Chatbox:

The chatbox has been moved to its own page. Unlike the full screen pop-up chatbox, the chatbox page has other elements added to the page as well as the chatbox. It has been removed from the forum page because the forums are for ....... posting.

You can access the chat page, accessible to members only, by clicking on the 'chat' button on the hanging navbar. On the chat page you'll find the Recent Topics, Forum Index, Who Is Online, Poll, Search, and Statics widgets.

Portal (Home) Page:

The portal page has been changed to include those elements most important to the site and those elements which will be the first impression given to all visitors. Once members sign up on AD, most tend to bookmark the forums page, mainly due to the chatbox, instead of the home page. It would be a good idea if members frequently checked out the home page because sometimes special notices or adverts will be placed there that may not be so easily or readily found in the forums, as well as some links that can't be found anywhere else on the site.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask, but know, that at this time, the decision to remove the chatbox from the forums page is most likely final.

I like that idea. I agree with you. this is a forum and we should use it to post things. Instead of going straight to the chat. So Good Job Kyo. Except I am so slow I didn't know where to find it at first. But now that I found it I feel smart again. So good job! I think you're the only person who could of ever made this happen ^^

yea, thats about it. this forum board is just WAAYYYYY too confusing. and im an existing member thats been through everything from switching forums to new skins. enough is enough Kyo. If you keep putting stuff in different places, nobody is going to know where its at. I am getting really annoyed with this constant moving. I like everything the way it was. it was nice and simple. now we have all these stupid categories, and i can't seem to figure out where anything is. I hate it. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thank you very much, Yukari!

@ L... the forum was always set up in categories, the only difference is that the 'sub-forums' have been condensed into them. Sure, it was really simple to scroll down an extremely long page just to see which 'sub-forum' was lit up and then look out to the right to see what the last post was, but we also have this feature, that has been around since before you became a member, called 'Recent Topics'. It can't get any simpler than that to just take a look at the last 9 topics posted in one teeny little widget to find what's been posted. As for starting your own topics, if a member isn't sure where to put something, then perhaps they need to take a look at the 'Site Map' which is directly linked to each and every single category, sub-category, and sub-forum on the site, all on one neat page. Personally, I hated scrolling down a never-ending page, which caused me to collapse the categories. The only thing I used was the Recent Topics widget in order to see what had been posted, as well as the link at the bottom of the page that says "Today's Active Topics", and the link at the top of the page that says "View Recent Posts". I don't know... it seems that having 3 very simple ways to see what topics have posts in them and 1 very simple way to access the sub-forum one wishes to post in immediately, would be pretty self-explanatory. What I don't understand is why you waited until the only modification I made today, which was removing the chatbox from the forum page, to get this verbal about it. You already stated in a previous thread that you didn't like it, and nothing has changed since then. But so you know... I have already planned on expanding the forum index page, and please note the word 'index', but it won't be like it was before.

Change is inevitable go with the flow I was a bit shocked to jump on at lunch to find the chat box gone and some things changed but you know what though, it's for the better and I say if Kyo thinks it's a right fit for what she aims to get out of these forum boards then so be it, I've been there for the changes just as long as you have L and it can get a bit confusing but you have to roll with it and hope you can settle down at some point, but from the admin position change is the only real constant you can bet on

Thank you, Watari. Yes, change is a constant if one wishes to keep a site fresh and move it up to the top of the search engine lists.

Watari is right, while we have gone through alot already, the goal of AD (AD for now, anyway), to become a website, not merely a forum site. A simplistic forum cannot dole out the proper image that is required in order to bring in revenue. Bringing in revenue is the priority right now, without losing site of the current members and the real thing they enjoy about AD - community and atmosphere. Seriously, the site could be one single page with nothing more than a chatbox and scrolling threads and we, as a whole, would be no different than we are now, or will be with a multi-page website.

Anyway, I wanted to post up and say that the index page has been modified, and as I said before, a wee bit. I do admit that having 6 sub-categories to sift through to find which one had a new topic was a bit much. And unless someone can come up with a better solution and layout that does not detract from the ultimate goal here, then we're done modifying (except the name... later). But as you know, I've always been open to suggestions but closed-minded to mere ridicule without a solution to obtain the end-game.

*Laughs* Well I guess this was bound to happen eventually eh Kyo Anyway L we had the review recently, its only natural that she would change the site around. I agree with Watari, just go with the flow n be happy!
I actually have the home page book marked FYI Kyo, and I like log with the definition of Collective Intelligence...

Thanks, BF! Kinda how I see us here and how I'd like for others to see us... a collective intelligence.

