[Pdweb] Pd web site architecture

Nicolas Montgermont nicolas_montgermont at yahoo.fr
Mon Feb 13 21:30:01 CET 2012


Hello all,

Great to see there is a specific mailing list about the pd website.
I'm writing a mail here, in reaction of the discussion on the mailing list.

I also feel that the pd web site is too complex to be easily used.

I think there is two important problems:

- the lack of symmetry between the menu on the left, and the main 
content. For example, if we click on "community"
http://puredata.info/community
in the main content, we have a page titled FrontPage (I know this is due 
to the plone architecture) and then we have a beautiful detailed list, 
but it's not the same with the list on the right. Worst is the 
"Subtopics" in the end of the Page that is often not so much related.
This is specially visible in the "Documentation" category:
http://puredata.info/docs
where the effort of the FrontPage has not been done.
I think this is an important step to facilitate exploration of the Pd 
website.

- The complex sublevels / and unclear hierarchy
For example :
in the "docs" category, I think there is too much subtopics. "Tutorial / 
howtos" should be united with "workshop", and "style guide" must be a 
subtopic within this category I think.
This problem leads to a hierarchy problem that makes categories 
important, when they should not. For example "Pd-logos" is at the time 
as important as "mailing-lists". I find this difficult for people to 
find informations, as well as to add informations in the good 
categories. Having a clear hierarchy, persistent over the years should 
improve both.

These two topics are somehow related, what I should propose is to 
discuss a tree of the website, and then to create an architecture that 
could only be modified by admins, and that should last nearly the same 
for years. But adding articles in most of this categories / directory 
should be open to every member.

The main problem I see, is how to move / reorganize all the existing 
content in a new architecture. and how to modifiy plone in a way i 
described first.

Anyhow, I'll be glad to help to any evolution of the site, even if my 
knowledge of plone is limited.
Best,

Nicolas
-- 
http://nim.on.free.fr



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