User blog comment:Toughpigs/My Home -- new feature launches on Wednesday/@comment-1066636-20090923234254

Reposting something I already wrote on the Fallout wiki:

Just to clarify, I'm not against the addition of the page, I only dislike how the redirect is forced upon registered users by making it enabled by default (and I would presume this applies to most users who have posted here and over at the Vault). I want that to be changed; I don't want the page removed.

The simple fact is that the redirect is taking a user somewhere else than where he/she intended to go. That's something which should only be done if the user actually wants it - which means it should be something the user actively enables.

My Home is linked both at the top of the page and in the masthead; there is next to no risk that those who'd like to use it miss out on it. Place a link at the top of My Home saying something like "Want this to be your home page? Click here" and people will not miss out on the possibility to make it their starting page. In addition, those who want to use it can simply bookmark it directly.

Compare that to having the redirect enabled by default. Now the user has to know that it can be disabled; this is something that cannot be taken as granted, especially for new users. The setting is quite well-hidden as the last point on the preferences' "Misc" tab; but even if it weren't, it wouldn't change the fact that you get sent places you do not want to go to initially.

The main page is also a better starting point if you're looking for content. For example, I may go to RC directly on the Fallout wiki but on all other Wikia wikis I visit, I go to the main page because I'm primarily interested in looking something up, not contributing - and I highly doubt I'm the only one.

Sorry for the double-post but I wanted to seperate the feedback from the editcount thing.