Items That Should Be Addressed

[Phillyman]

Below is a laundry list of items that have been on my mind as of lately, This is the same list that I sent Meppi....Now I am bringing it to you guys for opinions

------START TRANSMISSION-------

Hmm not sure how to bring this up, but let me start by blaming myself. I think that we need some structure around this site, Being a Super Moderator shouldn't just be a shiny badge that people wear. It should come with a few responsibilities. Now in no way do I want to come off sounding as though I am calling our staff lazy, god knows I have been on a vacation for a while myself. But I think one of the reasons I have not been able to get back into a rhythm is because of the daunting work that is needed around this website. I think we need to make a few changes around the site, make things easier and make the site better. Here is what I am thinking, and please tell me how you honestly feel on these items.

1) One of the simplest items on my list, is that I believe we should discontinue the NFO creation. Not everyone does it, and not everyone cares. It will simplify the process of creating a release. Any relevent information pertaining to what is contained in the magazine....well it can be put into the Download manager itself. Of course I believe the Thank You page should stay....but the NFO in my mind has never been accepted and we should probably just drop it.

2) As for the Super Moderator/Admin responsibilities, Again it shouldn't just be a badge that we bestow to members who have gone above and beyond.....but also a pledge to help out the site in administrative tasks as well. By no means am I going to slam them with meaningless tasks....but I would like some help in a few areas...

I would like to split the task of creating the Weekly Update thread between us, Right now there are 9 of us....and if each of us is assigned a turn....it will be a "once every 60 days" task.....it honestly only takes 20 minutes to do, and it makes the site just so much more interesting for everyone. It also gives recognition to members that have taken the leap forward and decided to help scan. Our staff can easily create it in the Super Moderators section before moving it to the Front Page. I posted up the instructions on how to do it, but no one has seemed to take initiative on this.

3) While on the subject of the Front Page, I dont think it would be too much to ask our Staff to contribute 1 gaming related news article per week, It could be a new emulator release, or a Podcast like you are currently doing. Its just something to keep that front page fresh and interesting for our members.

4) I think we should change the current setup for contributors, right now if someone just submits 1 scanned magazine, they are basically promoted to a Premium Member for Life status. I think we should just promote them 1 month at a time, and if they reach 10 magazines total....we then promote them for life.

5) While on the subject of Premium Memberships, the current way is to just give 7.5GB of bandwidth per month, unfortunately sometimes members blow that all within a couple days and dont return for an entire month. While I am not changing the 7.5GB per month, I will be changing it to 1.8GB Per week to better accommodate our growing userbase.

6) This is about the WIP section, Lets face it .....NO ONE seems to use it. To be honest why would they, I cant think of 1 website that requires you to have 3 different logins. How much more complex could we make it for our members....First they sign up for the forums, then the Wiki, then the WIP......I believe we should just create a Project Page on the Wiki, and just do a straight up list and status report.

Nintendo Power Issue 1 (Scanned)

.

.

Nintendo Power Issue 90 (Missing Poster)

While we are at it, we can disable the mandatory registration for the wiki.....Now we are down to 1 login, and I think will make our lives easier. I believe they patched the hole that was allowing spambots through.

7) Direction Direction Direction, I am a huge offender on this one, Once and for all I need to get the FAQ section squared away, and I also need to place up some helpful guides on how to help out our project. How long do we honestly believe a member searches for a way to help before they say "Screw It"

8) The Wiki is in dire need of repair, We seem to have two Nintendo Power indexes that point to two different Nintendo Power naming conventions. Wikipedia on average sends us 2000 people a month to our wiki, how many people are we loosing out on because the wiki is a wreck?

9) The three digit naming convention.....this is another area of confusion, while its great to have a three digit issue number for the actual releases, for the Wiki it seems to miss its mark. If you go to google and type "Nintendo Power Issue 001" ....well our wiki doesnt show up.....because we have to type "Nintendo_Power_001_-_jul-aug_1988_(USA)" to show up in Google. Lets face it....members dont type such complex names into Google. What we need to do is either....

Create a redirect page for Nintendo Power Issue 1 to send people to Nintendo_Power_001_-_jul-aug_1988_(USA)

Rename the Nintendo_Power_001_-_jul-aug_1988_(USA) page to Nintendo Power Issue 1

On the Download Manager we should ditch the 3 digit codes also, we could greatly increase our exposure if we went to a normal term like "Nintendo Power Issue 1 (Jul-Aug 1988)

10) I need to get back on the ball, I am one of the owners and I have been slacking for the past few months. There is no reason why I cant get 1 release per week going....none at all

11) I need to learn how to edit these scans, The raw scans are soo unprofessional....and it sets a bad example for the rest of the site.....I will be learing GIMP or Photoshop soon

12) We need to set a minimum guideline for submissions we will accept.....What is the minimum/maximum resolution we are looking for? How about the minimum/maximum DPI?

13) Lets fix up the Download section, We have a varying size of screenshots.....ranging from tiny to huge......lets get some uniformity

Ok thats all I had to get off my chest

[meppi]

------TRANSMISSION RECEIVED? HOW ARE THE ENGINES HOLDING UP SCOTTY???-------

Point 1)

I've agreed with this point even before you made it, from the very first time a random member asked about why we didn't put nfo files in our releases and that he would prefer them so he can somehow organize them better.

