New User Conversion

It's a nice feature Danny. Now all you need is to customize it with otaku goodness. Lets say... Mirai-chan half naked? XP

Closed for ever and ever, since I come back every day anyway ^__^ I really like the feature anyway, great for getting people to click and see whats on offer.

Only gripe I had was it looked really big, felt like it was taking up most of my screen. Sort of intrusive.

I can't get my to close at all, in fact I see that my page gets cut of on the right when I scroll over I don't know what is wrong?

Cool. I like it so far!

Interesting idea.. prolly won't use it much myself as it takes up too much space from the content section. Now if you had a text-only link option...

Well I did close it forever, but then I noticed the link that takes me back home is gone at the bottom, so now I keep it so I can get back to the front page without going back to the top of the page when there are a lot of comments in one article/news item.

Pretty Useful.
Haha, I sometimes get confused on where I want to go on this site, but with this it makes things easier... lol

I will see if I find it useful or annoying before I deal with it in any permanent fashion.
Just because it is of no apparent use the first time does not mean that it might be useful later, after all.

hmm its causes lag in the browser <_< hmm

Since I am not a new user to your site, I will opt for 'Close forever...". I do see the merits for having it, but it does take lot of space if one has a small monitor. The catfish reminds me of the navigation bars back in late 90's - I remember creating such sites back then.

I really like it. It certainly fits in with your 3 second rule. If I was just new here and saw that I think I'd use it to check out the Japan section.
Works fine in Opera aswell^^

Worked just fine in Internet exploder.. I closed it.. since I check often. But nifty idea!

Hmm...if I were new it might be good, but any one other than a person visiting for the first or second time would probably do well to close it. It takes up a lot of room, lags, and to be honest it makes the page look crowded. ^^; More grey at the bottom = almost no white on the page.

Of course, bear in mind that I use the long-time user portal, which has Danny's News on the orange bar. I imagine it'd look much less cluttered with the Newbie portal, which only has two buttons and a picture there.

I always wonder what is this 'catfish' you said yesterday at puchi blurbs, I saw a pop-up thingy just now and realized maybe this is the catfish you're talking about ^^

"Did not bother with IE6" <--- *claps hands*

On topic, yeah since i do know my way around i'll be closing it for the meantime but if i'm on the move like using my laptop. I'd keep this on since it would seem to ease certain tasks for me.

So its gray, and it stays in the bottom of the aquarium.. ^^;

Hmm I don't think I'll need it though. And it causes a bit of lag. Maybe its just my ancient PC.

Shuddering a lot for me Danny but its still nice :)

I already closed it before reading this news. :P

sorry, i closed it forever

It's not really needed, in my opinion. I don't mind scrolling to the top. On top of that, it makes it feel like you're missing out on part of the page because it's blocked by the toolbar.

"Do not bother with IE6"; that explains it! ^^; And here I was thinking I managed to subconcious click "close forever and ever" in a haze of sleep-deprived delerium. One of these days I really should upgrade my browser...

Got rid of it. Nice idea, but imo the placement seems a bit unusual. What drew me into the site were the articles on Japan, though I think if something similar were at the top with the rest of the drop-down menus it might be more eyecatching.

I think the size is an issue with that new gadget. I've turned it off permanently because my laptop is running on 1280x768. That catfish menu thingy takes up 15%'ish of my viewing space. If it was user adjustable or thrown on the left side of the browser, than I would use it...otherwise, it just reduces my viewing space.

It's a great idea, but still need to be more user friendly.

speaking as a committed user - I am going to close that sucker for good, sayonara!

but I can see the utility it brings to new visitors. it took a few weeks until i stopped using the nav bar at the top so a thumbnail laden navbar might be just the thing for new visitors...

It's a pretty good idea, I'm glad you have a close forever button... not so happy I'll have to close it again every time I look at pron. Er, I mean, clear my cookies. Yea.

I closed it forever. It seemed to interfere with the page, but that's just me. Others may like it. Still giving props for being creative.

I'm enjoying it so far. I noticed that some pictures and videos overlap it while scrolling. This is in firefox if that makes any difference.

I found the idea as welcoming as cuddle time with Yoko Littner (Gurren Lagann). But much like her eyes, it is a bit bigger than many may handle. XP

Besides, since I am here every day, and even gave it a try, I decided to turn it off. It's best for those who may need it before they get used to the site. :3

Great feature for new readers, better site navigation for them to have the hand-on in DC.

