getting_started | Site tour for new users

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Site tour for new users

So, I figured this would be a good place to start brainstorming :)

I'm in the process of putting together a site tour for new users: a simple overview of what DW is, how it works, what you can do, how you can find interesting things to read, etc.

I have a very vague idea of what it should include, but I haven't yet decided anything about how it should be structured. I thought that before I come up with anything, though, I'd toss it out to y'all and see what you thought, so as to avoid prejudicing the conversation and brainstorming with my ideas.

So:

* Putting yourself into a new user's shoes -- both someone coming from LJ and someone coming to DW from other backgrounds -- what would you expect to see in a "getting started" type site tour?

* How would you expect it to be structured?

* What would be the most effective things to include that would make you say "oh, wow!"

* For those of you who are relatively new, what were the first pieces of information you sought out? What were the most helpful things to know? What were the things that drew you to DW in the first place?

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I think it'd be worth including lots of links to the FAQs, so new users get used to referring to them, and also some of the stuff from Skud's post on meeting new people.

The main things that drew me to dreamwidth were the subscribe/access options, the cross-poster, and the ability to import my other journals. So links to the FAQ about these features or even a step-by-step with screencaps run through might be good.

There is also the easy admin console way to recreate your subscriptions on other journals using the "manage_circle" command, provided people kept the same username when the moved over here, however the tutorial that I used to do so when I first moved over here seems to have vanished with a deleted livejournal account. It's not difficult to figure it out if you have any experience using the admin console, but it certainly helped me feel like I was settling in quickly when I suddenly had a reading page full of entries.

One note about importing journals, if you have multiple journals, the importer treats each mirrored entry in a separate journal as a different entry (which it obviously should but it's one of those things that is only obvious after the fact), so if you are importing multiple journals (say you have comments on the mirrored journalfen entry but not on the original livejournal entry) you need to be prepared to do a lot of deleting and wading through older entries if you want to keep only one copy of each entry. Maybe add a note of caution so people know about a potential time suck.

I'd also point people towards the "follow friday" tag which is a great way to find new communities and subscriptions.

As a current user here, I've been subscribed by new DW, former LJ users who thought that subscribing to me took care of the access issues, access-restrictinig their journals while assuming I could read it. This led to awkwardness as I tried to explain. Making the differences between the LJ flist and the DW circle front-and-center of the tour would be great.

It must be in a logical order.
Possibly a dual explanation. As a journal user that doesn't know how to do much other than type (no skills) I would like to see a walk-through for beginners, really beginers not just someone new to the sight. I don't need to know how to do things, that is what the FAQ does. I don't even need to know that I can do the more advanced options DW offers. I do need to know that I can personalize my journal. I can search for others with same interests, and I can read and post in communities.
The more savvy users will want to know that they can create there own backgrounds, Icons, post video, audio and a whole host of other things I haven't quite got my brain around yet. (I am working on it)
Oh, and I mentioned the FAQ before, well it took me a while to locate it on LJ, so a detailed explanation on how to get there, or links, links are always good.
A way to get to the intro even if you are not a completely new user would be helpful as well.
:) oie

Hi! I've had a DW account for a while now, but I just started crossposting maybe a couple of months ago? So, as a relatively new user who came over here from LJ, here's my insight:

The things that drew me to DW:
* bigger character limits for posts and comments
* more icons for free users
* easy crossposting to LJ
* the circle/subscriber distinction
* multilevel tag displays! ♥

The things that make me stay, and love you guys more and more each day:
* fixing bugs and problems as quickly and promptly as humanly possible (ex. the 'security issue' that LJ apparently had for ages, the one with comments that are e-mailed and then someone can reply as you?, and you guys fixed it immediately!);
* the overall community feel-- I have no doubt I could drop a note to any of you guys, anytime, and you'd get back at me and find a way to help me fix my hypothetical problem;
* the fact that you protect your users, and don't let anyone *coughtPaypal&Googlecough* bully you or us around. That alone got you my undying devotion. *draws hearts all around DW*
* your diversity statement! ♥ ♥ ♥
* a million awesome little things I can't even remember right now, and that I discover each and every day I hang around here *flappy hands of happy*.

And finally, the things I think would be useful to have in a Beginner's Tour (based on the stuff I first did/looked for when I started):
* Somehow including all those points from above in the tour, since a lot of people are pretty sick of LJ's issues and attitude, and you improved/changed/don't do a lot of stuff they do, so that's a HUGE plus in your column;
* All the 'meshing & playing well with all other platforms' details and possibilities, including crossposting, importing entries and comments, Open ID tutorials (a friend of mine made that awesome one, so I'm a bit biased, but it's a fair point), and I'm sure there's more but I don't even know what are all the options we have;
* Coding differences: 'user' instead of 'lj user', and 'user-site' for usernames from LJ. Though, I have to tell you, most of the stuff I need/needed are in your 'Guide to LJ users'; in fact, I still have it bookmarked, just in case. ^_^ You could just link to that (and all the other ones you have tutorials/guides for).

