NEW Home Page!!!

Looks like they have been really hard at work. Kudos to them. It is an interesting approach.

Are you able to track the rate in which people signed up with the old style home page and future applications? The reason I ask is this new page has an absolutely different feel to it. I don't want to be negative, yet I do want to offer honest feedback. The new home page is a little bit visual overload for me. I prefer the old, to the point, warm and welcoming approach. The layout was simple, yet the words were dynamic….. which reminds me of Zaadz. It grabbed my heart. If I were new today, I probably wouldn't have taken the time to find the mission statement in all the words and may not have stayed long. What I liked about the first one is that it was down-to Earth, passionate and to the point. This one seems a little scattered, like we don't really know what we are focusing on. I will most likely use the mission statement page when referring new members because I feel it to be much more persuasive and heart-grabbing. I really like the cloud page for members as well as visiters. It's cool. I'm just not sure it is the first thing to be seen. But I am only one person. I am sure it will grow on me and I trust that their are many others who will like the approach. You could have a blank screen and people who are supposed to be here would still show up because this is all is much bigger than just a homepage.

So now I am probably going to be sent to the corner for speaking my mind. I know…. I'm in “Time Out”. I love and appreciate you guys anyways. :-0)

yep they do rock! hi Shelly! :)

I agree with Shelly.  I like the idea of a tag cloud as the centerpiece of the homepage, maybe one that is dynamic and constantly being updated as people post new blogs or profiles.  That would be cool.  However, having so many words thrown at you at one time is a bit overwhelming, and the purpose/intent of zaadz is not entirely clear.  Keep up the good work, team!

To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
- Winston Churchill

At first glance I didn't like it, and pretty much agreed with Shelly's points.But after about 15 and a half seconds, I loved it.Why flex, whatever changed your mind?
Well, it's simple really, it's because it works! What took you so long? :D
The last home page was fine, nice, neat, down-to-Earth, I agree with Shelly on that, spot on.
But then I think to myself the last homepage with the mission statement was far too business like for me (no matter what the content).It's fine as a mission statement and so I'm cool with the fact that it's still there, but as a homepage it's a bit too static for the flexible ones tastes.
This new homepage gives me a taste for how the rest of the site works, and what's on offer.In essence the homepage is a true reflection on the rest of the site, in style and approach.It also infroms you, just by the way it is, how you can make the rest of the site work for you.No words or explanations needed, effortless, genius! Tada! that's how your supposed to do it.Well done! I think it is really very good guys! Definitely on the right track.

PS: Make the category titles on the left side as bold as the ones on the right please.

Thanks!

Shelly said: “The reason I ask is this new page has an absolutely different feel to it. I don't want to be negative, yet I do want to offer honest feedback. The new home page is a little bit visual overload for me….”

i couldn't agree more with Shelly here (hi Shelly!). in fact, the home page doesn't even fit on my laptop screen. ugh. sorry to be blunt but i feel like a kid with ADD. here's my humble suggestion. why not display a RANDOM tag cloud instead.

e.g. every time a visitor goes to the home page, a randomized tag cloud category will be displayed, like teachers, books, etc… this will make the front page a bit “cleaner.”

my two cents. but still, you Wizards Rox (okay, you're awesome too, Matthew).

~C (for Clouds are very, very fluffy)

Great feedback.

My thought was pretty simple: let's create a web 2.0 version of Craigslist. Goal was to basically get Flex's response. :)

Hmmm…one tag cloud idea is cool but doesn't show the diversity I want to see…but we could have a link to something like “see what else we're into as we change the world” or something…

Shelly: totally hear ya…

Oooohhh. just had an epiphany. We'll make it like the mission page only put the letter from me on the left and then have the boxes run down the right. That'll be a cool “yes, and” solution me thinks…

time to relay to wizardz…

You guys rock.

nice. but, IMHO, craigslist is UBER ADD :)

my suggestion: keep the Nutrition facts on the left side, at the bottom of that is the Mission Tag Clouds, while the big space on the right will be for “random” tag clouds.

Zaadz Craigslist can be on a backpage like this: http://www.zaadz.com/WeHaveADDLikeCraigslistTooLOL

my two cents.