There's just no point in them, besides giving someone the bragging rights to put their name on a release.

Totally worthless otherwise. The thank you page is all we need and confirms that this is a team effort, not an individual "look what I have done" thing.

2)

Agree. See above.

The only problem I could think of with putting a release page up is that you can't just grab the thumbnails off the download manager for some reason. Might be covered in your post about it as I remember something like that, but only barely.

3)

Yep, that's just about the only reason why I've kept up putting those podcasts on there.

Also because the preview pics mostly look nice and colorful. Gives the front page a nice look.

4)

Fully agree. But there should also be some kind of quality control since there are some truly awful scans online... :(

But I believe there's anther point about this...

5)

No problem whatsoever. Might cure the hit&run even if it's only a tiny bit.

6)

Indeed, I tried it out at first but it's too complicated for it's own good.

I don't see myself messing around on there for 15 minutes trying to update my profile saying that I finished 1 magazine when I can do that in my personal post in about 10 second. Lots of time wasted otherwise.

This probably won't be the case, but would it be possible to protect at least the WIP pages in the wiki so someone doesn't mess them up.

I know it can be rolled back, but if there are only small changes, it might not be noticed until it's too late.

Or we can make a separate part in the forum for only WIP threads and nothing more. I've noticed that my page gets quite a bit of clicks.

7)

Yeah....

I'm trying to put a better editing guide together for use with PS. Which should simplify everything quite a bit. I hope...

8)

That's my fault, I was bringing al the NP pages into the new design so it looked as good as the others, but for some reason people kept updating the old pages, so I had to move everything over by hand and it got quite tedious...

9)

The big reason why I went with that is that depending on the list you sometimes got:

EGM1

EGM11

EGM12

EGM2

EGM3

.

.

.

and so forth. But I can see how that doesn't work out for the best on the web itself, especially when googling.

11)

I'd say goo for PS without a doubt. Not worth learning GIMP to only have to learn PS in the end as it's the better program and has thigs others don't.

Hopefully my FAQ will help you out as well.

12)

Indeed. This is a big one.

As for resolution I would set the ABSOLUTE minimum at 1280. Personally I'd go even one step further and make them at least 1440 and highest 1600.

DPI, no doubt about this 300DPI all the way. Many have disagreed for reasons they couldn't explain or that just made no sense.

Look at one of my scans and at a 72DPI one which should "look the exact same as a computer screen can't show a higher DPI in picture than 72" Yeah right....

No reason whatsoever to scan stuff in 300 when you're going to downscale it in the end and it doesn't even result in a smaller size. The only thing that can suffer is image quality.

Also make a point of it that the magazines will go through a quality control process so that we don't get things uploaded like that one guy keeps doing. Forgot his name.

Think that we get a bad rep for banning an ass like kiwi, how do you think people react that come here for the first time, download an absolutely crap looking magazine? I'm sure several have left and never returned thanks to this.

Also make it so that all the scans have to be single page scans. Not to single out fusoya or anything but it's such a bad idea to have various standards like this.

Not to mention how moronic the argument was in the first place as just about any decent comic reader lets you choose between single pages and double page view.

Remember how after the whole argument another guy came in and started to do the exact same thing.

Those scans looked just as bad as whatshisname as well btw.. Think they were GameBoy Colour something something.

13)

Hmm haven't noticed this at all. They all show up the same size for me. Or perhaps you're talking about when you click on the thumbnail.

[Phillyman]

I just received an Private message from a new member that wants to help......guess what he said?????

-----START MESSAGE FROM CREAMSTAR-------

Hello, Phillyman,

I apologize for not using the forum... but honestly I am confused by them.

I have a lot of rare stuff I am scanning for this community. I'm finding out first hand how time consuming and labor intensive this work is. Suffice to say, I have a new level of respect and gratitude for Retro Mags.

As I type this, I am scanning the Super Metroid Nintendo's Player Guide.

There is a FAQ but it isn't complete, and I'm not sure how to upload. Please forgive my ignorance.

I also have a lot of other stuff scanned, and that will be scanned. However I don't want to scan something that has already been scanned, but hasn't been uploaded or is in Limbo.

I have scanned Nintendo Power bonus items and extras I do not see, and I have most of the Nintendo Powers. I was wondering the status on those missing issues like 91 and 93, and what exactly needs to be scanned so they can be published.

I will also be scanning these player's guides: Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007, Super Mario All-Stars, Yoshi's Island, A Link to a Past, and a few others, provided they are not scanned. I see the list in the forums, but I just wanted to be absolutely sure before I spent 1 day scanning per guide.

Thanks for your time and help. I look forward to helping you complete your collection.

This just proves that my above points are valid

here is my reply to him.....

Hello Creamstar,

Its great that you wish to join in on our preservation project. We are in the middle of some spring cleaning around the website at the moment. How about you start off by creating a Work in Progress thread in our Magazine section, and post up a few test scans. Just take a few pages of what you are scanning and zip them up and upload them to Rapidshare.com and post the download link in your thread. That way we can make sure you are on the right track.

