A Website for .org

[shadow]

I've been thinking about how rmxp.org might benefit from having a website around it, other than just the forums. Cero seems to think it might be a good idea too.

It could possibly a place with news, links to blog posts and recent threads, popular projects etc... You're probably aware the current front page is very plain and the news part hasn't updated since the server move.

Do you guys think we need one, if so what could it have?

If people are interested, I'll need some help from talented people that know php and of course, people talented with photoshop. XD

Edit: another possibility could be better integration with the wiki

 

[Skyla Doragono]

*just always goes straight to the forum* :x

I don't see a use for it, but if it ends up happening, I'll be happy to help in the Photoshop area.

 

[Tohsaka]

What's the point to a site? As it is, everyone just goes to the forum. I know sites with main pages, I never go there, just to the forums.

 

[badmonur]

lol yea, I just go straight to the forums. All the recources and whatever I need is right here.

 

[Lackluster]

I sense a resounding no?

 

[shadow]

Ok, rather than designing a whole site, I'll see about repairing and adding things the existing vBadvanced installation on the front page.

 

[PK8]

I think the current page of RMXP.org looks pretty bad tbh (I know Shadow has nothing to do with that) and looking at the slacked website leaves me convinced. (I wonder who designed that site.) So I'll say yes to this poll.

 

[shadow]

I designed the slacked site, but it hasn't been updated in a very very long time lol.

 

[$t3v0]

I like the idea because I'd like to see what people come up with. Although I must agree with the majority and say that the forum seems enough for most people.

;-;

 

[Tohsaka]

Same with better intergration to the wiki. Sure, we could add a search the wiki features, but how many members out of the thousands would us it?

 

[holloway]

The fact I made one to nearly the end, never received any money, despite the fact I couldn't finish because Erk, Tana and Lene were arguing over the design, then had my work kept on the servers makes me say a hefty no for the poor bastard who has to make this.

 

[$t3v0]

Halloway, show us your design! :D

 

[Venetia]

It seems like a waste to me ... I just go straight to the forum and bypass the welcome page thingy. I suppose it could be helpful to new visitors but that's about it, and I can't imagine there are too many RMXP users still left out there worth their salt who haven't typed "RMXP" into a search engine and gotten this as their first result yet anyway.

 

[Andy6000]

I have to say yes to this one. A forum is very... Well when you're on a forum, you don't want to look at the top navbar for some reason. I have never, EVER taken the time to look up there and actually read which link goes where (and this is coming from someone who has been with this shitty community from about 4-ish months after it was made [.net btw, not .org] and visits practically daily).

A front page is much more suited for a user that would like to browse around, find the download manager, look at the rules page, a link to highlighted crap (this new ezine that'll probably die, project of the month, whatever), and be impressive.

As usual, while in support, I plan on doing nothing to aid this endeavor, since I'm relatively busy and being here and bitching at people is largely just what I have time to do.

Oh and if anyone cares, I can go through the old topic for this and find the designs tana and others put forward.

 

[shadow]

I'd really like to see some of the previous attempts.

 

[Cypher]

I think a website would be great, I know most people just go straight to the forums, but.. there isnt really anywhere else to go is there? Add a decent download manager to the site (anything would be better than the current one), tutorials/articles section, project of the month and news that gets updated and you'd be set. Forums are great, but everything always gets so..cluttered. Sticky posts, and update threads and whatnot. Websites are clean and much easier to navigate than fourms, in my opinion.

 

[Andy6000]

Bear in mind these are all just photoshop mockups, I think hollaway's done some work (I have no idea how much) on the php or whatever, but mockups are all I got.

Anyways, by maker and then order posted in the last topic.

