Site Updates/Technical Stuff
Now that we've been live for a few months, I'd like to update/streamline the site. There are some features that are getting a lot of use (forum), while others haven't received a lot of traction (blog, artwork gallery). My original idea was to use the forum for discussion and sharing other people's artwork. Members could use the gallery for their own artwork so it would show up on the front page, and the blog for posting more in-depth analysis of Snape (meta).
I may keep the blog for news updates, but I'm thinking it would be better just to use the forum for meta and artwork. I'd like to focus more on the forum in general, since it seems to be our biggest draw. We can always add (or reinstate) non-forum features later on if needed.
For now, I'd really appreciate any feedback you might have. Suggestions on site improvements, new features, anything that would make the site more accessible/enjoyable for you. I can't promise I'll be able to incorporate all your ideas, but I'll do my best. 🙂
Reading over what gets the most attention and least attention, I think one thing to note is that you have both an artwork gallery and a topic dedicated to art, videos, etc. And blogs and forum discussions have a similar relationship. I think I know why that's the case, and it has to do with the framing and layout of each system:
- Posts and Comments: this system is very creator-oriented in the way it's laid out on the main blog/artwork gallery pages.
- For blogs, the initial post is the main draw, with the title being prominent at the top of the page. The comments at the bottom are a footnote by comparison.
- For the gallery, there's no way to comment on what's posted.
- Topics and Replies: this system is comment-oriented, and it essentially functions as a place to post not only artwork and related media, but also opinions, polls, questions, etc. It's very much geared towards conversations about whatever's posted as opposed to simply commenting on it.
I think (and this is a guess; I don't speak for everyone) that a majority of people who use this site want to be seen and heard, but they don't want to be the center of attention; this could be because they place more value on conversations instead of simple comments, it could be that they lack the confidence, etc.
That's what I can come up with, at least.
You are so right, and that's really what I want for this community. I'd like communication to be the central focus – the forum is the best place to do that because it puts everyone on equal footing.
Moving forward, my primary goal will to be to make the site much more forum oriented. Part of that will be technical improvements, though I'd also like to post more discussions, polls, and other activities. Once I'm finished with the technical side, I also want to start posting writing challenges. That would be a good way to bring in more members, which of course, would be great for the site.
@thegestaltprince Do you use the dark theme?
I prefer it, but for some reason, it resets after enough time passes
Yeah, that's an issue with the plugin. I'll look into it and see if I can find a fix.
Also, if you use Google Chrome, this is an excellent extension: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dark-reader/eimadpbcbfnmbkopoojfekhnkhdbieeh
Oh, I already have Dark Reader, but I only use Chrome for when I'm writing. Not pleasant to look at a white page for long periods of time.
Okay, I made some adjustments to the plugin. You'll still need to switch back from time to time, but it should happen less often.
Can you try it out and let me know how it goes?
So far, four hours have passed since switching it on, and no switches back so far.
EDIT: 3 more hours have passed, and Dark Mode hasn't switched back yet.
EDIT: 7 additional hours have passed since the previous edit, looks like it's stable.
I am going to test out the Dark Mode from my end and my mobile in a minute.
In the meantime, is it possible to change the order of the tabs at the top, so that 'Forum' comes up next to 'Home'?
