1. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Important Information Panel

    Discussion in 'Support & Feedback' started by Cogito, Apr 8, 2008.

    It seems a bit ironic to me that all the information we really would like all new members to see is stuck in a tiny, unobtrusive panel in the middle of the right hand side.

    Would it be possible to place it more prominently? What I think would be ideal would be at the top of the right hand stack, and perhaps with it's own style elements (different colors, fonts) to make it stand out a bit.

    Even the new joiners who choose not to post Intro threads would be able to find the Rules and culture/etiquette of the site without having to ask for directions. And we already know that half the population would rather die than ask directions! :)

    EDIT: About half the links in the Important Information panel omit the www from then URL. Clicking on those links cause the session information to be lost, resulting in "Not logged in" messages.
     
  2. lordofhats

    lordofhats New Member

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    That, is so true :p
     
  3. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Also, perhaps we could add the FAQ to the Important Information pane (one-stop shopping :))
     
  4. Torana

    Torana Contributor Contributor

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    I think that this would all be really good. As it stands currently, it isn't very noticeable and if it stood out better then maybe it would gain more attention and traffic from not just new members, but all members.

    hehehe sorry, couldn't help myself :p
     
  5. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    And while I'm picking on this poor little panel, I have always found the Support Us link confusing - it sounds like we're asking for money there. Something more like Recommend Us or Promote This Site might be more intuitive.
     
  6. Kit

    Kit Contributor Contributor

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    I actually agree with all of those suggestions, and I do remember that when I was looking for all of that information a while ago it actually took me a while to find it...
     
  7. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Yes, I get a lot of "Well how was I supposed to know that?" protests, even over issues that should be common sense (if there really were such a thing! :))

    If the Important information were more visible (anything short of LOOK HERE, STUPID! :D) I'm sure we could avoid a lot of misunderstandings from the outset.
     
  8. Kit

    Kit Contributor Contributor

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    I have to agree, I think it would make life a lot easier from the offset as the newbies would know what to do straight away. I'm sure there are some members who've been here a while that haven't even read the rules yet.
     
  9. Daniel

    Daniel I'm sure you've heard the rumors Founder Staff

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    I moved it up to the top right. So do people not really read the sidebar? I suppose the top is much more logical, especially if we want newer members to see it.
     
  10. lordofhats

    lordofhats New Member

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    To answer your questions: I didn't even know we had that information in the sidebar :confused:
     
  11. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    That's a big improvement. Would it be difficullt to give the css class "important" something like a pale blue background so that one pane stands out just a little more from the rest?
     
  12. Kit

    Kit Contributor Contributor

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    I think that says it all, its a bit better now.
     
  13. Daniel

    Daniel I'm sure you've heard the rumors Founder Staff

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    I made some changes. Is that what you had in mind? Any darker and I think it looks bad. Not sure I like the different color panel, but I suppose it's worth it if it attracts more attention to that section.
     
  14. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    That's great! It still goes with the overall color scheme, but it stands out just enough to draw attention to itself.
     
  15. Bluemouth

    Bluemouth Contributor Contributor

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    Absolutely love that change.
     
  16. Torana

    Torana Contributor Contributor

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    I think that the change is great and definitely makes it stand out far more than before. It actually drew my attention as soon as I signed into the forum. So it has the desired impact. :)
     
  17. Heather Louise

    Heather Louise Contributor Contributor

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    I am really sorry to sound so stupid but what important informtaiotn panel are we on about ??
     
  18. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Right hand stack of panes on the home page, top pane. The one with everything a new joiner needs to know, even if they don't post an intro
     
  19. Heather Louise

    Heather Louise Contributor Contributor

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    Ow okii, thanks for pointing that out. I keep forgetting that you can actually scroll across the page, lol.
     
  20. Kit

    Kit Contributor Contributor

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    It looks good :)
     

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