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Young Writers Society


Sneak Peek at YWS Renovation



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Tue Aug 16, 2011 7:57 am
Nate says...



I'm always hesitant to share this kind of stuff because it's always very rough and subject to change, but below is a mock-up of what I'm working toward with the YWS renovation coming this Fall.

yws_sneak.png
yws_sneak.png (96.27 KiB) Viewed 551 times


Keep in mind that this is a mock-up that I did in Adobe Illustrator. It is not an actual screenshot, and this is not what the final version will look like. Nonetheless, it is an accurate representation of what I am working toward.

Some notes:
- The page is split up into separate panes. The top pane (the black bar) is the user bar. Click on your username to access a menu that links to your profile, notifications, messages, and logging out. The dashboard is what My YWS is currently. Clicking on add new will show a menu from which you can add a new blog post, literary work, or status message. Additional icons will be shown in the black bar when you have a new message or notification.

- Below the black bar you have the start of the main page. That blue rectangle next to the logo is where an ad will be displayed.

- Then you have the start of the main pane. The top of the main pane displays the links to the various sections of the site. The section you are in currently is highlighted. How many other panes there are depends on what section you are in.

- This is a mock-up of what a short story will look like. Notice how the story itself is completely contained within one pane. The only extra stuff is the category information above the title, a star to like to the work in the upper right hand corner, and the reply area. Since all of that stuff is related to the story, there really is nothing extra in the story pane. Poems and other works will be displayed similarly.

- To the right of the story pane is the author information. The top pane is an "About the Author" area. You have the avatar, username, posts, and age displayed. Additionally, a mini-bio will be displayed (not shown here).

- Below the "About the Author" is a section showing the most recent works by the author. However, if this were a chapter in a novel, then the links to the other chapters would be shown here. There would also be a link to the novel overview page.

- Below the story pane is where comments are displayed. Only the comment, the avatar of the poster, the poster's name, a timestamp, and a way to like the post are displayed. Not shown here is that the review stars will continue to appear beneath the avatar of the poster. However, no other information will be shown (except for an edit button if applicable). The idea is to keep things simple.


Overall

Overall, you should notice that your attention is immediately drawn to the story. Everything else can be easily ignored unless needed. There is almost no extraneous text beyond what is absolutely necessary.

The aim is simply to make YWS more accessible to new and old members a like. It's very easy to navigate, easy on the eyes, and should be intuitive. Just by a quick glance, you immediately know which area is the most important due to the size of that area. You also know which area displays the sections of the site, and which area to go to in order to edit your account settings.

You can also see just how drastic of a change it is from the current YWS. A lot of information has been removed from the page. I've done this because unless it's necessary for understanding a comment or the story, then it's not necessary to be shown. This does mean no signatures.

By the way, WriterFeed will look almost 100% identical. The only difference will be the sections displayed.
  





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Tue Aug 16, 2011 8:13 am
Snoink says...



This is so awesome! I can't wait to see this in action. :)
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





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Tue Aug 16, 2011 9:16 am
Charlie II says...



It looks great -- lovely and smooth with far less angles than the current look of the site!

And oh yeah, now I remember, it's all about the writing isn't it!
I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.
-- Woody Allen
  





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Tue Aug 16, 2011 9:50 am
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Twit says...



Wow, this looks froody! Soon current YWS will be the Old YWS and people will sometimes say "Ah, I miss the old YWS" and older members will say "Dude, I miss the Old Old YWS". ^_^
"TV makes sense. It has logic, structure, rules, and likeable leading men. In life, we have this."


#TNT
  





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Tue Aug 16, 2011 10:06 am
Demeter says...



Wow, it looks pretty neat! I do like the angles though :)
"Your jokes are scarier than your earrings." -Twit

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Tue Aug 16, 2011 1:54 pm
Samp says...



Loving this new layout, already :D
Absence weakens mediocre passions and increases great ones the same way wind blows out candles and kindles fires.
  





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Tue Aug 16, 2011 2:47 pm
Lauren2010 says...



Yay for streamlining! Looks shiny :)
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Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:49 pm
Blues says...



I'm going to miss this version of YWS, but the new version looks brilliant! :D
  





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Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:54 pm
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Baywolf says...



I give it a paws up! (Wow. That was so lame, yet I feel no shame.)
After all, it is the pen that gives power to the mythical sword.

"For an Assistant Pig-Keeper, I think you're quite remarkable." Eilonwy

"You also shall be Psyche."

"My only regret
all the Butterflies
that I have killed with my car" Martin Lanaux
  





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Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:55 pm
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Baywolf says...



I give it a paws up! (Wow. That was so lame, yet I feel no shame.)
After all, it is the pen that gives power to the mythical sword.

"For an Assistant Pig-Keeper, I think you're quite remarkable." Eilonwy

"You also shall be Psyche."

"My only regret
all the Butterflies
that I have killed with my car" Martin Lanaux
  





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Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:56 pm
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Baywolf says...



Wow, I must really have meant that, because it just posted twice.
After all, it is the pen that gives power to the mythical sword.

"For an Assistant Pig-Keeper, I think you're quite remarkable." Eilonwy

"You also shall be Psyche."

"My only regret
all the Butterflies
that I have killed with my car" Martin Lanaux
  





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Tue Aug 16, 2011 7:05 pm
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Nate says...



Well, glad to hear that so far there's been no adverse reaction! One thing I should note is that the site will look differently if you're using an old version of Internet Explorer (versions 6, 7, or 8 ). In those versions, there will be no curves. Instead, everything will be rectangular. This is because I'm using CSS3 to do the curves, and IE 6-8 doesn't have support for CSS3.

Also, the forums will appear fundamentally the same as the mock-up above. The only real difference will be that instead of "More from this author," there'll be a pane showing some of the forum quick links, such as "View New Posts" and "View Unanswered Posts."
  





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Tue Aug 16, 2011 7:09 pm
XxMattxX says...



Nate says...


Hahaha this is adorable. The new layout looks a lot smoother and more unique. Nice.
Looking forward to it.
Solvalery/GeeLyria Fans
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Tue Aug 16, 2011 7:16 pm
gsppcrocks10 says...



Hm, looks cool. It'll take a lot of getting used to, it's been like this a while... (Wow, I feel like an old fart).
Just another quack spouting psychobabble.

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Tue Aug 16, 2011 7:22 pm
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Rosendorn says...



Nate wrote:This is because I'm using CSS3 to do the curves, and IE 6-8 doesn't have support for CSS3.


For a minute, I thought you meant Adobe CS3 and it took me a minute to remember it's a programming language.

No, I haven't been focusing on what creative suite I need for college and what sort of creative work I'll be doing in third year. Not at all.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  








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