Editing User talk:Steelviper/MemoryAlpha

(Unindenting, but still related to the MA thing). Over at MA, they've already [[Memoryalpha:Template talk:DidYouKnow|run into this issue]]. Currently the English MA site is still manual, I believe. The German language site, though, has a template for each week, and kind of like the "Quote of the Day". So the code on the main page would access the current week's DYK's, and users can go as far ahead as they want to lay down future DYK's that will automatically be highlighted when that week comes around. Sort of a compromise on the automation vs. human quality. --[[User:Steelviper|Steelviper]] 07:56, 7 April 2006 (CDT)

I don't really mind the MA design, but it doesn't really address what I think is the number one problem navigating this site, and that is the distance (in terms of clicks, page scrolling, etc.) between the front-page visitor and as quick an understanding as possible of the categories and types of articles there are available. For an example of a page that I think works fairly well in this regard (not a wiki) [http://www.glyphweb.com/ARDA/ go here]. Notice that in the sidebar I have easy and immediate access to both an alphabetical listing, 'latest entries', 'maps', as well as divisions naturally suggested by the subject matter like 'Races' and 'Places'. Also notice the way the list is designed as a tight compromise between comprehensiveness and my ability to take in all of it in a single glance. They don't give me a full alphabetical list to page through, nor do they give me a link that says 'alphabetical index'. Instead, they give me 26 links for 26 letters. This two-tiered approach to categorisation is superior, because it's a manageable list that leads to a manageable list. It's a good lay of the land. I want to be able to look at the front page and get as good a 'lay of the land' as possible in a single glance. For example, I don't want to see a link that says 'Characters'. I want to see a section called 'Characters' followed by a set of subcategories (Pilots, Soldiers, Command Staff, Government, Civilians), all on the top of the front page among the other second-tier indices. I would even say that it would be an improvement to turn the Memory Alpha organisation on its head. Put the index stuff at the top (but organised more along the lines of the Encyclopedia of Arda, perhaps in two columns to allow even more categories than Races and Places). And put these bells and whistles which are really just icing, at bottom 'below the fold', so that as people scroll, pure hard information starts to fade more into entertainment. That would be my ideal set of priorities for the front page, so take it for what it's worth to you, I will support whatever design the group settles upon.--[[User:Dogger|Dogger]] 15:26, 7 April 2006 (CDT)

== Alignment ==

* [http://www.battlestarwiki.org/en/index.php?title=User:Steelviper/MemoryAlpha/DidYouKnow&action=edit Did You Know] - a trivia section (see discussion above)

* [http://www.battlestarwiki.org/en/index.php?title=User:Steelviper/MemoryAlpha/ArticleOfTheWeek&action=edit Article of the Week] - a featured article section (would need some procedure/policy), and maybe automation

* [http://www.battlestarwiki.org/en/index.php?title=User:Steelviper/MemoryAlpha/PagesofInterest&action=edit Pages of Interest] - highlights popular pages and pages that need work

* [http://www.battlestarwiki.org/en/index.php?title=User:Steelviper/MemoryAlpha/Encyclopedia&action=edit Encyclopedia] - exposes the categories currently. Uses actual category names instead of going to hub pages like the memoryalpha version.

That's it. --[[User:Steelviper|Steelviper]] 10:36, 7 April 2006 (CDT)

:This is a (nearly complete) implementation of a replica of the MA design. I hoped that it could be used as a springboard for figuring out ideas for a main page redesign. Maybe we should discuss the positives and negatives of this design, in hopes of identifying the features we're trying to achieve. For example... I'm not a huge fan of the "Encyclopedia" as it stands. I just exposed categories, but category navigation isn't always the most intuitive, and in the case of the episode guide categories can be pretty ugly (yeah, they're all there, but there's no order to them). Any main page design would probably incorporate finished portals. Also, MA has some categories for Main characters, recurring characters, etc., which I think we might benefit from. The problem of major character navigation remains. --[[User:Steelviper|Steelviper]] 13:58, 7 April 2006 (CDT)

::Just saying that, perhaps through my constant association with MA over the years, I just kind of like this one more.--[[User:The Merovingian|The Merovingian]] ^{([[Special:Contributions/The Merovingian|C]] - [[Special:Editcount/The Merovingian|E]])} 14:15, 7 April 2006 (CDT)