I will get you directions for how to upload finished scans to our Download Section in a bit.

Thanks again and Welcome!

-Phillyman

[Thor]

Wow quite the post so yeah actually I agree with much of what you stated.

1) I totally agree. For one NFO files are a pain since Windows can't usually even run the files correctly and in the past I would always have to change them to a txt file to even read them. I've only been doing them because that's the way you wanted it.

2) I will always try and do my part when I have the extra time. Soon much of my time will be taken up getting ready to move across the country and there will be a period of time where I'm sure I'll be with out internet access while I look for a new job and settle into a new town and state. But I'll keep you all updated on that in due time.

But as for the Weekly update yeah I'm willing to help with that after you really give us some details on what needs to be done.

3) This too is something I have recently thinking about and didn't ask and I guess I should have but sorry I didn't. There have been several times that I thought about putting news up that have come up in the recent past.

4) Sounds reasonable.

5) Again sounds good I have no beef with that.

6) Yeah the WIP is a pain. I've tried using it in the past but well... like I said it's a pain.

7) I guess this one does not really need attention to. But you know for those who have really truly thought about helping usually post in the forums asking for help so I don't know if it's that big of a deal right off the bat. Sure it wouldn't hurt though and it would make things easier for new users.

8) I'm actually slowly working on this. There are 2 indexes right now because it's needing to all be converted over to the new index. I think it was meppi that figured out the indexing thing for the pages. But maybe I can try to get a few pages a week done on that. I'd like to do one a night but I know I don't have enough time to do all that.

9) My question is will it still stay in proper order if you don't use the zeros? I would think just like XP when you use the 000 001 002... system it puts the items in correct order. Where as when you do it with out the zeros it will put the magazines in a really strange order.

10) Well as I've stated on how busy my life is right now I can't agree with this. I don't know how busy of a person you are Philiman but 1 release takes me several days to finish. From scan to getting it fully edited and uploaded. Maybe I just have a slow scanner I don't know.

11) I can't recommend GIMP enough I love the program to death and I've been trained at Photoshop and Illustrator but I love GIMP. I guess because it's free has something to do with it But sorry Meppi I have to disagree with you here because GIMP is just as good as Photoshop you can do everything in GIMP that can be done on Photoshop. You may have to go about it in a different fashion but it can be done. I've been using GIMP now for about 3-4 years and I honestly don't think I could ever go back to PS.

12) I really can't put any input here I've not really weighed the pros and cons like a few others on the site have.

13) Something that could help this is have a guideline that people need to follow when uploading their cover of course. But I guess with some magazines coming in different sizes that is not always the easiest. Such as the Official Dreamcast Magazine that thing is a beast.

[Phillyman]

10) Well as I've stated on how busy my life is right now I can't agree with this. I don't know how busy of a person you are Philiman but 1 release takes me several days to finish. From scan to getting it fully edited and uploaded. Maybe I just have a slow scanner I don't know.

This was just directed at myself, I had a good deal of free time at work.....by no means am I going to impose this on anyone else

[E-Day]

1) Yes please. Get rid of those stupid nfo files. I hate making them, and I never look at them. All that information should be contained in the wiki anyhow for anyone who is looking for somethign specific.

2) Yes, sure.

3) Yes, sure.

4) Agreed

5) Agreed

6) I was using the WIP, but it was an afterthought. I made my work in progress thread the place where I kept track of what I was doing and always ended up updating that first and then going to the WIP afterwards when I remembered. It was a good idea in theory. But because it's a whole seperate site and not really integrated with the main site, it didn't catch on. I know that I don't like having to go to another site to keep track of what I am doing here. Member's work in progress threads and the wiki should be where everything is documented.

7) Yes, you suck . Kidding. It seems like there are a lot of parts on the site that are only half completed. Perhaps we should make a lit of what is incomplete and some of us can work on those things.

8) I think that a lot of time should be spent working on the wiki, even if it means not as many magazines are getting scanned. It could and should be the best resource on the web for information on old gaming magazines. It will take a lot of work. Maybe most of it should be started from the beginning again if it is a mess. To be honest, I never go into the wiki because there is no link on the forums page to it. The only link is on the portal page on the left, and it's crowded in by lots of other stuff.

9) I agree that the three digit naming convention should go. While it makes sense and works for lists that are generated by a script, they are otherwise unnecessary. No one searching for Game Players Issue 9 is going to type 009 in Google, which is the only way our site will come up. With HTML pages and lists, three digits aren't needed since we will be ordering everythign manually.

10) What I think you do is try to do too much at once. You are ambitious to scan 4 or 5 magazines a week, but don't, probably because it's a lot of tedious work. I know trying to edit them was that way. Not trying to do too many at once may make it easier to do one a week. Of course, your real life should always come first

11) Yes, raw scans do look unprofessional. I know it's faster t o scan with the ADF, but trust me, if you debind a magazine and scan one page at a time on the flatbed, it ends up looking so much better and is so much easier to edit. The amount of time spent editing ADF scans cancels out the time saved using the ADF. I was looking at getting an ADF, but after seeing how much more control of the scan I had using a flatbed, where I can make sure the page is 100% straight before scanning, and removing all bleed through, compared to some of the crazy things your ADF spit out, I decided I will continue using a flatbed scanner since the results are better and much easier to work with.

