OtakuBoards Survey

[James]

[font=aral]I'm back with yet another thrilling OB Survey!

Okay, I know these things aren't all that thrilling, but people usually like to give their opinion on things and previous surveys have yielded very positive results. Plus, I'm really wanting to give everyone the opportunity to make bold suggestions at a time when we are most-able to implement them.

Also, I like to give all members the chance to voice their opinions/concerns and to brainstorm together. We have small versions of this occasionally when an issue pops up in Suggestions & Feedback, but OtakuBoards Survey really provides an opportunity to get the whole community involved.

Anyway, enough with the intro...I'll just get to it. At this stage I really only want to ask three questions:

[b]1: What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?[/b]

So for this question you could suggest new forums that you'd like to see, the removal of forums you think are useless or changes to the way forums are ordered. Feel free to elaborate and be creative here - if there's something you really want that we don't provide, feel free to say so.

[b]2: What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b]

The recent launch of Otakupedia opened up many new possibilities for OB. If you could add sub-sites to OB, what would they be?

[b]3: Should OB Network provide a [i]
free[/i] hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/b]

Pretty self-explanatory.

[b]4: Comments/Suggestions[/b]

If you have other comments or your own suggestions that aren't covered by an item above, please use this area to post 'em.

Thanks in advance for everyone's help! Member feedback on this scale is always great and I always make sure to read every post thoroughly in these threads.[/font]

[Retribution]

[size=1][b]1: What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?[/b]
None come to mind. But the idea of the Underground becoming a sub-forum of the Square popped into my head, and I have yet to really think about the merits and drawbacks of the idea. And whatever happened to The Nexus?

I have no grasp on the logistics of it all, but would it be possible to have Otakupedia more like Wikipedia? Like login, editing pages, and having in-text links to other pages? Would it be possible to just use [url=http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki][b]MediaWiki[/b][/url] and be done with it?

Come to think of it, modifying the Jukebox [again, I know] might be a good idea too. Does anyone really use it in its current form?

[b]2: What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b]
I'm not really sure, to be honest. Perhaps a link back to theOtaku, or are we speaking of another network entirely?

[b]3: Should OB Network provide a hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/b]
I'm going to say no on both counts. I could see having an OB hosting service becoming rather cumbersome, and I kind of feel like myO is there for a reason, granted you are forced to conform to a certain format on there. And as a matter of preference I wouldn't want to be hosted by an anime site, since my website is leaning towards professional.

Then again, monthly fees would be a great way to get some cash.

[b]4: Comments/Suggestions[/b]
You're a cool guy and I like how you're consulting the community on possibilities for OB's future.

Oh, and could we please change the banner for the Liquid scheme? I liked what we had before.[/size]

[DeadSeraphim]

[COLOR=Indigo][SIZE=1][FONT=Arial][quote name='Retribution][size=1]I have no grasp on the logistics of it all, but would it be possible to have Otakupedia more like Wikipedia? Like login, editing pages, and having in-text links to other pages? Would it be possible to just use [url=http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki][b]MediaWiki[/b][/url'] and be done with it?[/size][/quote]
No, it's not possible to use MediaWiki. The OB server can't support it, and only a select few members are allowed to edit it anyway (like, less than ten), making all the rest useless onscreen clutter for the people who're just reading. A huge MediaWiki installation would be a waste of resources.

[I]1: What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?[/I]
We need a hentai forum. Pretty self explanatory.

[I]2: What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/I]
OtakuHentai. Run by perverts, for OB.

[I]3: Should OB Network provide a hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/I]
Only if it's to host hentai.

[I]4: Comments/Suggestions[/I]
More hentai, really.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Valen]

[b]1: What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?

[/b]None really, OB is kicking butt (provided I've ony checked in every once in a while).

[b]2: What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b]

Can't really think of any offhand, but if one pops in mind, I'll be sure to let you know!

[b]3: Should OB Network provide a hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/b]

I think that would be awesome! I'm payin like 29.99 for 3 months of hosting. Lame, yes, but i can finally say that I have my own website and 3 "free" domains, lol. I wouldn't mind moving the site to the OB server.

