Our admin has been missing for more than two months, and it seems more and more likely that she really does have the time or the means to keep up with the site.

So, the mention of a move was proposed. It would give us some control of the site such as the layout, clean things up to keep things tidy, etc. Moving boards can be a gigantic mess, but I figure if we can organize it and break it down to small jobs than it might be easier and we might not loose too much momentum in the RP.

And this is the part where you’re all supposed to jump at the chance to volunteer to help.

But of course if any of you has overwhelming disagreement to leaving, thenlet me have it.

I think that makes sense. It would be nice to be ables to delete threads that have died along with the characters that haven't posted since 4 months ago. But you see dearest, I know nothing of how to manipulate internet pages. So I'm no help in that area much to my dismay

I do see what you're getting at. I might possibly jump at the chance, but my problem is the same. Invisionfree boards are a deep mystery to me. One that does not seem to wish to reveal itself to me at any near date. If there's anything I can do, just tell me, however. Perhaps if it were Proboards...

It does make some kind of sense. But what would we do with the threads that are still taking place. It would be kind of hard to try and transfer them over to a new domain.

But if it does come to that, then I would be more then likely to help, since I do know how to take care of a website and such.

Well, the ever-gracious Emmi has taken over design of the place. She’s working on design and layout and there are a few other jobs that need to be done.

I need someone who will once we move contact all affiliates to update the URL, small job, really.

Another thing that I could have someone do is help Talkback with Archiving, a fairly simple job. Time consuming and boring, yes, but simple.

The present threads, can be archived like all the others but placed in a postable forum unlike the others that’ll be in archives forum.

I can notify affiliates if you want. Or archive, though I'm not sure that I grasp what the job entails.

Well, I've got the CSS finished, so pretty much all that remains is the banner... I plan to photoshop a bookcover or something.

I guess there's more that could be done, but I don't really feel like messing with it - for example buttons. Aside from forum markers, I don't think I'm going to change them at all, since the standard looks better than anything I've tried to make so far.

We also need to post something, once we move, that gives the URL of our new location. Most likely under the rules, but prolly everywhere else too.

I also want to mess with the layout - it really bugs me how many buttons you have to click to get to Conversation! Also, its difficult to find where to register... I don't want to change much, just a couple things that don't really make sense in V.1. I'll post when I get it typed out.

Okay, Meridan, if you want to help with archives. It's really simple. I do it except it's a little mindless and I have the attention span of gnat for that kind of stuff.

Best thing to do is probaly PM talkback, god knows he doesn't check his email, and ask him exactly what the job entails if you want to go for that.

I can help out where ever it's need. Whether it's a small or big job.

Well, we still need someone to notify affiliates, not that that's particularly pressing... in fact you can't even do it yet, since the site hasn't been created yet! I've been mucking around with a tester; as soon as I finish that banner, I'll put it up for critique.

Anyway, here's what I'm thinking for the new layout. An asterisk denotes no change.

Fundamentals
>Regulations
>Reference
>Registry
Registration
Conversation
Game Control
>Announcements
>Introduce Yourself
>Help and Support
>Plots and Plans
>Absence Notices

The Palace* (perhaps with the addition of hallways?)

Corus*

Elsewhere
>Royal Forest
>Tortallan Fiefs
>Letters and Journals

Other
>Archives
>Advertisement and Affiliation



Anyway, if you think I'm being stupid by changing so much/ otherwise annoyed by my proposal, yell at me... Ideas are very very welcome.

I was having this weird delusion that Archives were somehow built in with invisionfree....

It all looks good to me and it's a spiffy idea. I don't mind helping out. Are we contacting everyone who's registered characters here to give them the opportunity to move over? I'm a little confused still about how everything is going to work once we've moved and what's going to be kept and what's going to be lost.