12) YES! All the stuff that was being submitted was pretty good up until azzardx started uploading this EGM scans, and while I appreciate his effort in contributing 36 scans, they will all have to be rescanned at some point. Some are terrible, with covers mangled and damaged beyond normal use. Not only should there be standards for resolution and DPI (I vote on 300dpi, and 1440 and 1600 width), but there should be a standard for the condition of the magazine. I don't know about the rest of you, but I would actually suggest pulling his scans off the site. Phillyman and triverse have most of the ones he did. I'd rather they were not available than having them up there in the condition they are in. It just looks bad. And it would make my excel chart easier to manage (which I will be putting up in a sticky post in Magazine Talk and updating it regularly).

And NO JOINED PAGES! I only know of one person on here who likes them that way. And Phillyman was mentioning only having so many nodes or whatever they are called, so maybe only having magazines available in cbr/cbz, and not having duplicate pdfs would be a good idea. Just make sure there is a link to CDisplay on every download and magazine page.

13) I agrees here too. Tiny cover shots are useless. Something big enough where you can read most of the text would be a good idea.

14) A bit better organization of the links on the portal page and the forum page. This forum seems to use the same coding/engine as sonicretro.org, and those nerds have managed to make their site very uncluttered, clean, and easy to navigate. We don't need a second site or a total redesign, just some house keeping and redecorating.

[triverse]

Most quotes goto Phillyman, sorry, I have trouble following a conversation this long without them.

Hmm not sure how to bring this up, but let me start by blaming myself. I think that we need some structure around this site, Being a Super Moderator shouldn't just be a shiny badge that people wear. It should come with a few responsibilities. Now in no way do I want to come off sounding as though I am calling our staff lazy, god knows I have been on a vacation for a while myself. But I think one of the reasons I have not been able to get back into a rhythm is because of the daunting work that is needed around this website. I think we need to make a few changes around the site, make things easier and make the site better. Here is what I am thinking, and please tell me how you honestly feel on these items.

Just say it. That is the best way to bring it up. We can discuss it after it is mentioned. No hard feelings.

1)

I agree with this point. Let them go and be done with it. Me personally, I used the one that put the releaser's name in it maybe a couple of times, after that, I started using a template I made myself without it.

2)

What kind of meaningless tasks are you talking about? I have a lot of free time that I just don't feel like scanning or working on a mag and if that time can be used for the betterment of the site, bring it on. Can we discuss this one some more?

I would like to split the task of creating the Weekly Update thread between us, Right now there are 9 of us....and if each of us is assigned a turn....it will be a "once every 60 days" task.....it honestly only takes 20 minutes to do, and it makes the site just so much more interesting for everyone. It also gives recognition to members that have taken the leap forward and decided to help scan. Our staff can easily create it in the Super Moderators section before moving it to the Front Page. I posted up the instructions on how to do it, but no one has seemed to take initiative on this.

Continue reading and I will receive. lol I agree with the front page thing. I thought it was cool as heck to see those couple of updates of the week's scans on the front page. Wondered what happened to them, now I know. Would be cool to see again. Where was the information on this posted? I am interested in helping here.

3)

I see no problem with this idea. Well, a small one, is there any way to make the front page longer? That way when there is a post like the current Vote on Phillymans Next Scan it will remain on the front page longer and get more votes. That is why I have slowed in posting (not that I was fast about it in the first place) front page stuff.

4)

I missed when this was changed. I agree to changing it to a 1 mag=1 month and then 10 mags=lifetime premium membership. That should cut down on some leeching since it will require more work from the person involved.

5)

I agree here. Limiting to not only a monthly but a weekly bandwidth amount can only keep people from doing what they are apparently doing now, flying through it in the first couple of days and coming back next month to get the new releases.

6)

The poor WIP. I must honestly say, I hated it. I spent enough time updating my Gamefan issues on there that I could have scanned one issue and edited a good portion of it, I thought the WIP was more used though. I must apologise to KBF for talking him into creating a new Mag category over there for it not to be used now.

7)

Oh if you could only see the early messages I sent to meppi, nagging him and just being completely annoying trying to work out the steps to get started on the right foot. I am sure he was tired of me after the first week. I am glad he stuck with me and walked me through it because I would have probably left if I had to depend on that FAQ 100%.

8)

I just recently discovered how to make a page on the wiki (been messing with Gamefan only) so I have no clue on this other stuff. I agree though, it probably needs to be fixed.

9)

How hard is it to set up a redirect? If it is not too hard that could be a bandaid fix, but it could just be masking the problem allowing it to get bigger and messier.

I will name my stuff whatever is the standard. I have no real preference on it. It is better if the stuff is in order by month but it would be better, in my opinion, if people could find it from google easier.

10)

I have cash how much to buy in? Just kidding. You have just as much right as anyone else to take time off, anyone will get burned out if trying to do too much. That is life.

11)

I am downloading those 'r' releases for when I am without my scanner so that I can edit them (with whatever I can scan in the next week and a half) and re-upload them.

