I have observed that the front page usually hijacks the attention of visitors. This prevents exploration of other areas of the board, or visits to other forums' homepage.

Even when I navigate into a forum not on the homepage, I sometimes find myself looking at the number of views or replies of a topic, to decided whether I should participate or not. I'm sure this is true for most users.

I bet a huge percentage of visitors never participate in topics beyond the front page.

Yeah, you are right, i know quite some nairalanders, who their opening and finising points is not beyond front page.

The front page is important cos visitors don't have time to be going from board to board to look for what interests them and whether we like it or not, the front page works. I have friends who come on NL as guests and they say they love the topics on the front page.

These topics are actually interesting to some people and just cos we don't like them does not mean the topics are boring

Mynd_44: The front page is important cos visitors don't have time to be going from board to board to look for what interests them and whether we like it or not, the front page works. I have friends who come on NL as guests and they say they love the topics on the front page.

These topics are actually interesting to some people and just cos we don't like them does not mean the topics are boring

Couldn't it be that your friends love the FP topics simply BECAUSE those topics are on the front page? I think there's an element of psychology going on here.

Okay agreed, the FP does provide a valuable service, but that comes at a cost to other areas of the board. Besides, what criteria is used to select FP topics any way? For all we know, they're selected based on a moderator's mood or from a few shouts of "front page... front page". That's not the right approach. The correct approach should be scientific in nature.

Ideally, it would be better to automatically promote a topic to FP only after it has attained a certain number of comment pages. I see a menu link called "Trending". I think *some* topics from "Trending" should be the ones showing up on front page.

Just passing by to say hi!

My point is, it's okay to place a topic on front page. However, the selection process has to be based on that topic's performance on its own HOME forum.

Secondly, instead of placing 65 topics on FP, how about reducing it just about 10? It's counterproductive to make the front page a forum on its own. Tease your visitors and users a bit. Make them want more to wander into other areas of your site.

semid4lyfe: *Ludicrous*

*Asinine*

those words fit u perfectly, no lie..... playing wit ur 2013 new found words ay? , I can jus picture ur ugly arrz searching hard for 'em.....smh! So uncalled for.


I'll end this by calling U Kwasia

Abrantie! The FP topics are what keeps this site going......getting rid of it, would make it super boring, jus think of it as a bait.

^ ^Masters, afihyia pa!
definition of Kwasia. Oh mami.

Ma woakoma 3mbra f)m.

otumfour: Abrantie! The FP topics are what keeps this site going......getting rid of it, would make it super boring, jus think of it as a bait.

FP bait must be so tasty the fish forgot to swim to the bottom for more tastier food .

Seriously though, pick any NL forum and check out the topics' post count. For a message board which constantly brags about number of members and web ratings etc, there should be no reason why the majority of posts can't have more than 10 comments.

The topics that have more than 50 comments are the ones which were likely featured on the front page.