[b]4: Comments/Suggestions[/b]
Dialup sucks.

[Ellerby]

[COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma][b]4.[/b]

The only thing I can suggest is that we upgrade the resolution to at [I]least[/I] 1024x768. It's at 800x600 right now, I believe and I absolutely hate it. I run at 1680x1280 which is bigger than average, I know but even when I see it at 1280x1024 it seems small. If you're still running at 800x600 you need to stop living in the past.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Kei]

[quote name='White][COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma]If you're still running at 800x600 you need to stop living in the past.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]

[color=darkblue][size=1]Some of us don't really have a choice. ^_~

Anyway, on to the subject at hand:

4. Overall, I think we're pretty much covered in terms of forums and things. I'm in agreement with Raiyuu that there's at least one forum that could be collapsed into another (i.e. The Underground), but other than that, we're golden on that front.

As far as other things on the site go...the only thing I could possibly think of might be that we have our events be a bit more regular. As it stands now, the Community Events forum stays pretty stagnant for a while after an event until the next one comes along. Maybe setting up a system where there's an event every two or so months could help? *shrugs*[/size][/color]

[Ellerby]

[COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma][quote name='Kei][color=darkblue][size=1]As it stands now, the Community Events forum stays pretty stagnant for a while after an event until the next one comes along. Maybe setting up a system where there's an event every two or so months could help? *shrugs*[/size'][/color][/quote]
Not really. We had two events in a row (in fact they overlapped at one point) and it's only been a month since the Nifty Fifty ended.

Also, how [i]old[/i] is your monitor? O_o

[b]2) What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b]

I think it'd be neat to have an official review site. I know we're anime-based but it could be for Anime, Manga [i]and[/i] Games. I'm sure you could find plenty of people willing to contribute and help out with it. Just a thought. :)[/FONT][/COLOR]

[James]

[font=arial]Some of these things that have been brought up are actually worth responding to directly because they involve things that have been planned or are being worked on. Rather than responding bit by bit, perhaps I should just write a response when the thread is finished.

Would you guys rather I post that here or in an announcement? It might help to answer some questions and give you an idea as to which suggestions we are really looking at very seriously.[/font]

[Kei]

[quote name='White][COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma]Not really. We had two events in a row (in fact they overlapped at one point) and it's only been a month since the Nifty Fifty ended.[/color'][/font][/quote]

[color=darkblue][size=1]I suppose it wasn't fair to say "as it stands now." However, prior to Nifty Fifty and DramaFe-- I mean, Otaku Idol 2, it seemed like events were pretty few and far between. That could have been just because I didn't keep up with Legionnaires, but meh.[/color][/size]

[quote name='White][color=dimgray][font=Tahoma]Also, how [i]old[/i] is your monitor? O_o[/color'][/font][/quote]

[color=darkblue][size=1]To be honest, I couldn't tell you, lol. I run an old iBook that I was given for free last year. It works well enough to do what I want it to most of the time, so I suppose I can't complain too much. XD[/color][/size]

[DeadSeraphim]

[COLOR=Indigo][SIZE=1][FONT=Arial][QUOTE=White][COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma][b]4.[/b]

The only thing I can suggest is that we upgrade the resolution to at [I]least[/I] 1024x768. It's at 800x600 right now, I believe and I absolutely hate it. I run at 1680x1280 which is bigger than average, I know but even when I see it at 1280x1024 it seems small. If you're still running at 800x600 you need to stop living in the past.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]
Despite the fact that OB8 is planned to be 1024 res., you're being a bit rude here. The proportion of internet users still on 800x600 is still much larger than you'd expect, just because you're a tech savvy internet nerd doesn't mean the rest of the world has caught up. I mean, jeez, only a few years ago Windows 98 was still the most widely used Operating System on the net. Progress isn't as fast as you think when your perspective is distorted by your own experience.