Once one hooked up by DC, one will seldom leave ^_^

Cool feature. I'll keep it there for a bit, but I'll probably close it eventually.

First time I saw it it was over a youtube video which cause a very strange effect. ^^;
It didn't cause any lag or problems though. Personally turned it off, as I know the site well enough now :P

Thought it was a pretty cool feature. Will keep it there because it looks cool, though I may not use it much.

The YouTube videos are layering on top of the catfish menu. everything else seems to layer underneath it appropriately.

Example http://www.dannychoo.com/adp/eng/1674/A+Week+in+Tokyo+35.html

Win XP SP3 using FF 3.0.7

actually i think this new menu not really useful ....

Very useful for new visitors. For me, better closed since I can see more of the main area :P

Running Opera under Ubuntu Linux. I did a 'close once' but the bar keeps opening whenever I change pages. Will try a 'forever' and see what happens.

I closed... i believe it's not needed. Don't have much utility and usability in the site, space is lost. Makes the web look ugly, and dannychoo.com is beatiful, but not this.

Sorry Danny.

I think Catfish can have a better look if it's a bit thinner.

Otherwise, I'll be waiting for Firefox's pr0n mode to roll into the scene.

I closed mine, but I'm glad that it's working to bring newer users in. Chalk up another mark in the win column for you. ^^

I think it's great for new users. I'm turning mine off though, since I've been coming here for so long that I'm use to the sections. ^^

Images take a bit to load now... Use Firefox 3.0.6

I turned off too...

its a little big.
feels like it's obstructing my view.

Closed mine since I already know my way around. But love the idea! I think it'll be really helpful for first-time visitors

It's nice for new people...but it's too big so it and covers a good portion of the articles...i can't describe too well, but I've seen one of those arrows that is on the side that follows you as you scroll down and when you put your cursor over it a navigation panal pops out...maybe that would be more efficient?...I mean there is quite a bit of space to the left and right of the screen for that kind of thing...

Ah, converting new people to Danny Choo-ism. Now I get the point of that weird little thing. ^_^ I closed it because I tend to read what's in the bottom half of the screen more than the top, but I like the prominence the dollfies get--it means I get to look forward to more dollfie goodness in the future!

I like it .... and if the page views are up then it must be working.

Maybe its ok for high resolutions but not so good for those low to mid resolution readers.
But so long theres the choice to close it, its ok to me.

Kinda of annoying for me. It just sits there, now if it hid itself like the windows toolbar then yea I could see it working.

I like it. Although I probably won't use it too often, its a nice feature. Though it feels a bit intrusive to the screen. Very nice nonetheless.

Would be cool if it had a home button I tend to find myself always directed to the bottom of many web pages. Also would be cool if it could be set to pop up new articles from other users.

I closed it, but it's not a bad idea, just having the option to close it makes it viable.

Yeap. nice for new user coming over here, but old user would definitely "close it forever and ever" .. LOL

I notice there was a portal to dolfie section in the catfish, but not on the top. It doesn't matter since I don't really care about dolfies, but Danny you might want to check that out.

great feature but don't need to use it as I visit very offen. Would be great for new users but can't tell for sure since that was over 2 years ago.

Good for newcomers, but I don't think old users will find this that exactly helpful. But an interesting feature nonetheless ^^;

=D Didn't know what was up until I Lerry[maru] told me to read the article >!< Guess I should have looked at your articles first :D

I still use lolifox v 3.6 and have a 1680 x 1050 widescreen monitor and no lag, it worked pretty good.

Soon as I clicked close forever though I was unable to use the comment button. Refreshed the screen and then I could interact with the 'buttons' on the page. If it were customizable where I could put Danny's News, Members News in 1 or 2 of the spots I would probably leave it up!

Kewl feature!!! love it... But yeah, as a regular visitor, i close it permanently...^^

Nice and user-friendly, but I've permanently closed it ^^;

Closed it forever since I use a 14" widescreen laptop, it just doesn't leave much space for rest of the stuff.

Closed it forever. Don't really like the big bottom bar and it seems to flash in and out for me which got pretty annoying, so I closed it forever or until I clear my cache and cookies :).