~C (for Craigslist is cool for Craig but not so for Zaadz, IMHO)

funny.

good stuff.

i like the “holy sh*t, Batman!” there's a lot of stuff going on here feel I get at Craigslist…yet it's still really easy to see what's going on.

Not really attached to it but do like the idea of the mission being front and center (well, left aligned) with the clouds on the right…

what happens to the mission in your scenario? and, would we have ALL of the random clouds or just the one?

what if, you Wizardz do something like the following (without doing it in Flash)…

http://www.tenbyten.org/10x10.html

http://www.wordcount.org/main.php

http://www.marumushi.com/apps/newsmap/newsmap.cfm

http://www.83degrees.com/

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/penguincalls.php

at least it's not as ADD as Craigslist. kidding on the last one. go blame Matthew.

~C (for Craigslist is cool)

P.S. the mission will be a small tag cloud like the one you have right now, but on the left side under or above the Nutrition facts label. random tag cloud category on the right (e.g. movies, quotes, blogs, etc…)

@~C,  I think a combination of your first, second, and possibly fifth (especially message number 7) links would be cool.  3 is still too ADD.  4 is just plain boring. 

@Matthew, whatev :P

WTF? mate!

Hello all :)  What excellent feedback from everyone!  :)  It's so cool we get to share our feelings on it…I am seeing a really cool page arrive from all the comments……….I do feel the new page is definitely way toooooo busy….and not very welcoming or inviting…I know for an “ADD” such as myself…Ive already so much going on internally and externally that a page like that …..mmmmmm…becomes not so interesting….I suppose it is the work involved in figuring out what it is about…busy….yet, I do agree with the business part of the mission page as Flex explained, however, I only felt that way after all those issues with some members came up and the items that were added gave it a little bit of a business feel….The original…original page, was very inviting and so personable…..so warm and welcoming….my absolute favorite part of the page….The Nutrition facts!!!  hee hee  That was the part that drew me in the most!  Whatever comes up, please do keep the nutrition facts on the front page.  I agree with the combined ideas of everyone, Keep the mission statement and Nutrition facts right or left….actually, a thought just came to me, what if those items were in the middle….and all the tag clouds were positioned in a circle around the center…its almost symbolic….the core of who and what zaadz is, surrounded by a bunch of fun tag clouds to give it it's due essence of fun and still inviting people to check out each great aspect….again….keeping the theme of fun!  I bet it would work out fantastic….and will look fun and beautiful and will cater to the different types of people those with ADD and those without….hahahaha….just kidding….each person is wonderful and unique all on their own, and I get the feeling this would be a great answer…..  Much Love, Teresa  :)  :)

Hi Zaadzsters, in my opinion the Nutrition Facts introduced a dose of wholeness to the home page, and I don't like to see it gone. Although I do like the functionality on the new home page of click-and-play (see members that share your interests if you are a newbie), I would definitely retain the Nutrition Facts list.

Also, did you guys think of adding color or graphics? Nothing too heavy, but just enough to make it feel a bit more welcoming.

I am amazed by the energy that this site has inspired in me and the wonderful people I am meeting. So many doors are being opened…on all fronts.

NICE! WOOOOT! much, much, better, but where's the Blogs tag cloud? and the Nutrition Facts? :)

it's lookin similar to how it did before but now with the tag action as well.

Tada! How ya like me now?

Definitely getting better … how about eliminating The Team paragraph under the Let's Change the World banner and condensing some of the Nutrition Facts?  I think the tag clouds should float closer to the top of the page.

NICE! WOOOOT! but i agree with Michael. i think the Mission Tag Cloud would look better on top of the page. and no matter how much i love the mission. it's a bit too wordy. condensing it is cooler. i say let the tag clouds do the talking :)

make up your mind chaos! mission was the big thing before and we were letting the tag clouds do the talking! sheeesh! ;)

hahaha. i say put the longer version of the mission on a back page! it's already there. IMHO. if i have it my way, the main page would only contain the Blogs Tag Cloud. good thing it's not :)

yo sir Chaos: you “couldn't agree more” with Shelly's comment on the mission being da bomb on the home page and now look atchya!

We've edited the mission down (thanks, M-Dawg) and me thinks this is the version we'll stick with for the time being.

