I get it though, and I'm of several different minds about where this should go.

As someone who doesn't design websites for a living, this is a challenge. But it's a fun project to chip away at.

• First goal — it's gotta be a site where neighborhood readers and writers can easily find their way and do their thing. So for that alone, the front page has to change.

I'm beginning to see that the front page just can't be this busy. We'll probably have an "everything page" like this, but it could be tucked behind a calmer front page.

Each of the textboxes are modules, which means they're pretty easy to arrange and switch out for something else. So anyone could mix and match to create their own custom homepage.

• The other goals are background, but they're important too
  • Better information streams, so we can flexibly show neighbors' input in new ways.
  • Better outreach to neighborhood users.
  • Better search engine optimization, so googlers find us faster.

Back to the wiki-workshop. It's great to have feedback, and if you get the urge, you're welcome to join in the tinkering.

I think the new site is too busy, and as someone who develops websites for organizations, here's my two cents.

I think the most user-friendly thing you can do is lay out a "home" page that offers fewer choices so people can get to where they want to go faster. Having too many choices means slowing down to read and digest them all. And it's a good idea to only have 3 - 4 different typeface sizes and styles to help with visual clutter, and instead focus on grouping information into boxes or areas.

It's nice to have what's happening on a particular day appear, but at the same time I don't mind (personally) clicking one link to get to the calendar. It takes up a fair amount of screen real estate.

Maybe you've seen these already, but I did a Google search for "community wiki" and found these:
http://daviswiki.org/
http://wiki.netbsd.se/Main_Page (I like the icons - easy to see what's offered at a glance)
http://wiki.maemo.org/Main_Page (a clean layout)
http://community.jboss.org/en/wiki (more like a traditional website with tabs)

And just to play devil's advocate, I think the layout you've got works just fine. Enough people are discovering it on an ongoing basis, why make us learn something new? If it 'aint broke, why fix it? Just gotta ask …

Thanks for all you do!

Joanne

I looked at www.cnn.com just now to compare. What I noticed they have which your test site does not are:

• tinier thumbnail pictures
• more links to subcategories in the main nav bar across the top
• smaller font sizes in general
• ads: don't strive for this one! ;-)

It's all in flux. Other ideas please!

I'm convinced there are great things on the wiki, but I never read them because the layout drives me crazy.

What's happening this week? What are people talking about? Where's the latest weekly digest? How can I be a part of all this?

I'm hoping the new site will make all that much clearer. There's been a lot of under-the-hood tinkering, some breakage, occasional cursing — and a bunch of new ideas for how our site can come back stronger, easier, and more interesting.

There's a mockup on the test site — very drafty, but it gives the basic idea. Take a look. Weigh in.