Home page design issues & priorities

[rick]

The home page is where it all starts for many people, so perhaps it is a good place to start a dialog about specific features, sections, layout and design considerations. Let's use this as a base thread for a pleasant, friendly and positive discussion about how to make the Zone home pages more attractive and functional.

[mende]

You may consider to check the criticism on the other Thread.

In my opinion you (dzone) should take care on the opinions mentioned there and shouldn't try to ignore these postings. I think dzone is trying it the way "changing" fastly the places to disrupt the discussion... Not very nice, looks like how the politicians are doing their job...

Marc

[rick]

Originally Posted by mende

You may consider to check the critics on the other Thread.

In my opinion you (dzone) should take care on the opinions mentioned there and shouldn't try to ignore these postings. I think dzone is trying it the way "changing" fastly the places to discuss to disrupt the discussion... Not very nice, looks like the politicians are doing their job...

Marc

Marc, the reason for moving to the forums for all of this is to provide a place where the many issues can be unraveled and addressed individually in a positive, specific way.

Nobody has time for a general bitchfest, and it won't produce anything positive. I have no fear of hearing negative feedback, but I do prefer for it to arrive in a form that has the possibility of resulting in a positive outcome.

Let's stay on topic, and let's talk like friends who share a common interest in leading to a good outcome for something we all care about. That will be the best path to good results. I hope you'll agree, and we can start another thread to talk about generalized complaints, but this thread is about home page design.

Rick

[mende]

Rick, I think that's not the way. JavaLobby lives with the community which is producing the content and the people are the visitors which are using this site.

I think It looks strange if there is a posting on the first site where the comments are cut off (in fact the comments on the former JL have been much longer than this few posts) and redirected to a completly other destination. After that you'll split into two threads. That's definitivly tendentious and iit shows a direction.

While reading the other posts you shoud consider if the company-decision was good or not to change the whole concept of JL. You haven't changed a few things you've changed completly. That's what the people doesn't like and that's what they want to change. Now DZone want's to turn back to normality with this thread. And that's what I mean with the politicians. They always say that something is bad and they are starting to discuss as long there is something to discuss and end up with the current situation without changing anything.

Marc

[mende]

Originally Posted by rick

Let's stay on topic, and let's talk like friends who share a common interest in leading to a good outcome for something we all care about. That will be the best path to good results. I hope you'll agree, and we can start another thread to talk about generalized complaints, but this thread is about home page design.

Okay, to be constructive:
I'd like to have the "new releases" back (like the ones on the old JL on the upper right corner)
Also: the three top articles, the newest posts from the forum.

And: change the look and feel of a blog-aggregator to something else, it looks like a 08/15 blog-aggregator. I know DZone is one, but JL wasn't one in the first line.

Marc

[rick]

Originally Posted by mende

Okay, to be constructive:
I'd like to have the "new releases" back (like the ones on the old JL on the upper right corner)
Also: the three top articles, the newest posts from the forum.

I expect something along those lines this week. We haven't yet built out the portal homepage layout which will provide this segmentation for those who want it. It is on the short list.

Originally Posted by mende

And: change the look and feel of a blog-aggregator to something else, it looks like a 08/15 blog-aggregator. I know DZone is one, but JL wasn't one in the first line.

This whole "blog aggregation" theme people are complaining about is a huge mystery to Matt and me. We are working our behinds off to line up the best Java content contributor team Javalobby has ever had, and I feel like we're succeeding, yet people who should know better are acting like we're running PlanetJava.com and pulling in a random bunch of RSS feeds or something? I tell you, sometimes I feel like I should've just been an oil magnate or something like that

This must be a presentation issue, since the content we have is all ours, and has nothing to do with the social bookmarking and referral process that drives the DZone "links" site. We will get to the bottom of the problem.

Rick

[rick]

Originally Posted by mende

Rick, I think that's not the way. JavaLobby lives with the community which is producing the content and the people are the visitors which are using this site.

You'll have to admit there's an element of irony in telling me how JL works

Originally Posted by mende

While reading the other posts you shoud consider if the company-decision was good or not to change the whole concept of JL. You haven't changed a few things you've changed completly. That's what the people doesn't like and that's what they want to change. Now DZone want's to turn back to normality with this thread. And that's what I mean with the politicians. They always say that something is bad and they are starting to discuss as long there is something to discuss and end up with the current situation without changing anything.

Well, let's see if anything changes? I wouldn't bet against it if I were you.

[gdboling]

My only major complaint at this moment is I'd lose the Zone Leaders wall of shame on the left. It would be nice to see them if I want, but not on each Zone's home page.

[matt]

Originally Posted by gdboling

My only major complaint at this moment is I'd lose the Zone Leaders wall of shame on the left. It would be nice to see them if I want, but not on each Zone's home page.

Hmm, we could potentially make that an option for regular users. I'm not committing to anything there, but would that be useful?

-Matt

[gdboling]

Originally Posted by matt

Hmm, we could potentially make that an option for regular users. I'm not committing to anything there, but would that be useful?

-Matt

Yes, options are good.