More feedback
Ok. I have a feeling we are overloaded with functionality. I’m wondering what we need at a minimum to keep it neat and clean:
1) We need a main page with either static content, or a main page with seperate subsections where latest blogs, latest forum discussions etc. are shown…i’d prefer a static page…
2) The functionality we need at a minimum is, i feel: blogs, forum, shoutbox, picture gallery. i saw the difference in album and gallery…to keep it clean, i think we can start with this first…
3) i like the fact that albums are listed by name, instead of an image…but i like it that galleries show pics within both as rows and columns instead of just one below the other in a long line…once u click on the pic, u can comment on the pic in the gallery too…overall, i like the gallery layout better…dunno if the galleries can be grouped under user…what do others here think is the best option among the two?
4) i don’t know if buddy list is needed…i mean, it is good to be able to see the profile of each blogger, and to send them mails…but this whole buddy thing seems redundant in a close knit group…the only place where it would make sense is if the user group is so huge that each user has a preferred set of bloggers whose blogs are the only ones the user reads…i doubt if that will be the case anytime soon in this group…
5) i will try to create the content for the main page…we can use cheti’s dss logo….what says guys?
I would like ...
to see the previous style where Cheti’s banner was in the home page. That gives a distinct identity. If the main page points to posts itself, it would look like some internal company website having info only for experienced employees.
Just like we need a designer gate for a neat house, we need a good front page.
Also the “recent post” is a misnomer in the sense it shows the post having latest comment. Lets think of it. We want to see somewhere what are the latest posts ( even if it is pics ) .For comments, Recent comments section is already present.
my 2 cents
hi hardworking DSSers
Sidebars
I’m finding the sidebar on the left side encroaching on the rest of the page. This is because of the calendar and banner. Most of the frequently used links are on the right side. Can we either move the calender/banner, or swap the two side bars?
Or is there any way I can customize for my own account, other than existing templates, which don’t make much difference?
You can hide...
Yes, you can hide the calender/banner blocks. Check out “my account -> edit” (tab)!
-iblu
PS: There is no problem for me. BTW, which theme/template are you using?
Want some cheese with my whine!! :)
Alright.. had some concerns about this new place and all that. Before I delve into it, let me congratulate the hardwork that went into making this a virtual haven for all of us..
This site is too rich with features that it made me cloyed after a few minutes here.. like eating rich ghee laden chicken butter masala on an empty stomach!! cool stuff, but kinda defeats the original intent of moving away from Sulekha, no? Maybe not!! Maybe it is just a matter of getting used to the new place!
It is just that the whole reason why this place held the charm for me for so long, was because of its simplicity, its warmth and its single intent.. dont want it to become cold, complicated and overwhelming.. and too commercial..
I said the same to buck and this is what he said:
Buck Wassur: what commercial? no one is gonna make money off of it…it is paid for out of ssm’s own pocket…
me: who knows!! this is how they all start.. before soon it becomes a full time job to manage the entries etc.. so ssm and you will hire people to do screening of people and posts.. and then to pay them you will start charging us.. and then to compensate you will have some nice bollywood ads on the side with Shahrukh khan grinning like an idiot so that I dont mind the money I am paying.. and pretty soon I will be banned outta the place for saying something offensive.. geees.. someone is acting like Marvin, eh?
Buck Wassur: u need to make this a post in the feedback forum so that it will stay as a reality check for everyone
Hence, here I am… taking chief a little too seriously!!
uh-oh...
damn…u took me seriously…i should watch what i say to u…
ok…ok…i am glad u posted ur thoughts…we need all the feedback we can get…
static page - yes !
I’d like a static page too, with an appropriate member/nonmember targeted FAQ. And cheti’s very coooool DSS-graphic, if he’ll allow us to post it on the front page.
The FAQ will be a collaborative effort, cool ! That’s probably the only way we’ll get it off the ground. Bleu, thanks a whole bunch for offering to help !
And yeah, I don’t think we need a “privileged user” list. It’s confusing.
Albums versus galleries … I’ve no idea - haven’t seen the feature well enough, and both words sound suspiciously like synonyms of each other
albums versus galleries
also, albums versus galleries, i’m still looking for feedback…my thinking is that we don’t need both..it’s an overkill…
I think thats a very valid point.
so, registered user = comment+bakwaas; blogger = bloggger+registered user? just curious what these are. Its possible questions are gonna be raised multiple times. Whats the plan for FAQ? I can surely help in writing pieces of it, if you have deinfite plan of how it is gonna be done, which webpage or blog page or such.
user privileges, faq etc.
i am also not sure what the exact differences are…i need to log in as admin to check…
regarding the FAQs, i have no preset plan yet. i was hoping i could come up with a rough draft over the weekend. i can mail it to you, asuph, ssm and any other bakras so that we can fine-tune it as a collective effort. then we can post it or ibl can post it to a content page which can serve as the landing page for the site.
ibllu, what do u say? do we need to make 2 versions? one is the landing page for a user who hasn’t logged in. the other for the user who has logged in…i am envisioning that the first faq will have basics on how to register for an account etc. the second one will have details on how to maintain buddy lists, how to post blogs, forum topics, polls, galleries, and all that good stuff? lemme know guys…
on logo
Cheti’s logo is cool
some comments ...
buck, grt job with organising the feedback forum.
static? Can’t we have a static part like About Us and then some of the daily posts (a couple of dynamically updated blog titles).
album photos still appears as individual images on the main blog page. I would like to see just the Album name pointing to a list of album photos.
here is what i understand of some of the features and their utility.
1. as all users have the invite feature, the group is going to expand very fast.
2. people might find buddy list useful as main blog page clutters with excessive number of posts.
3. the submission queue might be a useful feature to keep popular (wharever that means) blogs on the top.
I think there is an interplay of features here. If 1 happens 2 will be useful (no need for 3). if 1 happens without 2, 3 might be a useful feature. If there is no 1, then no need for 2 or 3.
but one concern with buddy feature is *there might be a blog I would have liked but the blogger was not on my list for some reason* I would not want to miss out a blog this way.
i like blue's comment
i agree to the points raised by bluehue…i am wondering if the invite feature is needed, though…wouldn’t that result in an explosion of new people if everyone used it??
i don’t mind buddy lists the way it is right now…i don’t care if others see who my buddies are…i add ‘em randomly anyways (so far, i keep adding people who have added me…
)
but the main page definitely needs to be better…either an “about us” and links to the three latest posts or something…it shouldn’t clutter up the main page…
also, albums versus galleries, i’m still looking for feedback…my thinking is that we don’t need both..it’s an overkill…
finally, one note about regular and privileged users…i don’t like the idea of privileged users at all…let there be an admin login and all others should be either bloggers or registered users…we can start with registered user privilege for new entrants (which i think it is currently set to) and they can be bloggers if they are interested in blogging instead of just commenting and bakwaasing…what says, guys?