Important: Help shape your Canadian Content

[Andem]

Based on feedback from the past months, I've decided we should all reshape CC into what YOU want it to be. It seems the social networking features have been a real hit, so I want to grow on that. Unfortunately, CC hasn't been that easy to navigate, so I'm posting this as an open discussion where we can all submit our ideas.

There's a ton of features on Canadian Content and it's become a real task to integrate them fully and make the site easy to navigate and easy to control. There's a whole new whack of features I'd like to integrate into this site including something like facebook's "what's I'm doing now" eg. Andem is currently caring for houseplants.

These are interactive features which make it a lot more fun. As you know, I was inspired by facebook's "The Wall" and cloned the feature on this site.. it's become a pretty popular feature actually.

"Refer a friend" has also been suggested, so I'd like to introduce that too.

I've also partly finished the submit an article system, but to the degree where it's only a private beta and used by me only at the moment.. I'd like to finish that too so commentaries can be published to Google News and MSN News.

I love the social aspect of facebook, and hate the setup of MySpace.. so a lot of these things are inspirations for me to introduce the features here to our community.

I'd like to have an open discussion about what you would like to see on here and from there I can start off with a blank sheet and a scratchpad to see what we can all come up with.

So I submit the following questions to the membership:

What community-driven site(s) do you find extremely well designed and easy to use?
For me, I like facebook without the annoying applications. I also like the design and setup of Digg.

What type of layout would you like to see on Canadian Content?
Do you like more a more graphical interface like (CC Forums used to be) or something more simple and fast-loading like Digg or The New Netscape or something big and blocky web 2.0-ish like Newsgator?

What extra type of features would you like to see?
More integration with the video site, perhaps or bringing user-submitted commentary listings to the main page? Other ideas have been brought up: A social bookmarking system like digg; "Badges" on profile pages; A political party icon for your profile and also on your posts (optional); Prominant thread rating;

Thread Pages: Do you prefer having the user info on the left like it used to be or on top of the post content like it is now?
Before and After (this page, for example).

User Groups: Is anybody interested in Yahoo! or Facebook style publicor private usergroups?

What kind of navigation system would you like to see?
The black menu bar isn't working for us. There are far too many features and pages to have such a simple system. What about drop down menus? What other comparibly-sized sites do you know of which you find extremely easy to navigate?Other web sites you find extremely useful, handy or otherwise easy to use.
Please provide any examples you would like me to consider while drawing up a design.


I'm really serious about putting several weeks or months into creating something you REALLY love but haven't really been able to totally come up with something everybody is satisfied with.

After some discussion, I will start drawing up some designs and plans integrating ideas and inspirations we've all come up with and post them for more discussion.

 

[Kreskin]

Sounds exciting. Will give it some thought.

 

[lone wolf]

I'd like to see it easier to download personal photos....

Woof!

 

[darkbeaver]

I'd like to see fewer rectangles and more curves and circles, softer lines, animal themes, leaves and stems occasional flowery things.

 

[Outta here]

Larger avatar sizes.

 

[lone wolf]

Anti-troll kryptonite?

 

[karrie]

I'd like the site to not 'be reset' so often. I still get a lot of errors trying to view it. Maybe that's just me.

I liked the softer corners of the old format, but, I like the flow of most of the forum right now (aside from the lack of a 'today's post' feature).

I like that there are no private user groups on CC. It creates conflict and cliques and needless drama, and given the presence of PM's and private walls, I don't see much need for it. It's chaos on the sites I've seen it implemented on. Just my two cents.

But a user status sounds like an awesome option.

 

[lone wolf]

That "last edited" thing after a half hour or so was a good touch.

 

[shadowshiv]

I liked the old way of being able to view the day's posts. Say I haven't visited in three days, and there were a lot of posts to go through. In the old forum, I could post in a thread that was on the first page, and could still read all of the other pages of threads. With the current 'New Posts' option I find I sometimes "lose" some of the pages if I make a post in a thread.

Am I even making sense?:lol::lol:

 

[hermite]

Thanks for asking. I appreciate the effort it takes to manage a place like this. Here is a site I belong to and find it quite easy to use, useful, etc. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php
As you can see, they have over 120,000 members so it's quite a handful.
As you contemplate changes I would ask that you keep in mind the fact not everyone has a high speed connection.

