Re: [Firebird-website] Structure of website proposal - 1st draft

[Pavel C. <pc...@ib...>]

Jiri Cincura napsal(a):
> 
> consider this as a 1st concept. Take it, "mashup" it, do it best. :)
> 
> I would like to have new structure absolutely clear in first and
> second level. Then it can be bunch of pages. The first level will be
> as a main guide-post. The second level for good orientation in section
> (links, navigation bar, ...)

The core problem with our website is that it is (or should be) a tool
for several distinct (yet often overlapping) groups of users:

- First time visitors: They're looking for download and basic
introductory information

- Casual visitors: They're looking for news and latest releases to update

- Users looking for documentation

- Users interested in details what's going on in each sub-project (dev.
updates, road maps, source code, dev. documentation, tracker, lists etc.)

- Projects developers: to work with information that is not suitable to
get buried in mail archives, like RFC's, road maps etc. They need wiki
or pages with comment threads.

- People interested and/or involved in community: Events, job board,
lists, attached projects (like FlameRobin) etc.

- Foundation.

The current mess we have to deal with is result of our attempt to hold
all this in single big site where you can directly go from any area to
another, that evolved from small site over many years of adding content
and sub-areas. This simply doesn't work. To fix that, we have to split
the site into several (cross-linked) purpose-oriented sub sites, where
the main page is mere portal with most prominent headlines and links to
each sub-site (mozilla.org main page is good example of this structure).

To make navigation and management more easy, I would like split the site
into several logical sites (preferably on the same host) with different
sub-domains:

www.firebirdsql.org
Main page, downloads.

news.firebridsql.org
News-style pages for each sub-project or group, with aggregation on main
page of this sub-site. Also produces RSS feeds and widgets for embedding
into other site pages. Handles history for all these news.

doc.firebirdsql.org
Sub-site dedicated to documentation, holds documents, FAQ, wiki.

developers.firebridsql.org
Sub-site dedicated to developers. Each sub-project has it's own space here.

community.firebirdsql.org
Sub-site dedicated to community communication channels, events, job
boards, etc.

foundation.firebirdsql.org
Firebird Foundation web space.

The main page would serve as hub to direct first time or casual visitor
around, i.e. big blurbs to get download and introductory information
quickly, jump gate to each sub-site and some breaking news from around
the project. The metaphor: Get IT (jump to download), Learn IT (jump to
doc), Share experience (jump to community), Develop IT (jump to
developers), Support IT (jump to foundation).

Frequent users would typically go directly to the sub-site of their main
or current interest: news, doc, developers, community, foundation. And
because they have their own sub-domain, it's easy to bookmark them or
use smart URL box that current browsers provide.

All sub-sites should preferably use the same theme / skin and header
with top menu going to other sub-sites. They should use combination of
side bar with location bar (textual top menu bar below header in form
<main> / <level 1> / <level 2> ...) for navigation within sub-site
(developers.mozilla.org is good example of this structure).

best regards
Pavel Cisar
IBPhoenix
Firebird QA & web site