Um.. that's all I can think of. It's all pretty standard stuff, really. =)

Thanks for all your hard work! *gives a ton of virtual cookies*

PS. Oh, and definitely link to that 'my favorite thing about DW is' post. I learned A LOT about DW from it, stuff I didn't even know were possible/available, big and small. =)

Edited to add: (Because I'm a spazz and forget things and should've done the edit for the original comment, but oh, well. >.>)

And definitely that 'latest things' option. I have no idea if LJ has it, but it's a brilliant idea! *runs off to lose a couple of hours browsing*

<333

Edited 2010-05-09 19:53 (UTC)

LJ has it in the form of the Latest Posts page (warning: Can sometimes contain porn spam), but it doesn't have DW's awesome, awesome tag cloud or specialised feeds, and it shows the posts immediately, unlike DW which waits 5 minutes until showing it, in case it was accidentally posted with the wrong security level.

Edited (to include porn spam warning on link) 2010-05-11 10:47 (UTC)

Oh, thanks for the info! *clicks curiously*

...yeah, DW's is totally better. *pets dw*

What "my favorite thing about DW is" post?

Oh, it was a huge-ass post, somewhere on DW, but I can't for the life of me find it now. =/ I'll ask around.

In the meantime, here's a similar post, only smaller. And do check out the diversity statement. =)

A-HAH! A friend found it for me: here you go.

^_^

Maybe under "further reading" there could be a link to the post(s) where you explained Dreamwidth's business model re: advertising, and why DW doesn't have ads. That was really reassuring to me as a potential user, that it was a conscious choice for well-thought out reasons.

(Sorry to butt in here, but--)

THIS. Definitely. =)

Agreed

Random thoughts:

1) Account creation/getting an invite code
2) Profile info
3) Personal blog:
- posting: security, restrictions, linking, inserting an image/video, crossposting, importing, polls, icons, mobile posting
- archiving/organizing: tagging, search.
- style customization
3) Interacting
- posting in communities, posting comments, finding interesting content through interests, latest page, search, feeds, community_promo, etc.
- adding people to your circle (+ access vs subscription)

To me, a site tour has to be relatively short, clear and should focus on basic and nifty tasks so that I get the feeling I can easily get started and be impressed by the shiny (even if I don't end up using it). I like segmented tours so that I can skip sections. I like videos or screencaps pointing where stuff is.

I like videos or screencaps pointing where stuff is.

Got to second this....visual description is particularly helpful for new users (or low low tech ones like me) to understand "what does what you're describing actually DO or LOOK LIKE when it's invoked?"

Sometimes I see the new functionality being discussed in the updates, people cheering for it, but don't understand just what is going to happen if I use it.

Edited 2010-05-10 03:39 (UTC)

Third this. Most of the FAQs for LJ and DW have been all text...which sometimes is confusing. Video tutorials would rock for the very basic newcomers.

Also the caps/videos would need to be ordered in the beginner's tour BEFORE they pick their site style...so that they can have their new, default journal open in one tab and the FAQ in another and compare easily. ;P

the people upthread from me said everything i would say if i were rational and organized like that.

I would add listing some examples of active/general communities in Dreamwidth, for populating the reading page ( as done by damned_colonial here: http://damned-colonial.dreamwidth.org/462906.html ).

Maybe 3 big steps could be shown for a quickstart:

* Read
** Add suggested communities to your circle
** Find communities with your interests
** Find people you may know / with your interests
** Use your reading page

* Share
** Reply to entries on your reading page
** Write your own thoughts on your personal journal

* Live in community
** Write on a community
** Add people you liked reading to your circle
** Chat with them in IRC
** Report bugs and suggest the features you would like to see on Dreamwidth

Don't take these steps literally, just an example :P

Dreamwidth's diversity statement should definitely be there too.

While a lot of the features are the attraction for LJ users, I think a tour needs to be very brief and simplistic. It is after all a tour to get people orientated, and then they are to go off and mess around on their own, knowing were the kitchen is, the bathroom, and where to find the person in charge or the other housemates when need be.

I like the kind of tours that have a lot of screenshots, so that one can see clearly where a feature is located or how it'll look while it's working. Screencasts of an action can be helpful too.

I think a guide of the menus, with some explanation of what each does (eg what is the reading circle, what is a community) is essential, along with things like where and how you can customise your layout and icons, where and how to find people and subscribe to them (I remember after making my LJ I was at a loss as to what to do then. Took a while to actually find the friends feed page, and figure out how to find and add friends). How to post (including adding cuts, images, embedded media).

The kind of guides I've used on other sites that have been helpful are the ones that don't give you too much info on one page, and move you through a set of pages with different info for different things you could do. I've included the tours from other sites that have actually helped me a lot (both of these sites take you to the tour after you create your account, which is the best way to not miss it, I think).

Some blogging sites I know also give example blogs to see what people use them for, how they've been customised, what they look like with text and media posted. This could include comms?

Delicious.com Getting Started
Soundcloud Tour

"I like the kind of tours that have a lot of screenshots, so that one can see clearly where a feature is located or how it'll look while it's working."

