Web site update - suggestions and input?

[smilodon]

Right now the test forum looks a lot like this
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/content.php

It's basically our starting point. Obviously we can heavily theme our site to look more like a gaming community (as per Benny's links) and less like a newspaper.

As soon as I have got my finger out and knocked up a 1st draft we can have a look and go from there.

[Benny]

Right now the test forum looks a lot like this
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/content.php

:thumbsup:

[Jabbs]

It does look very 'newspapery' but I quite like it!

[Gaara]

It does look very 'newspapery' but I quite like it!

Way to cluttered for my taste tbh.

So much stuff going on that the important parts of the page fail to grab your attention.

I stand by less is more

[TeaLeaf]

Please remember that's the out of the box page which is set up to show lots of things turned on.  It's not a 'gold' design, it's a learning tool so that we can understand what it can do and how best to deploy those features in a way that best suits us.  As I said elsewhere, the design & content will follow once we get a reasonable handle on the huge feature set of this package and decide if, when, where and how to deploy them.

[GhostMjr]

Please remember that's the out of the box page which is set up to show lots of things turned on.  It's not a 'gold' design, it's a learning tool so that we can understand what it can do and how best to deploy those features in a way that best suits us.  As I said elsewhere, the design & content will follow once we get a reasonable handle on the huge feature set of this package and decide if, when, where and how to deploy them.

So what is the time line for us to start testing it and when would we expect it to be in place?

Basically with the pczone feature on the cards we need a better frontpage and we need it now.

If we are to be featured in the magazine we need a portal for people to arrive see what we do and what we are about.

I'm sorry but this thread was started in October and from what i can see  we haven't got very far. If our test site looks anything close to the link you provided we have a long way to even consider launching it.

 I suggested a couple of things months ago for creating a who we are and what we do. I asked for us to delve into interviews and get section heads to do short videos Can we do these at the lan?

This could be done at the lan and we can get a separate landing site setup to give to pczone when we are featured. We have expert knowledge here so lets use it. The full site might not be ready but we need a landing page thats our priority at the moment.

Few communities if any get the opportunity to be featured in a magazine so we need something of high quality and we need it as soon as possible.

I worked hard to find and get the idea off the ground such as attending lans having phonecalls with the editor and even attending personal meetings. i wouldn't have suggested it if we didn't have a substantial fan base but also the technical knowhow.

Also four months on and i can't see any substantial effort into what has been put forward.

[smilodon]

A quick response.

First we don't have any ability to dictate when V Bulletin release their new software. Until they do we can't do much at all. They have 'just' released it so now we finally have something to work with. By just released I mean we've had it about a week.

Second I've had plenty of suggestions about what we should have on the site but oddly not a single offer by anyone to actually write any of it. There's no point developing a feature that's never going to get used. If someone really wants to make regular contributions to a blog etc please say so. At the moment I'm working on the basis that no one does and so the site is looking for a re- theme, a new welcome to the dMw intro page and the relocation of 'static' information about the games and services we offer.

Thirdly make no mistake I am NOT going to be creating all this content myself. The reason we went for VBulletin 4 was so that individual members could contribute to the community. We're developing a content management system not a content creation system. Much of the information already exists within the forums and the existing site. But anything 'new' is going to need to be created. If the dMw community wants it they can write it. I'll provide the framework and the permissions but as said I'm not writing the whole thing. So if anyone thinks they're going to log in one day and see a whole bright new shiny web site and forum...... dream on.

I'm going to try to spend some time over the weekend with the test site. Hopefully I'll have a basic menu structure up and running by then.

As to the visual look. That's down to themes. There a many of them available on the web. Do a Google for 'VBulletin 4 themes' for a looksie. Again the look of the site will be down to what the majority agree on. Some suggestions and links to good themes would be appreciated. I have no intention of saying 'There you all go, that's what your new site will look like.' It's not up to me at all. It's up to all of you. So get digging.

[delanvital]

A quick response.

First we don't have any ability to dictate when V Bulletin release their new software. Until they do we can't do much at all. They have 'just' released it so now we finally have something to work with. By just released I mean we've had it about a week.

Second I've had plenty of suggestions about what we should have on the site but oddly not a single offer by anyone to actually write any of it. There's no point developing a feature that's never going to get used. If someone really wants to make regular contributions to a blog etc please say so. At the moment I'm working on the basis that no one does and so the site is looking for a re- theme, a new welcome to the dMw intro page and the relocation of 'static' information about the games and services we offer.

Thirdly make no mistake I am NOT going to be creating all this content myself. The reason we went for VBulletin 4 was so that individual members could contribute to the community. We're developing a content management system not a content creation system. Much of the information already exists within the forums and the existing site. But anything 'new' is going to need to be created. If the dMw community wants it they can write it. I'll provide the framework and the permissions but as said I'm not writing the whole thing. So if anyone thinks they're going to log in one day and see a whole bright new shiny web site and forum...... dream on.

I'm going to try to spend some time over the weekend with the test site. Hopefully I'll have a basic menu structure up and running by then.

As to the visual look. That's down to themes. There a many of them available on the web. Do a Google for 'VBulletin 4 themes' for a looksie. Again the look of the site will be down to what the majority agree on. Some suggestions and links to good themes would be appreciated. I have no intention of saying 'There you all go, that's what your new site will look like.' It's not up to me at all. It's up to all of you. So get digging.

I would like to point if that what Smilo writes about no people responding being willing to write it is not true.