I close it whenever you post a rather lengthy article here; I don't like to scroll down a lot, but it's definitely a great way to navigate without having to hit either the home or end key.

Definitely closed forever! Been lurking here too long to need it now XD

And "just according to keikaku"? Thought you were referring to my blog coz I haven't heard that line in so long >_>

a little fat and bulky for me personally, closed.

Mhh, even as a seasoned user I think it's pretty handy if you want fast links available and have the search box nearby.

I do notice some overlay too with Member news and Youtube videos in articles. The videos and member news in top page layers over the catfish when scrolling. This is a detail though, not really bothersome.

(Fyi I'm using FF3.0.6 on Mandriva Linux -Gnome version-)

It takes up a bit too much real estate. If it were half the height, I wouldn't mink keeping it.

I actually didn't notice the bar until reading this post. Keeping it open for the time being.

Eh, I'll give it a fair look. I just got here, after all.

I didn't like the feature so I permanently closed it. It kinda doesn't fit into the whole page layout and looks awkward.

A great addition to the site indeed.

Will enlarge popularity and eventually quality. Perfect for helping new users around the site.

There are also the element of it making the site heavier and slower to load.

It takes up space that most people have as their preferance in order to get "charmed" by the site.

Perhaps including it as a choice together with "Set gateway to regular" and "Set gateway to newby" would suffice? Not to have it as a necessity from the start.

the colour's a little disconcerting though
i recommending using orange ^^

Nice feature and good for new users, but I'll probably close it. Combined with the top bar for your items it makes the middle of the site somewhat thin, and I like to see as much of the 'normal' content as possible ^^

I think it's a good feature for new visitors to see what your site is about the moment they hit it. But as for me, I will close it firever and ever and ever ... and ever ... and ev... ver .. er :D

yeah - you could do with a mascot on the left hand side

That's definitely a very good feature for new visitors. I closed it because I didn't need it.

Definitely a great help to new users and it's attention catching as well. Noticed it the first thing I enter the site.

Hmm... I notice that the Japanese profile page doesn't have member news...
Come here almost everyday, so its off for me.
Probably good for new users though.

I like the idea of the catfish menu, however for signed up members I'd like to see different content in there, or perhaps have some control over it - for example, thumbnails of the latest three items of news so I can navigate between them quicker ^^

Wouldn´t be better to put it on a side? I´m using a widesreen monitor (my laptop´s) and the bar cosumes to much useful viewing space.... well I never used the original bar either and colsed this one too.
But great option, makes the site feel more gadgety =D

where do i find dannys articles for 2006

very impressive for new visitor !!

It's useful but I've never been that fond of catfish bars but for new users it would be very useful ^^ Good job!

This is the first catfish bar I can recall seeing and it works flawlessly on Firefox 3.0.7. I use a rotated display for browsing so this fits just right.

I come by every day so this is of limited use for me, still I mean to leave it up as it just looks cool.

Good work Danny, that's defitnely bringing new users ^^. I closed mine since i think i know my way through the site ^.^

like the catfish idea. Beats scrolling up the screen again to click on other sections. Maybe you could change your trooper & japan section picture to something brighter. Your dollfie and figures are quite bright and colorful if you were to compare em'.

Closed forever and ever since i come here like every day I know what I want to check so nope. No catfish for me XD

I closed it forever and ever because I visit DC everyday. Although I think it's a good add on to attract more people since it's user friendly.

Like most users already said it's closed forever since I visit DC everyday, but it's still a nice feature for the new users.

Why can't the sticky menu be user setting based or default hide for regular users?

Ooooo theres an icon for dollfies now!! Yatta!!

I thinks I'll leave it at the bottom for the mean time... but if I don't get used to it I'll close it forever. I would like the option of being able to get it back after closing it forever though. A safety net.

Nice navbar, but make it smaller

My suggestions would be try to make it a tiny bit smaller. Also, I've got no lag at all on my browser (safari 4 beta, 1440x900 res, windows vista 64bit, powerhouse of a pc tho)

When Im scrolling down a webpage, if there is a youtube video on the page, it overlaps the catfish bar. Just thought you would like to know, Danny.

nice feature but as many said kind of big and I'm a current user so I know where things are so close fever

Not really liking the bar. I'm running it on the latest version of firefox and not only does it increase the loadtimes of each page (not by much but I can tell) the navigation and scrolling of the page becomes alot slower and more jerky.

