Do You Use The Help Menu?

[Matthew Schenker]

Good Morning,
In my contiuing efforts to streamline the forum, I've been meaning to make a decision about the "Help" function located in the main menu.  It occupies some prime real estate, and so I want to make sure it's justified.  If not, I will remove it and put another function in its place.

By a show of hands, how many of you make use of the "Help" function in the main menu?

Thanks,
Matthew

 

[Frank Pellow]

Mathew, I don't use it so am fine with you movinfg it.  Please notice the word move rather than remove.  There should still be some way to obtain help.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Frank,
The question for me is, how helpful is that help documentation?  I would probably move the link to the "Tech Talk" area, so the documentation is still available.
Matthew

 

[Frank Pellow]

OK Mathew, I just read the help documentation and I believe that it is, indeed, helpful.

 

[Daviddubya]

I voted "NO" because I have not used Help in a long time.  I think I used it once or twice when I first started using this forum.  However, I never use the Calendar button, and doubt I ever will.

 

[Dan Clark]

Matthew,

IMO, we need a help option.  I don't think it needs to be on the main toolbar, but just accessible.

I think the least useful option is the Calendar.  I rarely use help, but I never use Calendar.    Please consider removing the Calendar.

Dan.

 

[Ned]

Matthew,

I use the Help.

For the benefit of newbies particularly, Help needs to be at the top level where it is now. 

I don't know what use the Calendar is for FOG.

The Gallery could be moved to the Home page and treated like any other sub-forum, or Gallery content could be intermixed with threads within the various sub-fora.  I think the idea of this integration is worth thinking about, but I don't know how big a job it would be to implement it -- perhaps unreasonable.

Ned

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Everyone,
I suppose there are many options here!  Rather than targeting the "Help" feature, I suppose I could have asked, "What belongs in the main menu?"

Regarding the Calendar: right now, other than a straightforward calendar, it really only displays birthdays.  However, there are SMF options to upload events and reminders to the calendar (like an upcoming show or release of a new tool), and link those reminders to posts.  We don't use those features, and I don't know whether we ever will, so the calendar for now does seem rather under-utilized.

Matthew

 

[Fred West]

Matthew, I too voted no as I have never had a need that I knew about to use it. Now you have my interest piqued. Is there a good reason to use it? Fred

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Matthew, I too voted no as I have never had a need that I knew about to use it. Now you have my interest piqued. Is there a good reason to use it? Fred

Do you mean "Help" or "Calendar"?

If you are referring to "help": there is some good documentation there.  However, in my opinion such information works better as a series of posts in our "Tech Talk" board, where we can answer specific member questions.

If you are referring to "Calendar": there is not much use to it, unless members start uploading events.  Although, it is useful for catching people's birthdays, as happened to me a short while ago!

Matthew

 

[semenza]

Hi,

      I don't use the Help. But if it fits in the main menu bar with everything else then I don't see a need to move it. I don't find that it gets in the way or what not.

Seth