New "Getting Started" Page

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    We've recently been working on a new "Getting Started" page to feature here at the forum. When you get a chance please look it over and post below if you can think of suggestions for additions, clarifications, or corrections to any part. I think we currently have "most" of our major resources listed, but in going through them I'm pleased to say that we have so many that some of them may be missing.

    Let us know any suggestions:

    Getting Started - Epicureanfriends.com
    www.epicureanfriends.com


    After we go through a couple of revisions we'll probably add a banner for a while to highlight the new page. The page will also always be findable as the first item in the "Home" drop-down menu.

    What seems to me to be a much better format for the Getting Started page is a layout similar to Forum - Epicureanfriends.com.

    A major drawback for me of the Getting Started page is that the links are buried in text. My opinion is that the much more graphic format of the Forum List page is much more user friendly. In fact, the Forum List already begins with "General Information and Discussion - Start Here."

    With all the information in the forums, I think that simplicity of presentation is paramount. With that in mind, maybe even get rid of a separate Getting Started page and just commit to making it the first drop-down item in the forum list, reducing the number of pages and the amount of duplication. Replace "General Information and Discussion - Start Here" with "Getting Started." Perhaps add a drop-down item for "General Discussion" or "General Information and Discussion" but separate "Getting Started" into its own drop-down atop the list. Then perhaps move the "Private Section" down to the bottom of the list. In other words, the Forum List becomes the gateway to everything. It's graphically very clear, and I think it provides a great entry to the forum with everything in one place. I would remove the https://www.epicureanfriends.com/wcf/getting-started/ link on the right side of the page and commit to that residing in the top item of the list.

    One thing that I may be misunderstanding is whether the links in the drop-down Forum List have to lead to a list of threads. Can they lead to a list of pages? If so, the pages could be fairly short, with simplified text and with only very specific links (perhaps to the "next step" in the getting started process).

    Anyway, I guess I really like the simplicity and clarity of the "Forum List" page. Simplicity! No duplication! That's what works best for my simple brain. I'm sure I'm exposing my ignorance as to how the software actually works, but that's my two cents as a user. :)

    Godfrey -- due to the differences in themes, it's not clear to me what exactly you are looking at in the page that you praise as being a good example. Could you attach a screenclip to show us what you are looking at?

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Finding Things At EpicureanFriends.com

What's the best strategy for finding things on EpicureanFriends.com? Here's a suggested search strategy:

  • First, familiarize yourself with the list of forums. The best way to find threads related to a particular topic is to look in the relevant forum. Over the years most people have tried to start threads according to forum topic, and we regularly move threads from our "general discussion" area over to forums with more descriptive titles.
  • Use the "Search" facility at the top right of every page. Note that the search box asks you what section of the forum you'd like to search. If you don't know, select "Everywhere." Also check the "Search Assistance" page.
  • Use the "Tag" facility, starting with the "Key Tags By Topic" in the right hand navigation pane, or using the "Search By Tag" page, or the "Tag Overview" page which contains a list of all tags alphabetically. We curate the available tags to keep them to a manageable number that is descriptive of frequently-searched topics.