Server homepages that make a community feel like a place

A front door for every server

A new member needs to know what the community is for, who is around and what to do next. A channel list does not answer those questions. A homepage can, with a few well-chosen blocks arranged by the people who run the place.

Widgets you arrange

The homepage is built from widgets. Server owners pick the ones that suit their community and place them on a grid.

• Happening now: live rooms and how many people are in them.
• Next up: upcoming events with a count of people going.
• Pinned: a short note, such as the tone of the place or a rule.
• Gallery: recent images people have shared on purpose.
• Here today: how many members have been active.

Channels remain one click away

The homepage does not replace channels. Text channels and voice rooms work as people expect, and the homepage links to them. Regular members can set their view to open on a channel if they prefer.

Setting the tone

The name, banner and pinned note give a server its voice. A woodworking group and a competitive game clan should not look or feel the same, and the homepage is where that difference shows first.

The widgets are intentionally modest. They are meant to inform, not to turn the front page into a dashboard that competes for attention.

Why a homepage helps new members

The first minute in a new server is the hardest. You see a long list of channels with names that mean something only to the people who made them, and you have to guess where to start. A homepage gives the owner a way to answer that question before it is asked: here is what we are, here is what is happening, here is where to say hello.

It also helps people who have been away. Instead of scrolling through a busy channel, they can open the homepage and see what is coming up and what has changed.

Keeping control with the owner

The homepage is meant to be arranged by the people who run the server, with a small set of widgets that can be placed, resized and removed. We would rather offer a few well-made pieces than an unlimited editor that is easy to break. A server that wants a plain page should be able to have one.

What the widgets include, and how much freedom owners get, is part of what the previews are for. If you run a community and have views on what a homepage should show, write to [email protected]. Nothing here is released, and the details can still change.

Accessibility and small screens

A homepage has to work for everyone who opens it, including on a phone and with a screen reader. That means a sensible reading order, text that does not rely on colour alone and widgets that stack cleanly on a narrow screen. A fancy layout that fails on a small device would defeat the purpose of a front door, so the design treats those cases as the starting point.

For owners and moderators

Owners get a place to say things once instead of repeating them in every channel, and moderators get a calmer starting point for new members. Details of the editor will be shared as the app nears release.