Just thought I'd add that Sasori isn't too fond of the layout or the colors or the graphics or the moving of the chatbox ... let's see, was there anything else I changed? *shakes head and sighs* He did have one valid point, after saying that it is my site and I can do whatever I like and what I think is best, he said that if I am wanting to attract adults to the site then I need to maybe think about what sort of adults will be attracted to the site... if the site looks bland and boring, so too will the new members be. At least his criticism was constructive and down-right honest and pointed out specifics. But he too, said that he thought the site was better before and it may be because he's only 13. *laughs inside* So L, you're not alone in your feelings.

I dunno I grew accustomed to it pretty fast and I actually like the chat box being seperate from the forums, it makes the forums look cleaner imo. But he is right you may want to consider your target demographic and what they might like to see, the lay out will be constantly evolving until you hit on something that makes you go "OMG this is IT!" So if you must change things then so be it, trial and error is the only way to truly test something, just don't go for bright pink or I might have to take an extended leave of absence...

lmao! No worries on the bright pink, Watari... I'd leave too!

That is what it was that made that made that 'ah ha' spring back into my mind again... was Sasori talking about the target demographic (in his own layman words ^^). It's good to know that most of you are willing to settle in with the changes as they go along as we / I get it to where there is that 'OMG this is IT' moment, but I have to be honest, I'm more tired of the changes than anyone, as I'm the one doing 100% of the graphics and coding and trying to also keep up with you guys and keep the site going with new posts, etc. Bu~t... it is all in an effort to get to that 'this is it'! Btw, I sent you a very long pm earlier today over this very thing, as I do have a set frame on what it is that the site needs to portray and what it is that I would like the site to be, but the darn thing got swallowed up by the cyber munchies. I'll try again later. And thanks for the continued support, Watari.

Awww I luv super long PM's.... stupid cyber munchies eating it all up! I need more super long PM's, they're fun to read.... unless you're doing PM's about calculus and scientific methods of nuclear science... then I might be a little worried why you're talking to me about all of this...

LOL! Don't want to stray off-topic too much but I couldn't resist reminding you that it's me! Math + Kyo = *doesn't compute*!!!

coolio thanks kyo!

So I'm popping in to give my update on what I think... if you don't care, well neither do I!! Anyway I'm really liking the direction of the forums, moving the chat to it's own tab was much needed, you can still access everything you could on the forum side if you were so inclined too while you were chatting. Some might say "well why not just put it back on the forum side since you can pretty much do what you were doing before" Well for one, I can now access this site at work as long as I don't go to the chat tab, I can view the forums and what not, but going to anything type of live chat program at work is a no-no, so this allows me to access the forums at work once again

The look of the forum is getting more neutral, it's not so focused on the anime anymore, but still has that feel that we had before, you can definitely still feel the Japanese influence on the site but you don't have to be a freak for Japanese culture to still enjoy this. The current events thing at the top of the page is a nice touch, might want to look into a banner style thing to put up there that can rotate between many current events maybe? Just a thought since you already have the idea in place and it looks good up there and is in view for everyone to see.

I know the color is one thing that has been on the minds of everyone and if I may make a suggestion, if you're looking to draw in people from all walks of life, you might want to consider possibly bringing up the color a bit to include some brighter colors, me I love the darker colors that is just fitting of my personality, but lighter brighter colors tend to attract a vast majority of people, I'm not saying hot neon pink, but you know some reds and blues, yellows and orange, splash of green... oh yea kind of like the superbowl add above seeing those colors actually makes the forum a bit more lively and less dreary.

Anyway some thoughts of mine on this topic Anyway I don't know if I could but I'm throwing this out there, as long as there is no set time frame, if I can be of any help on any of this stuff just let me know, I do pick things up pretty quickly

Most excellent feedback, Watari! You hit on everything that I was trying to impress upon the site, and even that thing that was driving me absolutely nuts... the drab color palette. However, it is the one thing I've been working on all day today (downloaded more brushes and fonts for use in photoshop today). I'm glad the movement of the chatbox helped with you being able to get back on the site during work, when you're not busy of course. So that is something will definitely stay as is! Admittedly, my favorite page of the site is the portal/home page for the color and readability of it. The banner is my main focus right now and again, you must have been reading my mind because I looked into a banner rotater early today that would rotate with each page refresh instead of automatically in order to save cpu usage on the user end.

As for helping out, that was what that lengthy pm that vanished was all about. I'll write something up and email it to you instead by the end of the weekend. Thanks again for your input!

@ Kage... You're welcome!? ^^ Actually, thank you!

Totally just shoot me that email, I probably won't really respond till Monday anyway but I'll look forward to reading it.

