New YWS Feedback

Hate to break it to ya, Kytey, but there technically isn't a chat to put Fred back into >.<

Hmm. Well, I like everything the way it is but change would be nice. I like change ^.^

Sorry to hear that. *hangs head*

Edit: what about the chess game?

1) I can't think of anything right now. So long as you leave what makes YWS a fantastic literary forum, I'm happy.

2) Again, nothing jumps to mind so you're probably wondering why I'm here at all, I'll get to that...

3) Okay, so I'd love something added. A few of us have been throwing this idea around for a while and I certainly can't take credit for thinking of it but we'd absolutely love to have a NaNo archives. The same as what you did with the storybooks pretty much. I'm more than willing to move things across at the end of every NaNoWriMo or NaNoPoMo (I'm pretty sure one archive would be sufficient for both) and it would make the thread a little cleaner and easier to navigate.

Kylan suggested in the Comments/Suggestions thread that we have some sort of appointment book so that everyone can keep up with all the things that need to be reviewed/looked at. I love the idea and it would be especially useful for those who forget to constantly update their review list on the Will Review for Food thread (if they have one).

Maybe put the Knowledge Base where more people will see it? I don't know how you'd do it but sometimes I encourage people to look at the articles there and they either didn't know there was one or didn't know where it was.

I can't think of anything else.
-always

always ->> That's already happening, as you read on the YWS blog

I think there should be a section dedicated to the writers' main characters in the user profile section. There should be some fields where ther writer can show to the viewers various info about the main characters (such as name, display picture of the character, what piece of work the character belongs in, background info, personality, songs that you associate with the main character and character development). It will feel as though the characters are intertwined with the author and encourage writers to care for their characters. It will also encourage character development. As they develop their character more, they can choose to add or change information they want to show to the viewers. It should also be accessible around the forum, just like the "View profile" icon. Maybe add a "Author's Character" icon below the "Profile" icon.

I hope you will consider my idea Nate.

Andy.

Clockwerk Goblin wrote:I think there should be a section dedicated to the writers' main characters in the user profile section. There should be some fields where ther writer can show to the viewers various info about the main characters (such as name, display picture of the character, what piece of work the character belongs in, background info, personality, songs that you associate with the main character and character development). It will feel as though the characters are intertwined with the author and encourage writers to care for their characters. It will also encourage character development. As they develop their character more, they can choose to add or change information they want to show to the viewers. It should also be accessible around the forum, just like the "View profile" icon. Maybe add a "Author's Character" icon below the "Profile" icon.

I hope you will consider my idea Nate.

Andy.

That'd be great for the novel writers out there, but a bunch of us have short stories - meaning tons of main characters.

~JFW1415

I do like Clockwerk's idea, but the problem I see with it is that for every one person that uses it, twenty people won't. This means it'd just be a blank section for 95% of profiles, and I don't want to really spend time on something that only 5% of people will use. I don't know... it's interesting.

Here's a screenshoot of the front page of the new YWS as it exists right now. You definitely have to use your imagination!

What you see is a bare bones skeletal version. The boxes are where content will go. The big box on the left hand side below the header is for featured works, and you can see the quote/word of the week next to that. Below it will be an area called "Staff Picks." Members of Big Bro will decide what shows up there (could be a KB article, a poem from the new poetry database, a link to another site, or a story someone posted here). Below the staff picks are two wide columns for new literary works. Only the title, the author, and the topic description will get displayed.

On the right hand side is the sidebar. The narrow, wide box is the user info area. Below that is a Google ad, and below that is another narrow wide box for featured member. The small columns are for recently updated topics.

Please note that the header will not appear this way, that the background will not be black, and that it is purely a skeletal version. I'm providing it here to give you an idea of what to expect, as well as to get feedback on what you like & don't like about the layout. [Edit] The only part that is pretty much non-negotiable is the placement of the Google Ads.

Can the google ads....not be there? Maybe below the boxes that are currently under it instead?

I apologize, but I should have added that the placement of the Google Ads are non-negotiable. The site costs $1620 a year to run, with costs rising rather than falling. To ensure that YWS continues to operate, it needs a source of revenue. To get that revenue, the Google Ads need to be placed in optimal locations. I did do extensive research on this, and found that users are generally less annoyed by ads that are on the right hand side rather than the left hand side. Yet, it must stay "above the fold" as that is an optimal area. However, the ads will be no different than what are displayed right now, and judging by the answers to a poll over the summer, people hardly even notice them.

Is the toolbar still going to be at the top of the page? I mean, you take that away and I'll go into seizures or something.

Otherwise, lookin' snazzy there, Nate! I'm looking forward to this revamp like you wouldn't believe!

~GryphonFledgling

GryphonFledgling wrote:Is the toolbar still going to be at the top of the page? I mean, you take that away and I'll go into seizures or something.

Otherwise, lookin' snazzy there, Nate! I'm looking forward to this revamp like you wouldn't believe!

~GryphonFledgling

Glad to hear it! It's gotten to be pretty much all I think about...

The toolbar is now located directly beneath the header. There's a couple of reasons for this. First, I wanted to move the Ad into the header since the header is essentially dead space & the ad currently takes up valuable real estate (you have to scroll down past the ad just to get to the content). But, Google doesn't allow for drop-down menus to appear over ads. So to move the ad into the header, I had to move the nav bar to below the header.

I've included an updated screenshot:

Will the square ad box in the middle of the page be on every page or just the front? Looking great!

*stops wringing hands*

The preview looks good. Much neater than the current layout, though I'm not really complaining. I was kinda worried before, but I think YWS'll be okay now. Your original previews didn't give much to hope for though, even if they were just jokes. XD

Also, if we're still giving suggestions for the new YWS, how about a spell check for the blogs? Or is that at all possible?