Our wizardz have their wandz pointed at other sexy projects. We're going to be doing a HUGE UI facelift over the next 10 days or so and this will definitely evolve.

For now: Everyone cool? :)

I hart you all!

I prefer the one last commented on, version 1 mark 2 class 5 or whatever we're calling them.You know what I'm talking about!

Brian's idea of the letter on the left and the tags down the right is the next best idea.Must admit I don't know what you're doing with the current version, it looks horrid.Ahh but then again maybe everyone has 22” lcd's and I'm the ugly duckling.

too funny.  :)

cool. but “if i have it my way, the main page would only contain the Blogs Tag Cloud. good thing it's not .”:) keep on kicking @$$!

hehehehe.

Yours in kicking @$$!!!!

P.S. for what it's worth, this thread is also highly-visible in Flickr-verse. so be careful of what you say about ME, Mr. Fluffy CEO, i have friends there who watch The Sopranos. dig? ;)

ah..man…looking at that photo makes me all nostalgiac for the precious hours when we had that sweet home page. :)

Erm. Understood on the tough guys who've got your back, Sir ~~C4Chaos, Sir. :)

hahaha. nah. just tooting my stupid horn. thanks to you and to all the Wizardz for creating such an awesome tool that's been a big help in containing this hyper-evolving consciousness… the kosmic grooving continues…

You deserve more than a horn tooting (that's a little weird). You've done soooooo much to spread the word among your fluffy friends and I can't begin to thank you enough for the huge role you've played in helping us set such a high center of gravity so early on.

Plus, you're teaching me a lot about changing the world one (hyper)link at a time.

Love ya, bro.

Hi ~C…..(hehe Hi-C)…… first a jello dessert and now a fruit drink….. what is it with you and food???? :-)

Hi everyone else. Bravo to teamwork!

I think the latest is the best of both worlds. It's super duper! Maybe just a little shift of the “Learn More About Us” cloud(since it is so small) to be above the “Let's Change The World” block and the two styles will integrate and flow and not seem so top and bottom. (if that makes sense?) Then a new visitor will immediately see both options as soon as they show up(or at least from my smale laptop screen it seems they would show). This way, both styles of introduction are available immediately and the person can choose their preferred mode. Call this version 1 mark 2 class 5 addendum 14-1/2 post script A. :-)

Love you all! Make it a really abundant weekend.

Shelly

Ditto-ing Brian. 

Hey Shelly: thank YOU for starting this off. ALWAYS love the candor. How else are we going to create the most powerful tools? Big hug.

Love your ideas, too. Gonna play with the Chief Wizard on it and see what it looks like.

And, another huge thank you for everything you've done for us. amazing amazing amazing.

Deep bows to all.

-bri

Y’all got it all wrong. I’m the one with ADD and I didn’t even touch that page. Well, actually, I did. I got rid of the underlines. It made the ADD feeling in my head go all rumbly.

I wanted to make the lesser-used tags a lighter color…. and did. But I got overridden on that one :)

My pleasure Brian…… really!  It is I who am grateful for you creating this “Soul Family Reunion” so that I might play and grow. Helping out is just my way of saying thank you to everyone for making this such an amazing place to be.

One thing we have discovered in this conversation as well is that there are a WHOLE bunch of folks with ADD in the group. Ritalyn shooters all around? JK…..what it tells me is that there is a ton of Indigo energy. How fun to be surrounded by such amazing souls!!!!

I was going to post again about Indigo energy and my two years in Maui, but I… um… got sidetracked and forgot what I was going to say.

I prefer Adderall XR when I do need the help of something beyond yoga, good fats (the omegas), eating well and meditation - and I’m about at that point now - it’s a bit smoother in the effect.

I just bought myself “Delivered from Distraction” by Edward Hallowell….

What was I saying again?

I think you were talking about how you met Natalie Portman in college.

showoff!!! but i perfectly understand. coz Natalie is THE HOTTEST, EVER!

hmm, did i just change the topic of this thread? it's Matthew's fault.

The updated home page looks great!  Kudos to the team for moving the Our Most Loved Interests tag cloud above the Nutrition Facts.  It's amazing that such a simple change can make such a huge difference!  Thanks.