Home Page

[Snow_Crystal]

Hi

I just wondered whether you might consider changing the Home Page at some point?

For the new user to the site, it's a bit daunting seeing all of these subjects and then individual threads in a massive list as soon as they go onto the site.

When I first came on here, I didn't realise that the home page was exactly that as I was used to normal website pages which have links to each area. I never even saw the help area because it is right down the bottom of the page - a website should assume that a person has never been there before and should put the help area where it can be easily accessed.

On the home page, there are the key areas and there's a description about each of them. Well I don't know about anyone else but I've been an active member for a year nearly and have never read them! It's almost like there's too much on screen to actually see what's there.

It would be better to have icons with the area (e.g. Common Room), the user clicks on these icons and then you get the name of the section (e.g. Gryffindor) then if the user clicks on it, they get the description and the forum topics underneath.

This is a whole can of worms I know and would possibly involve a major rebuild but thought I should mention it. So many forums start small and adopt an approach similar to BoA but after a while they get so big that the original approach doesn't work as well anymore.

I don't know, it's just an idea and don't want to upset as I know that a lot of work goes into keeping the thing running let alone redesigning.

[Snow_Crystal]

Sorry - just realised I should be a bit clearer on something.

When I say the homepage of the BoA website I actually mean the homepage of the BoA Forum (http://www.broomsticksandowls.com/forum/index.php)

Although saying this, I think it is also pretty difficult to read the home page on the BoA website too http://www.broomsticksandowls.com - it's not really user-friendly on the eye as there's so much text.

[Alexandra]

I agree with you. I also don't like home page. It's like "TO DO" list, list of things you must do and you have to figure out a lot of things on your own. Someone gets bored with it and quits.

[Scellanis]

Well I agree that the help section should be at the top of the forum but if that happens we must have at least 2 very active moderators for it as I think guests can post in it so that people who have issues logging in can ask for help and so it would be spammed to high heaven if it were at the top of the page.

[GodrictheGriffon]

If we add it that, I wouldn't mind moderating. Belive me, I could relate to the newbies very well. Which reminds me, Scellanis, I never got a chance to properly thankyou for all of the help you were to me when I first joined, so, thanks.