Edit to add: If you're not a member there you will see lots of ads, I believe. Once you are logged on there you don't get the ads.

 

[Kreskin]

* I'm not sure of the logistics on this but it would be interesting if a topic font color changed slightly if someone was in the midst of replying to it. That way, at a glance, members would know if they can expect something new in the thread.

* To reinvent the board topics, and if possible bring them above the fold.

 

[MikeyDB]

Downloadable IQ enhancements.

 

[hermanntrude]

to be honest, andem, I don't think you should be heading in this direction. Sure facebook and digg and so on are all very popular, but they're not canadian content, and neither should canadian content be them.

The only thing I'd like to change currently is that there is no link within the video section to get back to the forums.

 

[Kreskin]

to be honest, andem, I don't think you should be heading in this direction. Sure facebook and digg and so on are all very popular, but they're not canadian content, and neither should canadian content be them.

The only thing I'd like to change currently is that there is no link within the video section to get back to the forums.

That's a very good point Herman. I have yet to see a decent discussion thread on Facebook. People don't go there to talk about anything. It's more of a way to stay in touch with people.

 

[Nuggler]

Just to second what Hermann said.

Would like to see it made easier to upload photos.

Any photos thus uploaded should be in a "members forum". Encourage newbies and discourage the run of the mill dickheads like myself who would copy and paste them all over hells half acre.

Some artsy fartsy places where we could show off our paintings, carvings, works of art, and the like. Likewise a private thread.

Also second what Karrie said: no private user groups. Most of our prima donnas have left, good riddance, and we don't need em back.

My .02

Nugg

 

[eh1eh]

That's a very good point Herman. I have yet to see a decent discussion thread on Facebook. People don't go there to talk about anything. It's more of a way to stay in touch with people.

And be a busy body.

Herm, Top right corner of the video page, but I think you need to be logged on the forum to see it.

 

[lone wolf]

Quotes are cool, but is there some way to limit them to three or four lines and a link? Saves wading through page after page of the same text and photos.

 

[shadowshiv]

Quotes are cool, but is there some way to limit them to three or four lines and a link? Saves wading through page after page of the same text and photos.

Some people add their own lines(with a change in colour) between various lines in the quote. If it was limited to three or four lines then they would not be able to do that.

I'm certainly not trying to sound like I'm bashing your idea, wolf, I just wanted to say that I feel that there is a downside to it.:smile:

 

[MikeyDB]

I don't know how difficult it might be but I find that sometimes discussions I'd like to persue are bumped off the front-page and die in obscurity.... Could there be some kind of virtual never-never-land of the most recent contributions or would this consume too much server space?

Thanks....and by the way...

I participated on an international forum regularly for four years...and the operator had to shut it down due to personal changes.... I enjoy Canadian Content, and although I may sometimes rankle a few folk, I try to be provocative.... One gets no-where mentally or cognitively by sitting self-satisfied with their views and opinions. It sometimes takes a rough jostle to get people to think a little harder about how they think.

Kudos to the CC folk!

 

[L Gilbert]

What community-driven site(s) do you find extremely well designed and easy to use?
MySpace is ok, but I don't like those addon things like the "Own your friends" thing and whatnot. My wife has a profile at WIGK and likes that and from what I've seen it beats myspace. Their forums are easy to get around in, too. Also, a related site is WIGW seems to be making her quite happy these days.
What type of layout would you like to see on Canadian Content?
I like simplicity.
What extra type of features would you like to see?
None. I am not much on frills. I like things functional and simple.
Thread Pages: Do you prefer having the user info on the left like it used to be or on top of the post content like it is now?
Either or.
User Groups: Is anybody interested in Yahoo! or Facebook style publicor private usergroups?
I am too independent for that sort of thing.
What kind of navigation system would you like to see?
The black menu bar isn't working for us. There are far too many features and pages to have such a simple system. What about drop down menus? What other comparibly-sized sites do you know of which you find extremely easy to navigate?Other web sites you find extremely useful, handy or otherwise easy to use.
Please provide any examples you would like me to consider while drawing up a design.
I like the idea of drop down menus.It beats plastering buttons all over the place.
Also, I am going to ditto Mikey about some threads of interest being a bit difficult to find again.