Here's an idea for the telerik site-
Can you consider implementing some simple URL rewriting for your site? Many of your pages seem to use QueryString parameters to display their content, which makes it very difficult at times to figure out where you are based on the browser URL.
For example, if I go to http://www.telerik.com/forums I will be automatically redirected to http://www.telerik.com/default.aspx?pageid=2200. Why not use a URL rewriter (which I think you sell with SiteFinity) to make the URL more readable?
You could even go a step further and use rewriting so that we could easily jump between product forums by "hacking" the URL (such as "/forums/callback" or "/forums/grid"). Not only would it be easier to use, but I think it would make your forums easier to search via Google et al.
Love the site and the forums; I just think telerik of all people can do prettier URLs.
Thanks~
Can you consider implementing some simple URL rewriting for your site? Many of your pages seem to use QueryString parameters to display their content, which makes it very difficult at times to figure out where you are based on the browser URL.
For example, if I go to http://www.telerik.com/forums I will be automatically redirected to http://www.telerik.com/default.aspx?pageid=2200. Why not use a URL rewriter (which I think you sell with SiteFinity) to make the URL more readable?
You could even go a step further and use rewriting so that we could easily jump between product forums by "hacking" the URL (such as "/forums/callback" or "/forums/grid"). Not only would it be easier to use, but I think it would make your forums easier to search via Google et al.
Love the site and the forums; I just think telerik of all people can do prettier URLs.
Thanks~
5 Answers, 1 is accepted
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Hello Todd,
First of all, thank you for the nice comments about our website. Concerning the URL rewriting, we have already implemented it. If you navigate to the forums by clicking on the community tab and then clicking "forums" you will see the following URL http://www.telerik.com/asp-net-community/forums/forums.aspx. You are right that when you enter certain forum, the URL will end with some parameters instead of the forum name, but we are considering changing this.
Although we have user friendly URLs, the old ones with padeids are still used since many of our clients are familiar with them and may still be using them. That's why http://www.telerik.com/forums redirects you to the URL you mention. Once everybody gets used to the new URLs we are going to remove the old ones and avoid duplicate links to a single page.
Greetings,
Natalie Farah
the telerik team
First of all, thank you for the nice comments about our website. Concerning the URL rewriting, we have already implemented it. If you navigate to the forums by clicking on the community tab and then clicking "forums" you will see the following URL http://www.telerik.com/asp-net-community/forums/forums.aspx. You are right that when you enter certain forum, the URL will end with some parameters instead of the forum name, but we are considering changing this.
Although we have user friendly URLs, the old ones with padeids are still used since many of our clients are familiar with them and may still be using them. That's why http://www.telerik.com/forums redirects you to the URL you mention. Once everybody gets used to the new URLs we are going to remove the old ones and avoid duplicate links to a single page.
Greetings,
Natalie Farah
the telerik team
0
Loki
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answered on 14 Jun 2006, 07:46 AM
Hi Natalie,
I suppose you have virtual folders in these special locations like www.telerik.com/forums which redirect to hardcoded urls. Why not change these virtual folders to lead to the real rewritten urls? I hope you do not have hundreds of redirect folders...
Loki
I suppose you have virtual folders in these special locations like www.telerik.com/forums which redirect to hardcoded urls. Why not change these virtual folders to lead to the real rewritten urls? I hope you do not have hundreds of redirect folders...
Loki
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Hi Loki,
We don't have hundreds of redirects but still the number is pretty large:) Nevertheless we are going to change them. We used to have these redirects even before implementing the URL rewrite that's why most of them point to the old ULRs. Any new redirects we make point to the readable URLs. However, we may implement some more changes (like removing the parameters for forums). That's why we will postpone changing the old redirects - as you mentioned the links are hardcoded, so it is better not to change them before the URLs are finalized.
Sincerely yours,
Natalie Farah
the telerik team
We don't have hundreds of redirects but still the number is pretty large:) Nevertheless we are going to change them. We used to have these redirects even before implementing the URL rewrite that's why most of them point to the old ULRs. Any new redirects we make point to the readable URLs. However, we may implement some more changes (like removing the parameters for forums). That's why we will postpone changing the old redirects - as you mentioned the links are hardcoded, so it is better not to change them before the URLs are finalized.
Sincerely yours,
Natalie Farah
the telerik team
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Todd
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answered on 14 Jun 2006, 02:54 PM
Natalie-
Thanks for the reply. I had noticed the change in the URL on the Forums page, but since it was the only "friendly" URL I had run into on the telerik site, I assumed it was an anomaly.
I very glad to hear you are in the process of implementing URL Rewriting across the site. It will make the experience (especially in the forums) more pleasant. Now, when we provide links to other forums in our posts people will have some idea of where they are going based on the URL.
I'd highly recommend that you consider rewriting URLs in the forums to at least include the product for that very reason (cross posting links). It would be above and beyond if you could rewrite the URL to include the title of the post (a la the way digg.com displays submitted story URLs).
Keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to the new URLs!
Thanks~
Thanks for the reply. I had noticed the change in the URL on the Forums page, but since it was the only "friendly" URL I had run into on the telerik site, I assumed it was an anomaly.
I very glad to hear you are in the process of implementing URL Rewriting across the site. It will make the experience (especially in the forums) more pleasant. Now, when we provide links to other forums in our posts people will have some idea of where they are going based on the URL.
I'd highly recommend that you consider rewriting URLs in the forums to at least include the product for that very reason (cross posting links). It would be above and beyond if you could rewrite the URL to include the title of the post (a la the way digg.com displays submitted story URLs).
Keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to the new URLs!
Thanks~
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Hello Todd,
Once we get to rewriting the forums URLs we'll take into consideration your suggestion. Thanks for the involvement.
Regards,
Natalie Farah
the telerik team
Once we get to rewriting the forums URLs we'll take into consideration your suggestion. Thanks for the involvement.
Regards,
Natalie Farah
the telerik team