Site Redesign: Intro text

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Site Redesign: Intro text

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jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28118
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 7:17 am Post subject: Site Redesign: Intro text

[quote=gervase]
On the main page I'd like to see a brief bit under the banner telling people what the site is for/about, rather than just kicking off with the latest article.
[/quote]

This was generally agreed, so we need some text for it.

My plan at the moment, is not to do this, as a long block of text, this would be using up a lot of screen real estate, for something the regulars would not want to see all the time.

So my current aim is to produce a gif animation. So how about a few slogans?

boff

Joined: 23 Mar 2005
Posts: 354
Location: Still alive and kicking

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 7:24 am Post subject:
How about " Stop thinking about it, and DO it!"

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 7:30 am Post subject:
NO READERS I can understand your concerns about using up real estate, but I think people would read text whereas they won't really look at an animated GIF. It doesn't need to be a big block of text after all.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 7:39 am Post subject:
Can we manage a sentence or two, followed by a "more" link where we can expand?

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28118
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 7:53 am Post subject:

sean wrote:

NO READERS

I can understand your concerns about using up real estate, but I think people would read text whereas they won't really look at an animated GIF. It doesn't need to be a big block of text after all.

An animation need not be complex. It can even be as simple as two alternating blocks of text.

Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 8:06 am Post subject:
I'd go for a few lines of text over animation, something along the lines of "It's out intention to rule the world in a benign and beneficial manner not that the masses will be grateful for all the effort we put in" or some such. I worked in PR for a while but left when I couldn't take it seriously. Well whe I say left, I really mean was encouraged to go elsewhere, and again he digresses.....

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28118
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 8:13 am Post subject:

I hear what poeple are saying on this.

Which ever way the text is still needed.

Bear in mind this is a big redesign attempting to address a lot of points.

As such I will not be able to slavishly follow the majority view on each and every consideration people have.

I will have to take the points on board the best I can, present a suggested design and take the flak for where I have gone my own way. My suggested design will then be rejected or modified according to what members feel about it.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28118
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 8:17 am Post subject:

This is the current suggsted text:

Quote:

Our main aim is to preserve and transmit the knowledge contained within all of us, everyday "normal" people. We're not a breed apart, just people that are trying to live a better life in whatever way they can - and hopefully Downsizer can help in that.
As a non commercial and non celebrity affiliated site we are dependent solely on our members and indeed exist solely for them; it is absolutely true to say that we are nothing without you.
We have been very lucky in attracting some very interesting and knowledgeable users, some of whom have also provided the backbone of the site; the ever increasing library of articles.
Feel free to browse the articles and to participate in the discussion forums, and please feel free also to contribute. This site is what you make of it.

I feel this is a bit wordy myself.

bagpuss

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 10507
Location: cambridge

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 9:15 am Post subject:

I have to say as an intro that is imho still a bit word I think you want something short ideally less than 50 words which then links to a more verbose explaination

this will both draw people in but also not take up much real estate on the front page

The page it linked to I would suggest would be quite verbose. An initial paragraph like the one suggested above then bits about how to contribute, links to a kind of help section with more specific advice about how to join, post to forums and maybe an introduction to the core team if they want to be visible

lastly my opinion of course but I find animated icons really annoying and I don't think an animated block of text would have the same draw and just straight text

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 9:24 am Post subject:
If it's for the front page, you are really talking about some kind of mission statement, which needs to be a couple of lines at best. Or alternatively you could just have 'find out more' in a bold font and a link to the indepth description suggested by Bagpuss

boff

Joined: 23 Mar 2005
Posts: 354
Location: Still alive and kicking

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 9:30 am Post subject:
I feel this is a bit wordy myself.[/quote] I agree

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 9:35 am Post subject:
Another vote for no animation here. Animated gifs really do my head in

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45434
Location: Essex

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 9:35 am Post subject:

Behemoth wrote:

I worked in PR for a while but left when I couldn't take it seriously. Well whe I say left, I really mean was encouraged to go elsewhere.....

Sounds like me and school.

Agree it needs to be a lot shorter

Guest

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 10:58 am Post subject:

Bugs wrote:

Can we manage a sentence or two, followed by a "more" link where we can expand?

I go with the short intro and then link it, could also add in a bit about each of the admins/mods here. I think it would look better on a page of it's own.

Sorry forgot to log in it's me Fullup

Guest

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 5:06 pm Post subject:

I agree that it needs to be less wordy but the fundamental message within the words is great. How bout just making it a bit punchier with bullet points, e.g.:

We are:
a non commercial and non celebrity affiliated site
dependent solely on and exist solely for our members
nothing without you!

We aim:
to preserve and transmit the knowledge contained within all of us everyday "normal" people
to try to live a better life in whatever way we can

So:

Feel free to browse the articles and to participate in the discussion forums, and please feel free also to contribute.
As you can see, this site is what you make of it!

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