Spoiler: tana

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y111/Andy6000/button_layout.jpg[/img]
http://www.alisachristopher.us/ie-ff.png[/img]

Spoiler: andy

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y111/Andy6000/layout09.jpg[/img]
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y111/A ... utALT3.jpg[/img]
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y111/Andy6000/FPO.jpg[/img]

Spoiler: LeneMaybe?

http://img276.imageshack.us/img276/9779/orglayoutrevamp04ln7.jpg[/img]

Not that many because this is not the original topic I'm looking at (this is a newer one), and tana apparently wiped a good number of things off of her site. I'll look through the staff forum for the older ones (there were some good ones I think), but I think Erk may have killed that topic.

EDIT: yeah it's gone and I can't find it. If Lene / anyone comes back around, I might ask if you've got those saved or something.

 

[Venetia]

I think a website would be great, I know most people just go straight to the forums, but.. there isnt really anywhere else to go is there? Add a decent download manager to the site (anything would be better than the current one), tutorials/articles section, project of the month and news that gets updated and you'd be set. Forums are great, but everything always gets so..cluttered. Sticky posts, and update threads and whatnot. Websites are clean and much easier to navigate than fourms, in my opinion.

The problem would be in updating said website. Generally unless they auto-update from the forums anyway, you're going to see some strong updates at first, petering out into oblivion. Whatever is on the website'd probably have to end up being semi-permanent, meaning updates would only be sporadic and only small additions/changes. And everyone'd check it the first day and then never again, so that's why I thought it was a waste.

Also, how would you improve the DLM? It's easy to say something needs improving but not clarifying on what needs improving specifically gets nothing done. I don't think it's bad the way it is on the members-side. On the DLM mods' side it's chaos, we have to go through everything and double check it and spyware check it and delete/modify posts and send rejection letters. I wouldn't argue for there to be a few less steps there.

And before someone says they wish stuff was approved faster for it or that there were better screens/descriptions, realize that descriptions and screens should be up to the person uploading the file, and it takes time to check everything before approval. I've been rejecting folks who haven't been posting descriptions lately, but I can't go in and affect what's already in there (because it'd take 47.5 million years).

That last paragraph or so was off topic but information relevant to the Cypher post anyway, so -_-

 

[Cypher]

I admit it is very rude of me to critisize something without giving feedback about why I critisized it. So in terms of the DLM, I realise that mods have a horrible time trying to cover everything, and I have nothing but respect for the work they do.

In relation to graphics resources like charsets and tilesets, I don't see the reasoning behind an individual page for each resource, a lot of these now have thumbnailed images as download links, and this serves as enough to anyone searching for resources. The date submitted field (I don't see the point in this, personally) could be replaced with the name of files author, and you have an easy access to these graphical resources.

Thats pretty much the only problem I have with the DLM, I know its pretty much nothing to kick up a fuss over, I made a far bigger complaint out of it than I meant to, and I apologise for that. (Saying "Anything would be better..." was pretty bitchy of me, 'scuse my language)

My reasoning behind the pro's of a .org website would be that the Download Manager could be integrated with the site. Allowing more diversity in the categories (Gallery systems for graphical resources, with short descriptions and thumbnails, and lengthier more informative descriptions/reviews with accompanying screenshots for demos/games etc.) Updates to the download manager could be advertised on the sites main page (Along with actual news), giving users a reason to visit the site as well as the forums.

but I can't go in and affect what's already in there (because it'd take 47.5 million years)

I would be willing to lend time to this, if its needed, I have loads of free time, what with college and all.

Well, I hope I was constructive, and that I broke this post into easily readable chunks, cause its pretty big.. hmm, what else..

Have a nice day! :D

 

[holloway]

Bear in mind these are all just photoshop mockups, I think hollaway's done some work (I have no idea how much) on the php or whatever, but mockups are all I got.

The fact I made one to nearly the end, never received any money, despite the fact I couldn't finish because Erk, Tana and Lene were arguing over the design, then had my work kept on the servers makes me say a hefty no for the poor bastard who has to make this.

Please now realise why .org is no longer held in my highest esteems.