Until then, if the current OB layout was stretched to 1024 it'd look like ****, as it clearly isn't designed for 1024. You weren't around for Group Sounds first version, but it filled the entire screen - no matter your resolution. Reading it became a total chore because on a 1024 screen an entire paragraph would fill less than two lines. At 1280 is became unbearable, and at your excessive screen size it'd be total horseshit. Tony eventually created a thinner width version just for readability purposes.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Ellerby]

[QUOTE=DeadSeraphim][COLOR=Indigo][SIZE=1][FONT=Arial]
Despite the fact that OB8 is planned to be 1024 res., you're being a bit rude here. The proportion of internet users still on 800x600 is still much larger than you'd expect, just because you're a tech savvy internet nerd doesn't mean the rest of the world has caught up. I mean, jeez, only a few years ago Windows 98 was still the most widely used Operating System on the net. Progress isn't as fast as you think when your perspective is distorted by your own experience.[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]
[COLOR=DimGray][FONT=Tahoma]I [i]wish[/i] I was a tech savvy internet nerd. Maybe we should take a poll to see how many of the active OBers use at least 1024x780. And sorry, Dead. I didn't mean to come off as rude.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Sandy]

[b]1: What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?[/b]

I would definitely want to see the [B]staff-forum[/B] on the top spot at the front page. It's current location makes me often to forget to check it before the blue square indicating new posts turns to grey.

I'd also restore the four categories, with a bit of a different setup. First we would have the [B]general[/B] category with Otaku Lounge, Community Events and Suggestions forums. Secondly the [B]anime/manga[/B] category. Third would be a [B]media[/B] category, including Hardwired and MM&TV. Finally we'd have the [B]creative arts[/B] section with the merged Adventure Square/Underground (which I'd want to see labeled as "Theater" according to Des's suggestion), Anthology and Art Studio (maybe "Atelier" would be niftier?).

That way everything would be simple and orderly - just the way I like it. ;D

[b]2: What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b]

Definitely a new site for members to post pictures of themselves. The presumably dead OtaKuties rekindled my urge to see what everybody around here really look like.

[b]3: Should OB Network provide a [i]free[/i] hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/b]

I wouldn't be against it although I probably wouldn't use it. But don't we have MyOtaku already?

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]2. We need a suggestions page. No more sugestion threads or explanations -- we should have a page where we have our own reccomedation lists. Think Amazon.com style lists, but OB-ified.

3. Useless. We have myOtaku already, and it's not like we can't go to freewebs or geocities or something. Unless you have some way of making it really super-special.

4. Could you make it so ther's people again? This place feels so empty all the time...[/COLOR]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082][b]1: What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?[/b]

I still think a forum structure something like this would be more organized:

[size=1]Entertainment
- Anime Lounge
- - Manga Workshop
- Hardwired
- Music, Movies & TV

Community
- Community Events
- Otaku Lounge
- Suggestions & Feedback

Creative Works
- Adventure Square
- - Arena Underground
- OB Anthology
- Art Studio
- - Art by Request[/size]


[b]2: What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b]

Sandy's idea for another OB picture site isn't bad. We have profile pictures, sure, but 100x100 isn't really big enough for a decent picture. Something like Tori's old picture site, where people could have an account and upload pics for people to view and post comments on, would be nice. And if we could tie it to members' OtakuBoards accounts, so they wouldn't have to register for it separately, that would be really cool.


[b]3: Should OB Network provide a
free hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/b]

Free hosting? For just anyone who signs up on the boards? That seems like it could start sucking down a lot of disk space and bandwidth. Unless there's more to it than that, I can't see this being a good idea. For dinky little personal sites there are plenty of free hosts out there, and for more serious things people are probably going to want their site hosted somewhere else.[/color]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR=DarkRed][b]1: What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?[/b]

I rather like the structure Des suggested, it looks nice and neat and balanced, where the current layout seems way off balance with so much stuck in the same section under Arts and Entertainment.

[b]2: What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b]

Well it was suggested by Sandy to have a records bit, much in the same way you have the world records. So having an Otaku records with nifty trivia to go along with Otakupedia would be cool.