Glad my feedback could be of assistance I know you've been stressing over it so just take your time and go slow and it'll come together just fine

Hey Kyo,

Site is looking good, the light background really makes the center of the forum stand out imo, I'm not 100% on the decorations but they add a nice feel for what you might be going for, though the graphics seem to be all over the place, not sure if you were aiming for a certain theme or not but the background graphics do confuse me a bit.

Love the additions of the color to the site, they really add a nice touch to it all

You know... I agree that the lighter color is different, and while I like the decorations and don't feel too confused about them, there's something that still seems 'off' to me. For one thing, I don't like the wrapper section splitting the header when you start to scroll down any page, which means I have to adjust the coding by adding a section and tweaking a few other settings, and honestly, I'm getting tired of working on the layout cause I feel it starting to drain my energy from progressing forward. Hence why I've been lagging in my posting the past two days. But I know, I know... can't actually progress forward until the site is set to welcome newcomers. As for the graphics, since AD is going to be geared more toward the graphics arena, or at least the media of arts period, then having a sort of grungy feel to attract the audience we're trying to obtain needs to be done, but my mind is sleeping after staring at the same thing in photoshop for hours on end. If you have any more specific ideas, like you did with the lightening up of the background, please.... please don't hesitate to elaborate.

Well I really like what you did at the top with the streaming blue lines, that seems to be a really cool thing on the site but I have a wide screen and it looks funny in a way because I'm actually seeing the background twice well it just makes the background look off as well, but that's me , but I would suggest maybe keeping the theme you have going at the top running through out the whole section with the streaming lines and the paint splashes, I feel you get really artsy at the top but the mid section just feels really bland like it doesn't fit, maybe that's what I was getting at when I said I felt confused by it. Maybe you can spice up the bottom portion with some different lines and trailing effects (I'm not a photoshop expert by any means so I hope you get what I mean) I dunno might want to mess with it, just the bottom looks bland and I can see what you're trying to do with it but it almost feels like it's not flowing with the top parts.

hmmm... I do follow you... I think. More streamy things and fewer circular things that just seem to pop out of nowhere and hang out staring at us like alien cyclops. Well, maybe not that bad but they look weird. What width is your resolution? The background is currently set at 1440px wide, which is what my monitor is and there's no repeat of the background. It would be easier for me, as far as the header goes, to just widen the width of the bg than to try and make the pattern match up so it looks continuous... although that isn't out of the question... *stares at the header* and most likely will be done anyway. Argh... thinking out loud again. But thanks, Watari. Love the feedback!

I'm currently running 1920x1080 res for my main monitor and 1600x1200 for my secondary monitor on both those res you can see the pattern repeating off to the edges, doesn't really look smooth, but that's because I'm on a wider resolution than you so it's acceptable but you might want to think that the majority of your viewers might have a resolution like mine or even bigger, 24" widescreens are pretty cheap and are becoming more common so you might want to think about that for designing purposes.

But yea I would try to configure the whole background to look like it flows together rather than artsy up top and... not so artsy at the bottom, make it like a canvas and make it flow, right now it doesn't flow that well, it's almost like you were all gung-ho at the top then lost interest when you were working towards the bottom, top is excellent... bottom.. needs improvement

I stayed up til 1 this morning then decided to go to bed with an unfinished product. I got up this morning with fresh eyes and just got rid of all the graphics on the background. It's the center portion and the banner we want to stand out anyway, so I opted to just put a single paint spatter on the background. However, the center bodyline is also part of the background. With your screen res being so high, does that repeat on your screen as well? I did already divide the board into 3 different sections, so if it does, let me know and I'll separate the bodyline from the single paint spatter, which 'should' flow... let me know if I aligned it properly or not, please. And again, thanks Watari!

The paint splatter does show it's self on the right side again which I think you meant it to (at least that's what I got from it) and it actually looks really good right now, so you get a [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] don't know if you're planning on adding more later on but I'm interested in seeing where this goes from this point, it's starting to feel more lively and artsy I'm starting to feel that vibe you want people to have when they come here that this is a place to be creative I think you're going in the right direction.

Thanks. Before I add anything else, I want to finish up on the buttons that need to be redone since we had the black/white skin, do up a banner for Kil, and I don't want to mess up what I just did... So long as the paint spatter is the only thing that is repeating for you, then yes, it is as planned for a change. lol For now, I'll move on to other areas, but again, if you get a spark of an idea, don't hesitate to post it up!

*Edit: I did away with the repeating background (for now anyway) and just set the background color to match that of the bg image, so you should now only see a buttload of gray spanning your monitor. Once more artsy stuff is added to the background to make it look smooth, then I'll add the repeat back so it won't look so boring in the nether-regions of your view.

Most definitely, take care of what you need to and then worry about the background, I think you'll get it but you just need to time to really go over it and get a feel for what you want it to do It'll come to you in time.