Jan Schaumann wrote:

> I really don't think that this is necessary.  I believe the goals of the
> website are more or less obvious, even if somewhat fuzzy (by nature):
> 
> On the ``what should the website do'' front:
>   - provide information
>   - convey professionalism
> 
> On the ``what should the website be'' front:
>   - easy to navigate
>   - cross-browser and cross-platform friendly
>   - aesthetically pleasing
>   - standards compliant
> 
> (Yes, show me a website where people do _not_ have these goals.  As I
> said, obvious and fuzzy. ;-)

Precisely...these are generic goals that are not specific to NetBSD. 
The way I think we need to approach discussion is from the standpoint
that this website is the Project's interface with the world.   It is
the one central place that needs to advertise and inform, distribute,
support, document, etc., anything and everything relating to NetBSD. 
With the Foundation adopting the new logo, it is apparent that NetBSD
is seeking a greater stage.

A great comparison I think is the Mozilla Foundation pushing Firefox
<http://mozilla.org/products/firefox/> out into the market.  (No pun
intended--it being a browser, this being a topic of web design.)   The
front (prodcut) page is entirely related to advocacy--you see a breif
description of the product (something we have) next to a big colorful
button for download with a feature list below (something we don't). 
They have an entire seperate page that is project oriented for the
developers <http://mozila.org/projects/firefox/>.

Bottom line--NetBSD.org can play a much larger role in the NetBSD
community than it currently is.  Before we argue over colors and
presentation, lets discuss topics related to content placement and
site structure.  When I say we should consider the goals of NetBSD, I
mean we need to consider where the project wants to be in 10 years. 
Then, what will it take to get there?  How can our site be structured
so as to optimize adovacy and yet provide an up-to-date resource for
developers.  We need to do this without regard or reference to what
the current site looks like or how it is structured.  Once we get a
clear outline of what needs to be done, then we should start worrying
about how to integrate it.

* * *

For example,  I think with the development of a new logo the
Foundation wishes to "go public" with NetBSD.  To me this means it
wants to become more professional while pushing NetBSD into the market
to try and become a competitor.  I strongly believe that the most
important aspect in achieving this is NetBSD.org.

How can NetBSD.org be utilized to make this happen?  Simple. 
NetBSD.org must become the product front.  This means its goals is to
introduce potential users to NetBSD by providing a description of
NetBSD as well as a list of key distinctive features that places
NetBSD above the competition.  New features in the latest release and
planned features in future releases should also be present.  I think
it should be focused on "converting" users of Windows and "big name"
Linux systems, like Red Hat, Mandrake, SuSE, etc.  The front page must
also provide a **simple** straight forward means to _get_ NetBSD (at
least for the most popular platforms).   Maybe we also list news and
events headlines relevant to the promotion of NetBSD.

We also consolidate all our developer resources into one central
location.  This means our news and events feeds are presented
preferrably in blog format.  We discuss issues relevant to nightly
builds, etc.  Detail roadmaps, best practices, coding standards,
developer contacts (i.e., who's doing what), bug tracking, etc.  We
also consolidate all our support resources which includes offical
documentation, man pages, FAQs, forums, and what not.  We should not
forget about the "about" page either.  Here we should talk about what
the Foundation is, how it relates to the Project, etc.  A "Package
Source" page is another most important aspect of the site since it
provides an interface to thousands of software packages for NetBSD. 
It could quite literally be a site itself!  And lastly we need a
"Distribution" page which should be constructured so that the dumbest
person in the world could manage to get NetBSD in some form.

With a link to each of these pages somewhere at the top (and bottom)
of a page, I think the site will be set.  It is better for a user when
visiting your site, knowing they want to download it or get support
docs, etc. to be able to go to a page just for that, instead of having
to scan a sidebar menu for the right choice.  For example, if I want
to get NetBSD for powerpc do I click on "powerpc" under the platforms
list, click on "How to get NetBSD",  "latest release",  or "supported
platforms"?  So many possible choices that make navigating the site a
challenge for a first time visitor.  And lets face it...the first 10
seconds a person is at a site are the most important.  It can make or
break a user's experience which can have drastic effects of their
impression of NetBSD.  If a user has to look for more than 5 seconds
for something like "support" or "download" there is a problem.

Okay, I've went on way longer than I should have--forgive me, but does
anyone see what I mean about how to approach this?

-Zach