Doug's first reactions - 4/11/08

Good start! Everything looks promising. Here are some thoughts on each wireframe.

Portal: - Can we find a place for the visitor to "Self-qualify"? I mean some text assuring people that anyone can do this, you don't have to be part of a club, etc. - Can we have photos or video screen grabs showing in the samples, too, as well as text? - Can the text blocks of descriptions (e.g., "What is an almanac?") have "More..." options in case we want to be more verbose?

User: - A little more explanation at the top or in headings about what this page is? - Random thought: can there be counters on how many people have visited each contribution?

Almanac: - More map functions to come? From the wireframe I can't really tell how the map is going to work yet. - (Related:) Can I easily get all stories about a place? - Perhaps a place for the almanator to put a personalized welcome message near the top of the page? Or other ideas for making each community's almanac more personalized? - I'm not crazy about the Filter control. Somehow it seems unfriendly. Ideas: Change "Filter stories" to "Just show stories that...". Put the control in smaller font near the top of the list. - I'm not sure I understand the second wireframe.

Story: - Text format looks good. How will image and video work? - Display: Can there be links or searches for "other stories about this place"? Or "Other stories from this contributor"? - Add: This format is great. Really clear and friendly. I'm wondering about whether the map comes sooner, but just wondering... - Add: Is there a way for the contributor to check for other stories about the same place before starting? Or a place to link to other stories? - Edit: A place for some simple directions or prompts?