[bksvol-discuss] Re: petition to put the new books back on the front page

Kim here. Assuming everything's okay, I use Jaws to go to visited links, so
I hit Browse, press Enter, select most recent books, and check out that
which has been added to the collection during the previous day, hit Go,
press enter when I know how many books have been added, and read synopses.
Voila, I get to know what's there (which satisfies my 'satiable curiosity,
according to the Elephant's Child. That's one thing I definitely like about
the new site. On the old site, there was no selection in a combo box for
checking out what was added the previous day. So here is my routine (such as
it is): 1. wait until midnight 2. go to the Bookshare web site, 3. select
"Browse books", 4. select "new books", 5. select "in the last day" 6. hit
go, making sure I have 100 results per page, 7. make sure I read about books
in List view, 8. hit Enter when it says: "skip to 1 of 96", and 9. read to
my heart's content. After looking at what's on Bookshare, I have to check
out the Project Gutenberg web site to find out what books have been posted,
so I press the RSS feed  link, and read what's been going on there. I never
imagined I'd have a computer routine involving Internet Explorer, but so it
goes (sigh). To think I could be doing something impractical like actually
reading a book or playing my guitar. But what do I do instead? Right, check
out email messages and do the routine I've mentioned. On Fridays, I have to
know what's been added to the NLSBARD web sites. I didn't know when I got
this computer of mine that I'd be hit with download fever. Now if only I'd
sit down and read the stuff I've downloaded! Regards, Kim aka Ellinder.

-----Original Message-----
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bob
Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2009 6:33 AM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: petition to put the new books back on the
front page

Wow, what a geeky response Ann. Sorry but it is.

Actually, you make my case in your first paragraphs.  Let's keep the
bookshare site as it was until a week ago. Now, on with my rant.

I consider myself kind of a geek too, but I'm a lazy geek. I want to bring
up the bookshare site, hit "v" for my visited link and go to the new books
page. No problem, done, voila.

Sure I know there are ways to get to it: store in my favorites, use the
links list, even store on my desktop, but (1, you should see my favorites I
have sites in there going back to 1998; 2. you should see my desktop I have
over a hundred shortcuts on my desktop going back to 1998 .bc.e. (sighted
folks shriek in horror when they see my desktop). Jesus, this is a geeky
sentence!

All I want to do is get another book!

I rest my convoluted case.

Bob (whimpering "nooooo!"


Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I'm schizophrenic,
And I am too.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ann Parsons" <akp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2009 7:39 AM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: petition to put the new books back on the
front page


> Hi all,
>
> Um, may I put forth some reasons for keeping the web site as it is?  
> I'm sort of playing devil's advocate, but hear me out.
>
> First, Bookshare is one of those web sites that is navigated by many, 
> many people, most of whom are blind or visually impaired.  Many of 
> these folks are new to computers, are young children, are folks with 
> physical disabilities and so on.  It is absolutely paramount that we 
> consider the common denominator when considering web design for a
page/site like this.
> The most important thing to consider here is the simplicity of the web 
> site.  In the old design, the New Books link was way, way, down the 
> page, buried in a plethora of links about everything from press 
> releases to News Papers and so on and on, the links continued and 
> continued and continued until you were drowning in links, drowning in the
plethora of information.
> Folks, for somebody who knows little or nothing about web sites, a 
> page with more than twenty links on it is a nightmare to navigate.  
> People like this do not know how to use a Links List.  they do not 
> know how to use the placemarker feature of Jaws and Wind ow-Eyes, 
> something you guys have forgotten too, I guess.  All they know is that 
> if they press their tab key, they will go from link to link.  Have 
> more than twenty links on a page, and people will become frustrated 
> real fast, folks, real fast!  Granted, the Skip Navigation Link *does* 
> work, but *only* if you understand how to use it.
>
> You guys ever heard of Guide?  Well, it's a new simplified interface 
> for working with your computer.  It's web navigation is *that* simple.  
> It doesn't even *have* the Links List or anything.
>
> If you look at this new page, guys, putting the Newest Books under 
> Browse makes perfect sense.  You wanna browse the collection, so you 
> go to browse.  Where would you put the  newest link, guys?  Then 
> somebody's gonna want the Authors link and the Best Sellers link and 
> on and on.  No, keep it simple.  Keep it streamlined.  You want to browse,
then browse,
> new old authors, titles, categories, whatever.   Those of you who are 
> canny computer folks, use your Links List, use your placemarker, use 
> your favorites, or put the dingdong link on your desktop.  Be 
> proactive.  Be independent.  Make the web site work for you, don't 
> make it more complicated than it needs to be.
>
> Sorry for my rant, but really, there are several ways to make the 
> Newest Books accessible to you, folks, you've just not explored all 
> the possibilities.  My motto is "Why aggravate yourself?"
>
> I have the homepage of both the Bookshare and the BARD site on my desktop.

> It'd be the easiest thing in the world to put a link to the newest 
> books on your desktop.  Here's how.
>
> 1.  Go to the Newest Books page.
>
> 2.  If in IE, press f6.
>
> 3.  Do a ctrl-c.
>
> 4.  Go to your desktop, and make sure that no item is selected.
>
> 5.  Press the context Menu Key, or Applications Key, whatever you call it.
>
> 6.  Arrow down to New.  If new isn't there, press escape, go back to 
> the desktop and press ctrl-space to unselect the items.
>
> 7.  Go back to the context Menu and arrow down to new.
>
> 8.  Press 'enter'.
>
> 9.  Arrow down to shortcut.
>
> 10.  Press 'enter'.
>
> 11.  You'll be placed in a wizard at an edit box.  Press ctrl-v.
>
> 12. tab to next and press the spacebar.
>
> 13.  You will find yourself at another edit box.  Add a name for your 
> shortcut.
>
> 14.  Tab to finish and press the spacebar.  Voila!
>
>
> Ann P.
>
> --
> AAnn K. Parsons
> Portal Tutoring
> Email:  akp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Web Site:  http://www.portaltutoring.info
> blog:  http://www.samobile.net/users/akp
> Skype:  Putertutor
>
> "All that is gold does not glitter,
> Not all those who wander are lost."  JRRT
>
> To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to 
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line.
>
> 

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