!!! WEBSITE !!!!

[Yakima]

I know there are rather few of us still around and I've posted several times about this and I don't want to become annoying or anything but I would really, really, really like imput on the new design and content of the website I've been working on for us. Granted that the final result will rest on Starfyre's shoulders and coding knowledge but Im using this site for my portfolio so it will need to be finished.

It is currently being hosted here: http://www.magecircle.com/nexus/ and now that I have Dreamweaver set up with the FTP i can update updates very easily now.

I'm more concerned with content, readability and stuff.

Thank you!

[Shard]

I think it looks very nice, clean!

There are some issues with the top bar little ^ doodad not pointing to Members or Chatroom when you click to those options. In the Records area, "agencies" is spelled incorrectly in the top bar.

Just on first view it is nice and easy to read, that's awesome.

[Yakima]

Oh, heh...well chatroom will go to the one on xalia's domain (forum will obviously go here), and I remember members not being right but i've been focused more on layout and stuff.

I'll defiantly have to fix agencies tho.

Thank you shard.

What do we want in the footer? I /might/ be able to find a DA widget code but I doubt it. Or do we just want a site map and a copyright of some sort?

[Shard]

Probably just a copyright statement, the site's navigable with remarkable ease elsewhere.

[weyrwomanrhiannon]

I like it. It seems really functional and easy to navigate. I like the color scheme and over all appearance as well.

[Yakima]

FYI, the website is now in Starfyre's hands and she's currently working on getting everything working. I'm honestly very excited cause to see one of my designs actually WORK with cool stuff is gonna be cool. *sits down next to her hobbit and steals her hobbit's cookies while waiting*

[StarFyre]

Hey, hey, I'm actually working on it! The running index page (because that's where I'm starting) is up at www.nexusdragons.com/index.php

The login and the newest forum posts work currently!

[Yakima]

BTW, i try to lurk in the chat room (http://www.dragonbackdesign.com/chat.php) if anyone wants to throw in suggestions or whatnot...

[Yakima]

*drools over the previews Starfyre is sending me* I really think you guys are gonna enjoy this too much. I know I will. *goes to get another bag of popcorn and steals some of her hobbit's cookies*

[Yakima]

I think Starfyre said she was almost done connecting the forms to the databases so we're getting closer to launching it...I think. Dunno. Starfyre's call but I'm sure we'll need beta testers to get feedback on how well everything works.

One question I have, now, is about the About page. A list of FAQ, a history of the Nexus and what we're about, and some terms (Star, is it possible to make the Terms to Know section databased [later] so that people can easily add to it? (do note I said later. I have no probelm getting the profile pages working first. ) So yeah...I think that was all i wanted to announce.

[StarFyre]

I'm currently distracted by finishing my play-through of Persona 3 (did the Bad End tonight... dear lord but that's a REALLY Bad End, and not cause the world's ending... now I have a game-month left before the "Good End"), but yeah, I'll probably have all the forms linked to the database by Monday.

Putting the terms to know in a database? Easy. I do, however, need a writeup for the FAQ/history/about. As I've told Yakima repeatedly, I just make things work =P I do remember JKat have a nice writeup of the Nexus on her nexus-site - should we borrow from that? Up to y'all.

[Yakima]

Yeah, i was planning on stealing some of the stuff the JKat had only cause i really don't know what to put there. Starfyre just makes things work, I just make things pretty. Unless its my own site. then I have to get that side of my brain working. And a list of questions people might Frequently ask would be good to...unless JKat had those too. *puts on list to find JKat's site*

STAR...are those pages going to be HTML or php? Cause I can put the information into html format if you need to turn it into PHP...or whatever..urg...35+ hours of being awake and only 4ish hours of sleep during then is NOT a good idea...

[StarFyre]

All the pages are going to be php as a standard, cause that's what enables the login at the top. Also, a significant number of those pages will be generated from the database on the fly (all the pages that have info that's entered - agencies, worlds, species, etc), so... eh, just makes more sense to make everything php standard.

Though really, the only difference between an html page and its php equivalent in this design is a few php calls at the top of the page and one or two partway down.

[Yakima]

truuueee....

[Yulara]

I like both the color scheme and the general feel of the website.

[StarFyre]

Just wait until it gets done! *thumbs up*

[Dray]

I'll ask Kat to pass on the About/FAQ info, since I think her site went down with artdragon.

Would it be possible to go over the spelling errors with a fine-toothed comb before calling the launch official? I love seeing websites that look pretty initially but also read pretty, ifyouknowwhatImean. ;P

[StarFyre]

Eh? Spelling errors where? (though to be fair I haven't read through most of the actual pages) But if there are errors on the index or any page that's currently listed as .php, please tell me.

I haven't been doing as much work on it as I'd like, cause finals are next week, so, err... yeah.

[Yakima]

There is little on the front page that I ever intended to be the final wording Dray. Most of it is/was filler text just to have text there.

And is it just me or is the chat room not working?

[StarFyre]

Eh, chat room's not working, it's not just you. If it's still not working by the time I'm through with teaching+proctoring a lab, I'll find an equivalent and install it on nexusdragons. Dear god I want the semester to end. Now I know why professors always look a bit harried at the end. *TWITCH* GRADES DUE MONDAY AFTER NEEEEXXXTTT. Also, the final exam for my class is next Friday at 6pm to 8pm. WTH. Die.

[Shard]

lol That's why I always pitied people like middle-school teachers. You think "oh these 6 classes and their tests are awful!" Their 5+ periods of 30+ students are much, much worse. I imagine that in college-level anything, it's amplified by the fact that they have to actually be paying SOME attention, because they're held to a much higher standard.

I'm sure you'll do fine, fer real.

[StarFyre]

After an entire semester, I can comfortably say that I rather like teaching... but not grading. Grading needs to die.

[Yulara]

I couldn't agree more. I helped with a couple of classes in college, and grading is the most monotonous and mind-numbing thing in the world. Teaching was actually fun, though the planning was stressful in my opinion.

[JKatkina]

herp derp!

http://avengaea.com/nexus/

[StarFyre]

o/ Thanks Jkat!

Grading tests is even worse, I think. So annoying. The only part about the planning that I think is stressful is the writing of homework/lab/quizzes, otherwise... Well. I am teaching programming, which is a subject I am very comfortable with, so I don't have much issues there. Although being partially self-taught means I don't have the experience of being taught to fall back on, which hurts a bit.

[StarFyre]

So, there's going to be some changes still, but it's currently 4 AM and I feel like I've been run over by a truck or something. Ugh. Anyway. http://nexusdragons.com/forum/chat/index.php Have fun. It'll be more integrated with the forum later.

[Dray]

Love the new chat feature.

[StarFyre]

Hey! Hey hey heyhey! Look! Up there, by the FAQ/Members/Logout buttons! CHAT BUTTON! Also it tells you how many people are in the chat at the current moment! HAVE FUN!

[Yakima]

StarFyre, when we get the site going, I have this to contribute right off the bat.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1X0-4X ... YtYkU/edit

I actually feel bad hoarding that being that it makes putting together pedigrees easier. I do have almost 3500 dragons in that database...and I wasn't even done. ha!

EDIT: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... HVhb1NEd2c this one...that one was eaten...

[Yakima]

BTW i just checked...you all can search those records from that google page... I don't feel as bad anymore hoarding it. hehee