"The kind of guides I've used on other sites that have been helpful are the ones that don't give you too much info on one page, and move you through a set of pages with different info for different things you could do. "

Agreed

I would highly suggest a list of ways DW is different from (and better than) Facebook.

I've had a DW for about a year, but I just really started using it during these past 3weeks.. (that 3 weeks for DW thing is really working, I think) so I'm relatively new.

things I wanted/looked for right away:

1. importing my mood theme and getting it set up
2. explanation how the circles worked/creating filters
3. communities I was familiar with on LJ, looking for their DW counterparts. (which I never really found. perhaps there's a list/could be a list somewhere of well known ones?)

The DW for LJ FAQ is a great resource, but also links to some basic communities for layouts/faqs/discussion would be awesome too(like this one. I stumbled upon it through someone's profile... it'd be nice if it was on the home page)

For me, the "Oh wow!" factor was "No ads! Not even on free accounts!"

Outside of that, the wow factor ramped up for me greatly in little things I learned over time once I moved my LJ content here, so I would think it would be great for users to have access to a "Fun Facts" list before or immediately after joining Dreamwidth that lists all the advantages over "other" blog/journal sites that right now you can't learn about without reading various posts scattered across dozens of personal journals and communities.

For instance (and for me, it's little things like this that really add up to one big "Wow!") - these are in no particular order:

---Custom CSS on all pages of your journal even on free accounts
---Access to all system style sheets on DW even on free accounts
---The longer character limits on custom CSS (we don't have to self-host our custom styles that run really, really long - yay!), and much longer character limits both on entries and comments
---Ability to add a "reason" to edited comments on paid accounts
---Accessibility is a priority around here, not an afterthought, for all users
---Navbar always includes format=light option, which is a godsend for many of us, and sometimes that has not so much to do with accessibility as it does with aesthetics
---OpenID cross-platform accessibility
---More emphasis on how you can import not just LJ posts but friends lists, and how it's easier to sign in/comment with OpenID than many might think

This is by no means a full list of small advantages adding up to one big "Wow!" for me, but I'm so sunburnt it's making me unusually sleepy, so the list could be more thorough, I'm sure, if I was capable of deeper thought right now.

But stuff like that, in general, all on one "Fun Facts" type of page that's either linked to a sign-up page or available immediately after one has signed up (perhaps by redirect, or else there's just a link).

Hope that helps...just some of my food for thought...

Edited (clarity) 2010-05-10 03:41 (UTC)

Argh sunburn! Do you have 100% pure no-alcohol-added aloe vera gel? (You can usually find it in the drugstore; just read hte label carefully.) That helps like WHOA to heal it.

(Thanks for your suggestions, too, but mostly I just wanted to tell you about the aloe gel. *G*)

Thank you! No, I don't. It was the first thing I thought of last night after I could barely move from how tight and burnt my skin was, but if there's any around here, I can't find it. Sleep seemed to help a lot, though, and some website recommends vinegar, of all things, in a spray bottle, sprayed right onto affected skin, so if it gets bad again tonight, I may just try that. :)

My favorite sunburn remedy is lots of coconut oil / cocoa butter ( 80 / 20 ). Probably one application every hour. This relieves the tightness and allows for healing.

I think you'll need multiple tours (or subsections of one tour - the idea that people can dip into just the bits that interest them NOW appeals to me greatly), because different people will have different questions they want answered. Off the top of my head I can think of three categories:

What do I do here? - show examples of what individual DWers write about, popular communities, active commenting threads, Latest Things, etc.

How do I do it? - the technical nitty-gritty of importing journals, cross-posting, etc.

Why do I want to do it here? - all the stuff people have mentioned about diversity, ad-free, cross-platform etc.

******

I don't know how to address the fact that your audience includes ex-LJers, who mainly need to know how DW is different from LJ, bloggers who aren't familiar with LJ-style, and facebookers.

(Can you tell I used to teach a course where we had students from different curricula?)

My guess (and it's been many a year since I was a new user, so I could be wrong) is that users want to do one of four things to get started

1) Tell people stuff (so this is journal entries; and access and getting-started and crossposting and tags and joining communities would all be a subset of that)

2) Find things to read, so subscribing and finding communities and the reading page and the latest things feed

3) Talk to people, so all about comments, comment tracking/notifications, and again about communities and how to join them/find them

4) Make their journal look the way they want

I would leave out info on site schemes, on viewing things in one's own style, the navigation bar, anything that isn't directly related to the four things above.

+1 This makes the most sense to me. The last tour I took was on Diigo and I really liked the fact that it was divided into sections corresponding to core activities. So what do people come to DW for? How can they do that? I think you nailed it.

I've only been on DW for a week or so, and the reason I came here was because someone linked to your diversity statement and your guiding principles. That was enough for me, so perhaps include those :)

Next time we are both on IRC and mostly functioning, grab me for a discussion about the "So You are a FB User" guide idea. I have some stuff that I hopefully can contribute. I'll try to grab you if I see you so that you do not actually have to remember that I've said this. :D

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