SOME THINGS.

[Patricia Cossack]

I am sure that once you read this thread, you're going to be sitting there thinking something along the lines of: Who the heck does she think she is trying to tell me all this stuff? Just so you know, I do intend to fill out an application, but I just figured I'd get the "easy" stuff out of the way first. I hope you don't mind if I give you some suggestions and a bit of constructive criticism. I just want to help make the site better. I have a little less than four years of role-playing experience in my fingertips, and almost that same length of administration duties, site owning - you name it. So… yeah…

I hope I catch everything I have on my mind. If not, I will definitely edit my post and add it or just type a new post (if someone replies first). Anyway, here you go:

• CHAT BOX: Why don't you get a chat box (C-Box)? There are a few sites where you can get a C-Box code that is all your own, and you can put it on the site. I think that it would help communication between members increase, and it would help people decide if they want to role-play with each other or not. It would also help when guests get on and have questions, comments, and/or concerns that they would like to voice without really registering an account.
  
  
• CATEGORIES/BOARDS/SUB-BOARDS: Not everyone shares my opinion and personal preference, but I was thinking that you could decrease the size of your home page by decreasing the amount of boards you have on it. Instead of having Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade as a category and having their shops as boards, why not have a category for places outside of Hogwarts and then have each main place (Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade) as boards and then their shops as sub-boards. Sometimes people don't like a long home page; however, there are a few out there that love lots of boards. I'm one of those people that likes few boards on the main page. Also, you have a category for Diagon Alley as well as a baord. I'm not sure what's up with that, but I thought I'd let you know.
  
  
• CATEGORY SPLITTER: The category splitter is a code for the headers/footers. I use it whenever I make a site, and I see a lot of other sites using it as well. You don't have to use it, but I think that it organizes the site a bit better and helps people easily differentiate between the different categories.
  
  
• HEADER IMAGES: I have seen those header images all over the place. They are part of a template, I think, and a lot of people use them. What I would suggest is that you either create your own header images or don't use header images at all. You can have a solid color and still make the site look good. Trust me, I know. I do it all the time, lol. Same goes for the menu images (home, search, etc.). Those are used on a lot of sites, too. A lot of people use text menus, and they look nice.
  
  
• STAND-OUT CATEGORIES: This isn't a code or anything, but just the changing of the font size in "modify a category." Sites look good with or without big board titles, but I think that categories with large board titles help people see the various category titles and catches their attention. They can easily glance over the site and see what category headers you have to determine how many boards there are for role-playing. Again, just my personal preference.
  
  
• ON/OFF IMAGES: You have two options for this: [1] add images to the on/off sections to help show whether or not there are new posts in a particular board or [2] add the code that removes that particular column from the site. This means that those boxes will not be there, and any added images will not appear unless that code is removed. I usually add the code, but that's my personal preference when making sites.
  
  
• BANNER: The banner image is located at the top of the site. I'm not sure if you were going to get one or if you were just going to leave it bare. I find that people are attracted to sites with an attractive banner. I'm not sure why, probably because pictures are pretty and people enjoy staring at the pictures.
  
  
• PM CODING: You should get a PM code so that your PM message is not up there in the banner section. You can either completely remove it (not recommended) or you can add a code that removes it and creates a little PM center that tells you if you have new messages or not. It helps people see when they have a message and makes sure that they can respond quickly without people sitting there waiting and being impatient. I hate trying to see if I have messages when there is no PM center because I have to scroll down and look for the not noticeable, very small numbers saying "new" and "read" or something like that…
  
  
• SIGN-UP THREADS: You might want to post sign-up threads in the sign-up board. Some people who join may be looking for the face claim, but I haven't quite seen it yet. Also, any other sign-ups you think are necessary (prefects, professors, residencies, etc.) may need to be posted so that people can post in them when necessary.
  
  
• WELCOME TABLE VS. SIDE TABLES: Most people prefer side tables; some people like welcome tables. I personally prefer side tables because you can organize it particularly, and it is easier to find stuff because of the heading titles of each box. You can have side tables on either the right or the left of the site; both look quite nice.
  
  
• POST THE PLOT: I know your plot is in the welcome table, and it can stay there in brief, but I think you should have an entire thread where the long version of the plot can be found and read. It would make locating the plot easier than trying to see it in the welcome table, especially when most people just jump straight into the site without thinking, you know?
  
  
• QUICK LINKS: These hyperlinks are found in the welcome table/side tables. They are just quick click to the most important threads on the site, like the rules, plot, application, canon claims, face claims, etc. It makes locating important things on the site much easier and it helps relieve people of asking the same question: Where is it?
  
  
• APPLICATION CODE: I'm a picky person. I'll just be honest though: I don't like your application code. You have the headings for each section, but the smaller pieces (like name, nickname, age, etc.) are a bit "ugly" and disorganized. You simply have the ~ around them, which makes it seem busy and unprofessional. Most people bold print them and add colons or will add special coding to make sure that you can distinguish each piece easily. Application coding is sometimes tedious, which is understandable… But I never mind doing it, probably because I am a dork like that.
  
  
• POSTING LENGTH: I glanced at the only actual role-play thread on the site thus far and saw the posting length. It was a bit depressing to me because I am more of an intermediate-advanced role-player. Everyone is on different levels, and I understand that, but people can be better. I think that there should be a posting requirement of two paragraphs or so. This will help people post decently lengthened posts with some detail. It will also help people to build their skills and eventually post giant posts. It is understandable if some people do not want to write novels, but not everyone wants to post a few sentences either.
  
  
• [red]EDIT - MEMBER GROUP COLOR LEGEND:[/red] Perhaps a color legend for member usergroups could be added. This will help guests and new members distinguish various groups so that the can possibly help maintain a balance if they see an imbalance of characters and such.
  
  
• [red]EDIT - HARSHER RULES:[/red] Don't make them too harsh, but tighten them up a bit. Make sure you mention things about image limitations and that everyone needs an avatar and/or signature. Perhaps set a posting length or make sure to mention how much content will be allowed (sex, profanity, etc.).

[Emearld Knight]

Thank you for the ideas......... some I were pondering on rather I should include them, while others are great and new ideas. Thanks so much ;D And I'm not the type of person who doesn't listen to advise or think all my ideas are perfect. Some of these thinks, as I mentioned before, are things I didn't think about. So thank you. I'll institute your ideas as soon as I can/