Redesigning and re-branding EN World

[Klaus]

I'll add a vote for 3eN World ("Three-En World"?), it sounds like a perfectly logical growth of the original sites (both Eric's Third Edition News and the original EN World).

As for look, have you considered the "book-look" of oh-so-many d20 book? Y'know, a jewel or two in the corner, a black/leather background... stuff...

And that paves the way for the GenCon/3eN World Threenies!

 

[Angelsboi]

i agree with alot of these (namely getting rid of dead forums and using tag notes [Plot Help], [OT], etc, etc to denote specific topics.

Also EN World is very nostaligic but since its being redone, name it something with a phoenix. After all you said it. Somethoing from out of the ashes ...

 

[absurdum]

how about you just call the site d20reviews
also for the new look for the webpage how about black on a white or other hig contrast colour(high contrast to black that is). Also try to elimanate the need for excesive scrolling on the page, somekind of nav bar somewhere, that has all pervious articles cataloged so you only see todays article when you goto the page. Would a flash site be out of the question, no animations, just for easy browsing and navigation and that clean look that it provides. Just some ideas.

 

[mirzabah]

I'm neutral on the name change thing. EN World is familiar. On a side note, some people seem to think EN stands for Eric Noah - is that right? My understanding was that EN World was not at all related to Eric Noah's 3rd Edition News, but Eric did hand the baton on to Morrus when he decided to attempt to get his life back...

Anyway, I think redesigning the site is a good idea. I've never been fond of the black background thing. While it would require some development effort, I think taking a leaf from the gaming report's book and switching to a content management system (CMS) like slashdot or phpNuke could be a good idea. This would let you open up the front page articles to a band of "lieutenants", though I would advise against gifting post privileges to all and sundry (which many CMSs seem to prefer). phpNuke is a good, free PHP-based CMS which could be adapted with minimal effort. I've tinkered with it in the past, if you're interested I could set up a simple test site for people to play with. My time is a bit limited, but between us all I'm sure we could develop the necessary custom modules (reviews mainly). The forums would be best left as is (with maybe some cosmetic changes).

 

[Aristotle]

I agree with what was said about the EN awards. If you change the name, you really need to consider names that keep "EN" in them so that the award name continues to make sense. I think this is the biggest issue with rebranding.

I like the sound of "Third Edition News", with a catchy "3EN" logo somewhere on the page.

 

[Eternalknight]

Salutations,

As I flip through my books, I think a great resource would be a listing of what book has which PrC/feat/spell.

Of course, that kind of undertaking gives me a headache just thinking about it...

[shameless plug]Check out DM Buddy [/shameless plug]

 

[Painfully]

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.

 

[dema]

Morrus-

What is the major issues with the updating? I saw one DnD fan site that used frames and menus very well. I admit the work would be alot at first, but the interface was great.

each frameset had it's own menu on the left side, and on top. I'll try to find this site. damn can't find it.


Basically the main web items will be listed on the left side. and subtopics along the top. The top menu will change when you click on a side link. the big problem i see with this is adding more topics can be a pain.

As someone kinda suggested why not just look to the NYtimes, or some other NEWS site for a lay out example?

As for EN world, name thing did I start that?

I too like the current color scheme, and lay out, though I usually only read the front page, and nowadays the message boards.

-dem

 

[Archangel]

Keep the name

I vote to keep the name EN World.

I was saddened the day 3rd Edition News closed and nervous when EN World took over. It may have had the same content, but was not familiar. I left the news for about 4 or 5 months.

Eventually, I tried out EN World again. I have been visiting almost daily ever since. I like the name, the banner, the logo, etc.

There are a lot of things in the world that may not be the most colorful, descriptive, or accurate. Many of these are still very popular. There are companies that continue under the name of the founder (not exactly the same in this case, but close) even though he may be dead and the family completely removed from the company (heck, at least Eric is still alive and involved). I also do not know Eric personally, but he does not seem to be an egotistical, self-promoting, buffoon as are so many how attain name recognition. I think we should the name in the spotlight (even if it is only in a small corner of the Interverse).

Other posters have already stated recognition, logo-bearing products, and nostalgia so I have nothing new to add.

Now, I am not a wrestling fan, but I have watched in the past. When I heard that they had changed to WWE (from WWF, this happened somewhat recently I believe, but am always last to find things out anyway) I couldn't help but cringe a bit. Now, admittingly, I am smart enough to realize it is still the same product but I can't help but look at it skeptically as an upstart new company.

Change for the sake of change is not always good. Since you have not stated that you dislike EN World, and you have stated that this is not a marketing strategy you have no real reason to change the name. This is not being clamored for by the masses. Seeing the sight promoted by a Dragon Magazine article only supports my opinion of EN World as the best d20 resource on the Net.

Feel free to change the layout if you must. I am not a very organized person, so have not problems with the current layout as it seems very organized to me. Also, any change will have the initial effect of causing me to relearn what was natural (not the same as learning something new, and only exceptable if the change is an improvement upon the original).

So, in closing, I will say thank you for coming to the community as a whole for reactions/opinions on your idea before making any changes. I think that we all appreciate it (I know I do).

My 2 cents worth (whew, with inflation and all, I really should charge more)...

 

[EricNoah]

Hey folks!

Some of this discussion sprang from a little chat Russ and I had last night. I'm the one who proposed the name change idea, though I'm actually absolutely neutral on it (I'm pleased and flattered to have the site named after me, but I also think that if a name change is going to happen better sooner than later).

As far as a site redesign, it's perfectly natural that as the site grows and evolves that the original design won't work as well. I would like to lobby *against* frames -- I think they're icky. Other than that, nothing special to add that hasn't already been thought of by our super-genius community.