12)

Agreed. I would say no less than 1440 on the width, honestly. It is getting harder and harder to order a computer without getting a widescreen LCD of some sort with it so why not just go ahead and shoot for that resolution. The 1600 width right now would probably kill some of the downloads due to the increase in file size (but would save redoing work in that size later).

13)

Agreed. I am pretty bad about bouncing around on the sizes of my preview pics. Really need to have some kind of uniformity on this, if only on the width (for those off size issues), but it is the 100kb file size limit that could be a barrier. Can that be increased?

For the most part, I agree with everything you brought up (whether I mentioned it or not), and if I didn't I explained (not many that I remember there). This stuff being worked on can only make the site better and easier for everyone to get to what they are interested in.

[Phillyman]

Quick reply to Triverse

Yes I can make the front page longer! Will double it right now in fact

As far as the renaming goes, I just tried a few samples in the Download manager, and it does screw it up....Oh poo! So lets do this

Download Manager = Nintendo Power Issue 001 (Jul/Aug 1988)

The Wiki = Nintendo Power Issue 1

File Releases = nintendo_power_001_-_1988_jul_aug.cbr

I think that will be the best of both worlds, We just need to go through the Wiki and look at the Nintendo Power pages, there seem to be two sets, if we could just combine those 2 different sets into one final set....I think we could be good.

Here is an exaple.....lets take Nintendo Power Issue 1

http://retromags.com/wiki/Nintendo_Power_Issue_001 (This is one page for issue 1)

http://retromags.com/wiki/Nintendo_Power_0...-aug_1988_(USA) (This is another page for issue 1)

Now we should just look at each of those two pages, take the relevant information from both of them and create the following page....or rename one of the current pages to.....

http://retromags.com/wiki/Nintendo_Power_Issue_1

Again we should probably talk this over a bit more before taking on this.....but I think that once we decide we should roll it out across the board, for magazines that are complex in issue numbers we could probably do something like

http://retromags.com/wiki/Gamefan_Volume_4_Issue_8

I think we already figured out the issue numbers for Gamefan, only using the above as an example

Like I said, I don't know if it will be easier to rename wiki pages or just create them? If we do recreate them, we can setup the old pages to redirect by writing the following.....

#REDIRECT [[Nintendo Power Issue 1]]

or maybe its

#REDIRECT {{Nintendo Power Issue 1}}

anyways that will redirect whatever page you place that on.....to the page listed.

Lots of things floating around in my head, need to just make sure our team is all on board, and as the Transformers would say "Autobots ROLL OUT"

[triverse]

Thank you for changing the front page like that, and quickly. While the page is long and will take longer to load, it will hopefully help in keeping more stuff available so it looks like more is going on (take a look at DCEmu for a front page that is LONG).

Not to sound rude, but I am going to finish a couple of things up and head to bed and will get my head around your other points after some sleep.

[meppi]

12) YES! All the stuff that was being submitted was pretty good up until azzardx started uploading this EGM scans, and while I appreciate his effort in contributing 36 scans, they will all have to be rescanned at some point. Some are terrible, with covers mangled and damaged beyond normal use. Not only should there be standards for resolution and DPI (I vote on 300dpi, and 1440 and 1600 width), but there should be a standard for the condition of the magazine. I don't know about the rest of you, but I would actually suggest pulling his scans off the site. Phillyman and triverse have most of the ones he did. I'd rather they were not available than having them up there in the condition they are in. It just looks bad. And it would make my excel chart easier to manage (which I will be putting up in a sticky post in Magazine Talk and updating it regularly).

And NO JOINED PAGES! I only know of one person on here who likes them that way. And Phillyman was mentioning only having so many nodes or whatever they are called, so maybe only having magazines available in cbr/cbz, and not having duplicate pdfs would be a good idea. Just make sure there is a link to CDisplay on every download and magazine page.

Just wanted to chime and and say I'm fully behind this idea.

As far as the renaming goes, I just tried a few samples in the Download manager, and it does screw it up....Oh poo! So lets do this

Download Manager = Nintendo Power Issue 001 (Jul/Aug 1988)

The Wiki = Nintendo Power Issue 1

File Releases = nintendo_power_001_-_1988_jul_aug.cbr

Thought is was something like that. There was another one as well, but I can't remember since it's so long I came up for the reasoning to use 001.

Oh and if you zip up your completed cbz file into something called NP001 for instance you can name the cbz itself: Nintendo Power 001 - 1988 jul aug.cbr instead of nintendo_power_001_-_1988_jul_aug.cbr. Unless there's some other reason people use underscores.

[meppi]

Just to make sure. Is the HTML site idea shot down?

Cause I'm not putting another 150 hours into it if it is.

[triverse]

Ok, so on the wiki we are dropping the 00's in the file name (Gamefan 003 is now Gamefan 3)? I have no problem with it, just making sure I am at least in the same ocean here on this. lol

About the Nintendo Power on the Wiki:

Both of those pages look nice but I prefer, http://retromags.com/wiki/Nintendo_Power_0...-aug_1988_(USA), for the more information it added plus it has the table of issues down there so people don't have to hit back everytime they want to goto another issue. It would be cool to have the poster from the first page on the second though, that could help trigger a memory for someone that is browsing the wiki and maybe provoke them to join up. The picture on the second page is brighter, did someone up the brightness on it?

