Rant: I hate the Forum Home, it sucks.
- Thread starter Digital Doctor
- Start date
sforum
Active member
I have exactly the opposite problem! In my opinion, the most intuitive way to use any forum is to log-on and immediately click the "What's New?" link (or equivalent), so you can review all new posts since your last visit, regardless of where they have been posted.
However, I frequently get people complaining if I move (for example) a computing thread from General Chat to the Computing node, saying "I put it in General as I never go in Computing cos it doesn't interest me - can you put it back?" or similar! So it seems my users do know how to click a category; I just wish they would use "Whats New?" and get stuck into everything, rather than just assuming stuff posted in categories they usually aren't interested in isn't for them!
Geoffrey
Active member
If computing doesn't interest them, why did they make a computing thread?
sforum
Active member
Well, exactly; that's my counter-argument, and the reason why I feel people should always use the "What's New?" link. One can't assume that, just because one isn't usually interested in a particular topic, there won't be threads of interest in there from time to time!If computing doesn't interest them, why did they make a computing thread?
0xym0r0n
Well-known member
LMFAO well at least your users a slightly more reasonable. I had a 'boycott' going via facebook because they claimed I kept deleting their topics. *SMH* Just ends up everyone thought everything they wrote was "News" or related to the game >.> SO I moved it to the appropriate categories. WHICH none of them realized? This was back with VBulletin. None of my users used the latest content feature on vb for some reason. I suppose recent activity is more appealing to them with XF.
Walter
Well-known member
That makes sense for small forums - but at rather large forums with thousands of new posts every time you visit or with topics you don't have interest in, it makes much more sense to visit only the forums you have interest in.
Carlos
Well-known member
I do. And I usually only use it for tracking down what's been posted today, so that I can track down spammers that I missed.
These "I hate the forumhome on xenforo." users irritate me because xenForo filled a need that I've wanted since vB2/3. I've always wanted a forum software that allows for easy right column implementation like we do now. Now I can implement a skyscraper on the right column and not worry about intruding our readers by inundating them with these horizontal ad units across the navigation menu.
I love the current right column set up, because it makes it easy to provide ads without pushing ads down my customers' throats. I want a seamless user experience while being able to put up an ad.
I don't want this person waving and saying to a user "touch our ads!" So, providing a right column section to forum admins is commendable for xenforo founders and programmers.
The other thing that I'm happy about is the stats are shown right there at the browser's load. I hated the fact that vBulletin 3/4 moved stats from the top to the bottom. Hated. HATED that.
DRE
Well-known member
What's better that could be done? Well, if you configure your forum home page like a portal but make sure your subforum links are on the sidebar then that's your best bet. Another thing that could be done is a forum map: http://xenforo.com/community/threads/forum-map.33483/
Site used to be blue and gray but I made it black and white since the theme's transparent.
http://www.8thos.com/threads/how-to-customize-your-theme.14064/
lol!
Digital Doctor
Well-known member
I like the images on this forum home.
The images seem to point to important threads.
http://forum.360kpop.com/forums/viet-sub-kpop-show.179/
Note: I tweaked the forum home for illustrative purposes.
The images seem to point to important threads.
http://forum.360kpop.com/forums/viet-sub-kpop-show.179/
Note: I tweaked the forum home for illustrative purposes.
DRE
Well-known member
Perfect. Images for important forum threads.I like the images on this forum home.
The images seem to point to important threads.
http://forum.360kpop.com/forums/viet-sub-kpop-show.179/
View attachment 33955
Note: I tweaked the forum home for illustrative purposes.
You could put the subforums as Sub Navigation menus.
You basically just made the forum home page look like the home page of a regular site. Might as well add some sidebars while your at it and you got a custom CMS
Shelley
Well-known member
I like the images on this forum home.
The images seem to point to important threads.
http://forum.360kpop.com/forums/viet-sub-kpop-show.179/
View attachment 33955
Note: I tweaked the forum home for illustrative purposes.
But it takes up far to much space, enforces that cluttered and bloated look not to forget the unneeded scrolling your forced to endure. I'm all for uniqueness, having a innovative, somewhat different look but not at the expense where practicality is thrown out of the window and layout is compromised.
Digital Doctor
Well-known member
I Agree ... it does take up too much space.
Especially the number of images.
At the end of the day .... it depends on what your goals are.
What is the purpose of the Forum Home ?
Especially the number of images.
At the end of the day .... it depends on what your goals are.
What is the purpose of the Forum Home ?
Anthony Parsons
Well-known member
Yep... I am thinking more and more about shifting to: http://xenforo.com/community/resources/2-column-node-list.917/
Does anyone really use the latest post? And even if on the off chance someone did... is all that space really worth it? I'm already playing with the above to get it a bit nicer in terms of not removing the RSS, for starters, then shifting to a two column forum home to cut it down... maybe even turning each forum into more a styled block or such.
Shelley
Well-known member
- Getting to vital links/information as painless as possible
- ridding redundant features that don't belong on home/links etc
- retaining a clean layout
- retaining a visually appealing look
For example xenforo forum home search link in tablinks, why? it's over to the far right above the sidebar (wasted space).
that trigger navigation in breadcrumbs (useless utterly useless feature).
They are just a couple, there's more if I took a thorough look but for the most part i think xenforo has it spot on.
Take for example the change avatar feature. Your on forumhome (any page for that matter) , a couple of clicks to change that and done your still on the same page which you didn't have to leave. How excellent in it's simplicity is that? Same with the alert notification if you happen to be at the bottom of the page (out of view from the navigation) you get a nice subtle alert box in the bottom-left fading in, the simplicity and subtleness in that is what drives me to use this software. There's just nothing out there forum wise that matches xf for that where the finer attention to detail sets it apart.
Digital Doctor
Well-known member
No.
And if they said they did ... THEY SHOULDN'T !
I had a poll on this topic.
I can't find it.
FOUND IT !!!
http://xenforo.com/community/threads/do-you-ever-click-on-this-in-xenforo-how-often.17968/
That the worst title I have ever made.
Digital Doctor
Well-known member
One of my main beefs with the forum home is the useless Latest Post and how it takes up SOOO much room.
I argue that if you really troll the forum home to read the latest post information ... you'd be smarter to click the forums and read the full titles ... and then hit back if you don't like the titles !
I argue that if you really troll the forum home to read the latest post information ... you'd be smarter to click the forums and read the full titles ... and then hit back if you don't like the titles !
Shelley
Well-known member
One of my main beefs with the forum home is the useless Latest Post and how it takes up SOOO much room.
I argue that if you really troll the forum home to read the latest post information ... you'd be smarter to click the forums and read the full titles ... and then hit back if you don't like the titles !
I agree with you that it does take up too much space but i use the latest poster area all the time. One thing I've done on one of my styles (currently working on) is removing the prefix "latest:" text. It's another form of key legend which I'm not particularly a fan of and it's another instance imo of wasted space that doesn't need to be wasted with the introduction of the prefix text.
Edit: Note to self - reminder to remove poll prefix
Carlos
Well-known member
I actually find all of that design pleasing for the eye. Beats an empty latest posts column that vBulletin 3/4/5 usually has. I can tolerate vB3 because of the design, but give me some kind of detail, will you? I think xenForo does this wonderfully without pushing too much detail or info.One of my main beefs with the forum home is the useless Latest Post and how it takes up SOOO much room.