GW Home Page Survey

[MasySyma]

I realize I'm new, but I lurked for a long time first.

What do you like about the current home page?

I like the homepage. The layout allows me to move around easily and enjoy the articles over several days if I chose. I also happen to love blue.

What do you dislike about the current home page?
Right now, nothing, but I wouldn't want to see it become too crowded. It's almost there.

What would you like to see on the home page that isn't there?
A tiny countdown to the new season might be nice.

Of those items that are there, what might you want to see more of?
I love the articles.

Do the Features tend to stay on the home page 1) not long enough; 2) too long; or 3) just right?
Too Long

Do news items tend to stay on the home page 1) not long enough; 2) too long; or 3) just right?
Just Right

What do you think of the image-to-text ratio? Would you prefer a more image-heavy design, even if it meant a slightly longer load time?
Image-heavy wouldn't upset me, but I don't want to lose the quality of text if replaced by redundant images.

Do you like the width of the page? Is there lots of empty space on the left and right, or do you have to scroll horizontally to see everything?
The page width is ok for me.

Do you want more content you'd have to scroll down to see? Or is the home page too cluttered already? Or does the amount of content (and height of the page) seem to be about right?
About Right

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Give us a thumbs-up / thumbs-down and comments on each of these items:

Horizontal navigation line for non-Stargate shows (Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, etc.) Thumbs Up (please don't let them become the focus of the page)
Battle Star Galatica gets enough attention on this Stargate forum as is.

Prominence of those other show sub-sites
Thumbs Up

Search box (Do you use it?)
Thumbs Up--no

Lead features (One big one, followed by two little ones)
Thumbs Up--although a clearer link to the archives would be nice

News items (Six most recent, followed by small headlines for older stories)
Thumbs Up

Departments
Don't typically notice this one much. Thumb unsure.

Today's / This week's episode listings. (Other than the obvious fact that we only cover U.S., is there a way to improve the upcoming schedule browsing?)
I like this feature, especially on Mondays. Thumbs up.

Poll(s)
Thumbs up. Although occasionally they get updated late or are for the incorrect episode.

Amazon search box
Once I finally found it, thumbs up

GateWorld Mail log-in (Do you use it?)
Thumb unclear. Nope

Forum log-in, hot threads, private messages alert, or other forum-related plug-ins?
Forum log-in: Thumbs Up

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Fill in the blank:

"I wish it was easier to find ___FAQ and things new posters should read at first ___."

"I know exactly where _episode discussion in the forum_ is, but it takes a lot of clicks to get there."

"I wish the main drop-down navigation menu included _N/A__________."

[aizjanika]

What do you like about the current home page?
I like that I can easily get to the episode summaries, although I would prefer one link to one page with a complete list of all episodes (listed in order) rather than a drop-down menu going season by season. It would be nice, actually, if you could have both--one link to the one page, but also an option to sort the episodes by season if you only wanted to see one season. When I use the site for a reference, though, I tend to bounce around from season to season and that gets annoying. I used to use TV Tome for this purpose for that reason, but now they are no more. :-(

I should also add that I actually have the actual Stargate page (with the seasons listed) as my "startup" page for Gateworld, so I usually don't even see this main front page.

What do you dislike about the current home page?
I think the features/headlines could be bigger and more prominent. I wouldn't mind if all the features were the same size, for instance, and also the list of "Departments" could use larger text, even if it meant scrolling down a bit.

What would you like to see on the home page that isn't there?
A sidebar with all the links listed under their subheadings. (The sidebar should stay the same on every page of the site.)

Of those items that are there, what might you want to see more of?
I'd like to see more features listed and a more detailed listing of past news and features.

Do the Features tend to stay on the home page 1) not long enough; 2) too long; or 3) just right?
1. not long enough -- I quite often lose track of these and am not quite sure where to find them once they're gone from the main page.

Do news items tend to stay on the home page 1) not long enough; 2) too long; or 3) just right?
1. not long enough -- for the same reason as above

What do you think of the image-to-text ratio? Would you prefer a more image-heavy design, even if it meant a slightly longer load time?
I have a fast cable modem so load time is not a problem for me. However, I appreciate the uncluttered look of your homepage. I also appreciate the text-based menus so that I don't have to click around on pictures trying to figure out what is what. I also appreciate that you don't have a lot of animated buttons and other things that tend to be distracting and, yes, just take up more time to load. (I very much dislike flash sites or sites that open up in a tiny little pop-up window, so I like that your site does not.)

