Multimedia help pages for beginners

[SeanC]

Might be a bit un-british to blow the trumpet of your own club, but those interested in club development might want to have a look at the new beginners help pages on the DFOK website (see http://www.dfok.co.uk). Phil Basford has produced some clever multimedia pages which help to explain the sport - it might give you some ideas about improving your own beginners pages. I particularly like the orienteering flags that fly round the courses.

Whilst you're on our site, just a reminder to view the entry details for the Cobham and Shorne regional on the 15th March. We don't want complaints from people who missed the 3rd March deadline and have to pay extra.

[Paul Frost]

I'm getting a request to download a plugin (Firefox 3 on a Mac) but it doesn't say what it is. I don't install software unless I know what it is, what it does or where it comes from.

It seems to be sort of working but not showing the whole page.
I tried it in Safari and I get an Unsupported Browser message.

None of the navigation links on the home page seem to work, it is just a single image rather than text. Should it be an image map?

[epocian]

Works fine for me in Firefox

[SeanC]

ok, I'll pass on your feedback, thanks.

The plug in is windows media player I think. I'm guessing you'd get the same problem if you tried to view the movie at the start of the help pages on the BOF site as this is where the movie comes from.

The links on the DFOK homepage work by clicking on the arrows, not on the text. Not a great design, but the main site design is very old now and this part is due to be rebuilt. It's on our to do list.

If you still can't get to the Shorne/Cobham regional details, online entry is on fabian4 at:

http://www.fabian4.co.uk/default.aspx?EventID=162

and PM me if you need the event details.

Those of you who have been to Shorne before, but not to last years CSC. might not know the orienteering area has been greatly extended into new woodlands to the north, east and south. It's now 2 or 3 times as big as the previously mapped area.

[IanD]

The multimedia pages look interesting, but you need a great deal of patience, even at Broadband speeds. Obviously videos are always going to involve a lot of data, but do the basic narrative frames need to be so slow?

It already seems to be BOF policy to exclude dial-up internet users, it would be a shame if clubs went the same way. At least the main DFOK site is still accessible.

[mharky]

a lovely reminder of what websites used to be like in the 90's

[SeanC]

well yes, I suspect the site looked very similar in the 90's

Does anyone with a dial -up want to view our event fliers? Never tried it and some have a lot of images, I wonder if those images slow the download.

Reminder that postal cheap entry closing date for the Shorne/Cobham regional is today, online is 3rd March.

[IanD]

I wonder if those images slow the download

Indeed they do, several seconds on my broadband line, must be minutes on a dial-up.
How about providing a text-only version too?

[MIE]

well yes, I suspect the site looked very similar in the 90's

Does anyone with a dial -up want to view our event fliers? Never tried it and some have a lot of images, I wonder if those images slow the download.

Takes an interminable age, I gave up.

[SeanC]

Thanks, will look into fixing this.

The regional details don't have the graphics at least.

Anyone know what percentage of UK internet users are on a dial - up? Not that we can afford to loose any potential newcomers.

Moving on from our site, I'd be interested in what people think are the potential uses for multimedia to help new/intermediate orienteers. For example could some kind of wizzy 3d thing help newcomers understand contours?

I should say that I don't see this as an alternative to coaching/training, but as an additional resource (which wouldn't be available to dial-up users).

[andy]

Anyone know what percentage of UK internet users are on a dial - up?

does dialup still exist?

[Scott]

Anyone know what percentage of UK internet users are on a dial - up?

According to the ONS, 14% of domestic/household internet connections in 2008 were dial-up.

[IanD]

Anyone know what percentage of UK internet users are on a dial - up?

This page http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/broadband/page/dial-up-internet/ dated August 2008 suggests only 13%, which I must admit is lower than I expected. Although at least one very vocal orienteer I know is in that 13%.

Looking to the future, and probably particularly relevant for fixtures sites and flyers, increasing numbers are accessing the web via mobile phones. I don't know the performance details of this technology, but I would imagine that data volumes would be an issue, and certainly large detailed pictures would be pretty pointless for display on a mobile screen.