Re: Forum / site overhaul suggestions

**Dmanlamius** Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:01 pm

I think that's the key, isnt it?

I'll disable comments, and we'll set up a forum for the "Esque" vids, right here.

Time for bit of an overhaul as well. What do you guys like about the main site and how it works? Anything that sucks?

Design-wise what you you think (Smaz man, need you here!)?

The main youtube channel needs an overhaul as well. It needs to be better I think.

Getting so damn popular now. I really gotta get on top of stuffs! affraid

**ThreeLetterSyndrom** Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:34 pm

On the main site, it's a bit slow. A content management systen (I'm sure Smaz can tell you what I mean) would be a good idea. That way you can integrate the blog and the site, while reducing loads on all sides. It'll be a bit harder to get everything exactly as you want it (Moonfruit is flash based etcetera etcetra), but I think it'd be well worth it. Of course, I don't know what kind of hosting plan you have, but most hosting plans come with support for this kind of thing.
My main point here is integration. You have a main site (dmanlamius.com) and a blog (learnbass.net), which both provide your bass lessons along with other stuff. This makes you have to change stuff twice when there's systems which you can do it in one go with.

On the forums, they look a bit unprofessional, if I might be so free. The skin is really colourful and stuff and I think more skin options would be a good idea (I don't know if Forumotion supports these things). Also, integration of forums with the main website? That way we only have to bookmark one link (say, www.dmanlamius.com) and be done with it. Wink

Those are my views on the matter.

**Some freaky guy** Fri Jul 02, 2010 4:30 pm

ThreeLetterSyndrom wrote:On the forums, they look a bit unprofessional, if I might be so free. The skin is really colourful and stuff and I think more skin options would be a good idea (I don't know if Forumotion supports these things). Also, integration of forums with the main website? That way we only have to bookmark one link (say, www.dmanlamius.com) and be done with it.

+1 on this. An idea would be to install a phpBB based forum or something on the domain "dmanlamius.com" in a folder called "forums" or "forum" and making that folder a subdomain, so that "forums.dmanlamius.com" directs us to the forum. It would also be nice to have the main site and forums use the same layout. A dark, almost black and white main site and a really colourful forum looks a bit unprofessional.

**Dmanlamius** Fri Jul 02, 2010 9:43 pm

Does anybody else feel like this?

Originally, the forum WAS dark, but I think it looked a bit "metal", and I didn't want to catergorise my students if you see what I mean? I went through loads of skins before picking this one. I feel a change would be nice, as well though.

Its all a bit ooky cooky tbh. When I started putting lessons out there, I had no idea about webdesign, and how it works etc. Thats why things are in different places.

And you're both right. Every thing needs to be in one place.

Arrgg....

**Dropthelines585** Fri Jul 02, 2010 10:59 pm

I've never liked these awful colors.

**MetalJacob** Sat Jul 03, 2010 6:17 am

Dropthelines585 wrote:I've never liked these awful colors.

Yea I feel like I'm in the McDonald's playhouse when I go to these forums Razz

**willba** Sat Jul 03, 2010 8:27 am

The truth finally emerges....so what alternate colours would everyone like? I think a slightly darker blue would look more professional like the on/off colour.

**Dmanlamius** Sat Jul 03, 2010 10:19 am

Yea guys, chuck some ideas our way.

**Smaz** Sat Jul 03, 2010 10:34 am

Split from other topic, to keep things relevant Smile

I'll look into a few things....

**ThreeLetterSyndrom** Sat Jul 03, 2010 10:47 am

Something sleek and universally applicable.

Dark blue seems good, but I think it's better to use monochromatics for the main forum colour. White as background, with dark blue and gray effects, something like that.

**MetalJacob** Sat Jul 03, 2010 1:28 pm

I agree to the dark blue.

**lololiet** Sat Jul 03, 2010 1:36 pm

I like the way the forum looks now Sad

But then again: It's not all that important to me so you guys won't get rid of me just by changing the colours Twisted Evil

SyneRRR Sat Jul 03, 2010 1:40 pm

To be honest, the forum colour's don't make a difference to me. It's more the content but if you are integrating it into the main site, you may want to go for a similar colour-scheme. But I actually know nothing about this stuff.

**Some freaky guy** Sat Jul 03, 2010 2:57 pm

Try keeping EVERYTHING in the same style, including the intro/outro on your vids, blog and the colour scheme on your channel. If you give your users/students/viewers/visitors/whatever a set theme to relate to it will be a lot easier to navigate your sites and it will look more professional.

**ThreeLetterSyndrom** Sat Jul 03, 2010 5:11 pm

It doesn't have to be that professiona (as in cold). Most of us come to this forums for our fun and it helps if the style is a bit like that, too.

DubHertz Sat Jul 03, 2010 10:43 pm

AS my college lecturer keeps drumming into our heads "when choosing colours and fonts be aware of people with colour blindness and dyslexia"

**lololiet** Sun Jul 04, 2010 10:37 am

DubHertz wrote:AS my college lecturer keeps drumming into our heads "when choosing colours and fonts be aware of people with colour blindness and dyslexia"

like they would notice.....

but I like the big round buttonny things, they give the forum a less "Formal" look, unlike most forums these days who look a bit cold and impersonal.

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