And a kitchen to raid!!! that was partially a joke... I like food... Maybe a few other places the pages could get into trouble? Some official classrooms for the pages to mess around in, optional obviously for those who hate school or have had enough of it. Nana. :P

lol..yeah no school for me thanks! I'm marking a huge pile of coursework (project work that contributes towards the final grades in the GCSE exams which 16 year olds take.) it's a frigging nightmare. bah.

ooh just an added thought, when you create the new board, do you think that Genlith could possibly have an office as a sub forum, it then kind of gives him a role and somewhere to deal with the pages and squires or where they can seek him out?

Thats a good idea, and perhaps NPC places for the provost so that crimes can get investigated. Make it interestig for our shady charies!

Hm, sounds good. About the office I mean. On the provost's guard, well, the last thing we need is another category thingy! I think we're still very busy trying to fill up what we have!

I'm thinking there's prolly going to have to be a little surgery on the rules as well. As far as what we want for charries. *quick look*

Hallways would be awesome, as well as maybe splitting the residential boards in two one for pages and such and then one for the actual nobles?

Job Sheet


Archiving: A fairly simple if time consuming and somewhat dull job. Consists mostly of copy and pasting and a wee bit of typing. Person should have fairly good organizational skills. Should PM Talkback for more information because we don’t really need the same threads archived twice. Maybe in additional two people to help, Talkback out, because I don’t want to spoil all his fun.


Advertising: Job consists of going around to the affiliates and updating the URL to the new site along with leaving links around the site so that people who come here can be easily redirected. Finding new sites to advertise on would be an added bonus, because some of the listings don’t have any way for us to change links. One person to keep things simple. The whole thing is fairly simple.


Spam: Another rather dull job, but important. I want to see if we can flush out any of the oldbies who have wondered off or haven’t posted in a while. If they have left an email address, use that if not PM them alerting them to the move and that we would greatly enjoy them coming back to the new board. Hopefully, most of them will still have their PM alert still on, if not, see if you can find another way to track them down. Have fun.

Here’s something I’d like to impress on those who undertake this job: DON’T STALK THEM! Contact them once and wait for reply, if you get one, be polite about either way the answer is.

Two or three people, maybe you can split the alphabet down the middle or something. I don’t know. I’ll just supervise.

I'm happy to contact old members.

Hm... split residential... good idea!

Take a lookie at the tester, and critique heartily. I promise I'll have the words up soon!

So, this is what it looks like we have in the way of jobs:

Archives: Talkback, Meridan

Advertisiting: Katherine

Spamming: Nana

I like the look of the new board! :)

I have a little suggestion about the application (since that's all I really know anything about); maybe putting a seperate category where the applicant has to describe the character's Gift would be a good idea. Not that significant but I thought that it would help clear up some stuff...

Emmi: I think you mentioned something about buttons earlier...Here's a link to a button generating site--don't know if you'll use it, but it's here. Of course, you could've meant something entirely different, and I wouldn't know the difference. Here's the link. Very imaginative url, isn't it?

Yeah, Emmi it's very classy. Simple but sort of elegant, but like I said, I'm getting sick of powder blue.

It is nice. If you're going to change the colors, green is the easiest color for the human eye to register. Like dark green and olive green. Just so that you know. Also for applications, I think there should be an area that states what they're good at in their chosen proffesions. aka pages, what are they good at, have they never held a bow in their life, is their horse their second form, etc.

Skill section you mean?

I don't really like those, people tend to get antsy around stuff like that.

But as skills fall under strength and weaknesses they really shuld be in the personality section.

I was thinking more about a section specifically about the Gift, because I was looking through profiles and I had trouble telling which characters had Gifts and which didn't. For example-

Gift: So and so's Gift is light blue in color and specializes in healing. It has a medium strength and so and so has had little training with it.

I don't know, I thought it would be helpful to have something like that on the application...

a gift section could be useful.

Green is a no no colour because some people are red/green colourblind.

I think I'm beginning to realize why invisionfree just makes their boards white. Is there a skin you could get with a variation of colors? Or even different shades? Like light blue and dark blue? I really don't know.

I’m gonna say no to the Gift section, or rather putting one in the standard bio format because here’s why.

The moment you put something in the bio formatting, people automatically see that as a green light to give their character the Gift and as we’re trying to use that in moderation.

