Thread: 'New look' front page - for comment!

Dear all,

If you can spare a second, please take a look here and let me know what you think about a possible 'Main Page' for PP. If there is something critical you think should be there - say so. Or even if you still don't like the colours - least the ghastly pink has gone.

Note that the blue arrows represent images that have yet to be uploaded.

The entire page is based on 4 'templates' which means that changes can be made even more easily than usual. Which is fortunate as I thought I had nearly 'lost' an entire morning's work earlier.... The point is that all the boxes can be infinitely expanded or shrunk with more/less info.

Comments here or on PP.

Great stuff - as long as the blue arrow by the title is my guidebooks picture

Right! The proposed front page is here - now complete with banners, images (the right ones!) and so on. Still need to insert the links to the anticipated garrison and patch threads as part of the 'Patch and Pads' overhaul.

As ever, any feedback gratefully received.

Superb. Some suggestions:

Left justify the left column
Move the title in to the left column by the picture so that all content is moved up.

SEO - it's important to make sure that the page is well optimised, which means targeting the key phrases that should lead people to the PP. I suggest:

Military Families, Married Quarters, Service Families Accommodation

While dull and boring this brings the following requests:

The title is changed to "Military Families' Guide - the PatchPedia Project"

An initial attempt at an SEO friendly introduction text:

The Patchpedia is a community project which aims to provide information to military families, particularly about Service Families Accommodation or Married Quarter areas.

The PatchPedia is written by military families from all services, Navy, Army and RAF, for the benefit of others. Like Wikipedia it can be edited by anyone (you included!) and therefore is constantly being written and improved by the military community.

The types of questions that the PatchPedia aims to address are:

What are the married quarters like in Blogs Street at RAF Brize Norton?
Where are the nearest boarding schools to Catterick Garrison and are they Army-friendly?
What are the key contact details for the military support organisations such as the Hive at HMS Drake?

We would love your input - tell us anything about your service families accmmodation, base area or married quarters that you think might be relevant to other families. Where do you walk the dog? Where the best place for a good, cheap haircut?

-> Get Involved
-> Technical help

After you go live, I will probably add an article at the bottom of the page that adds to this.

All done GCO with your additions inserted. We can identify where we want the 'Technical assistance' link to go later.

Some final comments then:

I will replace the Olive Net links in the bottom box with a text once it's live - OK? It'll be the descriptive one that I was mentioning that will aim to be particularly search-engine friendly.

I don't know if the outer green border is a result of the sandbox, but on the live version I think you should remove that - one box too many. Opinion only and I'm happy to run with it if you prefer.

Our image guru will produce a version of that books image but containing the PatchPedia title. Probably tomorrow. It will be the full width of your left column so text will sit neatly underneath. Any objections?

No dramas. The outer box is part of the banner template and I put it in simply to 'bound' the other boxes. No real reason for it so remove it if you like. I've now made it transparent.

We just need to think about the re-design of 'Patch and Pads' and then link to it.

Full list of templates etc is here - the intro one is No9. The bounding box is No13.

I don't think we should create lots of empty thread but rather reorganize in to one forum per UK HIC plus Germany, Cyprus etc

I have to head away his week but Evil_Adjt will be able to take this on if I can't.

WF, can we go for the attached? The image has been uploaded to the wiki in the correct size.

Originally Posted by Good_CO

I don't think we should create lots of empty thread but rather reorganize in to one forum per UK HIC plus Germany, Cyprus etc

I have to head away his week but Evil_Adjt will be able to take this on if I can't.

I'm all over it - and everything else. Honest, guv. I'm even going to make apple pies whilst typing with my toes and updating the site using only the finest hairs on my head.

GCO - no probs and I'll get it smashed in the next few days - just a bit busy IRL. Unless the Adjt wants to give it a go....

Ahhh you see, I'm only organising our forums into HICs from their current state

I'm leaving Wiki-related technobabble to the Guru (i.e. you )

Hmmmm just spent an hour or so adding some info but just took a look at Wiki's examples and now realise I'm going to have to go back over everything I've done and make it look a hell of a lot more impressive and better layed out :lol: It's a bit late now and flylets will be up early so I guess for now I shall just have to sit in shame till I find some time again! ops:

Don't worry: the key thing is the info - people like me can tidy it all up later if need be!

I've made the forum list on the main forum list on the main page (not PP) in "Location Location Location" to show as sorted by HIC.

Only problem I have with this at the moment is that the areas aren't always "obvious" to me so wondering how other people feel about them?

I've trialled a link on "Aldershot" with a link straight to HIC page 1 on PP to see what kind of click-through that brings, if any.

Maybe we should have the sub-locations on each individual forum front list but playing around to see how that looks for the moment.
:?

Ha, took me a few seconds to work what you were going on about there!

Very nice - I will now change the templates, do the photo thingy and switch to the new front page!