[SLUG] new website feedback

[Gavin Baker]

jamie wrote:

>> Do you think the current structure/layout is the best idea, from a 
>> design point of view? Shouldn't the main focus be the real life meetings?
>> 
>>    
>>
>
>Fair point. Would you give me some pointers as to how you think it would be best done?
>  
>
I don't think it's easy; designing a website for a Community User Group 
when most of the 162.832 billion websites we see every day are trying to 
encourage us take our credit card out. It's logical to just try and bend 
the ideas they use, for our purpose. But the purposes are almost at 
opposites.

Here is some unorganized, miscellaneous things I thought about.

The main purpose is to encourage people to come to meetings.

The only thing we provide that the thousands of Linux websites, forums, 
irc channels and mailing lists don't provide is Real Life Meetings. So I 
think the primary focus of the site should be to
encourage people to come along to them.

This means information about meetings should be the most prominent 
feature on the site. I think it even deserves front page status. Perhaps 
some basic information about what happened at the last
meeting (Chris has wrote up two sets of notes already), along with a 
photo of us at the meeting should be what people are greeted with when 
they visit the site. But the next meeting details should definitely be 
the most prominent thing.

People respond positively to faces and other indications of member 
identity and community interaction. So I think a members list, perhaps 
with a photo (I don't mean a mugshot, anything would do), and a little 
info about the members, like where they live, is a great idea and should
also feature prominently.

A section for 'meetings' makes sense, but I think it should contain 
information on future meetings. Like what is going off at the next one 
etc, rather than generic 'what is a LUG meeting' information. If the 
front page has details about what happened at the last one, we wouldn't 
need to spell that out anyway.

People respond positively to changing content, but if the content 
changes too quickly it becomes distracting, and if it changes too slowly 
it appears static and less interesting.

It's great that some users submitted documents they wrote. Thanks guys, 
I know how much time and effort it can take. But to encourage a steady 
flow of member submitted documents, which would keep the site content 
changing, and give one time site viewers who were considering coming to 
a meeting a reason to revisit the website, I think we need something else.

How about an apps section?; wait, I don't mean try to be loll.sf.net or 
freshmeat.net something. Everyone loves screen shots, Right? It's the 
first link most people click on when they see it. So how about a section 
devoted to apps that members like? Start your app, take a screen shot of 
it, write a few sentences about what it does/how well it does it, send 
it to the web master. This would only take 5 minutes. I don't know 
anywhere that does something like this and I would definitely browse.

More than once we have asked everyone what they want from the SLUG. I 
think everyone agreed on three things. I think these should be up there 
with the logo, something like "SLUG: Learn about Linux. Chat about 
Linux. Get help with Linux." if indeed, thats what the three things were :)

I think stating something like that in plain view on the front page 
would be a good idea, and would mean the 'About Us' main section could 
be demoted to a link somewhere.

Ok, I have to go, and this is already long. What I'm trying to say 
though, is that the new site looks nice. But the structure, the 
navigation items, the logical sections and the content might need reworking?

I've tried to include a few ideas to open a discussion.

Regards,
Gav