Where to find lost forums :)

[Fox]

Okay, you did user testing, that's good. But that doesn't mean you can't do more - it should be an ongoing process.

My gut feeling is still that the headings are not prosaic enough, and that the long text is distracting from what I would consider the main purpose of that page, which is to have a clear path to somewhere else! The long descriptions could sit inside the forums, when you click through you'd read them. Or there could be an Basics of OBOD Druidry read only forum for newbies, sitting at the top.

I go back to the screenshot I posted. I maintain that the user faced with that page has a clearer choice of actions. Two things I did there - replaced the forum titles with more descriptive taglines and got rid of most of the text descriptions.

You made the page shorter in length, which is good, but then you went and added a lot of extra stuff that undid your good work (the long poetic non-descriptive blocks of text).

Still, I bow to your superior judgment on the matter, and to the user testing you've already done. Without knowing more about the process of testing you did, I can't really say anything about the matter.

Fox, we did user testing before we brought this board online and incorporated many of the suggestions. We did not, however, use volunteers who have nothing to do with the board as we wanted the members' opinions since they are the ones using it. And we had a sampling from brand new members through ones that had been here since the initial board was online.

In addition, we a limited to what the board can do technically. We have added some things but have found in the past that adding too many "bells and whistles" creates problems with response time etc. So there may be some things we can do about the general layout without compromising the Board integrity. But others we are not willing to even attempt because of the size of this board.

The reason we removed many of the subforums from view was because of numerous complaints that the board was "cluttered." We thought making it more like a Windows based format where you have tabs then add'l tabs would resolve the issue and people would learn just where their particular favorite tab was in time.

The descriptions are primarily for newcomers to help them become used to not just the board, but OBOD druidry at its basics.

Now, that said, I am not against making changes to make things easier. Heck no! Our goal is not to make this a place of confusion, but a place of companionship. But in the end, no matter what is done, some people will really like the changes, some will not.

[Selene]

Fox,

Well, "prosaic," in addition to meaning "prose-like," also carries connotations of "lacking in spirit and imagination," "dull," "arousing no interest," etc. I get that you're using it to contrast with poetic—and you may be right in saying they're too flowery now—but I don't think I'm quite ready for our forum descriptions to be boring or dry.

Just a little background here: for several years the PTB in the Office have wanted us to simplify the board. For those of us who joined the board early and saw it grow up around us, it was fine—it got big, but we saw its evolution and it was familiar and comfortable to us. And a lot of people who joined later were able to find their home here, too, but as more and more people came to the board, and more and more forums and subforums appeared, it became apparent that a lot of new folks were overwhelmed and lost.

A message board is a new and unfamiliar venue for a lot of folks, even nearly a decade into the 21st century. One of my main motivations in suggesting the rearrangement was to make the board welcoming to the newcomer, even (or especially, maybe) for the technophobic newcomer. If people come here on a quest to learn more about Druidry, I want them to be able to find what they are seeking.

I also wanted to express, through the index page, some of the druidical ideals to which we aspire and to show, yes, the lyrical and beautiful sides of Druidry. Hence the forum descriptions that Philip so kindly wrote for us; I had drawn my original inspiration from the Seven Gifts of Druidry but translating them directly to our forum arrangement proved impractical, so Philip lent a hand and produced what I thought was some really lovely prose.

And as Kat Lady has explained, we all came to the conclusion that listing every forum and subforum on the index page was counter to the cleaner, less cluttered overall look we were seeking.

OK, that's how we got where we are. As I said earlier, if the new arrangement is not working, it's not an improvement and we need to look at ways to make it better. But before we change things radically, we have a few ideas to try that may help. Please bear with us awhile on this—reworking forum arrangements and changing descriptions requires a big time commitment, which none of us have much of right now. I promise your concerns are being heard and won't be forgotten.

[skh]

Maybe something like an index, some sort of site map for the forum?

(I have offered my technical help before, I'd be glad to do again if there's interest.)



peace /|\
Sonja

[Jingle]

skh,
Thank you for your lovely offer. I sent you a PM with some work that is already being done so perhaps you can improve on it or complete it?

[Fox]

... As I said earlier, if the new arrangement is not working, it's not an improvement and we need to look at ways to make it better. But before we change things radically, we have a few ideas to try that may help. Please bear with us awhile on this—reworking forum arrangements and changing descriptions requires a big time commitment, which none of us have much of right now. I promise your concerns are being heard and won't be forgotten.

Okay, I get it.

We'll have to agree to disagree with whether Philip's descriptions are waffle or poetry (or both?) but my main concern is not their content, but that they are distracting to the clear navigation of the page. Effusive poetry has its place, but so does clear, concise prose.

Hope the further development goes well.

[bellinus]

hello underneed my name has told obod bard
i know there is a way to let this changed (i did do it myself a year and a half ago, but memory
where do i find this item is did search and search but the wrong way i guess
can you help me to find this item?
greetings and blessing from the hazeltree

[Kat Lady]

Hi bellinus!
The thread is in the OBOD members only section. I just sent you a pm with the link.

[clara]

Hi!

Im very new here and I wounder where I can
write a description of my self, a picture and so fort
that people can see when i write a reply.



Very greatful for help

Thank you

/Clara

[Selene]

Welcome to the message board, Clara! You can add an avatar and a signature through your user control panel (the link is on the upper left under the Druid's Head logo). The limits for the items in the signature block (file size, character count, etc.) are listed here: viewtopic.php?f=125&t=21023

Please bear in mind that this is a public message board and that posting private information on the Internet can be risky!

Hope you enjoy the board--if you haven't already, you can post an introduction in the Hearthfire to start getting acquainted with the gang here.

[skydove]

Hi Selene, A few of us are trying to set up a new ogham study group, Darc mentioned that you would know how to access stickies on the subject.
(PS what is a stickie for us old ones?)