Credit Rumble from Transformers (the animated movie from the 80's)-

First we crack the shell, then we crack the nuts inside.

[E-Day]

Thank you for changing the front page like that, and quickly. While the page is long and will take longer to load, it will hopefully help in keeping more stuff available so it looks like more is going on (take a look at DCEmu for a front page that is LONG).

Is there a way to have those posts expandable? That way if one is really really long, it won't take up a good chunk of the page. I know other sites use expandable boxes in that manner. I was wondering if it's possible here. That way stories will stay on the front page longer.

Just to make sure. Is the HTML site idea shot down? Cause I'm not putting another 150 hours into it if it is.

If the wiki gets sorted out and filled in, I don't think an HTML version of the site is needed. Every page could have a link to the downloadable file (if applicable), and a link to the forums. If more emphasis is put on the wiki and it's got all the information instead of blank pages, then it will make it easier for users and newcomers to find what they want. Speaking of the wiki, I think it would be easiest and simplest to start all the pages from scratch instead of trying to fix what is there now. It may be a bit more work, but as far as keeping track of what is done and what is not, it will be easier.

For the portal page, the only links you really need there are "Downloads" or "Magazine Downloads (whatever you want to call it), "Wiki", and "Forums". I don't think there needs to be links to the shoutbox and attack shop and all that stuff on that page. Emphasizing those three links will simplify the navigation and make it easier on prople to find what they want. All those other crazy links can be in the actual forum.

For the wiki pages, what about adding the month/year into the title? Such as Nintendo Power Issue 1 (July/August 1988), as it appears on the cover. Not everyone will know what issue number their favourite poster was in, but they might know what month and year it was. I didn't know what issue of GamePro my beloved Sonic 2 poster was in, but I knew about what month it was.

Anyhow, what is everyone's opinion on removing/leaving azzardx scans up? I know it's harsh, but it kind of looks bad on us. And ifthey are removed, I can change my xls file before making a EGM sticky post showing what we are missing.

[triverse]

E-day:

I like the idea of expandable links like that on the front page, is it possible? If so, I put my vote in on that. If not, I vote for agreeing on a proper length for the front page so that we don't keep adding length to it.

If the wiki is filled in, wouldn't that make it more of a need for an HTML version of the site? I mean, then it would probably not be a full site but somehow integrated to the wiki, a per issue basis with more info and pics (but it would be just a waste of time to repeat what is on the wiki, just prettier). I personally like the HTML version that meppi has been able to create. I think it is eye catching and memorable (not just a wall of text and minimal graphics, though that too has it's own style built into it).

As far as starting over on the wiki, I say go for it (I am still just learning the stuff over there-if you don't believe how much of a newb I am at wiki, just check out any of the Gamefans I have, they are all on over there except I think v1i3's cover). I am willing to learn/do whatever is needed. Just point me in the direction...

Simplifying the front page like e-day is talking about reminds me of the discussion about doing an HTML version of the site awhile back for some reason. I think most of that stuff up there does need to be gone from the front page at least (DCEmu is horrible about placing too much on their front page or system specific pages and even after years of going there, I am still able to get lost).

Adding the month and year into the title on the wiki, would that still have it show up when the user is searching for just the title? Or will it bar users from seeing the page in the results like the whole 001 numbering system does?

Hmmm, azzardx's scans. I don't want to sound like a bully or anything (in light of recent, um, discussions on the forums) but something does need to be done there. I mean, it is awesome that he is donating and helping out, but is also a little disconcerting thinking about what if a user only downloads one magazine and it is one of his, do you think they would come back? They may think that that is the quality of the work being released here. Another thing, what if a publisher comes here and does a feeler to see what is going on and gets one of Azz's downloads and uses that as a reason to shut down the operations here (or at least their section)? They could claim we are damaging their image by releasing stuff like that (whether they bring up the copyright issue or not).

If you up the requirements on minimum resolution and content quality then we are facing another situation like we had with the whole cutoff date thing. Imagine how many people just won't donate a mag because they feel it may not meet our standards, why waste their time working on it if is going to be dropped by something as subjective as personal view of it? What looks fine to me may look horrible to someone else on a different monitor (like recently meppi helped me fix the colors and such on my monitor after the power failure I went through).

My view on removing Azz's stuff (wow, I feel like that issue of Gamepro that had readers go through several pages of text to just be told to be happy with what they get for Christmas when comparing the Genesis and SNES and TG-16) is pretty simple, I think. Don't remove it. Plain and simple. Not at least right now. E-day has said before that between Phillyman and me, we can cover what Azz has put up. I am willing (after finishing up Tres's issues) to start rotating EGM (unless E-day and me can work out something) issues in with my Gamefan issues to get it to where we can replace Azz's stuff as we go. If he sees that his issues are bing replaced with better copies then maybe he will either take the hint and release better stuff or just stop altogether. Hopefully, doing it that way, he will not raise a stink in the forums over it and we it won't look like we are singling out members (as it has been attempted in the past).

Ok, let me get behind this lead wall before the flames start coming...

[meppi]

Not sure if the expandable links thing is possible. I think it should be though, but Phillyman will be the better man to answer that.

