Forum Re-Design

[Ruby]

Hi guys! As you may know, I'm taking a stab at making a new layout for Sel. That said, I have a few questions I'd love people to weigh in on, if you have opinions, so we can get a great layout that works for everyone. If you don't have opinions, or if your opinion is "Don't change it!" ... keep it to yourself <3 neither of those are helpful.

I do plan on getting rid of the black box (hatred!) and I do plan to leave the cbox in the footer. Otherwise, I'm open to just about anything.

So.

1) do you prefer menu and info-type stuff as a header, a footer, or as a sidebar? Some combination of the two?

2) do you prefer left-hand or right-hand sidebars?

3) how do you feel about drop down menus (like this menu but probably oriented differently)?

4) when you look at your screen, proportionally how wide is the site, currently? It's about 50% of my screen, but I know people have different monitors and I don't want to make anyone scroll sideways

5) do you prefer fixed-width or variable width boards? Sel is fixed width, this board is variable width (meaning when you re-size your window, the forum re-sizes)

6) what general information do you look up most often? i.e. date, calender, wing lists, etc.

7) are there other sites whose layouts you really like?

And I added a few questions down there somewhere...

8) Any additional suggestions? GO

9) Do you want easier access to your character profiles integrated into the layout? What about other people's?

[neeuqtar]

1) sidebars!
2) right-hand
3) they can be nice if done right
4) about 75%
5) fixed-width. I don't like if I use a big monitor and it gets all stretchy
6) calendar I guess?
7) z13.invisionfree.com/Pern_at_War/index.php?act=idx is pretty.

[Ember]

1. Header
2. Right hand
3. Mm, they're not bad but I wouldn't want one for an rp site
4. About 50%
5. Fixed width
6. Dates, calendars
7. I don't look at other sites. =P

[Lotty]

1) Header. Without a doubt. Header

2) Right

3) I'm indifferent about drop downs.

4) Closer to 75%

5) Fixed

6) Date/Season, wings, and character profiles

7) I don't roll around the world of proboards aside from here really. I hit up blogs, which is probably where I get my top down minimal sidebar preferences.

[Avu]

1. headerrr<3
2. right /lemming moment
3. yes? as long as it's not like...drop-down box circus i'm cool with them
4. bout 50%
5. fixed ;o;
6. date/season, characters, wings (i am like...a lotty.)
7. um. to be possibly updated? idk.

[Rei]

1) NO Sidebars. Sorry I have a heavy dislike of them and I will veto on this one. Sorry. That’s just how I roll xP
2) See above answer
3) I’m not fond of them either. I like having everything where I can see it.
4) I guess 50%?
5) Fixed
6) I look at everything but I’m the admin so I guess that’s necessary xP
7) I don’t often travel to others sites. Not other proboards ones anyway.
8) What are you talking abut as far as a black box o.0 The black boarder surrounding the site and cbox?
>> I don’t see what is wrong with it?

(Has to go back to work if someone needs me grab me later tonight <3)

[Kisha-Ra]

1. sidebars, especially if Rei hates them(although what's the use of talking after an admin hatred veto like that? Well I'm here and I'm defiant). The news section of our header has always driven me up the wall with its random untidy scroll boxes. I also loathe out untidy scroll box disclaimer while I’m moaning on.

2. left

3. that would probably drive me insane but I could tolerate it.

4. 50% ish

5. fixed

6. Dates/ calendar

7. should I ever run across the perfect site I’ll link it here

[Aftershock]

I think a lot of my suggestions might be things that are Proboards stuff and cannot be changed, but no harm in suggesting, I'd say... specific things not related to your numbered list will be noted after said list is replied to:

1) If it's a Java or Flash sidebar that scrolls with the window, so it's always available, that's fine. Otherwise, I'll likely have to scroll up or down to find what I need mid-post anyway, so it's not a big concern.

2) Right-hand feels most natural to me.

3) I like them, if they're done well. Can decrease clutter and increase access speed as long as they're organized well and in a way that isn't too far from my own sense of organizational logic.

4) My screen is about 25% of that cream-colored doily-like sidebar, 50% Sel, then another 25% of that sidebar. (I run normally at 1920X1080 resolution, Google Chrome as my browser).

5) Fixed-width should be fine... I always run full-screen anyway, so it doesn't really come into play for me.

6) Character bios (usually for hex codes or a reminder on a particular bit of character history), followed by date.