Also I wouldn't mind seeing something like a section for reviews of anime shows and games. I kind of miss having those to read since that part was taken down from theOtaku. But to turn around and add it to OtakuBoards, especially the anime section is something I think members would like since recommendation threads on what to watch are always popping up. Though I'm thinking more like Otakupedia where members submit reviews and they are added to the site so to speak.

[b]3: Should OB Network provide a [i]free[/i] hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/b]

I don't see the need for this. Especially since it's already so easy to get a free site for what you need. And I share the same concern that Des does in that it would end up taking up disk space and bandwidth.

[b]4: Comments/Suggestions[/b]

Not at the moment, I think I already covered what I had in mind. ^_^[/COLOR]

[John]

[QUOTE=Desbreko][color=#4b0082][b]2: What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b]

Sandy's idea for another OB picture site isn't bad. We have profile pictures, sure, but 100x100 isn't really big enough for a decent picture.[/color][/QUOTE] I quote this because I had an idea that could solve this problem in an even more original (and enduring, maybe) way than another picture site. Perhaps someone could make an extensive vB plugin that would allow for significant customization of user profiles, almost on a Facebook level. It wouldn't include any features similar to notes or wall posts (or perhaps it would, but that'd certainly be a stretch to consider), but perhaps having the extensive user info and a photo library. And on the main page, maybe a collapsible bar near the top with updates to users' recent picture changes or profile updates. Not something that would distract from the intent of OB, but certainly give a bit more info about members and make profiles more unique.

The only reason I bring up something like that that would take such a significant effort is that you're already talking about making entire sites, so your scope here is obviously a bit larger than I thought at first haha.

And I'm not sure which question this would be replying to, but I still stand by my old idea of members being able to tag their (and possibly others') posts and sift through the tag clouds.

[Pumpkin]

[Font=tahoma][color=#996633][size=1][b][color=black]1: What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?[/color][/b][/size]

Honestly I was really hoping we could have added the nexus on, being involved in mmo's but after I came up with mmo listings and Hardwired combined the two forums together, that seems a bit pointless now. I think however that we can appeal to attract gamers more and not just anime/rpg people. This means people playing WOW, EQ2 or whatever who want to get away from the main forums to discuss something, but it seems that might be pointless unless we can attract anyone to this site for it, possibly making a mini-section for certain guilds to use? I have no idea. ;/

[size=1][color=black][b]2: What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b][/size][/color]

I don't know if I would create a whole new website..but if you did, and it was for gamers, then we'd have a site for everything artwork, rpg/anime, and games. I also agree with the Review site, I believe that would be amazing, and fun to read. Almost like a newspaper to read. I would LOVE to review MMO's or upcoming ones, or even videogames being the nerd that I am, I'm always signing up to beta test something. Something like [b]mmo.com[/b] would do, their layout is simplistic and gorgeous. Hope you decide on something like this, it would make OB expand to a wider audience then just anime/rpg fans.

[size=1][color=black][b]3: Should OB Network provide a
free hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/size][/color][/b]

I wouldn't mind it being hosted by OB, I could definately have my guild page hosted, that might be a bit better then using plain ol' guild portal. Guild Portal's a bit outdated and believe it or not, complicated for me.

[size=1][b][color=black]4: Comments/Suggestions[/size][/b][/color]

I think the profile updated would be nice. Especially if you add in some cool features or even just an updated profile picture size. I know its hard for me to resize my pictures and actually end up looking alright. I think all the suggestions listed above, are excellent.

[/font][/color]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Well well, I was wondering when the annual survey would come.

[b]1: What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?[/b]
As already suggested by Des and Sandy, I'd like to see a complete overhaul of the current forum structure, I don't know about other people but the current set up looks quite cluttered and unattractive to me.

Personally I quite like Des' structure, though I would rather see the Creative category closer to the top of the index page, though that is an obviously biased statement.

[b]2: What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b]
To be honest, I don't know. I'm pretty happy with what we have at the moment, though a picture site might be a good addition.

[b]3: Should OB Network provide a [i]free[/i] hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/b]
See Des' point.

