What do you think of the upgrade???

[Da-Chief]

Criticisms? Kudo's? Tweaks???

What say you all?? What can we do to make this a more enjoyable experience.

Things I am looking at..

Since a lot of news is passed up front now, I am thinking of paring down some of the forums, or combining them.

I am also toying with the idea of turning comments on to the articles up front.

I just found my stride today and have had new stories through out the day. While I like the template we are using, I am finding out that it is sort of constricting. I might be going to a different template sometime in the future.

Let us know...

Please if your reading this, answer below but also on our Poll.

Thanks!

D/C

[8404]

The front page:

Under each category, once an article is uploaded, the previous article is moved down and eventually lost.

Some things, need to be kept at top, like in the Recruiting Section, PQS, or under Education and Training, FMF Study Guides. There should be a link that is static, just for those items we want easily found.

Don't lose site of the forums, the front page is not the panacea, rather a 'eye catchy' page that contains interesting articles and video's. The real meat should be within the forums.

I agree that perhaps some of the forums could be combined, but we'll always need a forum page.

Don't post the same news article in every 'category' and articles within those 'categories' should be specific to that area.

But then again, I was the only one who said they disliked the 'orange' color. :rolleyes:

[DeeDee]

I agree with Tony :D
We need more static areas where things don't disappear once new info is posted - i like the idea that you can get a glimpse of what is in the forums from the front page but I have been thinking that maybe we need to make the forums(or a portion of them) members only areas - I find that we all post a lot of personal information and maybe JUST MAYBE some of it could be considered OPSEC violations.
Of course this is just me rambling on. Just something to think about.

[Da-Chief]

Dee..Tony,

That is interesting.. Hmmm

as for the static part, some folks (Quite a few) used to complain that we never updated the front and they found the forums to hard to use for news.

That being said.. Take a look at this as I think it is a compromise..

News (http://www.revolutiontheme.com/news/)


or

Magazine (http://www.revolutiontheme.com/magazine/)

Either way, I like what we have now, one of the things like you said though once I post a story as there is limited space up front with the template we have, the story rolls off the front. They aren't gone you just have to go to that section.

Tony the stuff you talked about is still there for the bibs or what ever.. you just have to go to that section.

Take a look.. thanks!!

P.s I will "NEVER" get rid of the Forums..

And really as for OPSEC, we are open to anyone anyways.. our site has been free. What I do need to do is re-write a TOS so folks know not to put OPSEC Stuff up.

Hope your both doing well.
D/C

[docv'sfuturewife]

I like the upgrades just fine. The small things mentioned above will help make navigation and finding things a bit easier. Thanks for putting in the effort to make the site look great!

[8404]

Tony the stuff you talked about is still there for the bibs or what ever.. you just have to go to that section.

Aye, the FMF Study Guide appear to be 'static', as it is the only item posted under the 'Study Guide' link. However, once something else is posted it rolls down and so on. Users, would have to scroll down to see all that is posted.

Under recruiting, users have to scroll through 4 lengthy articles before getting to items posted for actual recruiting information.

This could be corrected by having sub-links under Recruiting or Study Guides. For example, under study Guides, there could be a sub-link for FMF Study Guide and one for AW or SW study Guides, (if exist). Under Recruiting, there could be a sub-link for DEP-PQS Study Guide, Military Time, What to Expect etc.... Those articles would remain static and the only item posted under that link. They should be able to be edited to update, add or delete content by the moderator.

At first glance, the two examples given, such as the 'magazine' look or 'newspaper' look are pretty much the same as we currently have with the new front page. They don't possess the pizazz or eye catching marketing appeal as what we have now. Some users find websites, by browsing and spend only a second or two when they find a site. If it doesn't catch them in a few seconds they may leave and seek another. We want them to stop and say, "Hey.....this is different". The two examples above would tend to make ourselves look status quo of what's already out there.

OPSEC & INFOSEC: I have been a long proponent of posting something on the front page, with regards to OPSEC and INFOSEC.