About those sub-par scans, my first reaction would be to indeed delete them.

But after the recent shitstorm with only 1 member, we could face the same thing again but with several at the same time.

Not something I look forward to.

So the idea of keeping them online for now but replacing them with better copies would probably be the best way of doing things, but it would be best to make it a priority.

And we will need to have an official post about the minimum requirements as well, otherwise they will just keep coming.

Jeesh, there's so much stuff in this thread that lots is getting lost in the discussion.

PDF versions as E-Day mentioned.

Yeah, I'd make them oblate as well. There's really no need to have 2 versions of each release online. It just add more to the mess.

And the double page scans as well.

The thing is, what do we do about about these:http://www.retromags.com/forums/Total-Game-Boy-Color-downloads-cat47.html

The quality is crap, pages are faded or overexposed or I don'tknowwhat.

They are doublepage scans as well which happened to magically start popping up after the whole fusoya fiasco about that very topic.

And the scanner has replied to Barbieonweed that he can buy and scan them himself if he doesn't like joined pages after barbie asked to please not join the pages here: http://www.retromags.com/forums/Total-game...05-file863.html

Oh and he has zero posts in the forum.

None of us have these mags to replace them.

My first though: delete....

Gonna stop posting now as there's already so much being lost here I don't need to add to it with another 36 page essay.

[E-Day]

I think meppi's idea is best: leave azzardx's scans up for now, but make them a priority for replacement ASAP.

As for those Total GameBoy Color issues, because no one can replace them, maybe they should stay for now, protected under a grandfather clause or something until they can be replaced. If only they were post-1999 issues... I have no interest in them, so if they are deleted, you won't hear a peep from me.

If the wiki is filled in, wouldn't that make it more of a need for an HTML version of the site?

How so? All the magazine's info is on the wiki page; Table of Contents, cover, maybe a blurb about the issue. Add a link to the download page for that issue and the forums, and you're set. You want the user to do as little clicking as possible in order to get to where they want. Web Design 101 . The only downside is the wiki's terribly boring look and layout. But it's a simple layout, and simplicity is king.

[kbf_private_joker]

Lots to discuss today

I won't list the numbers from above because I didn't want to make this too long. I will list things so that the things I feel strongly about go first.

1. I really, really, really like it when scans are cleaned up before being released. I am kinda a perfectionist and spend about 4-5 hours per scan. When I first started there were different types of workers here, scanners, editors, and releasers. I honestly don't believe a magazine should even be released unless it has been fully straightened out and cropped properly so the scanner bed isn't showing.

I think we have made it too easy to upload stuff. It sounds ironic, yes, I know. Maybe we need to have a system whereby there are 2 places to upload, "Unedited" and "Edited". I downloaded some GamePros the other day and they weren't crooked and not cropped. I imagine this person probably spent 1 hour scanning a magazine and immediately uploaded it.

We may have to institute some type of system whereby a magazine has to be "approved" before it can be released to the public. I also believe that some people may have been turned off from this site after downloading a few sub-par magazines.

2. I am guilty of suggesting the WIP pages. I apologize for having it be too complicated. The reason I suggested it was because I was tired of looking at 10 different WIP threads before figuring out what needed to be scanned. If people will use the Wiki, awesome. It makes life easier.

My biggest complaint was that the system was not centralized.

Everything else I agree with Philly

[kbf_private_joker]

How so? All the magazine's info is on the wiki page; Table of Contents, cover, maybe a blurb about the issue. Add a link to the download page for that issue and the forums, and you're set. You want the user to do as little clicking as possible in order to get to where they want. Web Design 101 . The only downside is the wiki's terribly boring look and layout. But it's a simple layout, and simplicity is king.

Sorry but I may be a little slow, but is the idea to move away from the download pages and have the wiki as the source of obtaining magazines. I like the idea of using the wiki, as long as people keep it updated. I started using it about 1.5 years ago, but then realized nobody else updated it so I wasn't either. If we can "urge" people to keep it updated, that would be great.

[triverse]

How so? All the magazine's info is on the wiki page; Table of Contents, cover, maybe a blurb about the issue. Add a link to the download page for that issue and the forums, and you're set. You want the user to do as little clicking as possible in order to get to where they want. Web Design 101 . The only downside is the wiki's terribly boring look and layout. But it's a simple layout, and simplicity is king.

You have a point E-Day. No argument there. You pointed out the main reason (though I didn't say it) that I am interested in the redesign idea, the wiki is terribly boring and has a bad/confusing layout. Is there any way to add graphics to the wiki or is that completely out of the question? I mean, it would be awesome to do something similar to meppi's work with the redesign and have it tied into the wiki somehow.

I do agree though, the less clicks the better for the members coming, people want instant gratification rather than confusion (as it is currently, or was, with the three different registrations required to enjoy everythinng on the site).

[triverse]

My condensation of the discussion so far for anyone wanting a snapshot of it without having to go back and re-read every post:

Laundry Checklist for ease of use (starting with Phillymans original post and adding to it)

1) NFO files (trash or keep)

Votes: Trash=5

Keep=0

2) Definition of Super Mod/Admin on site

a) weekly update assistance

More discussion

3) Front Page contributions from staff

Willing to help more=5

Forget it=0

4) Changes to contributors membership type and length

Agree=5

What?=0

5) Premium Membership bandwidth restriction

Cap them=5

Let those horses run=0

6) WIP=RIP

Get the Tombstone ready=6

Put it on life support=0

a)Changes to Wiki

needs more discussion

7) Direction Direction Direction. We are lost, anyone got a map?

