Redesigning and re-branding EN World

[dracos23]

Morrus,

I refused to register for these boards for a long time but this discussion has brought me out of the woodwork. Whatever you need to do to make this site work for you, do.

I hit this site as soon as I get home from work and read every piece of news posted. Group the press releases in their own forum. Comment only if it is something you feel is important to the community. If you would want to, editorials would be great.

Thanks for the great job you do in the community.

 

[Soulmage]

Site Redesign

Morrus, don't be afraid to change the name. You've got such a huge user base that within two weeks everybody will be using the new name like it was always the name of the site. Might I suggest that if you're redesigning the site "from the ashes" you incorporate "Phoenix" into the name somehow?

While history is a good thing, things change (especially websites). In fact, web sites HAVE to continue to evolve if they're going to stay vibrant and alive. This is natural and good.

Remember all those nay sayers who loudly and vociferously exclaimed against 3E saying it wasn't needed, and it was just a ploy to scam gamers out of money? We don't hear much from those folks these days. New is a good thing. Look at what "new" has done for our hobby. . . a veritable D&D rennaissance!


Just as you redesign the site please focus on readability and speed. We don't come here for pretty pictures, just great content.

As somebody suggested, I'd love to see you write some editorials yourself. I really enjoy reading Monte's fevered ravings I'm sure I'd enjoy hearing what you have to say. You have the power to become one of the biggest voices in the gaming industry. Use it. Carpe diem!

Keep up the great work!

 

[ashockney]

If it ain't broke...

Break it!

Name: As a fan, I say keep ENWorld for the nostalgia and relevance to all of us who've been here, as fans, and for all those we hope to pass this tradition on to. It provides a sense of history. I love to tell the story of the origin of the site to others.
I think that branding is a business concept, that has more to do with how to maximize the profitability of your site, and I don't think it belongs in this discussion.

What do I LOVE about ENWorld (in order of importance):
*LOVE the dirt, the juice, the stuff, and the scoops.
*Industry professionals: Monte, Sean, Ryan, Anthony and others
*Industry paragons: Gary, Dave, Peter, and all.
*Crunchy FREE DnD stuff - new spells, items, feats, prestige classes, etc. (regardless of publisher)
* What has buzz and WHY - 3rd Ed PH, Epic, EQ RPG, NWN, etc.
* DM Tools - Creature Catalog, Generators, Character Sheets, etc.
* DM Advice - What do I do? Here's what I did! & Storyhours
* Messageboards - for all above plus min/max, Iron DM, etc.

By the way, there's no better place on the web to get all of the above IN SPADES. Kudos.

What I like, and use sometimes (in order):
*Forgotten Realms updates (particularly WOTC)
*Info about new and upcoming WOTC and S&S stuff
*Watch for open calls and d20 contests and updates
*Categorized resources like Errata, Black Pages, Links
*Cool new non-dnd stuff like d20 supers or d20 modern

What I wouldn't miss (in no particular order, no offense):
*Chat Rooms
*Settings
*Reviews on the myriad of non-major d20 published stuff
*EN Zines
*Hosted Sites (wouldn't miss from main page)
*RPG Store
*WOTC Product Schedule
*Advertisements - a necessary evil, sometimes

What I drool for:
More from the industry icons -- Why were decisions made, what are the numbers behind it, where is the industry going, what's great that we can't miss...use your site as leverage for more interviews, deeper analysis and the biggest scoops.

Reviews: I agree with Monte Cook's statement that Reviews should be done only by those that have a vested stake in the success of the industry. Therefore, if the review isn't by an icon of the industry, I really don't have any interest in reading through it. I would be interested, however, in seeing Amazon.com style listings of reviews with information like top 10 sellers in retail and top 10 sellers online. If you wanted to find out more info, you could jump into a messageboard/posting of all the comments from the many reviewers/purchasers. I would ENCOURAGE the designers and writers to RESPOND on those same threads...let the buyer make the final decision. Hot products will get many, many reviews, giving a better overall system for reviews.

Calendar: I'd certainly love to see an all inclusive d20 publishing calendar of upcoming releases. I love hype! But I'd like to pick through it for myself, and leave it to scoops from yourself or others to get the "buzz" on what's HOT and WHY. I love the idea of the "status" being listed for each product (on time, delayed, published) for each. It would be cool if you could click on the link to go to a messageboard post with press releases and/or reviews of the product in question. Let publishers pimp all they want but move it off the main "scoop" board and behind the d20 product catalog.