Cool idea! I think it should be a drop down sub-menu from the top bar that hides after its clicked. But initially great for new users.

Using Google Chrome and runs great! after it loads... loading lags a bit under stress

Yea the youtube embeds comes on top like the others.

Hate to sound like my boss but "Push marketing is bad". Anything pops up or out in peoples face un-wantedly, they will close it or leave... I know I do it all the time with css slide ads on pages and anything Flash that requires a wait... Skip, Skip, Skip.

What would be cool is if it had snippets or the Puchi Blurbs to stay with you on other pages and updates as people post.

I closed it forever as I know my way around the site pretty well.

its nice, but maybe a little big

it will be better ( for me at least ) to be vertical

Neat feature. But I won't be using it since I'm a regular now as well..
I think the catfish bar would look a lot better if it was transparent so it doesn't hog part of the page as much. Just my 2cents. ^^;

Good feature...but won't need it since i usually know my way around...

Cool but needs to be a little thinner in my opinion.

I did turn it off though so I come to the site quite a lot

Technically impressive feature, but as an old member I probably will not use:)

so big...I must close the catfish....

Great feature for new users, technically less invasive than a popup or landing page but I personally closed forever

i found it to be quite interesting but for my netbook the catfish takes up wayyyyy too much space since my 8.9" net book has a resolution of 1024 by 600 the catfish cuts off like a good 20% of the bottom. its like 2 times the taskbar in size XD... so i guess on my netbook its going away forever but on my macbook pro it will stay.

Pretty cool although I'll be closing it as you say I already know my way around by now :D

It's very nice but it seems to be in my way alot and since I already know my way around I will be closing it.

For consistency the dollfie should have its own portal like the figures, japan, and trooper sections. danny

Please tell me how did you do... Is there a plugin for wordpress to do something similar? I like it! Thanks!

Was experimenting with the new bottom feeding friend in Safari 4 Beta (5528.16). It renders slowly for me when I refresh or move to another page. If I "Close once" it takes even more time to render. Overall I find it is taking more time to for the pages to load. I'm glad to hear it is increasing the conversion rate and move view on your profile page. Hopefully that is the sound of new clients coming your way...

Since I'm one of the old folks here I will close it forever. Definitely a nice feature to the site!

It's a good idea, but it takes up too much space...
Maybe it would be good to keep it hidden and then there's a button for it to pop out. xD

Looks good tho a little tall.. Works fine with explorer 6 on XP SP3+ machine.....

I close it once cus how bout if I want to see it again in the future. If I close it forever how do I make come out again?

I'm closing it because I'm already familiar with the site's features, but if I were a new visitor it would've helped me a lot....

Personally, I closed it forever and ever. However; I can definitely see how it would be a very nice thing for new visitors. It'd be nice if it was smaller though; I came to your site on my Aspire One and it took up 1/3 of the screen.

The catfish nav has some overlapping problems with some embedded objects it seems. You should probably add chrome to that list of browsers soon danny. After so many years, I finally left IE and switched to chrome. Never really been a fan of firefox. heheh! :D The lightweight-ness of the app just amazes me. Anyway, it doesn't really bother me as I closed it forever. heheh!

Not sure if its a good idea but thought I'd suggest it anyway. How bout if the catfish nav stays for some time (like 5-20 seconds or so) then after that time it will disappear or just have it attached to the footer or something. Everytime the user browses another page it'll latch on to the bottom of the screen again then after a certain time it'll move to the footer. I just noticed that it takes a whole lot of space and the look doesn't integrate well with the rest of the site. Just my first impression though.

how about an auto hide feature, so it won't hinder anyone if they don't want to use it.

Or you can make the ol' navbar movable rather than making a new one.
Nice feature I'll keep it for a few days and see if I'll frequently using it or not.

=.=" need some time to get used to it......

Again, great for new users.
For long time readers, most likely it will be close forever and ever ^^;

wow that bar took up like half the screen of my netbook... closed! so long!!!!

Works perfect, won't use

I closed it forever. It ran just fine in SeaMonkey. If there was a way to have it open on the main page or the various summary pages (Member News, etc) but have it closed on the individual posts without constantly having to close it, that would be useful.