New Main Page

Langy
Langy
edited June 2012 in General Discussion
So, OP seems to have gotten a new, fancy-looking main page. Is this part of the roll-out of the general OP update?

Anyways, it looks rather nice. One minor issue, though - there isn't any way to go directly to your campaigns from the main page now! You have to go to your profile first, and then can go to a campaign from there. I miss being able to just go straight to my campaigns. Kinda miss the 'news' area, too, and it kinda looks like it's designed primarily for people who haven't already signed up for OP. Are you going to be making a different main page for those of us already registered and signed in?

Comments

  • Leonidas300
    Leonidas300
    Posts: 273
    I always liked the recently updated area as well - it would be nice to see that come back as I have found a number of favorite campaigns that way.
  • Invictus
    Invictus
    Posts: 54
    Same here, i love seeing campaigns show up and read into them. it was possibly the best feature of the main page. i think i got like 4 favorites from it alone. I found alot of really cool stuff with it too. id recommend bringing that back.
  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998 edited June 2012
    I personally miss the Campaign of the Month being featured on the page. That being said, it is a huge improvement, and I really think it will entice more new users. I do think that the COTM's are usually so well done that they are also a way to get people in.
    Post edited by GamingMegaverse on

    Just trying to help out.

  • Riklurt
    Riklurt
    Posts: 2
    I agree with the above poster - the "recently updated" area was a lot of fun. I made it a little habit to always check what other campaigns were being updated each time I visited the site, would love to see that feature brought back.
  • DreadGazebo
    DreadGazebo
    Posts: 218
    Hey guys, thanks for all of your feedback. Believe me we're listening to it and trying to figure out how to make the front page more valuable to people who are already existing users. Your cries have not gone unheard!
  • NinjaFlashX
    NinjaFlashX
    Posts: 94
    Fun update! But I agree that I really enjoyed seeing other "recently updated" campaigns. It was a new way for me to see and enjoy other active campaigns.

    "Heroes Unchained":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/heroesunchained - Where Slaves Become Legends

    Heroes Unchained: CotM 2013

  • twiggyleaf
    twiggyleaf
    Posts: 2,006
    My Gosh! That INTRO video sure is fast!!!

    "I met a traveller from an antique land....."

    CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.

    Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign

    Inner Council Member

  • arsheesh
    arsheesh
    Posts: 850
    I agree with the above comments. The intro page looks nice, but it seems a bit less personal, or rather, communal. I remember that one of the biggest selling points for me signing up with the Obsidian Portal a few years back came from checking out the then Campaign of the month displayed on the home page, and thinking, "Wow, I gotta try this out for myself!" Sure there is a Campaigns tab that interested browsers can click on if they want to delve deeper, but displaying the work of the community on the home page serves at least to functions: (a) it displays for all the world to see, what "actual" users are doing with the site, and (b) it promotes a sense of awareness that there is a broader community here at the Portal, encouraging people to become interested in each others sites. My 2c.

    Cheers,
    -Arsheesh
  • NinjaFlashX
    NinjaFlashX
    Posts: 94
    Yes! Exactly what Arsheesh said. Well said.

    "Heroes Unchained":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/heroesunchained

    Heroes Unchained: CotM 2013

  • Dungeon_Master_Loki
    Dungeon_Master_Loki
    Posts: 358
    I add my voice to that of Arsheesh.

    Game Designer, Pro GM, multiple ENnie Award winner

    GM of Planejammer: The Spelljoined (Pathfinder 1e) Campaign of the Year 2011 and still going strong!

    GM of The Planewalker's Guild (Pathfinder 1e) 

    Need a GM? Book me today!

  • ClockworkDragonfly
    ClockworkDragonfly
    Posts: 1 edited July 2012
    Agreed, Arsheesh's post echoes my own sentiments closely. I put some details in my response to the Facebook post on the subject, but Arsheesh's post here seems a bit more concise.
    Post edited by ClockworkDragonfly on
  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998
    One of the other things that is missing is search capability!

    Just trying to help out.

  • FrankSirmarco
    FrankSirmarco
    Posts: 250
    I'm sorry, but I find the Main Page rather bland. The copy isn't particularly exciting, the page links to reviews that are over two years old (which is like 100 years in tech-years), and it doesn't drive home OP's flexibility.

    If you're looking to sell OP to potential users and, more importantly, users that will pony up the money for an Ascendant membership, then you have to go all out. Use the intro video to really sell the site's flexibility. Since you've gone through a number of design changes and have added new features to the site since 2008-2009, perhaps you can get some gaming sites to revisit OP and write some new reviews. In addition to positive reviews from gaming websites, maybe feature user testimonials. And showcasing the CotM is essential - these campaigns are perfect examples of what a dedicated GM, dedicated players, and a really flexible website can do.

    If I were coming to OP for the first time today, I don't know if I would sign up. The main page doesn't really convince me that the site will make my Table Top RPG campaign more fun.

