[syfChadMann]

Suggestion: Challenge function.. While viewings members profile you can challenge them to a match on sc2 and report the results... when both players report matching results the winner receives points (eg 2 points if both players are in the same league, 3 if the winner is in a lower league 1 if the winner is in a higher league)... these points are show with member posts as a badge of honour!.. Additionally Awards may be given for milestones of points achieved.

Quick Comments

TAhackdZ:

I like this! Digital glove slap ftw!

[Azure]

pick me for the random draw

[Eldrid]

The regular sea show match thing was my idea! (currerently named sea fight) I hope this can count

[RaGheR]

Hmm...
Suggestions Suggestions..
Maybe Add More Categories?
umm Ummm create an area that features "Video Of The Day" Be It Starcraft 2 related or just for Funny Stuff that would be cool :x
Some random sc2 games? LoL~~~

[Jix]

cool, diablo 3 beta key. Im here to try my luck! :P

[ToRDeathsFang]

My suggestions
-Become more harsh with forum rules as douchebags can get away with quite a bit
-The 'Replays' section needs to have a bigger impact on the site. It should be a very large part of it. Instead of just a small section on the side, maybe a link to a whole forum section to discuss and share replays

That's all i can think of!

[Dox]

Originally Posted by DeathsFang

-The 'Replays' section needs to have a bigger impact on the site. It should be a very large part of it. Instead of just a small section on the side, maybe a link to a whole forum section to discuss and share replays

http://www.sc2sea.com/blogs/showentry.php?e=199

[syfMiley]

Can't think of any suggestions that haven't already been mentioned but i'll post to enter myself for the draw anyways

[lach2]

i finished my hsc today... if i don't get a beta code i will cry

[Roz]

Have the main page be inFi's news page!

[Brultze]

An event idea I have is for the top players in SEA duke it out in a massive FFA!!! Love the custom game tournament idea, I'm super speedy in StarJeweled ^^

Quick Comments

inFeZa:

**** yeah, FFA is the most balanced thing in starcraft2

[EscapisT]

.

+ Show +

sup son

Quick Comments

nirvAnA:

bad boy

[antarnis]

I want D3 please!

Suggestion: Revamp the website. Maybe change the colours and layout?

[cruxis]

I would like to see a section for users to upload replays. So then anyone can download and watch them, and give feedback. Or if they're just really bored and want to watch some games.

[Benji]

I personally feel the look and feel of the website could use an overhaul. First impressions on a website are a fairly big deal, and when you enter sc2sea you get a very cluttered layout and a very unprofessional look. The first thing you see is not the News posts, but the Chatbox which is usually well moderated but has times when it is a trollfest, and I wonder if new visitors are maybe scared off by this.

Also on numerous occasions when posting on Teamliquid in threads like 'Why is there no SEA scene' (Not the exact name, just the generally vibe of the OP) they usually make comment that the website is too hard to navigate. Those of us who have been using the site for awhile are used to it but its fairly easy to understand people that simply cannot find certain sections.

As an example, here are 4 community website front pages, just to compare the difference:

Teamliquid: www.teamliquid.net
WellPlayed: www.wellplayed.org
Taiwan Community Website: http://sc2clan.tw
Cybergamer AU: www.cybergamer.com.au
SC2SEA: www.sc2sea.com

All of the other websites have a very clean look and feel, with clearly defined headings and prominent news posts, with some nice graphics. SC2SEA by comparison seems to be built with simply text headings, which do not stand out as well as proper graphics and make it hard to navigate. It also seems built with the idea of everything piled into the homepage, as if the design is assuming people will not click a 'Forum' or 'Chatbox' link if it were implemented.

So how to fix it?

A few changes I would make:

- Remove all the mini forums from the side bars and replace with headings with links to the forums eg: 'SC2 General', 'Tournaments' without showing the 5 recent threads of each forum. Instead have a box with something like 'Latest Posts' similar to the similar named section on the bottom of the webpage. Personally I use this for 90% of my forum browsing anyway.

