Navigating at MM Options

[Cleo_Serapis]

Update: Here is the OVERLAY page I just completed. It can serve as a start for discussion. As a design idea, I took some elements from a few different sites, while maintaining the forum board's look and feel. Trust me, it's ALL HTML hand-coded by the Cleo.  

Please let me know what you think...    

Click HERE to view this alternative forum entry page (in draft)...


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Navigation concerns:

I cannot think of any other ways to make MM simplier to navigate, other than to design an over-lay optional page. Each forum board itself will look and feel the same once you are in the actual forum.

To navigate around MM today, we have the following informtation:
[*]Category links: Will direct you to that section of the forum, e.g. For the Poet in You.
[*]Forum links: Will direct you t that specific area of writing on the board, e.g. Seren's Synapse, our freeform poetry for critique area.
[*]The Team List link to contact the staff (near board stats).
[*]The "Contact US" form on the home page. Here is the link as well.
[*]The current forum board display (restictions by Ikonboard out of my design control)  with descriptions of what is inside each forum.
[*]The written site map (link at top of page and on home page) with a link back to the home page Here.
[*]The graphical index site map here.
[*]The 'send message' buttons/links in each post to PM a member.



Your ideas are welcome to assist with ideas.
TY!
~Cleo  :block:

[Guest_Don_*]

Hi Don and John (Arnie).  

Don - Glad to see you again posting! Hope you are feeling better soon!  

The idea for this started many months ago. I'm guessing here that some (more international) visitors are not 'used to' a categorized forum board layout as I have set up on MM. I told those who inquired that I could not really change the actual Ikonboard but perhaps we could have an alternative?

A few had mentioned 'less words' and perhaps some simple image links into the popular forums on MM. I then created the Graphical Forum Index (June) after the survey results came in. You can view this here.

Do you remember the original MM? At start up, I didn't have the following 'category design' on the start page. Instead, I had every forum listed out one by one on the start page. It was so INTIMIDATING! We've ADDED more forums since then too. We now have a total of 56 forums within MM.

These are named as:
[*]Pericle's Preambles (General Site Information)
[*]Mount Olympus (Challenges of God-like Proportions)
[*]Poseidon's Poetry (Poetry forums here)
[*]Pompeii's Prose (Prose forums here)
[*]Atum's Annex (Miscellany)
[*]Mosaic Marketplace (Store and ECards)
[*]The Gilgamesh Gallery (Images to Muse Over)
[*]Ming Tombs (For Members Only)
[*]Mosaic Member Showcase (NEW)

I've never been to ANY other forum board where the layout was not similar. Forums are what they are.  

In any event, at this time, I'm not planning to change the forums URL start page so if you use forums.mosaicmusings.net it will still come here. What I've done is add two alternative viewing pages (the graphical index and the new one I designed Saturday) - which I mention just underneath the LOGO now in Bold Red font on each forum skin.

A couple of other ideas I might do today:
[*]Re-arrange the categories so the Poetry and Prose ones are first & second (really for newbies and guests to MM).
[*]We were thinking of adding a new forum (I would actually re-use Angkor Watt Accolades - move the current posts to Plato's Pearls and then re-describe it as a place for newbies to post) specifically for guests or newbies to MM - where they can post to get their feet wet and we would offer a lighter touch. I would make this one the first category in that case. There are some concerns on my part: What would prevent the guest from just joining up immediately? I don't want the staff to end up having to moderate a guest forum with all their time. Would other members comment if a newbie or guest posted there? How quickly can we move posts if they speak to items we discourage in our Terms of Use policy?
[*]Email the in-active members to welcome them back.

Cheers!
~Cleo  

Thanks for the catchup, which is essential.

Despite areas of the world unfamiliar with current MM layout, is it seriously detrimental?

I think I see now the purpose for alternate menu(s). Blame it on comfort of familiarity, but I liked the alternate less.

The undercurrent bubbling to surface is concern over membership management. How do we attract and maintain it.  Many mentions are noticed about recovering former members. Second guessing of changes and establishiment of copyright details enters the picture. Is this truely an issue?

The novice category concerns me.  This is similar to multiple tiles with differing degrees and levels of critique.  A self-defeating attitude.  Everyone comments on their own guestimate scale, and those too harsh or too back-slapping become known.

Would I as a novice be attracted to special consideration with less than full membership?  All ages and talents need each other.

It is also true that publishers are successful dividing their readership into age and ecucational level blocks. Are we sophisticated enough to try this?

My gut feel  is that a patient gardener achieves more than a masterplanner.

I may have more to add as more info unfolds.

Thanks for bumping along with this babble.

Don