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Forum Concept..

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jeremejazz:
Hi guys, nice to see you again.. sorry I haven't posted for a while because I'm busy in work now... for now I'm planning to create a blog site with a forums section.. I would like to ask your help with the forums structure.. here is tree structure..


-- Forums --


 Group : Code Free Area(c)

-Introductions/Rules/Greetings

-General Discussions

-Tech Talkies (technology)

-Softwares section

-Hard Wired (Hardware and Networking)

 

 Group : Coder's Zone (c)

 

 

-Desktop Programming(c)

  -C/C++

  -COBOL

  -Java

  -Visual Basic

 

-Mobile Programming (c)



  -sub-

  -Android

  -IOS

  -Java ME

 

 

-Web Development(c)

 

  -sub-

  -ASP.NET

  -CSS

  -Javascript

  -PHP

 

 

 

 

c - container .. can't post on them, used to contain subforums

-sub- - sub forums

 

 
so any  suggestions?

 
my other problem is that if I'm going to put them all in one page or separate the main groups in different pages

 
I'm also thinking which section I'm going to put SEO.,,  ;D

40hz:
I'd suggest you arrange the languages (as separate topics) alphabetically under a single Programming Languages main heading. That would keep all the language specific discussions in one place.

Splitting them into categories like web or mobile or desktop is sort of redundant since most people know which environment each language fits into. I would suggest however you also have a sticky topic at the top of the language forum where you list everything covered under the topic, possibly with some notes on each. Almost along the lines of an expanded glossary for the benefit of absolute beginners.

Programming Languages/Platforms

   Topic00 What's covered here (sticky)
   Topic01 Android
   Topic02 C
   Topic03 C#
   Topic04 C++
   Topic05 COBOL
   Topic06 IOS
      ...etc.

Also try not to nest topics more than two deep off the main forum - or three deep at most. Most studies I've read concluded people are more comfortable with fewer category levels and more clutter than they are with many levels and no clutter. Something about how our brain works makes us better able to filter and navigate a mess than we are at negotiating nested categories and hierarchies.  I guess we'd rather make our own associative mental maps than have them handed to us.

So:

Topic
  Subtopic

Is preferable to:

Topic
  Subtopic
      Sub-Subtopic subtopic

And:

Topic
   Subtopic
      Sub-subtopic
          Sub-sub-subtopic

...is to be avoided at all costs.

Just my 2¢ :)

Luck! :Thmbsup:




 :)

mouser:
My suggestion is always to start with fewer sections, and expand when there is too much overlap in topics.  the biggest problem i find with new forums is too many empty or near-empty sections, making it feel deserted and hard to keep track of posts.  a smaller number of sections makes for a feeling of a closer community.

jeremejazz:
thanks a lot.. this is going to be very helpful.. and thanks for the advice about categorizing too much  :up:

jeremejazz:
 ;D right now I'm reading Managing online forums by Patrick O'Keefe .. it's a great book.. just bought it at a discounted bookstore :)

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