- Change News, so instead of having the entire news post on the main page, simply have a graphic, a Title and a short Blurb such as 'Moonglade wins WCG Australia' 'Moonglade destroys all other competitors in the WCG Australia Finals, Click to read the full story' with a graphic (a photo or such) to catch a users attention.

- Move the chatbox. Its fun, but it shouldn't be the first thing you see when you enter the website simply because you cant control what is posted there. If a new user enters the website and see's 'PENIS' written 40 times, their first impression is that we are a bunch of immature brats. Perhaps put it underneath the news, or on a separate page.

- Update the look and feel, The anime look is very Asian and is cute, but it isn't the type of look and feel we are used to in ANZ and gives the website an unprofessional vibe. Darker colours, graphics on sidebars and proper graphical headings all improve the professional look of the website.


Anyway that’s my 2c, I understand how much work it would be to accomplish something like this, and I also recognize and respect the time you have spent on the website so far. But you asked for ideas for the website, so there's mine :P I want to come across as constructive, and don't mean to say the website is terrible or anything, just want to make that clear.

Quick Comments

	FaDeAudacity:
	nirvAnA:	thats an excellent write up :)
	Bendy:	very insightful

[Bugalugs McScruffin]

Originally Posted by xGKingBenji

I personally feel the look and feel of the website could use an overhaul. First impressions on a website are a fairly big deal, and when you enter sc2sea you get a very cluttered layout and a very unprofessional look. The first thing you see is not the News posts, but the Chatbox which is usually well moderated but has times when it is a trollfest, and I wonder if new visitors are maybe scared off by this.

Also on numerous occasions when posting on Teamliquid in threads like 'Why is there no SEA scene' (Not the exact name, just the generally vibe of the OP) they usually make comment that the website is too hard to navigate. Those of us who have been using the site for awhile are used to it but its fairly easy to understand people that simply cannot find certain sections.

As an example, here are 4 community website front pages, just to compare the difference:

Teamliquid: www.teamliquid.net
WellPlayed: www.wellplayed.org
Taiwan Community Website: http://sc2clan.tw
Cybergamer AU: www.cybergamer.com.au
SC2SEA: www.sc2sea.com

All of the other websites have a very clean look and feel, with clearly defined headings and prominent news posts, with some nice graphics. SC2SEA by comparison seems to be built with simply text headings, which do not stand out as well as proper graphics and make it hard to navigate. It also seems built with the idea of everything piled into the homepage, as if the design is assuming people will not click a 'Forum' or 'Chatbox' link if it were implemented.

So how to fix it?

A few changes I would make:

- Remove all the mini forums from the side bars and replace with headings with links to the forums eg: 'SC2 General', 'Tournaments' without showing the 5 recent threads of each forum. Instead have a box with something like 'Latest Posts' similar to the similar named section on the bottom of the webpage. Personally I use this for 90% of my forum browsing anyway.

- Change News, so instead of having the entire news post on the main page, simply have a graphic, a Title and a short Blurb such as 'Moonglade wins WCG Australia' 'Moonglade destroys all other competitors in the WCG Australia Finals, Click to read the full story' with a graphic (a photo or such) to catch a users attention.

- Move the chatbox. Its fun, but it shouldn't be the first thing you see when you enter the website simply because you cant control what is posted there. If a new user enters the website and see's 'PENIS' written 40 times, their first impression is that we are a bunch of immature brats. Perhaps put it underneath the news, or on a separate page.

- Update the look and feel, The anime look is very Asian and is cute, but it isn't the type of look and feel we are used to in ANZ and gives the website an unprofessional vibe. Darker colours, graphics on sidebars and proper graphical headings all improve the professional look of the website.


Anyway that’s my 2c, I understand how much work it would be to accomplish something like this, and I also recognize and respect the time you have spent on the website so far. But you asked for ideas for the website, so there's mine :P I want to come across as constructive, and don't mean to say the website is terrible or anything, just want to make that clear.

