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Redesign the site?

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 (Edited)

With the recent backlash regarding the newest changes to the OT, I think it's time for an overhaul on the main page. The layout is simple ,which is something I support - however, I'm NOT fond of the fact that it appears to only be a news ticker. There's no FAQ, no list of grievances aside from the petition itself. We need to explain our goals flat-out on the front page. Also, a feature similar to 005's comprehensive change list would be cool; hell, the site could even just link to it in this FAQ I'm talking about.

Just look at how the site looked in 2004* Straight to the point, with George's infamous quote regarding cultural heritage. A powerful beginning for a simple site dedicated to its mission. I'd love to see something like that, it's a real attention grabber.

Also, more radically, I think the fanedit part of the forum should be split off to fanedits.com. It gives less credibility to the mission, mainly due to the irony. While I do enjoy our fanediting community, I don't think the petition and/or site needs people brushing it off just because we're inconsistent.

*Once again, the simple text editor has demonstrated its propensity toward bugs. I can't hotlink it in text, so here's the front page from 2004: http://web.archive.org/web/20040923045515/http://www.originaltrilogy.com/[/url]]http://www.originaltrilogy.com/]http://web.archive.org/web/20040923045515/http://www.originaltrilogy.com/[/url][/url]

OK, that didn't work either. You're just going to have to copy/paste it, but the web archive page does indeed exist there.

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em

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bkev said:


Also, more radically, I think the fanedit part of the forum should be split off to fanedits.com. It gives less credibility to the mission, mainly due to the irony. While I do enjoy our fanediting community, I don't think the petition and/or site needs people brushing it off just because we're inconsistent.

I think this idea is just terrible.

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To each his own, but I hope the rest of my point stands.

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em

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Let me be more specific:

1) I don't agree that it undermines the quest for the OOT, or that it's inconsistent
2) I don't like banishing it to a much less traveled site
3) I don't like putting it under a different domain name (if that's the right term)
4) I'm pushing for the "most recent unread posts" idea that most other forums have, and the last thing I want is to make it *harder* to read a section of the forum

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All very valid points, but what I was saying more than that was that the main page needs a serious redesign at the moment. That's more important than the splitting the forum idea, which I figured would be unpopular anyway.

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em

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I agree with the front page/mission statement bits.

I also see where you're coming from with the Fan Edits.  One of my friends brings up this "inconsistency" all the time- You don't like the SE's but you LOOOVE SW:R?

However I don't think, in the final summation, that the fanedit section should be moved.  It's too much a part of this site and I think the consequences would be too damaging.

IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!

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"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.

Rewrite the Prequels!

 

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So, really? Nobody has anything to say about this? Maybe I never should've mentioned the idea of splitting the forums, then perhaps the rest of my suggestions might have been taken into account. This is really the time to redesign the site again, even if it's just adding a section.

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em

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Yeah, but I was expecting at least a few more people to weigh in...

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em

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 (Edited)

Just noticed this. I agree, the main page needs a redesign. I'm not sure about moving the forums, that would be a pain to all of our existing links all across the internet.

But the main page could use some focus. The forums are the major attraction, but they are just a teeny tiny link at the top. I'd be honored to have my Picasa Albums on the front page to help show the changes that have been done, maybe a link to savestarwars.com for explanation why, or, with Zombie's permission, excerpts from the site of the basics.

An explanation of the forum and what it's evolved into would also be useful, so those who get to the main page directly don't immediately think they're in the wrong place.

Not sure how to do any of this, but it should be updated somewhat, at least with a News post that's not 2 years old. ;-)

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 (Edited)

bkev said:

Also, more radically, I think the fanedit part of the forum should be split off to fanedits.com. It gives less credibility to the mission, mainly due to the irony. While I do enjoy our fanediting community, I don't think the petition and/or site needs people brushing it off just because we're inconsistent.

The membership survey carried out in 2008 suggested that most people were opposed to moving the fanediting discussion over to fanedits.com.

Instead, the fan project wiki from fanedits.com was brought into originatrilogy.com.

I agree however that the main page could do with an update.

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Moth3r, could you possibly send Jay this way? It would only make sense to update now, especially given how the forums seem to be attracting more attention than the petition at the moment. Hell, if it's just content you guys need, I'd be happy to write up a FAQ. Perhaps user-submitted articles similar to those Zombie's written for his site would also be a plus?

Again, though, the 2004 site is a great reference as to how we should state our mission; how we elaborate could be discussed differently now, of course.

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em

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If you guys can provide content (with a little artistic license on my side to massage it as necessary), I'd be happy to update the home page. FAQs, links to resources regarding the changes, etc. I just don't have the time to write anything myself. Anything I post would be credited to the appropriate parties.

No designs though, please. I'll figure out how to arrange it once I have it all.

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MTFBWY…A

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mbetter95 said:

That would definitely help separate the insanity from the rational discussion. 

 Unlikely on several fronts.

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Ugh, 18 year old bkev

no

why did i have to see this

A Goon in a Gaggle of 'em

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If it makes you feel any better, I'm not a huge fan of 37 year old Frink. ;-)

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surely the internet wasn't around when you were 37 :p

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Wait, you're mortal!?  I always assumed you were thousands of years old.  Or maybe you are immortal and you've simply just begun your reign of terror.

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And as I said there:
The old petition has been a dead issue for a long time, as Disney is the new overlord of Star Wars. What they intend to do regarding the OOT remains to be seen. And Fox still retains distribution rights to the original film.

As the new forums are tweaked, a new front page will eventually take the place of the old one.

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Where were you in '77?