Blog : AROnline v4.0 is almost with us!

Keith Adams

AROnlineScreen2014

A week is a long time in politics – and it’s a lifetime online – so, as AROnline moves into its 12th year, I think it’s safe to say that it should count as one of the grandee car websites. Not only for time served, of course, but for both the sheer amount of original material and the priceless input from you, the readers. Quite simply, and I hope I don’t sound too immodest saying it, there’s really nothing else like it covering our beloved British cars.

That’s no reason to rest on our laurels, though. Although the site continues to grow, and the in depth stories will always be a constant source of learning for new people as they find the site, it’s also finding itself up against the increasing amount of excellent opposition out there. However, although no one specialises in the British motor industry quite like AROnline does, that doesn’t mean to say that, when someone’s out searching for the definitive story of the Rover 75 or the Austin Allegro, Google is going to bring them here first.

The thinking behind AROnline v4.0 is therefore to make the site more navigable for regular readers and also offer more of a shop window to anyone who drops by for the first time. It never ceases to amaze me just how many people will ask a question on the Facebook group, and I’ll show them a link to a page on this site that they never knew existed. AROnline isn’t really doing its job as well as it might if the juicy content contained within isn’t easily accessible – even to experienced readers who’ve been with us since the start.

Richard Kilpatrick has been putting the finishing touches on to the revised front page and menu structure I’ve dearly wanted for AROnline since we moved from HTML to WordPress in 2010/’11. It’ll be a radical change in a number of ways – most notably the menus will move to a horizontal set-up towards the top of the page, while the homepage will be much more active, with teasers separated into sections, and not just a time-stamped list that we currently run – the news will be in its own little section, as will be history, blogs, etc.

I’m excited by the new AROnline front end, and although it’s still a little while away from going live, I thought I’d let you know it’s coming – just in case there was anything you’d like to see incorporated in the new scheme – or whether it should be left the way it is – or, even worse, it should never have changed from the 2002 original!

Anyway, let me know what you think – as always, I’m open to persuasion!

Keith Adams

14 Comments

  1. Looking forward to it, if the screenshot above is anything to go by, it’s going to look a whole lot better, and easily navigatable.

    Is the forum getting a revamp too?

  2. Looking good Keith, and I also am amazed at the lack of awareness about the site, I do try to promote the site when there is a question/query on other FB pages so hopefully people will visit more

  3. Now listen here! I want none of these new fangled changes don’t you know!
    I’ve just got comfy with the layout – I like the walnut dash and leather feel. Goodness me, you’ll be using this new fangled electricity to get it to me next!
    If you must bugger about with it – I want a copy of the instructions sent to me in the post!
    If I have to press more buttons – there’ll be much binding in the marsh ( you have to be at least 60 to get that one).

  4. I did always say I liked the 02 original best (sorry) but I look forward to the new version, just hop it’s not change for changes sake.
    It should be said though you do a stunning job at AROnline and I will continue to look in how ever you present it.
    Thank you
    dib

  5. AR is great for the former BMC/BL/AR and Rootes/Chrysler stables but with the relative lack of Vauxhall coverage some kind of tie up with the excellent Vauxpedia would be worthwhile

  6. It’s great to see it’s getting the Honest John makeover and falling into line with the corporate image.

  7. The page appears to be at least 50% adverts.
    It will be like trying to watch a film on ITV 4….

  8. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a brilliant web site and I visit almost every day. It was just an observation.

  9. It will be great to be able to access the history and archived articles more easily. I remember the wordpress update, and while the current frontpage brings up new articles more easily, trying to find the fantastic essays regarding specific marques or people can be difficult as they can get lost among more recent blogs on a similar subject.

    I hope you ignore the bitter comments about adverts, they are a necessary part of this kind of website, so long as they don’t restrict the speed or accessibility of the site ( or stop it working altogether like Yahoo)

    Good luck with the launch, I look forward to it.

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