Merge pull request #217 from Skivling/mainmenu

add Main Menu & Timelines page

Author: hughrun

content/using_bookwyrm/main-menu.md

@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+---
+Title: Main Menu & Timelines
+Date: 2025-09-06
+Order: 1
+---
+
+## Your Books view
+
+In the top-left of the page (or top of the page on mobile) you will find a small selection of your books. 
+It will include up to 5 books, from your Currently Reading, Read and To Read reading status shelves.
+ 
+To see all of them, you may need to *horizontally* scroll, or pull on the horizontal scroll bar.
+
+If you have 3 or 4 currently reading, the To Read section will not be displayed.
+Similarly, if all 5 are currently reading, the Read section won't be available either.
+However, if you have more than 5 currently reading, it will still only show 5 of them.
+
+By clicking on one of these books, it becomes the focus of the interact and review section. 
+
+### Interact & Review section
+
+Below the display of your books is a section that displays basic information about the selected book, and lets you interact with it.
+It includes:
+
+- The book's title, linking to its main page.
+- The name of the author, linking to the author's page.
+- The [update reading status](/shelves.html#updating-reading-status) button for that book.
+- Tabs to select a type of status you might want to [post about the book](/posting-statuses.html). The options are Review, Comment or Quote.
+- An input form for the selected type of status.
+
+On mobile, you can temporarily hide this section by pressing the X in the top-right corner of it.
+
+## Reading Goal
+
+If you scroll down below the Your Books and post form, you will see your progress towards your reading goal this year.
+
+As a new user you will see a prompt to set your reading goal when you start using BookWyrm. 
+Otherwise, you can set it by navigating to **Your Profile > Reading Goal**.
+Once set, that is also where you can see your progress and all the books you've read this year.
+
+Try setting a goal that is achievable, and will motivate you to read often.
+
+
+## Search & Barcode Reader
+
+On the top of the home page is a search box, which lets you search for books, authors, users or [lists](/lists.html).
+
+Beside it is a barcode reader which lets you easily find a book by scanning its ISBN barcode using the device camera.
+This is especially useful if you're in a bookstore or the library!
+
+## Timelines
+
+Timelines are filled with **statuses** from people you **follow** on Bookwyrm.
+It's how you keep up with what your friends are reading, reviewing and recommending. 
+They take up 2/3 of the screen, or on mobile are found below the reading goal section.
+
+### Following other users
+
+As a new user, you will be suggested some accounts to follow.
+You can also search for your friend's username to find and follow them.
+If they are using a different BookWyrm website than you (for example, `bookwyrm.social` and `ramblingreaders.org`)
+then you can still follow them - but you will need to use their full account name including the instance domain name, like this:
+
+`user@example.com` or `arthur@ramblingreaders.org`
+
+### Home Timeline
+
+Your Home Timeline is a chronological feed of all the statuses about books posted by people you follow.
+This includes their reading status updates (want to read, started reading, finished, etc), reviews, ratings, comments, and quotes that they've shared.
+Read more about [types of statuses here](/posting-statuses.html).
+
+Your Home Timeline also includes any statuses that people you follow have **boosted**.
+This is similar to reposting or reblogging on other platforms, and means that status has been shared into your Timeline.
+Boosting is the best way to share good reviews with your followers, and helps them find interesting people to follow.
+This is especially useful since there is no algorithm deciding what to show you,
+only the real humans that you've decided to follow.
+
+If you follow people on other fediverse apps, such as Mastodon, you will not find their normal text posts in your timeline.
+However, posts they boost or their replies to other posts will be included in it.
+
+### Books Timeline
+
+Your Books Timeline is a chronological feed that collects statuses posted about books that you have in [your shelves](/shelves.html).
+
+It might not display *all* statuses, if your BookWyrm website doesn't know about some
+
+### Interacting with statuses
+
+You can reply to any status in your timeline to start a discussion, and boost or like the status.
+Under 'More Options' there is a link to send a direct message to the poster, report the status, or block them.
+
+### Filtering Timelines
+
+Both timelines have a Filters menu which lets you filter what types of statuses you'd like to see in it.
+You can include or exclude Reviews, Comments, Quotations, or Everything Else (including reading status updates). 
+Then click the 'Apply filters' button to reload the timeline with the new filters.
+
+A little badge called 'Filters are applied' will be shown after filters are changed, 
+but this disappears after another page reload even though filters are still in effect.
+
+## Navigation to other pages
+
+There are many links within the main menu to navigate to other pages on BookWyrm.
+
+### Top menu bar
+
+In the top bar is the search box to go to the search page, and links to [Lists](/lists.html), Discover (recent statuses from the local instance), and [Your Books](/shelves.html).
+
+On the right hand side is your profile icon and name. 
+When clicked, it has links to your Profile, the Directory of other users, your Direct Messages, Settings, and the Log Out button.
+
+On the far right is the Notifications button. 
+It will display a number if you have unread notifications.
+
+On mobile, some of these options will be collapsed into a 3 dots option which will show them.
+
+### Footer
+
+The website footer also includes links related to the administration of the site, link to this documentation and to re-start the Guided Tour. 
+
+If you are using a free BookWyrm instance, there might be a link to financially support the admins in the footer.
+Public instances require many hours of management and up to several hundred dollars a year to run.
+If you like using your BookWyrm site, please consider supporting them to keep it online and running smoothly!
+