7) Never been on another Proboards site that I'm aware of, other than Myth-Weavers. I like how they do drop-downs, though.

Now, for the other things I would enjoy implementing, if it's possible (though, again, I understand some of this stuff might be locked down as a Proboards thing you guys can't do anything about):

1) Having threads show in opposite order when you're doing a reply... it's quite irritating having to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the screen in long threads to read the reply right before the one you're typing. If it was opposite order, so the last reply before the one you're currently typing would show up directly below where you're typing, then the second-to-last reply under that, and so on, it would make referencing what was said for your reply much easier for no-short-term-memory guys like me.

2) Having the Cbox at the top of the screen rather than the bottom for the reply page, so that you don't have to keep scrolling down to avoid missing out on things in the Cbox when posting a reply, like someone trying to ask you something.

3) The ability to put straight HTML into a sig, as well as extended sig length for code, so you could, if you wanted, image link to character profiles right from your sig, or at least put alt text on your sig image with the hex codes of your characters if nothing else...

That's all I had off the top of my head...

[Ember]

In regards to Shock's extra suggestions.

1. Not possible on proboard settings and even if it was I'd refuse it. I like reading posts in the order they were posted. XP

2. You'd have to scroll a bit either way and I'm equally unwilling for it to be at the top. I don't want the cbox to be the first thing potential members see, y'know? Besides, tabs tabs tabs. Just keep a tab open on the cbox. Easy peasy.

3. This I wish I could change but proboards is a butt. BBCode is all you can have and the limit is fixed. I know because I checked within this week. It's annoying.

[Aftershock]

Nov 29, 2011 17:24:09 GMT -5 Ember said:

In regards to Shock's extra suggestions.

1. Not possible on proboard settings and even if it was I'd refuse it. I like reading posts in the order they were posted. XP

In case it wasn't clear, I only meant when you were posting a reply, not normally reading the thread. As in, first to last normally reading it, then when you're done reading and you clicked "Reply", last to first, so that the thread that's the last chronologically in the thread (and therefore the one you're directly reply to) is right under the reply you're currently typing, instead of at the bottom of the screen. I know it's a moot point since it's not possible anyway, but just wanted to make sure you realized I'm not making as stupid a suggestion as you thought I was.

[Ruby]

Ember/Shock I knew what you meant, shock ^^ that WOULD be nice but it's still not possible, as far as I know.

Rei we should probably talk about that veto. Also, the black box (yes, that's the one I mean) makes skinning REALLY challenging, since it isn't customizable. I haz ideeeeeas for getting a similar effect (namely a unified-looking site) without the black box.

@everyone feel free to make additional suggestions, too! I forgot to put that in my original post like a dummy.

Sooo more questions:

8) Any additional suggestions? GO

9) If I were to find/write some code that would let you show a customized list of links to your character profiles either on your View Profile page or on a sidebar/header somewhere, is that something people would want? CLEARER QUESTION: Do you want easier access to your character profiles? What about other people's?

[Zephyr]

1) I really like sidebars, but I'm in love with our header, so not really an issue for me.

2) Left. I've never seen right hand sidebars and I'm surprised so many people want them.

3) I like them lots. XD

4) I dunno? 50%?

5) Variable width looks nice!

6) The calendar, and weyr lists.

7) revamps.proboards.com, ghabc.proboards.com/index.cgi

8) If you wanted a more streamlined appearance, you can get rid of the pm thing under the banner and put a pm bar in the global header/footer boxes. I think that the pm bar is much less bulky, and it's really only aesthetically pleasing. Um, please, please get rid of the black box if you can. It makes coming up with skins cumbersome. It's difficult to skin around the black box. Also, if you do go with sidebars, it might be nice to move the cbox to the sidebar instead of the bottom? It might also be nice if we could possibly make the banner bigger, at least in our own skin designs and have that be able to be transferred to the live site if our skins are implemented.

9) Yes, I do. But, you can always make a thread in the member pages section with links to all your characters and link that in your sig. Surely you would have room for one link as opposed to linking every single one of your characters. I planned on doing that, but I've been busy.

[Sebz]

1. Header!
2. Left
3. I think yes
4.57.1%
5. Fixed!
6. Calendars mostly

9> YES!

[Ruby]

Does anyone actually USE the Forum Jump box at the very bottom of... basically every page of the site?

[Kisha-Ra]

no