[b]4: Comments/Suggestions[/b]
Couple of things here.

1] A few new board skins, two after all this time is simply ridiculous and I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to see a bit of variety offered.

2] A link to Announcements through the side bar, just for laziness' sake.

That's pretty much it. [/SIZE]

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933ff][size=1][b]1: What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?[/b]

Oddly enough, I always thought the rationale for putting the Anime and Manga section first was because originally this whole shindig was pretty anime related. We've kinda gotten away from that, so if you wanted to re-organize them based on what [i]is[/i] "important," go right ahead. I barely use most of the forums so it really doesn't matter to me. *shrugs*

[b]2: What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b]

OMG!! Review site!! I love whoever said this. I want one!! It would be really great if I was allowed to contribute somehow. Aside from music, creative writing is one thing I'm [u]actually[/u] good at, and I would love to be able to put up my own reviews of stuff.

[b]3: Should OB Network provide a
free hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/b]

No. As they say, I have a bad feeling about this. I'm currently envisioning a lot of clutter and scary personal sites of people who don't know what the word [i]asthetic[/i] means. We already have myO, I don't see a need to host people's sites. ^_^;

[b]4: Comments/Suggestions[/b]

Can we have another skin? Something fun, like orange or green. Or just something *pleads* where the color/shade of gray does [b]not[/b] exist. Gray, though an interesting neutral color, is actually kind of depressing sometimes. Why not use a soft yellow (or soft orange) as an alternative to gray?

On the monitor size question - I USE 800x600!!! Primarily because my mother's eyes are old and she needs things to be bigger, but I actually don't have a problem with 800x600 and I don't want to change it. James: I might just kill you if I have to resize my monitor every time I want to use Otakuboards for my personal use. >_<

Community Events - Can we make it a rule that you can only have like... 1 massive RPG community event per year? (or less) I hate RPGs as community events and for the record they suck on including the community. And I kept trying to find a way to say this during OtakuIdol 2, but my tongue kept getting tied. Come to think of it, I think I was actually afraid to say it during then, considering the things people were saying to each other. *shrugs*

Jukebox? That thing's still here? Either color it in bright pink or get rid of it. Personally, I'd get rid of it. You have a really, really cool collection of midis, but I'm just not sure anyone actually listens to them. Any jukebox listeners out there?

I personally don't care where you post your responses to all of this, I'd just like to see where you're headed in light of our suggestions. =)[/size][/color]

[Rachmaninoff]

Well most of what came to mind has already been suggested however I would like to second the notion of having more than one skin to choose from. Only having two just doesn't seem like a choice at all. I'd definitely love to see more.

[Shy]

[size=1][b]What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?[/b]

Otaku Media
- Anime Lounge
- Hardwired
- Music, Movies, TV and Books

Otaku Community
- Community Events
- Otaku Lounge
- Suggestions & Feedback

Otaku Creative
- Literary Square
- - The Underground
- Otaku Games
- Art Studio
- - Art by Request

Otaku Archive
- Anime Archives
- Gaming Archives
- Arena Archives

[b]What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b]

I think fleshing out user profiles some more would kind of kill the need for dedicated pictures site. I don't know if we really have the option to do something like that in VB, but just allowing members to upload multiple photos for their profile, and making the profile itself more detailed would be great. Maybe you could have one central profile for the network, which anyone could access via OB, myO or the fan art sites.

As for dedicated sites, I think something along the lines of what 'The Nexus' would be interesting, especially since so many consoles are pushing for online stuff. We could organize forum-wide Halo battles or something, I dunno... I've always had a lot of fun playing Mario Kart DS against my fellow Otakus. At the very least I'd like somewhere to leave my Wii number on my user profile.

[b]Should OB Network provide a free hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/b]

I don't really see a need for this, and it seems like it would create more headaches for Adam, Justin, etc. than anything else. If there are people actively looking over these sites, and watching out for illegal or adult content, sure. Obviously 'adult' myOtaku sites sites are few and far between, but I'm still cautious to see what that community could do with more free web space.

