New Logged In Home Page We're making improvements to the home page. We've streamlined the layout of the page to bring more focus on fewer modules and designated specific areas for highlighting community content (yeah!). Another big change is that we now have assigned content 'owners' at Gaiaonline HQ that are committed to refreshing content on this page on a regular basis (ranging from daily to twice weekly). NOTE: the first version is static, but the dynamic content parts will be pushed out within the next 2 months. First version will go out in about 2 weeks. Here's a mock-up:
&a href="http://s128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/CraigDS123/?action=view¤t=Mock_Barret-Avatar_090317.png" target="_blank"&<img src="http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/CraigDS123/Mock_Barret-Avatar_090317.png" border="0" alt="Non-Logged In Home Page">&/a&
Meanwhile, the new guilds landing page (see earlier journal entry for pics) will go out this week.
As always, feel free to follow me here or on twitter (twitter.com/Fin101)
Keep up the good work, I really hope guilds get updated soon. I really want to be able to see my tank in my guild.
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xcrimsonlegendx · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 02:40am
Lookin' good!
Update Twitter more, boy mad
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Sylwithia · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 02:49am
I like the nice cohesive look, compared to the current modules one. Seems like being on the popular topics list is going to be a real curse now, but I really like that the featured avatar section is being brought back to the home page.
Two things stood out to me instantly, though: 1. Does this mean the footer will finally be cleaned up and centered? (the left alignment has annoyed me for years) It looks nice in the picture.
2. With the tabs under the Announcements section, does this mean a proper announcement system is being made so people can opt out of certain ones? (ex: community spotlight)
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Hybrid · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 03:07am
i like it. biggrin
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snufflypoo · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 03:38am
hrm i don't know. about the new layout for the home page. it wont really effect me cause i don't use is.. i see the ad box is a lot wider now though, but i suppose hard times call for hard measures.
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Blippeh · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 03:52am
What's Hot? SERIOUSLY? Change the word, please. Gaians are not Paris Hilton. There are other puns more fun to use there >_>
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Ungoliath · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 04:00am
I agree with Ungoliath -- "What's Hot" sounds pretty dumb. Why not just go with "What's New"?
Other than that... it doesn't really look significantly different than what we have now, to be honest sweatdrop
ALSO: I hope you ask people if they'd like to be a Featured Avatar before you put it up... because I know I'd hate to be there and get spammed constantly sweatdrop
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Lazarus Larkin · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 04:04am
Thirding the 'what's hot' thing, although it's not exactly a huge issue - just not terribly appropriate, and very much a matter of 'so that's what the young'ns are using these days.... RAD'. wink
Otherwise it looks good. Also, a possible solution to that comment about featured avatars causing the winner to be spammed - perhaps just don't link to their profile? List their name and their avatar, but no links.
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Achenar · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 04:10am
I like it!
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Legend · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 07:36am
I see no problem with using 'what's hot' as from the images you can see it is referring to Gaia features (EIs/zOMG/Aquarium fish) it looks nothing more than announcing what is new. Keep it!
That aside, popular threads and items is redundant and as waste of space. You can already get that from the Community main page and from the marketplace, we don't need to see it twice.
EDIT: When such a feature was considered for the new avatar dress up page, the idea of a recommended items was shot down and ultimately left out - same applies here. I think more people will be happier not to see it, rather than to see it.
Also isn't the 'keeping the lights on' just the same as the announcement box right next to it? Don't need to be told twice about the same things really!
The friends box should be returned to the home page.
To be honest I'm not hugely impressed, while it is a little less cluttered than the current home page, it doesn't seem as useful as the one we have already.
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Erebea revius · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 07:57am
I really like it, but what's the point of popular items? What purpose does that serve? sweatdrop I mean, the marketplace has a lot of item suggestions as well... (And users don't seem very impressed with those either.) Is there nothing else that can fill that place?
As far as I know, the only people interested in what's popular, are the ones trying to make money from buying and selling. And those people don't need gaia telling them what's popular XD; They'll have researched it themselves already sweatdrop
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Mooniewitch · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 02:36pm
aesthetically, it's okay, but some of the wording definitely needs to be changed. "what's hot" sounds stupid, maybe something like "breaking news" or "latest updates" would be more appropriate. and "keeping the lights on?" be more tacky. x__X gaians (and customers in general) do not like being constantly reminded that you have bills to pay. it feels like a guilt trip to get us to click on crap we don't care about. "recent sponsorships" would be perfectly suitable for a section like that, if it's really necessary. the popular items section seems pretty much useless... it might be more useful if it was just random items. sort of like "hey, did you know this item existed? maybe play around with it a bit."
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diet otaku · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 03:37pm
All I cared about was the annoucements on that page and now they're shoved in a corner.
I'm tired of ads, ads and more ads. Make me want to be interested in Gaia. Tell me more what is going on with the community and not with little links. Tell me what is going on with the storyline and Gaian World (NPCs). Tell me how the staff and development is doing. Inform me of what Gaia is and what is going be. Make me want to be a proud Gaian!!, not one that wants to puke from obsessive advertising.
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Cosmic Remnant · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 04:33pm
I like the new pages. It should help new Gaians avoid being overwhelmed and confused.
Thanks for all your work and efforts. I really like the updates from you and others.
*Hugs*
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GrannyD · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 04:34pm
I like it. =) The Home Page definitely needed a new look to it, so this will be a nice change.
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link freak131 · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 06:28pm
cool layout, i like the bottiom with the popular items and topics.
also, featured avi?
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AtypicalGiraffe · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 08:31pm
i would much rather the 'announcements' and the 'popular __s' changed places but other than that, i have no complaints 3nodding
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emorexic-pimp · Community Member · Tue Mar 31, 2009 @ 09:31pm
I'm with the majority of the users who say having the announcements where the popular topics are would be much better. A good number of us are more interested in what's going on with Gaia not what's being discussed on Gaia or just getting a thumbs up so it can be seen by the entire community. You want to inform people what's going on and having the announcements there right in front of the user is a better way to do that.
Also, I hope you guys have your security protocols up to date in advance of tomorrow. No one knows exactly what those virus instructions will be but it seems they're going to try and hit people on social sites through malicious links. If it can happen to CBS it can happen to any large group of networked computers.
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Chibi Halo · Community Member · Wed Apr 01, 2009 @ 03:41am
I didn't expect the new homepage to be up so quickly! eek
I like it; it looks a lot tidier are more organised than the old one. 3nodding
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AngeIsThanatos · Community Member · Mon Apr 06, 2009 @ 08:29pm