Hello all, I want to announce a new site, http://www.badmintonplayers.net/ - the portal for top badminton players - With live chats and more to come later this year... Enjoy!
Great design! Missing a couple of players or do you only take ones with personal websites? Shouldn't Laybourn be included then if so?
I really like the look of that website I'm not so keen on the method of execution -- using Flash to make websites is, in my view, a Bad Idea for accessibility reasons. I believe that the use of Flash should be carefully restricted to specific content that requires it (such as an interactive 3D product view). Using Flash or images to display basic text content is bad practice, since it excludes many users from your website. Music and sound effects are novelties that most people soon find annoying. On a more positive note, someone has done a superb job with matching the images to the background (look closely at the racket strings!) Overall the presentation is excellent (check out the graphics for the badminton rules!), but I think the use of Flash should be toned down.
Hey Zax, good discovery like the design and good colours. I just wish there would be Lin Dan's!:crying: Baderz_Jas
Sorry but I would disagree with you that flash would be the way to go in the future. I am used to be a hardcore static content developer but now I am getting more and more addicted to flash. No to mention that flash has been adopted on many platforms like java did today, but also portable device like mobile phone and PDA are flash friendly now. With the new Actionscript 2.0 introduced, flash can now do basically everything a HTML does and all client side programming needs. Look at macromedia.com online store, it looks just like a HTML page but in fact it is a full flash content. The only down fall I see so far is how bookmarking is impossible when I want to access an specific page directly, say a shopping cart. Otherwise I do not see any problems with flash website that has easy to access navigation and not overwhelmingly flying objects
And how, exactly, will a blind person see your Flash website? Designers like Flash because it looks cool. Users hate it because it makes the website harder to use. Flash websites commit numerous usability crimes other than breaking bookmarking (itself criminal). That website prevented me from using my back and forward buttons! Preventing users from using their accustomed browsing aids -- especially such fundamental ones as back/forwards -- is putting the designer before the user. Bottom line for designers: don't make the arrogant mistake of assuming your users care enough about your site to adjust their habits for you. If you make life difficult for them, they will leave.
I was told that we should make website accessible for most people as possible, but in reality, how many websites is 100% valid under the w3c standard??? There are some easy to follow principles that help users for navigation, like to place your menu on top or left side for example. If one website that cannot be easily adopted then it is a design flaw itself, regardless static or interactive contents. Flash isn’t perfect yet, but it will improve over time. And the problems you have mentioned are probably awared and will be incorporate with the browser technology someday. But while flash is obvious the trend for the future web design, those who resist adapting will soon left behind. Peace
Badmintonplayers.net Has anyone checked out www.badmintonplayers.net? It's a project of badmintonphoto.com. I was going to do a search to see if it had been mentioned but the search function isn't working. So! Once again the IBF is put to shame by the web designing talents at badmintonphoto.com Need some more player's to put up websites though! Not to distract from their training though of course... Gregory
As you seem to have the inside track! Just a note on the Scoring System (Rules updated). Under "The Score" it is written that, "at 20/20, the 'setting' starts automatically. Whoever wins 2 points in a row will win the game." This is not correct - it is necessary to win BY 2 clear points which is a diferent thing if you think about it. Winning 2 points consequetively at 21/ 22 will only get you to 23/22. Under "The Serve" we have an exciting display of how the new scoring system plays out. Unfortunately, it is totally wrong! Try it yourself. A serves to C at Love All. C/D wins the point and in the example C now serves to B. The correct position is that D would serve to B. Essentially, when you win a point on your opponents serve the serve goes over to your side with the server being determined from who's turn it is to serve, alternating from the previous server on that side. The side from which you serve is determined by the score that you now have. If your score is even then you serve from the Right Service Court and so on. The Receivers adopt the position from which they previously served and lost. I believe that there are some quite eminent umpires in Toulouse who have worked the New Scoring System. Maybe a few amendments could be put through before too many players get the hang of the System as detailed on the New Web Site! Mr. Fault
Sorry about that - didn't see the post in the other forum before I posted. Agree that the background music gets old pretty quickly. I like the animations that go with the rules, those are quite amazing. Despite a thorough understanding of how the service works, I'm still pretty confused about the AB CD service animations; those are tough to understand.
Very, very nice website. I like Dabeka at the top of the list!! lol. I like the concept. One question though. What do you have to type in google.com to make the site come up. Do we all have to search for your website a couple thousand times to make google bring it up b/c it will become a popularly searched site? I guess I just want to help make this work b/c it seems like a good way to promote badminton to players. does ur site have different languages avaliable?
The website is very pretty, but shouldnt it contain correct information? I agree with Mr. Fault, the person who set it it should have got the scoring and serving system right.
I think the issue is that because the website uses Flash, it doesn't come up on search engines... which is definitely not a good thing.
NIce WEbsite Nice, but most of the displayed players are Europeans... They should make the official IBF sites like this. Not trashy as worldbadminton.net or internationalbadminton.org, they sucks big time.
Thanks to all of you for your comments and suggestions. We aim at promoting the sport through the players, which are, no questions asked - the ones who hold the game. We are aware that most of the websites presented are from Europe, and we are actually encouraging players from Asia to join, but it is a different culture for some, with a lack of time. We'll see how it goes. However, we count on you, fans and followers, to make their websites alive. If some are even willing, we could match you up with the players of your choice for you to be their webmasters ! As for the rules, we have asked the IBF to look at it and to give us their green light before publishing.. and they did... !!! Raphy
your feedback on badmintonplayers.net Hi! First of all, thanks very much for all your compliments. We're very happy with all the feedback that we got since the launch of the portal a couple of days ago, and now working to include some new interactive features asap. Consider this a first version - of course, we expect to add more players to the portal too. Regarding the design, I agree there are pros and cons for using Flash, but for now we have chosen to create a visually attractive and professionally looking site in the first place, and perhaps we can later offer a standard html-compatible variant. Indexing by search engines is a bit problematic, but we'll make sure that can be done (type 'badmintonplayers' in google). As some people already noticed, initially we accidently put an old version of the score system animation online, it should be fixed now. We'll try to improve the 'return home' button and give more variation in 'background music' too at a later stage, but our first priorities are to extend the site with more features. Thanks again for all your feedback! Best Regards, Zax / Mark.