Redesigning and re-branding EN World

[Gargoyle]

I'll throw my 2 coppers in.

Morrus, I think a site design is a good idea as long as it's something you are interested in doing. You've got to get enjoyment out of running a fan site, because the worst thing that can happen is that updating the site starts to become a chore. Even if your site is a business, it shouldn't be something that you don't look forward to. I would humbly suggest making the site design simple, without much in the way of fancy graphics or animation, and heavy on content.

As far as the name, I would resist the urge to change it. If you get a great idea for a new name, sure, go for it. The idea that you should rename it whenever you do the site design doesn't make sense to me. You can rename it anytime. Doing so during a major redesign might confuse new users even more.

Eric has some good points. When it comes to relationships with publishers and fans, I'm glad to see that the fans are the priority. Yeah, I'm a publisher (barely!), but I've been an RPG fan much longer. Even if I manage to become a full time game publisher (sigh...some day) I'll still be a fan. ENWorld's news reports are valuable real estate for publishers because so many fans view them, and as long as the site caters to fans and keeps advertisements unobtrusive, it will continue to be so. So publishers win from a focus on fans as well.

Some random thoughts on improving the site: (I'm sure some of these are impractical or just aren't what you want to do, just throwing stuff out for thought)

- Promote online play of D&D on the messageboards and chat rooms. I'm not certain about the best way to do this, but I do know that there are a lot of players on the site without DM's and vice versa. Nothing promotes a D&D fan site like getting people to play.

- Keep up the updates at all costs. Nothing kills a site like inactivity. You may want to set up a script so that messageboard moderators can post news bits on the front page.

- Post more links to interesting messageboard threads on the front page, not just celebrity posts. This will get the people who just read the news into the messageboards. You can do the opposite by posting announcements in the boards linking to news items. I've noticed many people on the boards are unaware of the news because they've found it through a link from somewhere else. Perhaps the messageboard moderators can be given the ability to post news as well for this purpose, or you can use a script or something to automatically post a popular thread in the margin.

- Create an open content section where publishers and individuals can submit free OGC material. If you can give publishers and fans accounts and let them upload materials themselves, all the better. I've always thought ENWorld should be the one place where you could find all the free d20 material that exists. I'm sure there are other websites that are attempting to do this, but since I don't have time to surf the web, like many of your other visitors, I haven't discovered one that I like.

- Rename the website to "Morrus' 4th Edition D&D News" and post a press release from Peter Atkinson with info on the upcoming 4th edition of D&D.

Ok, I'm past two coppers, and up to electrum pieces...I'll shut up now.

 

[saersan]

Morrus: Maybe you could set up a forum that d20 publishers could post their press releases on, or even a news forum.

As far as the design goes I think that it shouldn't have a black background, everyone uses black these days. It's too gloomy, maybe a nice shade of green, or pink even!

Seriously though, if you're stuck for design ideas have a look through some of the design sites:

designiskinky.com
australianinfront.com.au

I like the sort of look that fantasyonline.net has, though from the sounds of it, it's exactly the type of layout you're trying to avoid.

 

[GuardianLurker]

Oops!...

No, that's cool, Guardian.

I'll try an explain that "tree" a little more.
So your design has the ENnies as a sub-page of the Cafe-Press store (which sells t-shirts!)

GAH! Those were supposed to be directly under the shopping page, not the Cafe-Press thing...

The idea was to give people in the "Shopping" thing one last push towards the good stuff.

I'll go back and fix that...

 

[Kraedin]

Change the colors. Black text on a white background is so much easier to read. Everytime I look at the Wizards.com forums or the 3rdedition.org forums I'm struck by how much easier on the eyes their colors are.

 

[Horacio]

Change everything you want, Morrus, but NEITHER the name (as anyone in marketing bussines can tell you, the trademark is usually even more valuable than the product) NOR the community and news focus. Please

 

[Eternalknight]

Morrus, I'll tell you what I use your site for. Maybe if we all do this, you will have a better idea of what we like and how to organize it for the fans.

The first thing I do when I get home from work is check EN World's news page. I browse the Wizards updates, just to see if there is anything worth checking over there. I then usually skip straight down to community news. This may be beacuse my site is often featured there, but it is also because I like free things. Checking out what is happening within the community is more important to me than seeing what is coming out from a d20 publisher. I usually have a quick look over d20 publishers news, but don't often find anything worth perusing (this is just my tastes.)

I then usually head over to the messageboards, to check what is happening there. General, Rules, House Rules, and Software are the main forums I browse.

I don't look at the reviews pages all that often, but I do look at them when I am debating over my next purchase.

Finally, I'd just like to say this: You are onto a good thing here. Don't let d20 publishers (heck, even us in the community who send you updates on our sites!) push you into doing anything you don't want. Ultimately, if we all want this site to continue, you need to be doing what you want to do .

 

[Tonguez]

okay I've only read page 1 and page 4 but would like to add

Keep EnWorld as the Brand - yes En World not EN this way the name is divorced from Eric (no offense Eric) but still recognisably the Brand (yes I admit to being a pronounciation heretic)

3EnWord maybe good in theory but what happens when 4 edition comes out and 5th etc - having to keep updating links is as much a hassle as changing servers

I liked the NewsPaper Layout suggestion - which could probably be achieved with static frames on the front page acting as a portal to the other pages and content

Consolidate some of the Forums and have a drop down menu function

Use new windows for links

the rest I like...

 

[Twinswords]

Hi Morrus,

Please keep the name EN World. It has history, is famous and easy to use in conversation.

I think the front page could be more flashy and colourfull but you should keep the coloursheme in the boards. It is easy on the eyes.

Twinswords

 

[Graf]

Morrisblog

Basically it sounds like you want EnWorld to be your Blog. There have been days when its quite bloggy (run with it) and you express your own opinions and there are times when it isn't. You seem to have a keen understanding of your role as community leader (the important thing is mostly that you can express your opinion without deriding that held by others).

Move the press releases someplace (verbatium press releases help me practice mousewheel-skip-function). Maybe do a blurb about the interesting releases on the front page (canceling Chainmai, declairing Ryan D. lord of the earth, whatever). Having the front filled with stuff is fine. Streamlining means that some things people like a lot are going to be stuck somewhere irritating to get at.

I think the vast majority of people who come here are happy with the site as it is now. Its easy to get around and find what you're looking for and continous, good improvements happen (searchable reviews = excellent). Incremental improvements are definitely the way to go. If you want to post your own thoughts then just start doing it. Changing the whole websites layout isn't related. (OK its probably related on the pyschological need to express yourself and let out some creative energy but I don't see them as having any kind of nessessary relationship).

To be kinda blunt: people come here to get information and gaming material. Its easy to find right now (especially for the people who already know the place). Changing it won't really improve it much.... will basically shut the site down for a while (system upgrades are longer and more frustrating that it seems like they could be).

Frames are bad.

 

[eris404]

a nice web site example

I don't know if this helps, but one web site I thought was nicely designed is: http://www.hellboy.com/

The navigation is clean, the names of categories are meaningful and it's easy to find what you're looking for. Also, it uses the organizational look of frames without using frames themselves. Somthing similar to this might work for you.

---Betsy