I agree and disagree with this. Haha, that's always gonna be the case, isn't it?

The site is very intimidating when you first rock up to it. Personally, now that I know my way around, I love how the site is laid out because I can get to everything from the front page, and I love rocking the chatbox, as you may or may not have noticed.

A couple of options are...
Clean up the front page as Benji suggested. This probably needs to happen regardless, so the first impression isn't a crazy mess. Moving the chatbox to a less prominent place would make me sad, but as Benji said, if someone rocked up to the site yesterday morning while the guy pretending to be minimat was posting all his stuff, they would probably have left pretty quickly. News front and centre is pretty important as well, though it does meant that news posts would probably have to be a minimum quality as well.

Best case scenario, as far as I'm concerned, would be two layouts. A basic cleaned up one like above and then the crazy, everything on one page for people like me who love to have everything right there and don't care.

Also, BETA KEY!!!

[Bendy]

Benji has articulated my thoughts in a much more formal and direct way than I ever could.

I agree this site needs a change in layout. I don't think we desperately need more features (although the replay parsing/analysis sounds great), but a tweak to the existing features and setup would do wonders for newcomers and regulars alike.

[LennX]

Will I be random enough to win?

[Dox]

Few comments in general with regards to site layout - some of which are in response to Benji's post above.

I honestly think 99% of the "layout" issues mentioned would be resolved by some slight tuning of the table widths and font sizes. I've never come to the site and seen "PENIS" spam in the chatbox (and I sit here reading chat for at least 10 hours every day) and I honestly think the chatbox adds a lot of value to the site where it is.

We generally keep the front page news posts trimmed with spoiler tags anyway, so having a "under the cut" concept wouldn't add any further value to the site. As for what "we" are used to in ANZ... I dunno who you're speaking for because traditionally sites like PantheonES and AusGamers have had very bright designs. Another thing to consider is that none of the sites listed run exclusively from vBulletin templates and plug-ins, so their ceiling for customisation is much higher.

One of the keys to running a successful community website is to remain unique. Copying what everyone else does (seen it happen hundreds of times) is a quick recipe for crash and burn.

[Benji]

Some fair points Dox, allow me to address them.

Firstly, yea, 'PENIS' isnt spammed often in chat but i was merely using that as an example. The chatbox is 90% of the time quite good with some very good discussion and whilst I don't post in it often, I read it from time to time. However there are times when chatbox is a trollfest. It does not happen often (Not like it used to before Skybreaker dropped the banhammer ) but I wonder if perhaps new users are scared off by this? Perhaps a solution is to have the Chatbox module minimised as a default for non registered users? I am not even going to pretend to know the code so I am not sure what is possible.

The front page news works well for what it is now, but I am suggesting improving it further by having it look like something that exists on quite alot of other websites. I think it would be easier to skim the news and pick out topics you are interested in if there was 5 articles in a short list which is easier to read, and it also can have set image requirements such as a set size, creating a more uniform look for news posts on the main page, creating a more professional look overall.

I've never heard of PantheonES but Ausgamers looks good, sure the style is bright but it is organized well and even has a similar news feature that I mentioned in my previous paragraph. My point is more to make it look modern with a style, with headers and graphics to segment sections. I mentioned dark colours as most websites that have graphics generally use a darker style (I guess it was a mistake on my part mentioning specifics like colour).

Finally, the uniqueness of our website is the fact that we are proberbly the only SEA community website for SC2, people come here because we have events for SEA, and alot of the top SEA players post here. I doubt many people come here for the Site Layout and not for the SC2 content (Layout does not include the Chatbox as I am not proposing to remove it).

I am not expecting a site overhaul at all, I don't know whats possible with this software, but I just want to get people thinking and perhaps even some small implementations to improve the general layout of the website.


I won't post any more in this thread (Although I will read further posts on the subject) as I do not wish to spam up this thread. I also PM'd Nirvana and confirmed with him that if this post is picked for the random draw, there will be a redraw.