Navigating A Forum

[Cricket]

It always shocks me when I hear someone say that the reason they do not usually like forums is because they are just too difficult to navigate, that they have to sort through far too many topics that they have absolutely no interest in, in order to find the topics that they truly want to discuss.

HUH?

Since I honestly did not get it, I came right out and asked them to tell me the process they use to find information in a forum. It turns out that quite often, new members choose the "New Posts" text link to see new topics. While this may be a very effective method for those members dedicated to seeing every single post since their last visit, this method could be very overwhelming to a new member, to say nothing of being way too time consuming!

Only visit the specific sections of the community that you have interest in!

The first thing I do at a forum (if it is new to me) is to look for a section that looks as if it is directed to new people. In our case, that would be the Getting Started With V7N forum.


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Once I have clicked on the link, I will spend time reading and browsing through the different topics there. I will pay special attention to links within the "sticky" area, as they are often related to rules and any special guidelines.


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When I believe I have a pretty good feel for how the forum operates, I return to the front page of the forum by using either the breadcrumb navigation, or by clicking the logo at the top of the forum.


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The main page will list all the forums in a basic outline forum. As I scroll down the page, I may notice a section that includes forums that I have absolutely no interest in. When this happens, I click the down arrow to the right of that section to close it. This helps keep things less cluttered. If I change my mind later, I can simply click the arrow again.


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I keep scrolling down until I find a forum that includes topics I would like to read, reading the description of each section as I go. Once I find that section, I click on the link.


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The page that opens includes all the topics within that specific forum. By hovering my mouse over a topic, I can view a snippet of the discussion.


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If I do not see a thread (topic) that covers what I am looking for, I can click on the New Topic icon, to start a new discussion.


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What should you do if this tutorial left you more confused that you were to begin with?

LOL! I don't blame you! I have a habit of teaching people how to build a watch when they just want to know what time it is. So, if you are still confused, I highly recommend clicking on the Rules/FAQ text link near the top of the page. You will find a ton of helpful forum tips.


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[MrFlicks]

If/when you move over to VB4 Cricket please keep a text link available to the forum home.

I tried to convince Shawn on DP recently that not everyone gets the little house/home icon or that the logo can be clicked, but my interjection fell on deaf ears.

I personally believe there should always be a text link to the forum home page, so I hope you agree and bear this in mind should any changes occur here.

Edit > Thinking about it, you know people and SEO, so I probably shouldn't worry and should realise you know that already.

[magnaa]

Thanks for your explaination about the navigation..because i searched little get confused..but nowok..thanks

[kayostar]

I think forums are very easy to navigate. Those who find it difficult are usually the ones that cannot be bothered to go looking for things that may of be of interest to them and instead prefer to kick back expecting all the good stuff to come hurdling towards them. I cannot speak for everyone on this but as a newbie that's just my two cents on this topic.

[mjtaylor]

Originally Posted by kayostar

I think forums are very easy to navigate. Those who find it difficult are usually the ones that cannot be bothered to go looking for things that may of be of interest to them and instead prefer to kick back expecting all the good stuff to come hurdling towards them. I cannot speak for everyone on this but as a newbie that's just my two cents on this topic.

So the first time you came to a forum you easily found your way around? I think forums are intuitive, too, but for many newer webmasters or site owners who have little Internet experience beyond email and surfing, navigating a forum might be challenging when they first venture here for help.

[instantit]

I never had problem with v7n.com. Just that maybe the the broad topic could have hidden in a subtopic or subsubtopic.

[mjtaylor]

Neither have I, but I was very familiar with forums when I showed up. But the other forum where I spend a lot of time is much smaller and I do, indeed, simply use the "new posts." When I tried that here, I found it overwhelming, but not being new to the board game, I knew I could browse SEO and find something of interest.

I believe there are still cats here I've never visited. Don't tell Cricket, though, I'm supposed to be helping our around here.