Forum:SH:Main Page Revamp Crusade

The Main Page has looked more or less the same since I first became an active member&mdash;that goes back to 2007. This has got to change. I think it's time a community-wide discussion is held concerning what can be done to make this site more presentable to the internet at large. In the past, petty arguments between groups of users of differing mentalities have stalled any actual change or improvement for the Main Page, just minor additions that look the same as the content that was already there. Fear of change, as well, and charming hipster mentality that we don't need to be cool has stifled movement toward self-improvement. After a year-long absence that I thought at the time would be permanent, I return to a very different Wookieepedia, one that seems to be dying in terms of interest from the established users. As well, there are about half as people editing per month as we had back at our peak in 2008. Although there are many new users, most of them very positive and enthusiastic about using the site as it already is, but I wonder how many more could be attracted if the Main Page was revamped. It is in this spirit that I would like to engage on a Crusade to make sure something happens as far as the Main Page is concerned. This is not an admin establishment or old guard movement, but one driven by a user who has spent more time as a reader than an editor in recent years and sees a site that is actually less accessible than it was five years ago.

Please discuss this with me and feel free to add any new sections or make arguments. I am not out to have my way or the highway, but I am sure plenty will agree that some action needs to be taken. Promoting discussion is the entire point of this thread, looking forward to CTs or Mofference items that will change the most viewed page on the site. graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

Header

 * "Click the text link" is getting really old. This looks like Internet 1995. We've got to come up with something more presentable; virtually every other website on the internet has a better header. Even just logo images would be better. graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

click for article navigation

 * When I used to come to the site simply to read, this was extremely useful. It would be better to have it visible on the Main Page like Jedipedia does than to reduce it to another case of "click the text link." graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

Quote of the Day

 * I actually don't have any improvements to suggest on this section. I think it's awesome. But I want this to be open to suggestion, too. graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

Featured article

 * Seeing the same image and article every time you open the Main Page for days on end is a bit of a bore, and I realize we can't make it to one FA per day again anytime soon, so I was thinking something along the lines of all four FAs for a two-week period going in a slow slideshow or loading randomly during each two-week period. graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

Did you know&hellip;

 * Again, a great section. I have no suggestions. graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

Official friends of Wookieepedia

 * This could be given a facelift. A scrolling bar of logos for the sites would be cool, or perhaps having little sister wiki icons at bottom like they do over at Wikimedia beneath the independent Official friends. Maybe a little of both? graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

Random articles

 * Lots of room for improvement. We have enough "click the text link" on the Main Page already without these. I had originally envisioned a slideshow of Good article intros or quotes with images where possible. The Good article intros would make for less space taken up than Featured intros usually demand. The argument at the time was that Good articles aren't as good as Featured articles and therefore don't deserve to be on the Main Page. I find this elitist and dated, especially because Good articles have basically become Featured articles of shorter length. graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

In the news

 * Also a great section already, by my book. graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

Wookieepedia Newsnet

 * Just bring the dang thing back to life. Really. Volunteers would be most appreciated, I am sure. graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

On this day&hellip;

 * A good section, not really much that can be done as far as I am concerned. graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

Wookieepedian of the Month

 * This should be more prominent than the very bottom corner, I think. Maybe a little blurb like they have at wikiHow on their "Meet a Community Member" sidebar item that appears on articles. It would promote the idea that accessible human beings are actually working on the site. graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

Featured image

 * The argument most relied upon before was that this would put our Fair Use status on shaky ground. Well, it's pretty sad, really, because most other wikis of our type manage this without being sued or prosecuted, and LFL has very likely been using images lifted from this very site. At the very least this would be something people would come back to look at every day. graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)

Layout
I don't have much specific to suggest, only that a change in layout is desperately overdue. I realize that this is something that will probably have to be figured out after other changes have been made, but again I seek suggestions. graestan ( talk ) 17:06, February 1, 2012 (UTC)