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Stephanos
since 2000-07-31
Posts 3618Statesboro, GA, USA 
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Please tell me if you can what the best option would be for presenting different categories and menus of poetry on a website. Pop-up menus, other kinds of menus, tables? Just plain old text links, bulleted lists, etc?? What are your thoughts? I already have a pop-up menu with 5 different poetry categories, and each category is to contain MANY poems, so I don't know exactly what I'll do from here. I want something that will be convenient to use, yet attractive and not extremely boring. Your thoughts and suggestions are needed. Thanks. Stephen. |
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Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669Michigan, US |
Uh, what's wrong with boring? I think the best menu designs are defined by predictability. When you see it, you know it's a menu. When you click on it, you can easily predict what will happen next, and perhaps even what the next level will look like. Predictable. Almost invisible in the sense you don't need to think about it. And to that extent, yea, boring. (Now reach towards the right top quadrant of the screen and click on the Nav Window  - I obviously don't always follow my own advice. Until you use it, it's not really very predictable. But that's why it's our secondary menu system and not the primary one.  ) |
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Stephanos
since 2000-07-31
Posts 3618Statesboro, GA, USA |
Ron, thanks for the reply. Yeah I guess clarity of function is tops, and ease of use. What do you think of tables (this is kind of how passions works right? I mean the main menus)... Oh and by the way I do use the Nav window sometimes, it's cool...it's just not as obvious as to what it does, but I like it. Since I've already got a pop-up menu for my categories (similar to the different forums here), I'm really leaning toward tables with linked text inside. It looks so symetrical and balanced, and very functional...no questions as to what it's for especially since the links are underlined. What do you (anyone) think about tables, there may be some issues I'm not considering. Stephen. |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
Kinda with Ron here as well - play around with new stuff, fancy ideas - but make sure to have something that everyone recognizes as well. (This is also beneficial to Search Engine rankings!  )http://countlesshorizons.com/nd/index.htm is my new toy - notice that a) there are regular text links at the bottom b) if the browser doesn't support the scripting for the DHTML menu - a static one is written in its place and c) there is a link for a 'site map.' (which goes nowhere as of yet...) - something I'm seeing become more common on the web as sites become more complex and involve more content - it provides the user a simple, easy way (much as the layout of Ron's Nav Window) for the user to see 'everything' on your site. It's kinda like a road map of your site. Thanks to Ron, I have learned however - to make sure that anything you do is either cross-browser compliant, or at the least degrades gracefully! Also - if you're using technology that isn't supported by older browsers, make sure that your visitors still have an attractive and easy to navigate site! Tables - you can find where we started talking about htem here: /pip/Forum60/HTML/000003.html My op - tables are not only recommended, but necessary!!! (just be careful - Netscape and IE can sometimes read tables differently - finding the compromise can be a challenge sometimes if you wander from the basics!!!  )Chris |
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Stephanos
since 2000-07-31
Posts 3618Statesboro, GA, USA |
Thanks for the replies, this is enough to get me digging for possiblitlies... If I have any more questions you'll be hearing from me! Thanks, Stephen. |
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