Website Navigation - Which direction for older content/posts??

[jreg81]

Ok, trying to get a handle on this question:

When you visit a website, be it adult or otherwise, and it's a blog or a maybe a blog-style tour, which side of the screen do you expect to see navigation to visit the "older" content or "next page" of past updates?

On the LEFT or on the RIGHT?

For me, I've always seen it on the RIGHT. Bottom right, or top right, or arrows pointing to the right, or "next page" on the right, or numbers to the right.

It seems like that is the intuitive way or maybe just the widespread "standard" that sites use so I'm familiar with that way.

And then, once I've navigated a few pages to the RIGHT to see older posts, to go BACK to the newer content, I'm used to going LEFT. Arrows down on the bottom left, or numbers descending to the left, etc.

Is it just me or is this the proper way to go? Every other site we've put out has followed this standard, but we're developing something new and this question has been raised.

Wondering what the general consensus here on GFY is about this.

[vdbucks]

Man, you go too far over something so simple...

Someone explain that using the standard wordpress "Older posts / Newer Posts" links isn't the same thing as using wp-pagenavi and that while they accomplish the same goal (pagination) they are 2 totally different tools...

Wordpress default - the standard that all themes I've ever touched use is: "<- Older Posts" on the left and "Newer Posts ->" on the right.

Whereas wp-pagenavi replaces the default/standard function and replaces it with page numbers:

Want to replace the old ← Older posts | Newer posts → links with some page links?

This plugin provides the wp_pagenavi() template tag which generates fancy pagination links.

[jreg81]

Again, I'm not talking about the "geek's" perspective of the coding or WP defaults behind a website.

I'm talking about COMMON PRACTICE. What are surfers most familiar with due to how it's done on most other sites?

I know if I look at big blogs (non-adult), google, shopping, ebay, amazon, porn tubes, tours, the list goes on.....that if I want to navigate to older content or past posts, I am finding "next" or "page 2" or arrows pointing to the RIGHT...to get there.

[vdbucks]

Again, I'm not talking about the "geek's" perspective of the coding or WP defaults behind a website.

I'm talking about COMMON PRACTICE. What are surfers most familiar with due to how it's done on most other sites?

I know if I look at big blogs (non-adult), google, shopping, ebay, amazon, porn tubes, tours, the list goes on.....that if I want to navigate to older content or past posts, I am finding "next" or "page 2" or arrows pointing to the RIGHT...to get there.

google - you mean search results? because google's official blog doesn't use pagination, they load more posts when you get to the bottom of the page. Search results are not the same thing as blog posts. On a blog you go back in time to see older entries, on a google search you go to page 2 to see the next page of results. Stop trying to convince me that a truck is a sedan because they're both vehicles.

same thing for shopping searches, ebay searches, amazon etc... first and foremost, none of them are blogs. secondly, you're not going back in time to see older search results.. you're going to page 2 to see the 2nd page of search results. Bloggin is completely different because you're going back in time to see older posts, and those who don't use wp-pagenavi or twitter style post loading, have "older entries" on the left, and "newer entries" on the right... with "newer entries" not shown (or greyed out) on the first page because you're already on the newest page.

Think of blogging as a hand written diary, only on the internet. When you write in a diary, you don't start writing on the last page and turn left to get the a new page. You start writing from the first back and go back to the left to see the older diary entries you wrote. Same concept with a browser's 'back' and 'forward' buttons. You click 'back' to view an older page, and 'forward' to get back to the newest page you were looking at.

Why is it so difficult to realize the difference between a set of pages on a search result that has no concept of a timeline attached to it (hence the "next" page), and a blog that goes from new posts to old posts (hence the "older" entries)?

[LouiseLloyd]

Think of it as turning pages in a book

<-- Beginning of book (old) ~ End of book (new) -->

[Zoxxa]

This thread is going to make us all rich!

[jreg81]

Think of it as turning pages in a book

<-- Beginning of book (old) ~ End of book (new) -->

Except its not a book. It's a porn paysite's tour done in a faux-blog format.

Newest updates on top, going downward.

So when I reach the bottom of that page, and I want to see the "next" page of past updates, where do I instinctively expect to see the "next page" button or "previous updates" or a number "2" or however you want to do it?

In my 15 yrs of using the interwebs, I expect to see that on the lower right.

[vdbucks]

lol @ 15 years of using the 'interwebs'... and in all that time you still don't know how to clear your browsers cache properly...

wordpress puts 'older' on the left, 'newer' on the right.
all wordpress theme developers put 'older' on the left, 'newer' on the right
your browsers 'back' (older) button is on the left, 'forward' (newer) button is on the right.
Itunes puts the 'previous' (last, or older) on the left, 'next' (or forward, newer) on the right.
windows explorer puts 'back' (older, previous) on the left, 'forward' (newer, next) on the right.

And yet, your reasoning for all of this standard logic from the above is "stupid nerds".

To go back in time - on a blog, in your browser, in itunes, windows explorer, and anything else related to computers - you go to the left.

To go forward in time - on a blog, in your browser, in itunes, windows explorer, and anything else related to computers - you go right.

You don't go 'forward' in time to see 'older' entries... unless your primary language is arabic or something...

And using a plugin like wp-pagenavi as an argument against simple logic is simply, laughable. Because said plugin negates the entire thing by replacing the simple function with something completely different to get the job done. Much like trading in a truck for a car... they're both vehicles to get you where you need to go, but they are not the same thing.

And again, your use of a google search result as an example against the above simple logic for navigating through a timeline is, simply put, laughable.

[jreg81]

Again, overthinking and overcomplicating it. Forget about the timeline thing. Its simply navigating through a tour. You get to page 2 or the "next" page of updates on a tour by navigating to the right. Virtually every site on the interwebs is like this, so its more about common practice and familiarity for the web surfer.