I was thinking of this thread. I was not aware of Calendar of Events until you mentioned it above. I checked and had not noticed the "Calendar" before.
That does bring up a thought on the way things are "perceived" or "noticed" by the readers or members:
1. What are the habits of members, visitors or readers? Layout is important.
2. What draws the most attention? Does one item stand out so much that other things are overlooked?
3. IS there enough coverage given to all the major themes or subjects so that they are easily found?
Jeff, you have done an excellent job in all of this. The problem is with the "creatures of habit" readers/members.
I think that most regular members and readers (daily or multiple times daily visitors/members) look at the threads as a matter of habit. This is the "go to" instinct. In doing so, there are times when a thread will drop down the list in a few hours and missed. That is my particular habit and occasionally I see others mention that they "missed" a thread somehow.
As for me - I know to look at the Calendar now. Thanks.
EDIT: I just noticed that unless a person is on the "Home" page, the Calendar is not displayed. I usually go almost immediately to 1. New Posts, 2. Whats New, 3. Forums. When I log in and see the Home Page, I look at the front page picture and then to the threads and jump into the 1. 2. & 3 above. Front/Home page where the "calendar of events" is located gets about 10 to 15 seconds of attention. But that is me. You have a few thousand people that this has to be tailored to.
I don't know how you do it! Thanks!