Re: RFC: web site reorganization
On Fri, Dec 14, 2001 at 03:45:13PM -0500, James A. Treacy wrote:
> > Now, each of these needs attention, if we intend to keep them on the web
> > pages. Also, we'd want to convert group 2 to group 3, and group 3 to group
> > 4. :)
>
> That sounds a bit like we are proselytizing. Perhaps we are, but I
> prefer to be more subtle about it. You can't beat giving the users
> a good experience to gain new users.
Well, the pages are there to attract users, and Debian is probably the
distribution with the highest percentage of users that didn't start off
with it. Continuing this trend has many benefits for us.
> One of the primary goals in pushing this is to make it easier for people to
> find the information they need. Currently, there is:
> Too much information on the main page
> Some of the information in other pages is not well organized.
Agreed.
> Someone looking to install Debian:
> Proposal
> Sees an obvious link called 'Getting Debian' and goes to that page
> Sees links 'installation instructions', 'installing off the net',
> 'buying CDs' and 'downloading CD images' (this is a new addition.
> After the latest thread on this I checked out cdimage.d.o and read
> up on the uber cool pseudo-image-kit).
>
> Currently
> The existing Distribution page is awful. The current links on the
> main page are too terse for newbies. With them on their own page
> they can be accompanied by a line of explainion.
What I'm proposing is to make a paragraph for "Getting Debian" on the front
page, instead of just a link.
> Someone who stumbles on our page and wonders what this debian thing is:
> Proposal
> Sees an obvious link called 'About Debian' which has a nuber of topics
> well laid out. The About page has only 1 paragraph of explanatory
> material and links which expand on the ideas. They can read as much
> or as little as they choose.
>
> Currently
> Ah, there is a nice link called 'About'.
> Ugh. It is 8 screenfulls long (quickly runs away).
Yes, I said above that it should be split up :)
> After reading through two screenfulls of text and links finally sees
> a bunch of security advisories on the third screen. Oh wait, after
> reading the blue box again, I notice a link under Support to the
> security page <quietly curses Debian webmasters>.
Yeah, that's one of the things I hate about the blue box, it duplicates some
of the things from the rest of the page, and it mentions some things that
the rest of the page doesn't speak of. It's suboptimal.
> > Thinking about design, we could probably apply the same theme we have in
> > /devel/, or something along those lines.
> >
> I wouldn't bother changing /devel/. Debian developers are interested
> only in information and that page presents most everything. It is too
> long though, so if any of the items group naturally, another subdir or
> two would be great.
Euh, I didn't say /devel/ should be changed, I meant the front page.
> > At the bottom, there should be a links to the site map and the search box,
> > along with the rest of the footer stuff.
> >
> site map and search are the last two items listed in the proposal.
Yes, I listed that for completeness :)
> > > Where should the following go:
> > > awards page
> > > related links (about debian page? documentation page?)
> > > debian-jr project is currently in devel corner
> >
> > Miscellaneous? Dunno about debian-jr, though.
>
> Why would you click on it unless you knew what you wanted is in there.
> Things should be EASY to find. I want the miscellaneous page to go
> away forever.
Hm, point. Then again, some things are simply not sortable into the
categories we have.
--
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