 March 13, 2008 - 10:27am | I disagree to some extent. I think having the project forums is not a bad thing. It allows you to keep things that are completly related to just the project separate from the main fourms (here I'm thinking about organization discussions, status updates, task lists, etc.) I agree that there are probably discussions going on that should be moved out to the main forums but the project owner should take the lead and move them. Maybe an option to move the thread out to the main forums should be implemented so the project owner can promote a project discussion to the main room. Plus it's nice to have the topics organized by project. I like the ability to ignore things I'm not interested in. My main page is the 'What's New' page. The way things are organized now, I only see what's new on the stuff I'm interested in and it is sorted by project. If all the projects are now posting in the main forums, I'm going to get flooded (and irritated because I've got to click through to find out what it relates to). If the project forums are removed, there needs to be some hierachacal changes to the fourms to help preserve this encapsulation. I would recommed the following: 1) make a 6th main forum 'Project Forums' 2) make it possible to have sub forums and create one for each project. This allows us to have mutliple threads associated with each project but still grouped. 3) The display on the 'What's New' page has to include the fourm/subforum the topic is in. This should happen regardless so the user knows where he is going. That way people can look at the things that interest them and ignore the others without having to click through everything. Anyway, that's my 2 cents. Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
 March 13, 2008 - 10:34am | It just occurred to me that if we just made it so that every post in every forum shows up on the site's main page Newest Topics list that it will demonstrate the activity going on, which is really the primary goal here. |
March 13, 2008 - 11:30am | As long as they are sorted by project that would be fine by me. Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
March 13, 2008 - 11:36am | Huh? Are you sure you know what I'm talking about? I'm talking about the "Newest Topics" box on this site's homepage. It would be impossible to let new posts come to the top if they're sorted by project. |
March 13, 2008 - 11:51am | Sorry, I'm talking about the 'What's New' page. (node 370 I believe) I never even look at the page you are talking about. I tend to click right past it. You are correct, on that page, it doesn't make sense to sort them by topic. Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
March 13, 2008 - 12:04pm | It catches peoples attention more and gives them a more positive impression when they see a bunch of topics that have the "New" marker next to them. It lets people know that this site is busier than the General Forums indicate. Maybe if we even let each project indicate its activity by doing something like this in the Newest Topics box: [25th Anniversary...] Documents New [Gamma Dawn So...] Random Mutation Tables New [Game Talk] Why is everyone's new alien race humanoid? |
March 13, 2008 - 12:05pm | By the way, Bill, the Newest Topics box should update according to newest post, instead of newest thread. |
March 13, 2008 - 12:40pm | Then it has to be labeled 'Newest Posts' or something similar. The functionality it has right now is consistent with its label. That was a comment I was going to make but didn't. Since you brought it up I will. It shows, as it is labeled, what the newest topics are that have been added. The New label shows up on topics that have been edited where ever they are on the list. Completlely new topics will show up at the top with the New label, but older topic with new posts are further down the list. Right now, it doesn't show updates in the projects, although as Corjay suggests maybe it should. In that case it would also now contain information that I don't really care about. Either way, that's why I usually skip that page and go straight to the 'What's new' page. If provides a filtered and sorted list of what new in the areas I care about. It may be good for an atteniton getter but I find it's functional usefulness very limited. A simple statistic saying there have been n new topics and m new posts since you last logged on would serve my purposes just as well. I think we both agree that area needs work. I just don't have a sugestion on what to do about it. The 'What's New' page works just fine for me and the way I browse the site. Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
March 15, 2008 - 12:51pm | Well the point is to show that the site is active. I don't ever use it either, but it does make me feel good when I see it lit up with the "New" indicators, and for someone who only comes to browse, it would show that there is a lot of new stuff to see each and every day and that progress on projects is indeed being made, as jellyboy's post indicated that he got no such impression from the current setup. I guess call it "Latest Activity", instead. That seems to fit well. People need visual indicators that a site is alive and active, especially for a long out-of-print game like this. EDIT: JNDenton001 -> jellyboy (I mistook which new poster it was) |
March 13, 2008 - 1:26pm | As an activity indicator, I think your suggestions are spot on. And 'Latest Activity' would be a good label. Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
