Improving BWINT

Unread post by **Sapphire** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 4:03 pm

Hi everyone,

With BWINT getting more exposure every year through conventions and general site usage, I feel it's time to spruce up a few things on the site, and I need your help to do it!

Over the coming weeks I would like to revamp dusty sections of the site. Today I added to the 'Creative Team' page and put in some extra info on some other pages. My plans are as follows:

Complete the Episode Reviews (www.bwint.net/episodelists.htm ) - I know some of you offered to fill in the gaps, but I only got a handful of actual content, so if anyone is up for reviewing the last few episodes (the ones without links to a review page) please, please do send them to me a.s.a.p!

Additionally, I would really appreciate it if the fans of the show/site helped me compile some data for the Episode List/Reviews pages, such as the following:

Episode Air date:
Episode Writer:
Episode Director:

I feel it would make the site a much better info-source if we had these details.

If any of you can think of other areas where the site needs work (for example I would like a more comprehensive set of reviews and information on all the Beast Wars action figures and comic series) and are prepared to help me add the content, please do let me know.

I will be very busy with University these coming weeks, but in around a month's time I plan on updating the site, and it'd be nice to give it a spring clean and add a few shinies to it for a change rather than simply putting up fics and art. I can only do this if others are willing to help out, so if you're up for improving the Internet's only true home for BW fans, then say you're in!

>Sapphire<

una · Unread post by **una** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 5:56 pm

I'll be more than willing to help you, Sapphire.

Can I give you the Episode Writer and Director for each episode?

Wait! If I can get two other people, I can do the first season while the other two do season two and season three!

Darkshadow14 · Unread post by **Darkshadow14** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 9:55 pm

Shoot, sorry Sapph I know I still have one more ep review to do. I will get on that, hopefully not so long this time.

Tor · Unread post by **Tor** » Mon Sep 28, 2009 11:59 pm

Weeeell, this is prime time to bring up Dalgroth's ideas.

Some of you (heavens to Betsy I know you all don't read the Newsletter section) know that she suggested a site wide collage of the popular DeviantArt challenge: 100 themes! Buuuut since most of us are in school and/or working, she's cut it down to the more attainable 50 themes!

And thus, we reach my point. For those willing or interested in this project, a sign-up thread will be posted shortly in the Newsletter section.

Also, be on the look-out for more contests and prizes comin' your way.

Blazemane · Unread post by **Blazemane** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:21 am

Yeah, Sapphire, I had still intended to write the review for "Other Voices Part II", but since I had no clue when the site was being updated (and I figured an announcement like this would come beforehand), I was biding my time.

I will definitely write that thing. It's one of my favorite episodes.

Also, I can guarantee nothing about this next bit because it seems like a rather large thing to tackle, but I recently got a hold of IDW's second Beast Wars comic series. I might want to review that. I just have to think through some things.

Unread post by **Sapphire** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 1:54 am

Una - thank you. If no one else volunteers to help you with that project, here are some very useful links where you can easily compile information:

http://www.ntfa.net/ntfa/bw/eplist.php - writers and air dates

http://www.tv.com/beast-wars/show/2361/ ... g=;summary - writers, directors, air dates

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Be ... s_episodes - air dates

When you compile the info, can you please use this template:

Episode written by: [insert name]
Episode Directed by: [insert name ]
Original Air date: [ insert date]

If you do it that way, with all the page breaks I have shown you, then it is a simple c&p job for me on the pages, which will make the update process go a lot faster.

*hugs* You're a star.

And I look forward to getting the episode reviews from you, Dark and Blazemane.

Tor's 50 themes idea is also a cool way of adding something new and fun to the site, but for this particular thread I want to focus on improving what we have so our site is more than just a host for fics and images, but a comprehensive place to get information on the show.

Lastly, Blazemane, you're of course under no pressure, but a comic series review would be enormously appreciated, if you find the time to write one.

Thanks everyone! Here's hoping for more responses to this project!

Dalgaroth · Unread post by **Dalgaroth** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:08 am

Ooh! Oh!

I'll help Una!

:waves hand in the air:

I'd love to help make the site better, but I don't have comis or toys. ( I NEED TOYS! :headdesk: lol, as if I'd play with them... or would I? >_>) And I don't think/know how to tell if somewhere needs improving. xD

If there's ANYTHING I think could use some spring cleaning....um...

:surfs BWInt:
Maybe some sprucing up on the character bio pages? Like on Silverbolt's page it says:

"Variant: fuzor"

could be corrected to "Fuzor" and on Depth Charge's page, "Underwater Warrior" could be changed to "Aquatic Warrior" or "Aquatic Officer" or something. lol, I don't think they're supposed to sound totally formal, but I think the labels for each character could be changed to be consistent with each other and sound all...officiallish. I also don't think "Gender" is needed. >_> But that's a preference for a couple personal, rather picky reasons. -A- ("Male" robots...o_O)

lol I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but I think that part of the bios could be made better in order to make them look...Official with a Fan's twist?

