New Geekzone frontpage trial

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Ultimate Geek
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#387951 4-Oct-2010 22:25

Can you keep the news but split the discussions part in two so you can have the hot discussions at the top and then forum posts below (i.e all in the same column). Obviously you would see less forum posts but the hot discussions would make up for it. Possible?

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kingjj

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#387976 5-Oct-2010 00:02

+1 for keeping the news on the front page. I check the new posts page several times a day and know all the hot discussions. While I only read news once or twice a week I like that its there.

The igoogle idea or similar would be great. Perhaps even allow user created (but vetted) widgets to be added as well? Keep them geek related though. It would be nice to be able to customize the front page content and add other content that appeals (for instance RSS feeds from Zdnet, The Register etc). I would view the front page much more frequently if there was a wider customizable range available (currently skip straight to forums_unread.asp). This would also help to make GZ a more community orientated site. I suppose as a trade off you would lose some control over content and design.

geek4me

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#388065 5-Oct-2010 09:35

I have the Forums page Bookmarked and go straight to that. I haven't looked at the Home page in months (except for a peek today). I wonder how many others go direct to the Forums page? I guess you have no way of knowing that.

freitasm

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#388067 5-Oct-2010 09:36

The frontpage is visited by 15% of our New Zealand traffic.

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boby55

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#388070 5-Oct-2010 09:41

freitasm: The frontpage is visited by 15% of our New Zealand traffic.

This might be completely wrong but I am sure there are many people like myself who take one look at the frontpage and leave it there as it auto refreshes the latest posts. So that would only be counted as 1 page view would it not?

Or you get the people that have the main page bookmarked, Check it once then browse the forums.

So that 15% may actually be alot of members.

My 10cents To think about :).

freitasm

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#388076 5-Oct-2010 09:45

This is the number for last month, when we did not have the "live" feature there.

Also I will be creating a third version of the page, adding the "Hot Topics" to our front page, below the "News" box.

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freitasm

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#388087 5-Oct-2010 10:26

I have now deployed a third version of our frontpage... It lists the Hot Discussions after the News box.

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k1wi

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Ultimate Geek
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#388120 5-Oct-2010 11:29

I find the default homepage very busy, particularly with the flash ads and the reviews/blogs that wrap around the column ads on the right.

I like the green border around the the hot discussion over the lack of it around the other areas, but perhaps just a greyish line to separate between the different columns would be nice. Would help to 'orientate' the mind.

I think keeping the news on the front page is important - even if it is just the headlines. Sometimes you only need a headline or the abstract, say if its of cursory interest or you don't have time to digest the finer details of the issue at hand. Also, of course, that isn't counted by page views.

I'm not a huge fan of the different font for the headers (well, the use of serifs on the same page as sans-serifs). Also, visually, I would prefer it if the whole title URL underlined on mouse over, rather than the present where on mouse over the underline disappears.

With regard to facilitating access around the site, I'm not sure how to improve it, though I sometimes feel that clicking to forums is almost like clicking through to another site and that the busy nature of the homepage makes it easy for me to forget that the forums link on the menu bar is actually there.

I hope I don't sound critical, it really is a good site and I think a lot of it just comes down to personal preferences!

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geek4me

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#388281 5-Oct-2010 14:46

freitasm: The frontpage is visited by 15% of our New Zealand traffic.

Does that mean 85% bypass the frontpage and go straight to the Forums page or another page?

If so then 85% (which is most viewers/members) aren't too fussed about what's on that page.

jbard

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#388292 5-Oct-2010 15:04

geek4me:
freitasm: The frontpage is visited by 15% of our New Zealand traffic.

Does that mean 85% bypass the frontpage and go straight to the Forums page or another page?

If so then 85% (which is most viewers/members) aren't too fussed about what's on that page.

no thats not what it means, it means 15% of total traffic is the front page. not 15% of people open the front page as the first page they visit.

k1wi

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Ultimate Geek
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#388303 5-Oct-2010 15:17

Well, it depends on if you're talking about traffic in terms of total page traffic, or total visits/sessions

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jbard

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#388415 5-Oct-2010 19:24

Maybe you need to change the way hot topic disscussions are ordered, if you look at the post Paul Henry suspended by TVNZ it was only started at 12pm today and already its on 4 pages and growing quickly. Yet it isn't on the hot disscussions page, Surely that is a hot topic, maybe it should be on average posts a day or something different that better represents popular topics?

k1wi

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Ultimate Geek
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#388435 5-Oct-2010 20:02

I just noticed that thread now. I agree with hot topic - it almost has the potential to start flaming :(

kobiak

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#388447 5-Oct-2010 20:17

yeah. better! that's what I wanted :D and what I told on geekzone meeting in auckland. more forum sections on front page. no one checks news :) there are better places to read tech news. pleased :D

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jbard

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#388469 5-Oct-2010 20:53

Also noticed that What movie did you just watch, and how was it?
just appeared on their even though it only has 7 posts this week, so something must be wrong for that to get on?

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