Alternative Forum Home Page Suggestion - Feedback Please.

[JennyLeez]

Do you find the Home Page of this Forum hard to navigate? Confusing? Cluttered?
Well here is an alternative approach to what we have, separating the Forum Topics.

This SMF (Simple Machines Forum ) layout allows separating the Home Page and the Forum topics.
Have a look at the SMF Forum. Below is their home page. On the Home page the recent topics run down the middle with the social and info blocks on the left and right sides.
Up on the menu beside Home is Forum. Click on Forum and this takes you to the Forum Topics. Have a click around as this will help you understand the screenshots below.
Ignore their colour scheme and ignore their Adds

http://simpleportal.net/index.php

So taking that idea and my dummy/testing layout, I split the Home page and Forum topics into 2.
The top would remain the same.
N.B. Note on the Top Menu ‘Home’ and ‘Forum’.

http://nzpws.net/nzwn/demo_wall_top.png

The Home Page or Wall would look like the screenshot below. Much smaller and less confusing. Latest updates from all areas at a glance. Recent Topics listed down the middle. Blocks on either sides.

 http://nzpws.net/nzwn/demo_wall_body.png

To access the Forum Topics you click on Forum on the Top Menu. The Forum Topics would look something like this. Of course the Topics would be the Topics on the Board as it is now. Remember this screenshot is only a demo layout.

http://nzpws.net/nzwn/demo_forum_topics.png

Running the Board Topics separately means the Posts are not squashed up. Posts have the full page width so less scrolling. Photos and Maps sit better and the bottom scroll bar will also be gone. This benefits the wider photos.
Personally I like the smaller Home Page look. Less daunting without all the Forum Topics and more a modern Wall look.

Feedback please plus does anyone else have ideas. There are a lot of forum templates out there so if you find one that might suit our purposes please post.

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[beteljuice]

Personally I 'like' the current side info panels on a topic page, it's no hardship to hit the button to hide them if necessary.

Undecided about seperate index / forum pages - what would you consider to be 'home', and what would you be missing between one or the other ?

[JennyLeez]

Going on the feedback I was trying to achieve a simpler more modern looking Wall page as the index page.

On the top menu is Home-Forum- Search-Profile etc
The Home ( index ) page would have everything on it, as is now but not the forum Board topics.
These would all be on a page of their own and access is through the top menu likewise Home.

As in the demo screenshot. The Home page would be the latest posts run down the middle with the right side menu split into 2. Half down the left and half down the right.
All the Home Page would be missing was the Bulk Board Topics.

This way all the latest stuff is right there on the page. Not so much scrolling up and down. Less on the Home Page to confuse

Also a more modern Wall like the Facebook and Twitter look.

The one huge benefit I am finding having the Topics branched off to a page of these own is they are not so quashed up. They have the width of the forum template and the layout of the posts look much better.

You would just use the top menu to flick from one to the other.
Home or Forum.

Its not so much trying to shorten the right side beteljuice, its more trying to simplify the home page. The main negative feedback I get is that the board is hard to find ones way around.

Thanks for your help

[itaranak18]

I would go with the alternative. Easier navigation and a more "modern" look. I would also suggest the majority of the forums guest visitors would think the same.

[JennyLeez]

Once again I am drawing your attention to changing the layout of the forum by running a separate Home Page and Forum Topics page.

I have 4 reasons for this.

1)   The Right side menu has become ways too long and we are reluctant to add any more blocks to it. We really need to add the Left menu in. However this will squash up the Forum Topics.

2)   The bulk of the current Home Page is unchanged day in and day out. I would like to see the Front Page with far more interesting movement on it as with News and Earthquake feeds.

3)   Currently the Topic Posts are jammed up against the Right side which means Square Standard Monitors, Tabs,  Ipads and phones have scroll bars across the bottom. Take away the Right Menu and the Topics have the whole page to display text and images on.

4)   Running a separate Front page will give the forum a more modern look. Have a look at this site. Note the Left – Center – Right columns. Up top on the Menu you can see Home – Forum.  From here you can flick backwards and forwards. But the Forum topics are still linked in from the Home page as with Recent Posts.

http://simpleportal.net/index.php

Below is a  screenshots of the dummy forum template I have been playing with. Although what I have now is quite different. But this will give you an idea. The top shoutbox remains on all pages.
The Social Chat box has been moved to the center and down bottom. Lots more room and not all squished up as it is now.

So..........   feedback please. If there is none as with last year, I will take it you all approve 

[JennyLeez]

Attached is a dummy bottom of what the Home page could look like.
News, Info, Feeds and of course Social Shout box.

[beteljuice]

Personally I have never liked a 3 column page.

I rerely devote a site to full screen status and feel uncomfortable with one that won't 'fit' in a lesser space.

[JennyLeez]

The three columns are only on the Home Page.
The forum Topics/Posts are all full page. There is no left or right column.
This means the Posts are full page and no longer cramped up against the right column.

This is one of the main reasons I am angling for this alteration to our Forum. To have the full posts and images in one page without the bottom scroll bar.

The Weather Chat Shoutbox is above all pages though with the same info at the bottom.

[TonyC]

I'll go with whatever....................  as long as it's readable.
I agree that the r/h column is too long.
Happy New Year.

TC

[TokWW]

Yes a simpler Homepage with recent posts and any mgmt updates then the Forum itself separate.  Also good to see the EQ stuff visible quickly too

I'm happy for a change