Do you like the width of the page? Is there lots of empty space on the left and right, or do you have to scroll horizontally to see everything?
I have about 2" of empty space on either side (so about 4" all together). I realize you have to accommodate many people who have their computers set at different resolutions, though I wonder if it could be set to automatically adjust to everyone--such as a site like Amazon.com. I don't know if this is even possible, and it's not something that really bothers me all that much.

While I wouldn't mind if it used up the whole page, it doesn't seem off balance to me. The text that is smaller than the headlines is a little small for me, though, and difficult to read even though I have a large monitor (and my glasses on! <G>). Also the grey text in the headlines could be a little lighter--or rather, it would be nice to have a little more contrast with the text and the background. (I tend to prefer darker text on a light background for ease of reading.)

Do you want more content you'd have to scroll down to see? Or is the home page too cluttered already? Or does the amount of content (and height of the page) seem to be about right?
I don't mind scrolling down for more content--especially if it means you could make the smaller fonts a little larger and include more of the features on the front page.
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Give us a thumbs-up / thumbs-down and comments on each of these items:
I gave "thumbs down" to some items even though I didn't really have a big problem with them, but there were no "in between" answers. I actually love the site and many of these items are things I'm more or less neutral about, but wanted to state my preferences.

Horizontal navigation line for non-Stargate shows (Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, etc.)
N/A

Prominence of those other show sub-sites
Thumbs Up -- I don't care about them, so I don't notice them. I would dislike it if they were featured heavily on the Stargate pages--especially BSG. I want a Stargate site to be a Stargate site. I actually think even Atlantis should be separated from Stargate completely and the features and news for both should not be on the same page. (Yes, I watch Atlantis, but they are two separate shows, and I dislike the tendency of most sites to lump them together.)

Search box (Do you use it?)
Thumbs Down -- No, I don't use it, but I might if I knew what it was.

Lead features (One big one, followed by two little ones)
Thumbs Down -- I'd like for there to be more features listed.

News items (Six most recent, followed by small headlines for older stories)
Thumbs Down -- I'd like for more stories to be featured or for there to be a clear link to "past stories" that are no longer on the front page.

Departments
Thumbs Down -- I think these might be organized in a different way. I'm not sure how. Where they are now...I had actually never seen them before until I started scrutinizing the front page to better answer this survey. The fonts are a little small, too.

Today's / This week's episode listings. (Other than the obvious fact that we only cover U.S., is there a way to improve the upcoming schedule browsing?)
Thumbs Down -- I'm not sure these need to be on the front page or at least maybe they don't need to be featured so prominently. I'm not really sure. I'm in the US, but have never used this feature.


Poll(s)
Thumbs up -- I like having the polls on the front page and on every page. Polls are fun.

Amazon search box
Thumbs up -- I think it's good to have the Amazon box in a prominent position.

GateWorld Mail log-in (Do you use it?)
I have never used it. I didn't even know it was a feature of the site.

Forum log-in, hot threads, private messages alert, or other forum-related plug-ins?
I'm not sure I understand this. I only see the link to the forum on this main page, and not these other features.

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Fill in the blank:

"I wish it was easier to find ______________."
Forum threads -- I find the forums difficult to navigate and I can never remember where I saw a particular thread. I'd love a sidebar with the various subheadings and threads listed underneath.

"I know exactly where _______________ is [are], but it takes a lot of clicks to get there."
Episode summaries -- I would love it if there could be a main page with all the episodes listed--not just one season at a time--as I mentioned above. It's nice to have them by season as well, but annoying when I want to open up many episode summaries in tabs and I have to keep going back and forth or open up every season in a separate tab. (I also wish there were detailed summaries for every episode for every season. I don't think there is a single site out there now--at least not that I know of--that has this, and it would be very helpful. The reviews are nice, too, but I'd like detailed summaries.)

"I wish the main drop-down navigation menu included ______________."
I would prefer not to have the drop-down navigation at all. I wish there could be a sidebar with all the links instead, although I like the organization with the subheadings and I would keep that.

[Kliggins]

What do you like about the current home page?
TV Listings.

What do you dislike about the current home page?
Nothing that I can think of.

What would you like to see on the home page that isn't there?
Can't think of anything; is this really helping?

Of those items that are there, what might you want to see more of?
Everything is just right for me.