But then, that could just be me being picky. xD

OH WAIT!! There is something in the bios that I think could be better! ....again, I'm being picky though....The bios are set in the past tense, but I think the present tense would be much better. As it is, it sounds like they died! D: Noooo! Or they're not around anymore or something! D:

;_;

lol sorry n_n'

una · Unread post by **una** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:14 am

Dalgaroth wrote:Ooh! Oh!

I'll help Una! :waves hand in the air:

I'd love to help make the site better, but I don't have comis or toys. ( I NEED TOYS! :headdesk: lol, as if I'd play with them... or would I? >_>) And I don't think/know how to tell if somewhere needs improving. xD

If there's ANYTHING I think could use some spring cleaning....um...

:surfs BWInt:
Maybe some sprucing up on the character bio pages? Like on Silverbolt's page it says:

"Variant: fuzor"

could be corrected to "Fuzor" and on Depth Charge's page, "Underwater Warrior" could be changed to "Aquatic Warrior" or "Aquatic Officer" or something. lol, I don't think they're supposed to sound totally formal, but I think the labels for each character could be changed to be consistent with each other and sound all...officiallish. I also don't think "Gender" is needed. >_> But that's a preference for a couple personal, rather picky reasons. -A- ("Male" robots...o_O)

lol I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but I think that part of the bios could be made better in order to make them look...Official with a Fan's twist?

But then, that could just be me being picky. xD

OH WAIT!! There is something in the bios that I think could be better! ....again, I'm being picky though....The bios are set in the past tense, but I think the present tense would be much better. As it is, it sounds like they died! D: Noooo! Or they're not around anymore or something! D:

;_;

lol sorry n_n'

Do you want to do Season Two?

I'm more than halfway done with Season One. That's the longest season.

Dalgaroth · Unread post by **Dalgaroth** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:17 am

Sure I'll do season 2!!

Lady Venom · Unread post by **Lady Venom** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:40 am

Those are all awesome idea's. But I do have to ask, Sapphire do you think, where Uni is getting to be obviously a large part of your life, and the site is updated maybe...three times a year, if you could let someone else do minor updates in between?

Art and Fic updates possibly, updating new things as they crop up to make it updated maybe every two weeks or so?

I think that would help to possibly create a larger fanbase to the site, because they could see it isn't a sporadically updated one, and then wander away to post their things elsewhere.

You could still maintain the site obviously, it is your site. But perhaps you could do the larger updates, as you're asking for here.

Maybe we could ask if anyone wants to update certain pages of the site, like a new front page to the Forum or main page? With some artwork of the better artists we've got here?

Some of the graphics are nice, but you can see where they were cut (white spots around the edges) those are things that could be looked into sprucing up as we near 2010..we could make the site a bit more stream line...

What about those ideas?

una · Unread post by **una** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:40 am

Great! Just follow the format Sapphire has written and start writing!

YEA!

Unread post by **Sapphire** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:59 pm

Hey LV. I wholeheartedly agree that there are bits of the site that could be touched up and improved. They've been niggling at me for ages, but I have not had the time nor the energy to address them. As for giving the site over to others to help me run, I have tried that system and it is complicated. As it stands, I'd need to find someone who A.) I trust completely, b.) knows how to work with websites and C.) has the time. Finding that combo has, quite honestly, been impossible. :/

However, I will be finishing University in 10 months, after which I will have much more free time to work on improving the site, and you actually inspired me to try some automation with the coding, as in allow people with website accounts to upload fics, art and reviews, as opposed to me doing it manually. I don't know how to do that, but my sister soon will as she is taking an advanced web design course and she'll be able to assist me in upgrading the system BWINT currently runs on (which is very simple, since I taught myself how to make sites and have no formal training). So I will definitely take your suggestions on board!

In the meantime, I am going to ask the members of the site to contribute as much content as they like to help improve it. This goes for graphics, too! If there are sketchy graphics on parts of the site (with rough outlines etc.) and you're a good artist or graphics artist, feel free to send me some Beast Wars images to replace them with. I am very open to giving parts of the site a makeover.

Over the next few updates, I will touch up wherever I can, but I definitely need members' help to make it happen. Thanks again to everyone for their input.

Darkshadow14 · Unread post by **Darkshadow14** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 2:20 pm

Well what else can I help out with Sapph? I know I can do more than a ep review. I always wanna help out as much as I can!

xCubicZirconia · Tue Sep 29, 2009 4:48 pm

Have you thought about a video page? Like, get some videos from youtube to put on the site and stuff?

Alak · Unread post by **Alak** » Tue Sep 29, 2009 5:27 pm

Lady Venom wrote: Some of the graphics are nice, but you can see where they were cut (white spots around the edges) those are things that could be looked into sprucing up as we near 2010..we could make the site a bit more stream line...

What about those ideas?

Agreed wholeheartedly. I'm sure there are many artists, including myself, who are willing to re-render images to make the bwint site look cleaner.