when I click on the active screen (or seemingly conveniently toggles on/off by clicking on the short bit). In case that wasn’t clear enough, I do not see the sharing widgets at all now, and nothing is obscured.
2. Will you use it? Probably not. Not into those ways of social sharing, can make my own email to send a link to a wonderful dottech article to others so they get a personal recommendation (I can copy and paste…), and now that you’ve pointed it out (had never noticed it before), I could use your Share/Save bar should I ever stumble upon what a twit is.
3. If you won’t use it, does the bar really bother you? Now that it’s not obscuring anything and there is nothing I have to do to get it out of the way, nope, it’s not bothering me now.
4. How would you change it? If there had to be such a pop-up/down bar, I would prefer it be default down and clicking the small unobtrusive button would pop it up.
5. Do you want any other social media links in there? OCCUPY!
6. [Any other feedback you can think of.] (insert standard note of appreciation of Ashraf for all his good works, except for the boring stuff about Android, which was only interesting on first glance when I looked to see if it was about the hot robot from the movie).
I am using a 23 inch screen and the bar obscures nothing
click it and it shrinks to just the word (share) which is even less obtrusive .
I am not a great sharer of anything other than my time so it will not be of much importance to me.
In my opinion Ashraf has every right to place the bar on his web site and I do believe there are a lot of people who would make good use of it.
.
I vote for Ashraf.
Ashraf, this is so cool! I really like it! You came up with another outstanding contribution to the tech world.,
Thank You! Those of you who have just gleaned at it, i suggest that you spend a few minutes in playing with it.
It does have some cool things; and you just may well be surprised to find, that indeed it rocks!
it does not bother me.
with that said, I would think it would look a hell of a lot cooler if you were to have a place on each article that says share and when one clicks on it then your new share bar comes out from (hiding) with all the oppositions you have on it.
what I am saying is you don’t see it at all until you click on share in the blue part of an article or at the end of it.
I just think it would be cooler that way. but I more then likely would not use it at all
Yes, I will use it.
Looks good to me. I understand that these ‘share’ functions are very important to some people, and I think we (geeks) need to accept this…….it’s business. If more folks click on this site by ‘sharing’ that is good for us all :-)
Running FF8 on Win7-64 bit. On my right-hand screen, maximized, 1920 x 1200, I see 1/2 of the bar. On my left-hand (laptop) screen, 1600 x 1200, it doesn’t show at all. Can’t scroll to it on either. I have no problem with the bar, but would like to see it to know what all the fuss is about!
However, it does show up in IE9, which I rarely use.
@David: Your screen resolution is why you can’t see it. I’ve “hid” the bar for people with 1024 width or lower because it covers text due to lack of screen real estate. Thanks for the response though!
@Sundog: Are you running something like NoScript in FF? My guess is an addon is blocking it.
@Everyone: Thanks for the continuous feedback. I appreciate it! From the sounds of it SHARE bar v2 minimizes the complaints. Amirite?
Use the new Google mail freeze-header style to keep your share bar froozen on top. Of course, make the bar slim too.
Never use these “Share” buttons myself and have no use for Facebook, Twitter and the like; also really don’t like their logos and links appearing everywhere I turn. Fortunately, AdBlock Plus and/or NoScript are usually effective weapons in making them go away most of the time so I don’t have to look at them at all. On the occasions when I do recommend something from your site and others to my friends, I always email them the link and a commentary on the article and/or the benefit in reading it.
Looks great to me with my 15.6″ laptop @1366 X 768
Hi
Love it, you should keep it
Love and appreciate your site
@Ashraf – I think some people have their screen set to 800. Then the bar will run over the text.
Hi,
I don’t see it at all in 800×600, a very very little part of the “Share button” in 1024×768 and can finally see it in 1152×864.
Will i use it when i see it ? Maybe to print !
And no, in this new form it doesn’t not bother me.
@Jeanjean:
I should have said may run over. I think it would run over text on my 7″ net-book but have not checked.
1024 x 768 on 18″ screen
I only see 1/8″ of it now–light gray right-outline of empty (white), very long, and very skinny box. So if I weren’t following this thread, I would have no idea it was there….Great for me, ’cause I don’t need it, but it would be defeating your purpose for you….
Ashraf, haven’t written anything for awhile and when I saw this, just had to take a minute to do so. I have been recommending your site to almost everyone I talk to who is involved with computers in any way shape or form. From the beginner to even IT people. My daughter (who worked for Cisco as a programmer for 11 years until August of this year as they had to cutback) thinks you are great too and uses your site! Having this share bar is no big deal especially when you compare it to other sites with similar bars (C-net.com for one) that constantly gets in your way and you have to click the x to get rid of it in order to read what you came to the site to read! I now can simply click on share bar to make sure the people I feel would be interested in the subject matter, don’t miss that subject! You taking time to be sure it is out of the way is a blessing. Keep up the good work like you always have done! Now if you can tell me what I need to do to my IE8 (yes I use it) to view a few web pages that automatically tell me I need to update to IE8 to view the site, I would appreciate it. (system XPsp3). Sorry, just had to ask.
Is the bar obtrusive? – No.
Will you use it? – No; I don’t use any social network.
If you won’t use it, does the bar really bother you? – No.
How would you change it? – Not.
Do you want any other social media links in there? – Immaterial to me.
[Any other feedback you can think of.] – Keep up the good work!
@Ashraf: Not running NoScript. Send a private email address and I’ll send screenshots.