I was offered the task of rewriting the front page text content, which I said yes to and which I spent quite some time on doing and sent to approval. I later learned that my shipped file had been "sitting there for a month or so" quoting Pen after several times inquiring about it. Then I heard Smilo was given the task of doing the frontpage instead and thus my several hours of effort was ignored. Now, I do hope that whoever stands up to assist in this will get treatment a lot better than I did.

Also, the task of rewriting was given to me a lot earlier than October, and even by back it was made clear that this was overdue, so this process has been on for a lot longer than that. IMHO something SHOULD have been put up back in the summer 09, because anything updated and more reflective of what we do and play would be better. It could be done over a weekend, basically just updating the text to reflect what we play would be better etc. So waiting for the new vBulletin is for me a not a valid excuse.

Edit: Sorry for the rant in advance, but: As someone spending a lot of his spare time in NGOs I know how frustrating it can be to be pushed and poked for completing a task, which you do in your sparetime. But, the fact of the matter is that people have responded to help but was ignored and updating the text on the front now is such a minor task that it should not have taken since summer 09 to get done. One hour of group chat could have updated so much and there were people willing to do it.

[Jabbs]

I don't remember in this thread being asked for help?  the first set of posts are all about the ideas up until the 27th October.  Then someone replied on 1st January asking how it was going to which the reply was that a decision had been made to use Vbulletin.  (Check this thread)

How are we supposed to then offer help when the decision is already made?

There are number of decent web developers and designers here. I'm average don't get me wrong! :blink:  I'm sure one or two of them could have knocked up a new front page or two for our discussions if we had been invited.

I have to agree with Del and GM, nothing much has happened and what has happened is that decisions have been made on our behalf.  That's fine if that's the way it is but I don't think the community should be blamed for 'not coming forward' to help.

[T-Bag]

I was offered the task of rewriting the front page text content, which I said yes to and which I spent quite some time on doing and sent to approval. I later learned that my shipped file had been "sitting there for a month or so" quoting Pen after several times inquiring about it. Then I heard Smilo was given the task of doing the frontpage instead and thus my several hours of effort was ignored. Now, I do hope that whoe

Can you post what you made online and give a link to it so people in general can give some feedback. I think this would move a lot faster if it's talked about more, and that happens when idea get tossed back and forth.

I guess the admins still need final say, but in the mean time "a say" will do to get things rolling.

[delanvital]

Can you post what you made online and give a link to it so people in general can give some feedback. I think this would move a lot faster if it's talked about more, and that happens when idea get tossed back and forth.

I guess the admins still need final say, but in the mean time "a say" will do to get things rolling.

That is not for me to decide. I doubt there are plans to revise the old site now, but if so, fine by me. I am certain it can be a starting point for a discussion of what to include and what not on a new site (edited)

Edit: I need to clarify a point. My post has some crap language and I am sorry for that. Pen has always responded kindly to any inquiries I have made and when finally inquiring him regarding this, I actually learned that it was placed as "in development", of which nothing has since then happened and the content was ignored. So sorry for that Pen.

[TeaLeaf]

of which nothing has since then happened and the content was ignored. So sorry for that Pen.

Not quite.  Another way of viewing it might be:

A lot has happened since you provided it to us, including the research & decision to go with vB4 which we then had to wait for to be released.  Clearly the use of any content depends on the way we redesign the site and you were told that we would hold the content submitted for that decision.  That's not quite the same as 'content was ignored' or 'sat on shelf for a month'.  Apology accepted.

[Penfold]

No worries. I just want to clarify a couple of things and set the record straight.

As Delan says, it wasn't ignored. My actual reply was:

I'm a bit out of the loop with this but as far as I can see Gandy posted up your text at the end of August and it was there waiting for the redevelopment to start. I'll find out more what happened and will post - or someone else will - to you.

It was put in the 'pending' file - not ignored. But, either way, there was a breakdown in communication somewhere down the line and I do think the delay also exacerbated things somewhat. The reason for which is outlined above.

PEN.

edit: thanks for clarifying..... unlike the Queen,  I do answer every pm I get sent :flirty:.

double edit: posted same time as above.

[TeaLeaf]

There are number of decent web developers and designers here. I'm average don't get me wrong! :blink:  I'm sure one or two of them could have knocked up a new front page or two for our discussions if we had been invited.

That has still not been ruled out and may well still be needed. but we also had to decide how to maintain all the other aspects of dMw without daily coding intervention.  That latter aspect was why we went to vB4.  As I mentioned elsewhere, we're trying to learn the CMS CP and then move to filling content including whether or not to use a front page (of whichever style).  Smilodon is heading up the content side of things, so anyone interested in contributing or helping out should make contact with him direct please.  Please remember though, contributions of content or help are not guaranteed to make it into the final site!

Hope that clarifies.

[Snokio]

Although I don't really understand the in's and out's of how the forum infrastructure works and the amount of work required, but is it worth looking at another alternative to VB4,
 
From my limited knowledge on this, am I correct in saying there is alot of coding which is quite complicated and in depth? So if there was 'template' / 'script' already available, would this meet the communities requirements and expectations? I'm thinking along the lines of maybe outsourcing? http://www.rockettheme.com/
 
As i have said, I don't know the in's and out's, Or how much time has been invested into VB4 already as it is a new release, the link above may not even be any help, I'm just thinking outside of the box a little, So I'm just throwing it out there