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List:       opensuse-wiki
Subject:    Re: [opensuse-wiki] Wiki structure  [it was: Navigational bar (NavBar) ...]
From:       "Rajko M." <rmatov101 () charter ! net>
Date:       2010-02-11 2:28:56
Message-ID: 201002102028.56493.rmatov101 () charter ! net
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On Wednesday 10 February 2010 06:20:38 Rupert Horstkötter wrote:

> What do you think about Remy's solution?
> 

It is one of possible views of wiki web site and IMO, it is better then 2 
levels of endless NavBars. I often quote http://useit.com and they found that 
lists are the most effective way to communicate message to visitor, but well 
visible inline linking, as NavBar does, with limited number of items (up to 7) 
is next to lists. 

The other option is to combine use of NavBar, that will provide extended 
functionality of the sidebar (menu on left side of the wiki page). Example is:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Moderator 
that has {{h:h|MediaWiki links}} template on the top, that is the same as our 
NavBar. As you can see it is a list (index) of the articles that should help  
moderators (sysops, administrators). When I select from that list System 
message I land on page:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:System_message
and there you can see the same {{h:h|MediaWiki links}} template. 
That way user can go back to main index for that or some other group with just 
one click. 

Important is to note that in Wikimedia example, between navigational bar and 
article is only one index, because they have tree that has only main index 
(presented in their equivalent of NavBar) + one branch that is presented as 
index.


If there is need for 3 levels branching, and as you can see from Remy's 
example there will be, then we have to rethink how we use sidebar. 

Currently there is:

Project Overview
How to Participate
Documentation
Support
Support Database
Contact
Sitemap 

I created:
  http://en.opensuse.org/Support 
and linked it to Support link in sidebar, where before was only link to 
Communicate page. We offer far more support then few communication channels. 
It is just that we don't advertise that enough :) 

The page is work in progress [1], but "Support" page will benefit from layout 
and content cleanup, or add on. It is result of just one evening effort, so 
anyone with ideas can jump in, preferably here, or in forums. 


The same principle can be used for Project Overview, link that can include:
1) About: "The openSUSE project is a worldwide ..." from main page, 
2) Links to contact information (extended with links to board, boosters, teams 
contact info) 
3) Guiding principles
4) Link to Legal page
5) Link to infrastructure
6) Link to "Site map" ie, category structure (which is another possible view 
of web site) 
7) Link to "How to participate"

That way sidebar will look like:
Project Overview 
Community
Support
----
Documentation [2]
Download  [3]
Sitemap 

Giving room for many more direct links that will solve 3 levels branching tree 
structure. 

1) First level is Sidebar below dashed line ----
2) Second level Navigational Bars on each page in the group. [4] 
3) Third level indexes to articles.

The 2) and 3) will be the same way as in Wikimedia example. 


***
[1] whole world wide web is work in progress and telling that explicitly is 
superfluous, specially on wiki web site. 

[2] - it is repeating link from support, but people that come back will look 
for documentation - besides it should be our priority to point people to 
resources that are lesser labor intensive then forum, email, IRC.

[3] - this is the link to http://en.opensuse.org/Download , which is 
essentially the same as Get Software, but, get software is original openSUSE 
naming and as many original things fails by users that look for familiar link 
from other sites called "download". 

[4] - we will need ready to go templates for each group based on existing 
Article template, with main category of that group, and the most important 
links from any possible corner to this templates to make sure that people 
willing to contribute will see where to start. 

-- 
Regards Rajko,

openSUSE Wiki Team: http://en.opensuse.org/Wiki_Team        
People of openSUSE: http://en.opensuse.org/People_of_openSUSE/About
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