Hi,

I'd like to open a thread were we can propose improvements to the website of Rosetta@home.

I start with the homepage, which seems very clean but somehow dry for me.

1. I'd suggest to remove the UOTD-Crap and instead insert a personal welcome and call for help for Dr. Baker with a photo. This will give the page a much friendlier touch.

2. Perhaps one could make the news box a bit smaller and include in the middle something about CASP7 for the time of participating in CASP7. Something like x days running x days to run - and x targets analysed x targets remain etc.

3. I'd like to see a link somewhere on the homepage with "10 reasons I crunch Rossetta and you should too".

Okay your turn...

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This topic belongs in the Website area of the Q&A boards. Click "Community", go in to Q&A, then Website. Then post back here with a reference to your new thread. That way you'll get the readership level of the science folder, and yet have the details in the right place.

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Add this signature to your EMail:
Running Microsoft's "System Idle Process" will never help cure cancer, AIDS nor Alzheimer's. But running Rosetta@home just might!
https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/

Changed the name of this thread. Your suggestion to move it is also a good one I will consider that. Although I can't move it between the two forums, they are separate.

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Moderator9
ROSETTA@home FAQ
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I wasn't aware of the Q&A boards. However there is no real place for this, since it's not a question, not a problem but a feedback or suggestion. Place it where yo u like it but make sure the _relevant_ people read it. ;-)

Another feedback from me is this: I find several boards covering different topics confusing. This is a speciality from BOINC I think. Rosetta has two as it turns out, Climateprediction has three and now with BBC and the seasonal they have in total 7 or 9 (can't count it), which makes it hard to understand where to post what. Can't one combine the general messge boards and the Q&A boards (I guess not)?

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there is no real place for this, since it's not a question... Place it where you like it but make sure the _relevant_ people read it. ;-)

I agree, it's confusing. Especially, as you point out, it's a "suggestion" not a "question". But what we've got is workable. The "Website" Q&A board is intended for this purpose, and so the website staff monitor that board.

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Add this signature to your EMail:
Running Microsoft's "System Idle Process" will never help cure cancer, AIDS nor Alzheimer's. But running Rosetta@home just might!
https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/

there is no real place for this, since it's not a question... Place it where you like it but make sure the _relevant_ people read it. ;-)

I agree, it's confusing. Especially, as you point out, it's a "suggestion" not a "question". But what we've got is workable. The "Website" Q&A board is intended for this purpose, and so the website staff monitor that board.

Actually they don't really. In fact some time ago they asked everyone to use only the Message boards. In that case it is either Science, Number crunching, or Other (Cafe). So technically I would put this in the Cafe.

Now to be fair I do check the Q&A forum, But not as often as I check the Message boards. In any case I would have probably put this in the Project suggestions Sticky in number crunching. The project does read that.

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Moderator9
ROSETTA@home FAQ
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Don't get rid of the user of the day. Alot of people enjoy this feature I believe. And its existence doesn't preclude any other changes.

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Founder of BOINC GROUP - Objectivists - Philosophically minded rational data crunchers.

Don't get rid of the user of the day. Alot of people enjoy this feature I believe. And its existence doesn't preclude any other changes.

Okay, but perhaps one can transfer that to another page. I really think that a personal welcome from Dr. Baker on the homepage adds a friendly ambience as well as a concrete idea who runs this project and why.

I suggested a link on the homepage with "10 reasons I crunch Rosetta and you should too" where contributors can express why they run Rosetta - on that page one could include the UOTD.

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Don't get rid of the user of the day. Alot of people enjoy this feature I believe. And its existence doesn't preclude any other changes.

Okay, but perhaps one can transfer that to another page. I really think that a personal welcome from Dr. Baker on the homepage adds a friendly ambience as well as a concrete idea who runs this project and why.

I suggested a link on the homepage with "10 reasons I crunch Rosetta and you should too" where contributors can express why they run Rosetta - on that page one could include the UOTD.

Actually it would be a bad idea to remove the User of the day from the front page. This is one of the most popular features of all the projects for the teams. Moreover it is the one part of the page that changes every day. That provides a new look for the website every day.

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Moderator9
ROSETTA@home FAQ
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I think the suggestion is really to ADD a photo of the good doctor, and a tag line "Welcome to Rosetta" and have the whole area be clickable and go to the existing Welcome message.

And the user of the day is poorly arranged and confusing as compared to the server status show. It can easily be mistaken for statistics of that user because there is not separation between the two.

Beyond that, I think he was just trying to keep the overall size of the page the same be removing as much space as he's proposing to add. I think you can go ahead in add without removing anything, and just push the UOD down to the middle of the page rather than the top.

Maybe you could have two photos of Dr. Baker, and if he's smiling then the server's up :)

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Add this signature to your EMail:
Running Microsoft's "System Idle Process" will never help cure cancer, AIDS nor Alzheimer's. But running Rosetta@home just might!
https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/

I think the suggestion is really to ADD a photo of the good doctor, and a tag line "Welcome to Rosetta" and have the whole area be clickable and go to the existing Welcome message.

And the user of the day is poorly arranged and confusing as compared to the server status show. It can easily be mistaken for statistics of that user because there is not separation between the two.

