I'm a moderator on another forum on another service.

That particular service changed their format this week. They changed the layout to something really annoying, plastered with blinking advertisements
(owww!). The advertisements I can ignore mostly.

It's the BRIGHT white background and the light blue text that they insist on using that's driving me mad.

I've been talking to a person that's in contact with their "design team". I've asked several times if they can do something about the background and the text...not just for me, since there are several other people in my forum that have vision problems or seizure disorders that feel that the new format is affecting them badly. (one girl emailed me and said she felt a seizure coming on because of the colors and the occasional blinking ad)

The response I've gotten from the person in contact with the design team has been less than helpful. I dont expect them to change the colors...even tho it seems that their biggest complaint is the color choices they've made.

It's a free service, so they can basically do whatever the heck they want to, but you would hope that they'd at least be sympathetic to people with vision problems. I doubt pulling an American's with Disabilities card on them would help me at all. My eyes hurt, and that forum's new format has screwed up my eyes that I'm even having problems typing this message out.

I'm just annoyed that they dont seem to care that people with vision problems are going to have difficulties with their new set up.

erin, i'm going to pm you a link that you might be able to find some answers or help. it has to do with forum software. all different kinds.

Erin, I know it's only a band-aid on a bullet wound, but for now, could you dim your screen or highlight all the text while you work on commandeering a board-wide petition of complaint?

The other trick is to contact all their advertisers as a group and complain to them en masse on a frequent basis.

Sorry this has happened, it's very disappointing when a good community is managed by incompetent fools.

I posted a message in my forum (it's on About.com) that I have to step away from my computer for a bit.

I know I'm starting to annoy the people in their moderator's private forum, but it just feels like they dont want to fix anything because they've got good vision and it's not bugging them, so who gives a carp about a small percentage of the people who use their forums that might have mild vision problems that are being aggravated by a color change and annoyingly small light blue text on a snow white background.

I'm just annoyed that a forum I really enjoy going to is causing me a lot of eye pain and headache. At least it's not giving me seizures like it is a few of the forum members told me it's done to them.

Oh, and dimming my monitor doesnt help.

Sorry I don't have any solutions for ya, Erin... Just wanted to support ya and say "THAT STINKS"!!!!

take care............

erin, pm me the link to the forum you mod.

let me see what i can find out. heheheh...between loads of laundry.