Forum OpenACS Q&A: Re: Openacs.org - website UPDATE mockup is now live!

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3: Re: Openacs.org - website UPDATE mockup is now live! (response to 2)
Posted by Ryan Gallimore on 10/08/07 06:33 PM
It appears to be back up.

Here is the link to the homepage if you want to bypass the login:

http://69.67.174.135:8000/home/

I think it's a huge step forward, and I only have a few suggestions:

  1. Remove or alter the reflective text in the buttons - it makes them hard to read.
  2. Move the mashup of About, News etc at the bottom below the central image.
  3. Eliminate all but the most essential links from the bulleted list and put them into the mashup. I'd suggest that only CVS, Chatroom logs, and OCT links should be preserved.

Well, that's my two cents! The three central buttons are great!

Thanks again, Rob
Ryan

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4: Re: Openacs.org - website UPDATE mockup is now live! (response to 3)
Posted by Brian Fenton on 10/08/07 06:39 PM
I've just realised that it's not you, it's me! They've recently introduced some very strict firewall policies in here, so I can't see sites that aren't on port 80. I keep forgetting though and tell people their sites are down. In fairness to me, I hadn't had any coffee when I posted that this morning. 😉

I'll check it from home this evening.
Brian

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7: Re: Openacs.org - website UPDATE mockup is now live! (response to 3)
Posted by Caroline Meeks on 10/09/07 02:34 AM
I basically agree with Ryan.

Its a good step forward, simpler and more Web 2.

I think it can go even further in that direction.

My version of Ryan's 3 points.
1. Agreed Reflective text doesn't work.

Accomplish Ryans points 2 and 3 by eliminating all the bullet points and working them into the About column below.

We also need to highlight the OpenACS XOWiki content. Maybe work it into the top text, certainly make it a high level link in the About section.

I think we can further reduce clutter by thinking about things that do NOT need to be linked to from the front page because they are not really that current or useful to a newbie or do not need to be one click away.

Here are some suggestions

  • Blog - Remove the direct link, the last post was in March, we mostly use forums and news.
  • File Storage - REmove the direct link. Files are more likely to be accessed by follow a pointer into file storage from the forums or XOWiki then to find something by going there directly.
    IRC Chatroom - Make this one clean link then have that page direct people to the logs etc.
  • Replace CVS and browser options with a nice clean "View the Code" and a page that explains the options in details.
  • Move the link to the test servers to the Project status page and have the project status page point to the new XOWiki page referenced in the page it currently points to.
  • Combine the Technical decisions OCT bullet point with the team and credit in about
  • Combine the How to Contribute bullet point with the contributing to OpenACS under about.