Reducing clutter in the forums

Duke · 09-05-2004, 01:56 AM

Would this make browsing the forums easier if, when you entered the forums, they looked like this?

Duke · 09-05-2004, 05:04 PM

lol at the vote for don't you have anything better to do Duke?

Duke · 09-06-2004, 12:55 AM

Tards, how the hell am I supposed to make a decision here if the poll that's winning is the don't you have better things to do Duke?

Paul · 09-06-2004, 08:26 AM

don't want stupid votes, don't put stupid options

:P

Duke · 09-06-2004, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul C

don't want stupid votes, don't put stupid options

:P

You may have a point there, too bad it's at the top of your head

Ya my bad. Can you actually imagine me ever being 100% serious though? That's a tall order.

Paul · 09-06-2004, 01:17 PM

good point man, jk :wink:

Duke · 09-06-2004, 01:24 PM

Well I'd say that the vote still indicates that, while people think I have nothing to do< they still find the forums a bit cluttered.

I'll likely change the look for a few weeks and see how people respond. If everyone's in favor then I'll have to go into the forum template and make some major adjustments so the main category will show post counts, number of topics and whether or not there's new content within that category.

Duke · 09-09-2004, 06:47 PM

So am I correct in assuming that it's a good idea to change the forum? I guess what we can do is change it for a week or so and see if everyone likes it. If it's decided to keep it that way, I'll have to edit the forum theme to indicate new topics at a glance with post counts, date posted, etc. These changes may be a little challenging to make but I feel confident that I can do them over time. Icons will be first with the sql stats looked at later.

Thoughts?

Paul · 09-09-2004, 09:15 PM

Ya I think that's a good idea, let's give it a try!

Duke · 09-09-2004, 09:16 PM

aaaaiiiiggghhhttt

I'll change it this weekend and let it run for about 2 weeks.

Duke · 09-14-2004, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duke

aaaaiiiiggghhhttt

I'll change it this weekend and let it run for about 2 weeks.

Actually, I'm having second thoughts as to whether or not I'm willing to compress the look of the forums (for now). I have not as of yet been able to find a block or module that lists all new topics in the forums that I like. The other problem is where to put said block if I manage to find one. It must be on the main page and cannot be a centre block. This only leaves side blocks which nobody can see due to how low they'll sit on the front page. The only way another block will be seen is if the user scrolls down on the page which I'm not sure everyone does. If they do, I hope their looking at the news and glancing over the blocks but there's really no way to be sure.

Also, hiding the topics when first loading may lead guests who are browsing for the first time to believe our forums are empty. They certainly aren't hopping but are far from empty. This is an unacceptable risk to have people leaving a site due to it's apparent emptiness when thats far from the truth.

Lastly, I have to add icons and stats to the compressed look of the forums. This is essential as there is no way to tell if a category has new posts in it unless you can view the entire category. This isn't a problem with a vbulletin powered forum but I don't have the money to buy one and won't ask for the money from the members. This site and all that encompasses it is funded entirely out of my own pocket and I don't really feel like putting up a donations block. I can afford to run this site entirely from my own pocket provided I don't pay for extra's such as advertising, better software, professional templates, etc. All advertising for the site will be from affiliate programs with similar sites and free website directory services such as All Links, LinkPartners.com and WoW Directory.

Thoughs?