More FAN Community Stuff - Community gatherings, community bonding (ie, q&a or messageboards dedicated to finding out more about each other, interests hobbies, etc.), community gaming events, community cartoons (PvP is awesome, there must be others like it out there), community contests (Iron DM, best new module, min/max, BADD)

What makes me cringe:
Regular Updates - I'd hate to see us end up with less scoops. I'll take some crap mixed in with the scoops in order to get the most and best scoops! I love being able to find something, ANYTHING, to read about DnD each day.

Pre-fab Press Releases Posted In Full Automatically - Hate 'em. Don't do it. I won't read through them. There's too much crap, and this will take up too much space, lessening the liklihood that I'll have the time to visit regularly.

Politics - Sorry, but the ennies make me cringe. As do reviews. As do posts from my favorite administrator feeling like he's turning tricks and not getting paid. I'm sure there are ways that you can make this work, but I neither understand or appreciate the ENies. Contests that determine winners and losers IN THE INDUSTRY are political, period.

Mission Statements - this is modern management crap at it's finest! Doesn't it make you cringe to think about doing something like this? I'm sure it makes everyone else cringe, too. If I were a consultant or an advisor, however, I'd tell you that it's a natural part of the process of DEFINING yourself (or your entity), and it should be done. I would encourage you to overcome the willies, set aside the time, and do it.

Ok, having said all that, I'd like to close with the disclaimer that ALL OF THE ABOVE is directed towards making ENWorld the PREMIERE fan-based web site on the internet.

If your mission is to become the most PROFITABLE COMMUNITY site on the internet, I've got completely different comments (because what I love, is only relevant in so far as it is MAKING YOU MONEY, and the rest is garbage that is COSTING YOU MONEY).

Please note that these are MY opinions only, and are not intended in any way to offend the many fine publishers, freelancers, hosted sites, campaign worlds, and reviewers at ENWorld.

 

[JDRay]

<pant, pant, pant>

Whew! Eight pages of posts in a thread, and all of them with content. I think that's a new record! I'm worn out from reading them all.

But enough about me...

Well, almost enough. I use ENWorld for the following:
-News on a daily basis.
-Press releases from publishers to see what the state of the game is.
-Messageboards (primarily House Rules).

The parts of the site that I would like to see moved down (in levels):
-WotC's product releases (and the rest of the right column).
-Yesterday's news.

As far as design goes, I like the idea of one navigation frame, either to the left or on top (my preference is for the left, but that's minor).

Using the tiers that Morrus described earlier, I think a DHTML or JavaScript type popup menu that lets you navigate directly to the spot you want to go with no additional page loading would be both easy to implement and useful for users. Of course, "easy to implement" is a relative term.

I seem to be one of the few that appreciate the press releases that get posted. I will say that I only appreciate the actual information there and not the advertising schlock that gets slipped in. Too many adjectives do not make a good release. That said, I would still like to see press releases on the home page, though possibly separated in their own box at the bottom of the daily news.

Speaking of which, I'd like to see only today's news on the front page with quick links to previous days for this week across the top of the news section.

And, about today's news, I agree with those who say that WotC stuff should be relegated to a single entry in the D20 System News group. Keep the Messageboard Roundup. It gets me interested in other parts of the messageboards.

There have been several comments here about content management systems. As an IT guy, I can't say enough about the value of source control. I don't know anything about phpNuke or any of the rest that have been touted here, but being able to store content in a database and configure it differently for different uses (one way on the home page, another in a search list, a third in a sub-page) is invaluable. One heretofore unavailable feature that this sort of thing would enable is the ability to get a history of a product that you're interested in. Want to know about The Giant Tome of Crunchy Bits? Go find it's listing under it's publisher and see everything that was reported about it on ENWorld. CMSes shouldn't be difficult to manage, even for someone with less experience at web stuff than you, Morrus.

So long as people are pointing out site's that they like, I just looked at Ladyofdragons' site and have to say that I like it quite a bit from a visual perspective. I can't say anything about the content, as I just skimmed the page. Maybe refer to it for ideas, though.

Enough for now. Whatever you do, keep it up.