Get the cartograhper=4

We got this! we're guys=0

Where is that one guy=1

8) Wiki condensing

more discussion needed

9) 001 or not to 001, that is the question

needs more discussion

a) naming conventions

needs more discussion

10) Phillyman getting on the ball, ya'll come watch this...

Needs more discussion

11) Phillyman taking up more duties (does he and meppi really need to?)

Photoshop=1

Gimp=2

No definite recommendation=2

12) Standards Standards Standards

Set something up=5

We are free to do it as we see it=0

Lifting weights to prepare for decision=1

13) Standard size of preview pics in the Download Section

Throw out the extra chefs and cook one recipe=4

Nothing wrong with it like it is=0

Going to check it out after the meeting=1

14) Redo of the Front page:

Tidy it up=1

Leave it, people see it once per visit=0

We have a front page?=0

15) Joined pages

Why?=2

Keep them I turn my monitor sideways anyow=0

16) Azzardx's scans:

Keep them, at least till they can be replaced=2

They must have missed the trash can somehow and fell on the site=1

17) PDF's and other initials

LKT (Let's keep them)=0

TTO (Toss Them Out)=1

18) Double Page Scans (seeing double?)

We can see fine (keep)=0

Someone needs glasses (toss)=1

19) Total game boy colour

Totally Cool=0

Totally Crap=2 (we can't replace them right now)

a) Should these be treated like Azz's stuff?

Yes=1

Ah crap not again=0

20) Setup a screening process?

Yes, whip out the magnifying glass=1

Nah, it is not worth the time=0

21) Drop meppi's site renovation project?

Yes, it won't work=1

No, continue with it in some form=1

22) meppi's redesign project

Love it, want to see more of it=2

He has been doing something?=0

I am stradling the idea like a white picket fence=1

Not bad, 22 different topics going at once, is that some kind of record?

Are there any topics that anyone feels need to change to decided? Not all of the mods have posted yet, so we may need to wait on closing anything and making a final decison.

[Thor]

This was just directed at myself, I had a good deal of free time at work.....by no means am I going to impose this on anyone else

Oh I'm sorry I must have worded that badly. I know it was directed at yourself but man that's a lot of work and to try and keep that up will be a bear. So I just wanted to basically say man... I can understand if you can't keep that up long because people have things to do outside of RetroMags. But I've found even when I'm not home that I end up some how getting on the site at least several times a day so... it's kinda my home away from home.

Hmm... maybe I didn't word that right either. Anyway I hope you get my drift.

[kbf_private_joker]

Maybe we should tackle 1 issue at a time instead of this brain dump of information

By the way, I think the wiki is customizable or at least it should be. However, I think the first thing to address is getting it updated. A pretty, disfunctional wiki is pretty pointless.

Edit: I think I might put in some covers and update it with what we have so far for GamePro. It looks pretty pathetic in that it only has about 6 issues in it :(

[E-Day]

Maybe we should tackle 1 issue at a time instead of this brain dump of information

By the way, I think the wiki is customizable or at least it should be. However, I think the first thing to address is getting it updated. A pretty, disfunctional wiki is pretty pointless.

Edit: I think I might put in some covers and update it with what we have so far for GamePro. It looks pretty pathetic in that it only has about 6 issues in it :(

I will help with that while editing the mek1 GamePros . Is the FAQ about the wiki done?

Actually, we should agree on how each page should be set up. Should we do what magweasel did and have the entire index on each page for easy trekking?

[kbf_private_joker]

I will help with that while editing the mek1 GamePros . Is the FAQ about the wiki done?

Actually, we should agree on how each page should be set up. Should we do what magweasel did and have the entire index on each page for easy trekking?

I wholeheartedly agree. No point tackling other stuff if the Wiki is in disarray. Setting some standards helps to keep things consistent and make fast work. Once that is established, I can tackle uploading covers for all the GamePros, even the ones we don't yet have.

Are there rules about using covers from Magweasel? Did he give us permission? It would be cool to have a complete set of GamePro covers.

[Phillyman]

I wholeheartedly agree. No point tackling other stuff if the Wiki is in disarray. Setting some standards helps to keep things consistent and make fast work. Once that is established, I can tackle uploading covers for all the GamePros, even the ones we don't yet have.

Are there rules about using covers from Magweasel? Did he give us permission? It would be cool to have a complete set of GamePro covers.

Well here is the thing, I have not talked to Kevin in a while.....he kind of got smart with me the last time I contacted him. He gave off a "holier-than-thou" vibe to me. I just had contacted him through instant messenger about something related to magazines.....and he basically let me know I was bugging him and brushed me off. So I haven't "bothered" him since

But before that.....he told me we could use the covers from his site......I told him he could use any that we have also.....but since the above situation.....I haven't bothered to do so.

I have a ton of Gamepro covers scanned, I will resize them today for you guys.