minor thing; requested link redirection

[arnoldemu]

On some suggestions:


1. websites I visit their forum/forums are listed under "forums"
e.g.
www.stardot.org.uk/forums

but ours is listed under "forum"

please could we have a redirect
so that forums goes to forum?

Not sure what difference this will make in the end...

(redirect on server in htaccess perhaps. www.cpcwiki.eu/forums -> www.cpcwiki.eu/forum)


2. Also in the error page (404)
(e.g. http://www.cpcwiki.eu/this_page_is_not_found)

perhaps remove the image and put a link to main page and forum on it as a minimum.
so at least you have something to continue to.

And if possible, 2 extra links:
one for a search in wiki (using part of the url you typed)
and a search for in forum (using part of the url you typed).

So if you don't find it, then perhaps the search can give good suggestions.

[Gryzor]

Hmmm ok, all good sugestions (apart maybe from the forum(s) thing, I don't really get the why but I'll do it nonetheless, since it's nothing).

About the 404, you're right, I'll add links and maybe (I'll check the hits on the 404 page) will try to whip something up to do a dynamic search... thanks for the suggestions

[arnoldemu]

Hmmm ok, all good sugestions (apart maybe from the forum(s) thing, I don't really get the why but I'll do it nonetheless, since it's nothing).

My rationale:

www.stardot.org.uk/forums/
www.atariage.com/forums/
www.worldofspectrum.org/forums/

Other websites have "forums" as part of the url, so for a first time user who is used to this, and we want to make a good impression I think both are good.

Yes it's minor, and yes, it's almost nothing, but it may be a small something towards keeping and getting people to this forum.

[Gryzor]

Well, I still do not see the point, it's not like anyone is going blindly on sites adding "forums" at the end, but as I said it doesn't matter at all - so I went to change it. Turns out Markus beat me to it on Monday

[Gryzor]

Ok, can I ask you to visit a random, non-existent page (like http://www.cpcwiki.eu/amsttrad ) and see what I've done there? Which search implementation would you prefer?

Visually the first implementation is better and the results are in-page, but the second tries to auto-correct the given (wrong) URL...

[arnoldemu]

Ok, can I ask you to visit a random, non-existent page (like http://www.cpcwiki.eu/amsttrad ) and see what I've done there? Which search implementation would you prefer?

Visually the first implementation is better and the results are in-page, but the second tries to auto-correct the given (wrong) URL...

I like the page, good job!

My personal search preference is the first, the "other things to try" doesn't look so good to me.

[arnoldemu]

Well, I still do not see the point, it's not like anyone is going blindly on sites adding "forums" at the end, but as I said it doesn't matter at all - so I went to change it. Turns out Markus beat me to it on Monday

I have done it a few times Perhaps I am strange in this respect.
I visit other forums and sometimes it is quicker to type the url than to click and find a bookmark.

Markus did fix it, but it doesn't work if you use a forum path. But it's fine enough.

[Gryzor]

But WHO would type in a long, cryptic[nb]trying to work on SEF links... not much light there[/nb] link and type it wrong by mistake?


Ok, I'll try and do a redirect just for you


Concerning the 404 page, do you say that only because of the looks of it or doesn't it work as good for you?

[arnoldemu]

But WHO would type in a long, cryptic[nb]trying to work on SEF links... not much light there[/nb] link and type it wrong by mistake?


Ok, I'll try and do a redirect just for you


Concerning the 404 page, do you say that only because of the looks of it or doesn't it work as good for you?

both searches seem to work about the same.
But one looks like you've backed out to Google. The other still looks like your within cpcwiki.

[Gryzor]

The advantage of the second search box is that it actually suggests an alternative to what you types, which was something that you requested... unfortunately I don't know how to implement it in the first (which is a custom search engine)...

[arnoldemu]

The advantage of the second search box is that it actually suggests an alternative to what you types, which was something that you requested... unfortunately I don't know how to implement it in the first (which is a custom search engine)...

hmmm... is the search any different from linking direct to the wiki's search and automatically setting the search term?
I was thinking more along these lines.
Same with if you wanted to search the forums, another link to the forum search with search term set automatically.

I think for the newbie, AND if any of the links changed, these changes make it a lot more friendly.
It doesn't leave them thinking "what now".

[EgoTrip]

domain.com/forum(s) is actually a very common place for forums, /board is another so I think it does make sense for people who just want to go straight to forums, as a lot of sites (admittedly not this one) have bloated front pages and its not always so straight forward to find the link to it.

[Gryzor]

@Arnoldemu: the first is a custom search engine powered by Google for the Wiki content, running in-page. The second is a Google widget. Its negative side is that it opens Google, its positive point is that it tries to understand what you're looking for.

I've ben looking into how to push a search to the wiki's db and, in effect, make it the same as the Wiki (or Forum) search engine, but haven't got too far... But you're right about the "what now" issue. Yet I think it's solved now, either way. I *will* try to implement both a db search AND search suggestions, though my skills are below that.

@Egotrip: good point. I'll redirect /board(s) too.