Best regards,

JD

 

[William Ronald]

Hello, Morrus:

Sometime back a poster said he thought that the difference between Eric Noah's site and the current EN World that Eric's site felt more like visiting a friend's house and your site felt more like sticking around a friendly hobby shop. While I do not quite agree with this, sometimes it seems that the site has taken on an almost corporate feel. I do agree with your sentiment that some publishers may think of your site as an extension of their marketing efforts. I see EN World (or whatever you chose to name it) as a fan-based site with news, information, and very good discussions. I have meet people on these boards whom I am proud to call friends.

I like the news, but perhaps all but the most important items can be put elsewhere on the site. I understand what it is like to be deluged with press releases (I used to be a reporter, and sometimes the press releases were a little excessive.) The suggestion to have a link for press releases would be a good idea. Mind you, a press release about an important topic can be news. However, one thing I like about this site is its ability to go beyond just the mere press releases. This site has had many of the best people in the gaming industry as visitors and members.

When I was a reporter, I had to make sure to have more than one side of the story. Occcassionally, I would have a source who just wanted a press release printed. I explained that was not the nature of my job. A press release can be a foundation for news, but in some cases you really need to go beyond them. Hopefully, the publishers will talk with you.

Possibly a rumors page, as it exists now, would be a good idea. It might encourage people to talk to you, rather than just let rumors pop up.

So, if there is something important, try to talk to someone. I realize that your time is limited and this may not be practical. However, I understand and respect your desire not to be a marketing arm of a company. So, what level of news reporting that you do is your decision. Perhaps all you need to do is to have rumors and just the most important stories on the front page. Everything else could perhaps go in the publisher's forum.

I like the black background, but don's see much use for a logo that is usually invisible. The color scheme is soothing for the eyes. The right hand navigation bar is perhaps unnecessary with the change in focus.

Do keep the message boards, but perhaps reorganize them for ease of use. I enjoy them immensely, and have had many meaningful discussions on them. I also have meet people whom I respect and like as individuals. The messageboards really help give me a sense of community. Ultimately, this site has been successful because of its members and the team that works diligently to keep this site running.

As for the name, EN World does have a certain value of being traditional. However, if you can think of a good name that helps explain what this site is all about, use it. I think someone suggested Everything New d20. This could be done as EN d20, and seems a compromise between various positions.

Finally, I would like to thank you and all the people whose hard work makes this site possible. Regardless of the changes, I plan to stick around.

 

[Morrus]

Re: If it ain't broke...

Ok, having said all that, I'd like to close with the disclaimer that ALL OF THE ABOVE is directed towards making ENWorld the PREMIERE fan-based web site on the internet.

If your mission is to become the most PROFITABLE COMMUNITY site on the internet, I've got completely different comments (because what I love, is only relevant in so far as it is MAKING YOU MONEY, and the rest is garbage that is COSTING YOU MONEY).

It's not actually a binary choice. The reality is that in order to achieve the former, an element of the latter is necessary. With traffic like this, the site needs to raise a LOT of money every month to keep going.

It's one of those sad but true facts of life. Server fees come from my pocket. If I win the lottery, rest assured that you'll never see an ad, a shop, a request for donations or anything remotely commercial on this site again!

 

[JDRay]

Oh, yeah...

The idea about Morrus doing reviews? Stellar! I've appreciated the posts that go something like, "I heard this about [publisher], and followed up with them on it. They say [publisher's comments]." Usually, though, they end there. If you (Morrus) were to go into more depth about what you think about the issue (if there is one), it would be very welcome by many.

 

[Morrus]

Oh, yeah...

The idea about Morrus doing reviews? Stellar! I've appreciated the posts that go something like, "I heard this about [publisher], and followed up with them on it. They say [publisher's comments]." Usually, though, they end there. If you (Morrus) were to go into more depth about what you think about the issue (if there is one), it would be very welcome by many.

Do you have an example? I think I understand what you're getting at (and I think I agree) but an example would make it clearer.

 

[William Ronald]

Morrus,

A good example of an editorial would be about why there are so many books with a certain theme published. Or why a company is introducing a new product that is a departure for it.

In addition to reviews, maybe a few editorials would be welcome. For example, maybe an editorial on the state of the hobby. Or an editorial on why companies are going through changes.

Also, more interviews would be welcome.

 

[Morrus]

Also, more interviews would be welcome.

We have Peter Adkison in the chat room on Wednesday!