Beyond that, I think he was just trying to keep the overall size of the page the same be removing as much space as he's proposing to add. I think you can go ahead in add without removing anything, and just push the UOD down to the middle of the page rather than the top.

Exactly! :-)

I personally don't like the UOD since it often shows poor profiles of long inactive users with sometimes stupid pictures but if it is popular...

I just browsed some old threads about the website and found some suggestions to show the people people behind the project. I think a personal welcome on the hompage can add a lot of "atmosphere" to the site.

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If you go over to the Ralph forums, you'll see a mock up of some new sections.
They are not perfect for Ralph as the nature of Ralph is different. But hopefully they'll bring that format over here (maybe when they get around to update the server seftware to the newer stuff like they have at Raplh, our beta site)


I like the User of the day, it is something interesting.

I do not like the idea of a picture of David on the front with a happy smiley face.... just sound corney, big headed and gives the impression it is a one man show. Putting him on a pedastal as such. Since it is not a one man show, he has people working left right and centre helping out, fixing things. sorting things and creating ideas and that does not even include the helpers over at Ralph, the mods who do a job of keeping everything in order, then the contibuters with all their computers...

Sorry but I think the front page should be about 'Rosetta' and the 'distributed', 'everybody' slant. Since it does involve and cannot run without 'everybody'.

Maybe it is just a British view but I doubt many people could give a toss 'who' runs the project, they're much more interested in 'what for' and 'why'.


Saying that though it is 'bland' but 'functional' for a front page. Since I believe CSS is used for the layout. Maybe we can try some alternate CSS sheets (test them over at Ralph ;-)).
Make it a competition -> Prize equals ego boost :-)

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Team mauisun.org

Hi FluffyChicken,

I just think how to attract more users. I may be wrong but I think a (little) face on the homepage makes it more appealing. My suggestions is solely based on reflections how to reach a broader audience not taking into account if it is "fair" or "appropriate" to highlight somebody. I would like to see a team page as well where everybody (who agrees) gets mentioned and credit as deserved.

This is not about cheering someone just an idea to get more TFlops.

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This is not about cheering someone just an idea to get more TFlops.

Yeah, fluffy's point is well taken. It is NOT a one-man show.

Perhaps we could broaden this portion of the "improve the homepage" discussion from "eliminate this and add that", and call it "How to make the homepage more inviting and welcoming to new users?"

I agree, that whether photos of Dr. Baker, or computer images of proteins, that some limited additional images would be a more welcoming appearence. Let me reference the example of WCG. Their homepage actually rotates which "user" photo you see randomly.

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Add this signature to your EMail:
Running Microsoft's "System Idle Process" will never help cure cancer, AIDS nor Alzheimer's. But running Rosetta@home just might!
https://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/

This is not about cheering someone just an idea to get more TFlops.

Yeah, fluffy's point is well taken. It is NOT a one-man show.

Perhaps we could broaden this portion of the "improve the homepage" discussion from "eliminate this and add that", and call it "How to make the homepage more inviting and welcoming to new users?"

I agree, that whether photos of Dr. Baker, or computer images of proteins, that some limited additional images would be a more welcoming appearence. Let me reference the example of WCG. Their homepage actually rotates which "user" photo you see randomly.

I agree on your formulation of the goal. I think it's clear that WCG presents not real user photos but just random "model" photos. But the difference to UOD is that those are not fun photos taken at 3am with a cheap digicam but professional model photos. I agree some sort of rotation is cool. Perhaps someone from the team, or even real "users" but than manually chosen. I still find it cool being greeted by a person from the team at the homepage.

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tralala,
I didn't mean it in a fair or appropriate way as for this issue (and in general) doesn't bother me.
I was trying to show what it could mean if you do that.

e.g.

(from your idea, front page highlighting David Baker)
Potential everyday member comes along, looks at (see picture of D Baker) thinks to themselves, what has he got to do with it ? Maybe reads a bit about him and then starts to ask, Why should I contribute to him and help him? What has he got to gain from it ?

(my idea of keep it project and everyone based)
Same person looks at page, see the project and the idea everyone is involved (hence UOTD, etc...). Thinking to themselves that they know a brief of the project, some mollecule picture and there seems to be normal people involved, like me, maybe I can do this to? Reads some more ... This could help us and we can gain from this...


I'm thinking from the point of view that people prefer to help groups of similar like minded people, rather than help out one man ?
Details and specifics can come after ;-)


I also think the UOTD adds to this as it shows 'everday' people. Maybe it could be enhanced or moved yes. Also UOTD does get read by people when they see it, I've noticed people go visit the team pages of the person at the UOTD etc... It adds to the community aspect.

you do need to keep it easy to navigate and not to clumsy for the people that are 'yep read that, don't care about then, make it easy for me else I will not bother'




As we are talking about WCG, they're helping design a new BOINC front end (replacement to BOINC Manager) to make it more everday user friendly, rather than geek friendly. Ok so the current manager is neither, neither friendly nor geeky enough :-)

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Team mauisun.org

I think alot of people that do boinc projects are accustomed to seing the uotd at the tops of the pages so moving it might break this familiarity. One thing I like about boinc projects is that most pages are layed out identically or nearly so, making navigation 'intuitive'.

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Founder of BOINC GROUP - Objectivists - Philosophically minded rational data crunchers.