Just as an example: I was in superhero RP. It melded DC and Marvel comics together and yeah it was kinda nutty, but anyway, the admin had put a “weapon” section in there. This, at first, glance would make sense as DC has a lot of powerless superheroes, but who make it up in really freakin’ awesome gadgets. Obviously, Batman. Ergo, a place to put it. Simple.

Now there are a few characters on both companys that have a weapon and a power, Hawkgirl, for example has wings and an electric mace thing because her wings aren’t much good for defending herself or others.

And it was an Alternate Universe, so you could screw around with your character’s history as much as you wanted. But suddenly everyone and his brother suddenly had a weapon that they could kick butt with even though right next to it, it said: Powers: Unless there is justifiable reason for you to have a weapon, please do not give yourself one.

So I am wary of giving it, it’s own section, b ut if the person has the Gift, I will request that they make a separate section down at the bottom of the bio.

Urg, but then they’re not uniform.

Snot.

Name-----Type--------Color-------------------------------------Specialties
____________________________________________________________
Falik-----The Gift----- Sandy Gold--------------------Scrying and illusions
_________________________________________________________

Sayuri-----The Gift --------?----------------------------------------Healing
__________________________________________________________


Natalia (D)-Wild magic--------gold----------------------------horses
_______________________________________________________

Meridan--The Gift-----------blue green---------------------none
_________________________________________________________

Ashley---The Gift-------------copper---------------fire and illusions
___________________________________________________________

Eleanor----The Gift--------------?-------------------------healing
____________________________________________________________

Toni--------Sight---------------cobalt-----------------Seeing stuff
____________________________________________________________

Kataru------The Gift------------?--------------------------unknown
____________________________________________________________

Livia--------The Gift-------------?--------------------------Healing
____________________________________________________________

Mara---Wild Magic-------------gold--------------------------bears
____________________________________________________________

Penelope-The Gift------------light blue----------------------none
____________________________________________________________


I'm sure I missed a few. I didn't check every single bio. This was mostly from memory, trying to remember who had mentioned the Gift or something. So, yeah.

It looks so nice and neat until I posted it.
Gr, all well easy to fix mostly.

Ha, I hath slain the beast of untidy and hard to read disorganization.

Well, Royal blue is the color of the Tortallan flag! But, I hadn't thought of colorblindness...

For some reason, I chose to have Eleanor's gift a pale pink. Kinda weird, I had to look it up...

Ooh, Meri, I'm *lurving* this button site... Now I get to figure out how it works! Lol!

Talkback is having too much fun.

Green may be one of my favorite colors, but I have rarely seen a layout that turns out a good color. It's either cold or bright.

Rrr... why doesn't Paint Shop Pro have antialiasing...?!

Well, got the words up... *yawm* It looks all hazy though. *glare* I remember reading something about that somewhere, but I can't remember how to fix it.

Most of our "affiliates" are nonexistant.

This is when I try to get the real site working. But avast! I must not fail the SAT! The drudgery of endless math problems awaits!

Coffee?

Hi! Yes, I know this is random, but if there's anything I can do to help I'll be happy to. (which means very little but I will offer it) Although it looks like you've already decided on the skin, a really good skin site is the IF Skin Zone. I'm too lazy to go find the link but there's a link at the very top of this page to it

I love this site and can't wait for the new one! :)

Yes, PM either/both Ashley Calhoun or Katherine of Blackwater about helping with archiving. In fact, anyone, help out - HUGE task, very few eople doing it.

Gotta run!

Actually, don't PM Ashley Calhoun. His player has managed to contract the flu. He's not going anywhere near a computer for awhile.

*whistles* Wow, Katharine... an entire two pages of archives in less than 48 hours...

Someone has patience.

Argh... stupid buttons aren't working on IE. I might actually have to put them on my own account! I've been mooching off Realm's for the time being - no sense in taking up memory space when you dont have to... :)

Firefox, where art thou?

All right, peoples who still are here. The new board's up and we have most of the kinks worked out. I'll be moving some of the active threads over so that you people can post in those and you can start new ones.


New Board