Do the Features tend to stay on the home page 1) not long enough; 2) too long; or 3) just right?
Just right

Do news items tend to stay on the home page 1) not long enough; 2) too long; or 3) just right?
Just right.

What do you think of the image-to-text ratio? Would you prefer a more image-heavy design, even if it meant a slightly longer load time?
No thank you, not at this time. I am still in the dark ages and on dial-up.

Do you like the width of the page? Is there lots of empty space on the left and right, or do you have to scroll horizontally to see everything?
The width of the page is fine.

Do you want more content you'd have to scroll down to see? Or is the home page too cluttered already? Or does the amount of content (and height of the page) seem to be about right?
I find to be just right.

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Give us a thumbs-up / thumbs-down and comments on each of these items:

Horizontal navigation line for non-Stargate shows (Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, etc.)
Thumbs up

Prominence of those other show sub-sites
Thumbs up

Search box (Do you use it?)
I do not use it frequently, but when I have I find it very easy, so thumbs up

Lead features (One big one, followed by two little ones)
Thumbs up

News items (Six most recent, followed by small headlines for older stories)
Thumbs up

Departments
Thumbs up

Today's / This week's episode listings. (Other than the obvious fact that we only cover U.S., is there a way to improve the upcoming schedule browsing?)
Not that I can see.

Poll(s)
They are fun

Amazon search box
Have never used it.

GateWorld Mail log-in (Do you use it?)
Have never used it.

Forum log-in, hot threads, private messages alert, or other forum-related plug-ins?
Forum log-in is simple, the rest I don't think I use them.

[Unamed]

What do you like about the current home page?
drop down menu's.

What do you dislike about the current home page?
Semms to be a litlle cluttered, maybe less info and more links to info on a different page. I also dislike the links to other shows!

What would you like to see on the home page that isn't there?
tv listings for Uk just like the Us

Of those items that are there, what might you want to see more of?
Just consist of news and new features, have the rest on other pages.

Do the Features tend to stay on the home page 1) not long enough; 2) too long; or 3) just right?
just right

Do news items tend to stay on the home page 1) not long enough; 2) too long; or 3) just right?
just right

What do you think of the image-to-text ratio? Would you prefer a more image-heavy design, even if it meant a slightly longer load time?
yes please! The page would look less clustered and more neat.

Do you like the width of the page? Is there lots of empty space on the left and right, or do you have to scroll horizontally to see everything?
id prefere if no horizontal scrolling was required.

Do you want more content you'd have to scroll down to see? Or is the home page too cluttered already? Or does the amount of content (and height of the page) seem to be about right?
Page height is fine, but as I stated a little cluttered.

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Give us a thumbs-up / thumbs-down and comments on each of these items:

Horizontal navigation line for non-Stargate shows (Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, etc.)
Dont know

Prominence of those other show sub-sites
Down. This is a stargate site!!!

Search box (Do you use it?)
Down dont use it.

Lead features (One big one, followed by two little ones)
Down, should all be big

News items (Six most recent, followed by small headlines for older stories)
Down, there should be big headlines for all recent news items and a link to old news.

Departments

Today's / This week's episode listings. (Other than the obvious fact that we only cover U.S., is there a way to improve the upcoming schedule browsing?)
UK!!!

Poll(s)
Up They are fun

Amazon search box
Down, not used

GateWorld Mail log-in (Do you use it?)
??
Forum log-in, hot threads, private messages alert, or other forum-related plug-ins?
Up, Grand the way it is.

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Fill in the blank:

"I wish it was easier to find ___friend!!___________."
Seriously, nothing has come to mind

"I know exactly where _everything______________ is, but it takes a lot of clicks to get there."
Again, i got nothing

"I wish the main drop-down navigation menu included __downloads like backrounds and stuff.___________."

Hope ive helped

[Jeeves]

I Have been visiting ur site for a while now, although i've only just started posting on your forums.

The things i like about this site is the content and i can safely say that that is the reason i visited gateworld. I dont think you should add many more images as the speed at which ur site loads is another of its good points. Perhaps a more decorative header and footer which would help to make the appearance more appealing and still keep ur loading times.

Something that does concern me is your forums. Althoguh they are well used they load very slowly on my laptop and even now i am having to wait for the window to catch up lol, of course i am willing to blame my laptop prtly for this but i dont find it as bad on other forums that i visit.

i appologise for not following your format but i am a webdesigner myself and im finishing a project lol. I would like to offer my assistance, but i am sure that you get many offers and wouldnt require it, but still the offer stands lol.