    Sorry for the harsh review - I really like the site a lot, and I think with a little tweaking you can attract new users. Good luck!
  • Invictus
    Invictus
    Posts: 54
    "DreadGazebo Jun 28th 2012
    Hey guys, thanks for all of your feedback. Believe me we’re listening to it and trying to figure out how to make the front page more valuable to people who are already existing users. Your cries have not gone unheard!"

    So we're starting into September now and i was wondering if there are any foreseeable changes on the horizon for the main page?
  • ednoria
    ednoria
    Posts: 17
    Yeah, I really miss the "Recently Updated" section!
  • Baalshamon
    Baalshamon
    Posts: 585
    Initially I liked the new cover but as time has gone on I realize it is missing many great elements that the old page had. One is the box that shows who posted recently. I loved that box as it inspired me to look at other peoples pages. The other flaw for me is that there is no CotM on the home page. Now I miss the CotM announcements until someone like KillerVP points them out to me.


    -Steve
    "Star Trek Late Night":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/star-trek-late-night
    "Duskreign's CotM December 2011":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/wyrmshadow/wikis/122011
    "CotM January 2012":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/star-trek-late-night-januarys-cotm/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=star-trek-late-night-januarys-cotm
  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998
    Blame it on me...

    Just trying to help out.

  • madartiste
    madartiste
    Posts: 328 edited September 2012
    I miss the recently updated section too. It got me looking at campaign pages I normally wouldn't have noticed. Found some great ones that way.
    I DO like the new look, though. I just miss some of the old features. :)
    Post edited by madartiste on
  • twiggyleaf
    twiggyleaf
    Posts: 2,006
    Ditto, sarahallis!


    twigs

    "I met a traveller from an antique land....."

    CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.

    Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign

    Inner Council Member

  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998
    Reviving this thread to get suggestions from the other Portaliers- what do you want to see on the new OP? I really want to see an integrated tagging system, and the COTM returned to the home page.
    If you have not heard, there is a new Kickstarter coming to make updates to OP, listen "here":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/haste-podcast-ultimate-rpg-playlist-obsidian-portal-kickstarter-micah-plays-shadowrun/
    killervp
    "A God...Rebuilt":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/a-god-rebuilt
    "OP's COTM April 2012":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/a-god-rebuilt-aprils-cotm/

    Just trying to help out.

  • madartiste
    madartiste
    Posts: 328
    Revamping the tagging sounds like it would be incredibly useful and I'm all for the COTM/recently updated campaigns coming back to the front page.
  • twiggyleaf
    twiggyleaf
    Posts: 2,006
    I don't know if it really fits within the "Remodelling" but the thing I would like most is printable DST Character Sheets.

    twiggyleaf
    "Shimring - The Faces of Divinity":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shimring
    (a multiplanar 3.5 D&D campaign)
    "Campaign of the Month - August 2012":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/shimring-augusts-cotm/

    "I met a traveller from an antique land....."

    CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.

    Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign

    Inner Council Member

  • Bookscorpion
    Bookscorpion
    Posts: 58
    I would definitely look at the main page more often if the recently updated campaigns were shown there, that's a great way of finding interesting campaigns to read and follow.

    Shadowrun: The Rat's Nest - COTM  November 2014

  • NinjaFlashX
    NinjaFlashX
    Posts: 94
    I've gone to visiting the Campaigns page to get my "Recently Updated":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns?&sort=recent fix.

    Flash
    "Heroes Unchained":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/heroesunchained - _Where Slaves Become Legends_

    Heroes Unchained: CotM 2013

  • Langy
    Langy
    Posts: 364
    Ooh. A Kickstarter for updates to OP? Nice! Definitely going to support that.

    As for the new OP's main page - the things I mentioned in my original post in this thread still fit. There should be a way to go directly to your campaigns from the OP main page, and it should include 'news' and 'campaign of the month' features. Recently updated campaigns could be put in, too, but I don't think it's necessary - at least for me. Recently updated ones that you've favorited could definitely go there, though.
  • SkidAce
    SkidAce
    Posts: 830
    I seem to have gotten into the habit of going straight to my pages....and then from there to these forums using the link at the top of all the pages.

    I never see the main page at all.

    Perhaps a change would make it more useful and informing to go there.
  • dlaporte7271
    dlaporte7271
    Posts: 94
    I'll echo SkidAce.

    I pass right by the main page...don't have any reason to stop there...I think...at this point, it's really aimed at new folks coming by and checking it out...I skip right to the content. Though...I imagine, that promotion aught to be the main purpose of the main page...for those of us who are already "in the know," we have established our routines, and we know where we want/have to go to get what we need. Whether or not I am inclined to go to any particular page seems academic to me. Might be more useful to put links to COTM and other announcements/info onto our profiles. I know I'm on that page checking out my favorites EVERY time I visit the Portal.

    dlaporte
  • Cernig
    Cernig
    Posts: 60
    Food for thought: Coming in the side door: The value of homepages is shifting from traffic-driver to brand

    http://www.niemanlab.org/2012/08/coming-in-the-side-door-the-value-of-homepages-is-shifting-from-traffic-driver-to-brand/
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