XF 1.2 Help.. Dummies can´t figure out how to use my forum

[ramonbastos]

Hi guys, I need a big help.. In my opnion, xenforo platform is excelent, but I´m getting a lot of complaints from people who never used a forum before. They don´t know where to create a topic, how to register, etc.
My question is, is there a Theme, or an add-on or something, that make it more "user-friendly"?

 

[Paul B]

Educate them.

Post a thread explaining how to do various things.

 

[ramonbastos]

Educate them.

Post a thread explaining how to do various things.

Yeah I was thinking about that.. Create this thread, then send it to everyone who registers, otherwise they wouldn´t find the thread lol

 

[Paul B]

Use a notice.

A Page node.

Sticky thread.

Edit the registration email phrase and add the URL.

There are many ways.

 

[ramonbastos]

Use a notice.

A Page node.

Sticky thread.

Edit the registration email phrase and add the URL.

There are many ways.

Great ideas. But don´t you know a theme designed for dummies? With bigger buttons, etc.

 

[Teapot]

Bigger buttons don't instantly make a site more usable, though. Forums are an arcane concept to people not familiar with them. Educate, don't patronise. Write introduction threads for the basics and put them prominently in notices or on the registration page. Even better, create a series of videos for the absolute basics - editing their profile, posting threads, replying, tagging, that sort of thing.

 

[TPerry]

Great ideas. But don´t you know a theme designed for dummies? With bigger buttons, etc.

Check out http://www.kunena.org/docs/A_basic_forum_help_page_for_beginners and modify it for a "Newbies Introduction to Forums" post on your site (I have a forum called Site News and would do it as a sticky there).

 

[Alpha1]

Start a wiki that outlines all functions. Include screenshots and step by step help.
I have used VaultWiki to create 21 wiki articles, each containing up to 50 chapters. This allows users to quickly find whatever they need help with. I also have added a helpdesk which lets the user ask a question. The helpdesk then serves up possible answers. If the user does not see the answer then the question can be made into a support ticket. My staff and I answer this.

 

[DRE]

Your best bet is making your forum match the simplicity of Facebook, Tumblr, Gmail, even Myspace as much as possible, then it will be easier for them to figure out stuff on their own.

 

[Mark Wein]

Educate them.

Post a thread explaining how to do various things.

Thats what I did...while we were building the test site I would take screen shots of features with directions and compile them in a sticky thread in the old vBulletin forum. When we migrated we had something of a user manual for the community: http://markweinguitarlessons.com/fo...gs-work-here-on-the-new-forum-software.49848/

Not super formal but even peoples questions in the thread help point folks in the right direction. And the process of building the thread got a lot of people educated before we moved over.