Redesigning and re-branding EN World

[javadragon]

Name Change?

[p]I was visiting these boards when "c'mon august" wasn't just a signature, it was a mindset I stopped reregistering a few boards back, but this thread has convinced me to come out of lurker mode.[/p]
[p]First let me say that I think changing the name from EN World would be a mistake. However, I have no problem with changing what the EN stands for. How about "The Everything D20 News". As the name suggests I would like to see this site broaden (a little more) out to cover all things D20.[/p]
Edit: How do I do a paragraph on these boards? it's not [p][/p].

 

[bondetamp]

phpNuke could be a good idea.

Or vbPortal, which I believe is PHPNuke's new name (I might be wrong, but they are almost identical).

It is about as difficult to use and modify as this forum, users can log in and change their personal layout, etc. It also looks rather similar (if you tilt your head just so and squint a little bit), so there shouldn't be too many old users roaming the English countryside with torches and pitchforks.

 

[CrazyMage]

Reorganize for all I care, but keep the name. I side with the genius that brought up GenCon--who cares that it's not in Lake Geneva anymore? The name keeps alive some of the history. So what if Eric Noah no longer runs the ship; he is the Original Prime Mover--plus I like the potential for great obscurity centuries from now when people mind-link to the Net and ponder, "What was ENWorld?"
Though 3EN World isn't so bad...

 

[Mark]

I'm VERY against a name change. ENWorld has name regocnition whether you think that or not. That's why PA joined forces with you for the awards.

While I agree the site may need some reorginization, or possibly even some thematic color changes (which I wouldn't agree with, I like the current colors but that's just personal opinion)

The one thing I woudl never do is change the name, as you said it would be like tearing down ENWorld and building something new in its place. And that new things simply wouldn't be the same, you'ld lose part of what makes ENWorld what it is, history.

And really do you want to lose all the casual veiwers who have heard of ENworld but don't pay enough attention to understand the name change?

I'm voting to keep the name EN World. After all, GenCon started in Lake Geneva, WI and nobody would dare change the name of GenCon just because it was moved to Milwaukee, or is moving to Indiana next year. The original fanbase and name recognition was far too important to risk losing any of it along with a name change!

Just like TSR no longer stood for whatever it stood for. Tactical Simulations and Rules? The brand recognition was there before anybody cared to analyze the name.

People who don't know the name will learn to know what it stands for. The real fans will come here regardless of the name but the loss of nostalgia if the name changes will be detrimental to the "brand" we've already grown into, and I think, become quite satisfied with.

Don't underestimate the people who have grown with ENWorld. Eric Noah certainly deserves to have the name of ENWorld kept alive, if for nothing else, as a tribute for his contribution to the community he brought together. In the long run the site name may become a curiosity to new members, but the people who come here know why they're here, and each time they say the name, they'll be saying thank you to the man who began it all even if they don't know it.

Darwin and Painfully sum up my opinion pretty damned well.

Please keep the name. You will be losing a lot of name recognition if you don't. The colors are fine and familiar, ain't broke don't fix those. The news page could be less cluttered and the subsequent pages streamlined. I imagine there are a lot of old links that no longer function. You should start a two week link party. Sticky a thread to the top of all forums and ask people to scour all of the site pages for bad links and report them in that thread. Remove the bad links and names of other places that no longer exist. That would go a long way to streamlining the site, I'd bet.

Good luck with whatever you decide and we'll all be along for the ride.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

OK, as a traditionalist, I like the name, but if Morrus wants to change it, great. Sometimes, change is good. And changing what the EN stands for does both, and doesn't make t-shirt obsolete immediately.

My biggest concern is "layers" - please, no more layers in any re-design! I absolutely can not stand having to click through several levels to get to the content. Three levels or less--anything else is too annoying.

Whatever you decide, Morrus, thanks for keeping this site running. It's invaluable, no matter what it's called!

 

[Painfully]

So now I suppose we'll trade in our name for something more generic and tacky, like "D20 News." Blah!

 

[Darklance]

Keep the name. Its simple and easy to use in conversation. Also, its gaining some recognition so people actually know what your talking about.

 

[fimp]

Goodness, no! I hate that type of title!

Hmm, then what dou you think about something like "Moradin" or "Moradins Hammer".
It may scare of all others than dwarves, but...

 

[fimp]

Oh, and advertise more for the EN World RPG Shop. I didnt know it existed untill recently, though i have been using EN World for ½ a year!

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

I dunno...I really sort of like EN World as the title. You can change aroudn the site as much as you want, but keep the title and the content.