What matters to you on the front page? This is YOUR COMMUNITY!

[jkn]

A major change is happening later today on the "activity feed".  It may easily make it the thing that we want to look at first when we come to the community - but we'll have to see if it works for us once it changes and we get used to it.

 

What I'd like to know from you - is what parts of the site do you like the most?   When you come here - what is most important TO YOU?   

 

Here is a list of everything on the front page as well as a couple of older items not there now.  What matters to you?  What would you like to see at the top of the page (or as near as I can get it - there's only so much room!).    What is ok to remove from the front page - and have everyone click a menu link at the top (all major stuff on the front page actually has it's own special page - like photos, blogs, videos, etc...  with additional options for viewing by most recent or most popular, etc... )

 

please comment below - or if you prefer - send me a note.  Your opinion matters!  This is YOUR COMMUNITY!  If a bunch of people tell me that 'x' is the most important thing and I had it at the bottom of the page - you can bet I'm going to push it to the top for you so you don't have to scroll all the way down!

 

a) latest activity
b) MOTD (member of the day)
c) photos
d) videos
e) blogs
f) forum
g) events calendar
h) special blogs index
i) quote of the day
j) community member releases
k) birthdays
l) friends & supporters list
m) "leaderboard" (it says "top photos" right now in center column - i rotate this from photos to videos to members etc.)
n) members list (i just changed it from small thumbnails to large ones with people's names - bottom of front page)
o) special features - like the week long features on artists, photographers, labels, etc... we've done in past
p) I used to post an oblique strategy every day, but after repeating them all at least once... stopped. :-)

[jkn]

Ok - the activity feed has been updated.   Let's of a round of "ooo's" and "aaah's"... ;-)

[Bob Ohrum]

I think the main page looks great but I kind of miss seeing the featured members front and center.

[jkn]

My personal thoughts...   I hit the activity feed first - it tells me at a glance what's happening right now on the site.

 

I then glance down the blogs - that's where most of the posting happens - and a blog post from yesterday can drop off the activity feed quickly.   I tend to click the "blogs" menu item to go to the main blog index page - it's easier for me personally to read them there.

 

The other main thing for me is the photo slideshow.   I love catching 10 or 20 of those photos that are random from the entire history of the community - and I'll ocasionally post on one or two - I also click the "photos" menu item and look at teh most recently posted photos once or twice a week.

 

I also love the MOTD box - I enjoy posting those - and since I posted them - I tend to overlook them later in the day - but I think it's cool.

 

I enjoy posting the "quote of the day" - but not sure how popular that is with other people.

 

I'll hit the videos once every couple weeks when i have spare time at home.

[Jim "Sensitive Chaos" Combs]

Blogs, MOTD, Members, Photos are the main ones for me, then those lead to other content.

[jkn]

Thanks, Jim - thanks, Bob!

[Joel Sutton]

Am preferring the front page much more now. Wanted to give the activity feed a good "try" before commenting and it didn't really work for me just on its own. Will keep test driving tho.

 

Great to see that the robots are back :D

[ZERO OHMS]

I have to comment about oblique strategies - I use them frequently. And as you're probably already aware, there is a new version with many more new ones than the original set.

[jkn]

Ok - so we've got a couple votes for MOTD, Blogs, bring back Oblique Strategies - possibly the new version (if it's posted online - or maybe I'll buy a deck one of these days).

 

I'm happy someone likes my silly obsession with the robots!

 

...and photos!

 

Note about the brief change from a 3 column layout to a 2 column layout - I didn't like it - and several people commented they didn't like it to me privately - so we're back to 3.   It was just too hard to show the little extra bits like MOTD... and not have everything shove down "below the fold" (forcing you to scroll).

 

More comments please!

 

 

 

[Joel Sutton]

Agreed. 3 columns are much better. I prefer the activity feed back on the left side like it used to be. Blogs under MOTD also perfect. I always go straight for the blogs each day when I log on so that works better for me.

 

Would the daily quote box work better in the top left hand corner? Or perhaps the strategies thing could go there? Then it's the first thing we see and we'll definitely read it because it short.

[Neu Gestalt]

Your own description of how you tend to use the site pretty much reflects my own, John.  It's really good as it is.

(If only MySpace had taken an "If it works don't fix it approach."} ((^_>^)