Hi again ^_^.

I have some comments on the menu. Right now, there are quite some options, and all the places to go might not pop in view very well. For instance, recently I have almost forgotten the MSX links functionality of msx.org . (To keep it updated, users have to know about it or they won't submit any. The MSX Assembly Page wasn't even in it!) Also, I think you might want the Webshop link to maybe 'pop in the eye' a little more than it currently does.

My solution would be to categorize. Most sites do this, Amazon.com for example has a 'books' category, and if you click it a new set of categories appear with 'bestsellers', 'magazines', 'ramsj', etc.

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Frontpage

News
-- er... news (large view)
-- News archive
-- News topics
-- Submit news

Forum

Articles
-- Articles
-- Photo shoots
-- Polls

Resource
-- MSX links
-- Add link
-- Fairs and meetings

Software
-- Webshop
-- Downloads

Site
-- Who we are
-- Join our team
-- Contact us
-- Policies
-- Affiliates
-- Merchandise
-- Donate

Search

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What you could do is let each 'main' link should then lead to some kind of overview page, or just the first of them in the list (the most important and commonly used one), and prominently show links to all the other categories. The 'main' links would be few so that they can be spotted easily, and they should be 'catching' to the majority. If they follow them, they will see the 'subcategories' aswell (which are ofcourse logically placed in the categories in case someone is looking for it), which then also have the space to draw a little more attention. Also, the menu could then a little bigger items, or maybe more spaced. Or even small images.

Example, 'Software' category: on head page show popular downloads and webshop outtakes. Maybe also one or two downloads-related newsposts. At the top of the page there are 4 bars next to eachother, with in the first 'Webshop' and in the second 'Downloads', and the other two empty. Just an example, though .

Well, that's it. Schedule it in for your big cleanup operation, I guess ;p.

Oh, some more remarks...

-- Articles - some more accent on this would be cool, also for other user's input, it might make msx.org somewhat more of a 'magazine' too. Maybe if there is a steady supply of them, periodically add a couple of articles, to make some kind of 'issues'.

-- MSX links - random link should be put in here too... and maybe also 'under' a small picture in the frontpage, as some kind of easter egg or so, easy to click but not in the way of anything. Also, 'add link' isn't very visible, I had overlooked it. This could also be put between the 'subsections'.

-- Are you using capitals for every word in the menu, or not? 'Who We Are' has them all capitalized, but 'Fairs and meetings' has not... And 'Join our Team' is a strange mixture .


~Grauw

nice ideas

At the moment the Webshop only consists out of software titles. I don't think it will stay that way, as hardware developmers might see use in the Webshop to sell to people.

Apart from that it might be a good idea to categorize the menu.

Well then the webshop first has to undergo some fundamental changes, because afaik currently MRC only supports 'direct download' stuff, and as hardware can't be downloaded... Shipping and keeping a stock would require a lot more effort and money than it currently does to maintain. I don't think one wants to depend on 3rd parties for that. You'll have different distributors then, and if something goes wrong with one, or there is some delay... You'll get the blame. Ahwell. It might aswell be an overly negative look at things, sometimes you have to trust people a little, and you can always say that you're only an intermediary if problems arise, refer to the actual seller...

But I think it might be better to let the sellers set up their own webshop (perhaps give some assistance). Though truth is it indeed would be kinda nice if sellers could get a category in the MRC webshop. Why create a new system if one exists already, after all. On the other hand... I think it would be strange to go to msx.org for, say, a Sunrise product... I'd rather expect it to be on msx.ch.

Anyways... back to the topic .


~Grauw