[b]Comments/Suggestions[/b]

[list][*] More skins, obviously, but this is a complaint that people have had with the site for as long as I can remember. Perhaps our various artists could work together to come up with a custom skin, or we could have teams create competing skins. That seems like a really cool idea for an event, actually. White should take note.
[*] More frequent rotation of staff members. Nobody is doing a bad job in their current position, but nothing spurs activity and interest like a new set of moderators. There are a lot of great members out there who deserve the opportunity to step up and take a leadership position within the community. Why not give them a shot?
[*]Dump the jukebox. Does anyone actually use it?
[*]More connectivity/interactivity between theOtaku and OtakuBoards.[/list]

Beyond those my other suggestions are kind of vague. I'd like to see a renewed focus on 'fun' in the forums, which I feel the addition of a games forum would help.

-Shy[/size]

[Aberinkula]

[QUOTE=Shy][size=1][b]What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?[/b]

Otaku Media
- Anime Lounge
- Hardwired
- Music, Movies, TV and Books

Otaku Community
- Community Events
- Otaku Lounge
- Suggestions & Feedback

Otaku Creative
- Literary Square
- - The Underground
- Otaku Games
- Art Studio
- - Art by Request

Otaku Archive
- Anime Archives
- Gaming Archives
- Arena Archives

[b]What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/b]

I think fleshing out user profiles some more would kind of kill the need for dedicated pictures site. I don't know if we really have the option to do something like that in VB, but just allowing members to upload multiple photos for their profile, and making the profile itself more detailed would be great. Maybe you could have one central profile for the network, which anyone could access via OB, myO or the fan art sites.

As for dedicated sites, I think something along the lines of what 'The Nexus' would be interesting, especially since so many consoles are pushing for online stuff. We could organize forum-wide Halo battles or something, I dunno... I've always had a lot of fun playing Mario Kart DS against my fellow Otakus. At the very least I'd like somewhere to leave my Wii number on my user profile.

[b]Should OB Network provide a
free hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/b]

I don't really see a need for this, and it seems like it would create more headaches for Adam, Justin, etc. than anything else. If there are people actively looking over these sites, and watching out for illegal or adult content, sure. Obviously 'adult' myOtaku sites sites are few and far between, but I'm still cautious to see what that community could do with more free web space.

[b]Comments/Suggestions[/b]

[list][*] More skins, obviously, but this is a complaint that people have had with the site for as long as I can remember. Perhaps our various artists could work together to come up with a custom skin, or we could have teams create competing skins. That seems like a really cool idea for an event, actually. White should take note.
[*] More frequent rotation of staff members. Nobody is doing a bad job in their current position, but nothing spurs activity and interest like a new set of moderators. There are a lot of great members out there who deserve the opportunity to step up and take a leadership position within the community. Why not give them a shot?
[*]Dump the jukebox. Does anyone actually use it?
[*]More connectivity/interactivity between theOtaku and OtakuBoards.[/list]

Beyond those my other suggestions are kind of vague. I'd like to see a renewed focus on 'fun' in the forums, which I feel the addition of a games forum would help.

-Shy[/size][/QUOTE]

[COLOR=Blue]Wow, Shy proves a very good point. I completely agree with his idea.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Blue]For the skins, OB has pretty bright ones. Maybe a red or an orange would work well. I mean why not put in a dark theme?[/COLOR]

[James]

[font=arial]Quite a few responses already, this is great. Rather than respond in an announcement I might respond here (this way people can reply to me or quote me if they wish). I will address what I saw as being the major issues here.

[b]Monitor Resolution[/b]

I know this can be a touchy topic because everyone is at a different stage with this. OtakuBoards is currently built for a minimum 800x600 resolution. This decision was made to ensure that we cater for as many users as possible - it makes the browsing experience more comfortable. There's nothing worse than horizontal scrollbars (or a site that totally dominates the screen), in my opinion.

Having said that, it isn't realistic to stay at 800x600 forever. Why? Well, if we stay at this resolution, it forces us to squeeze more objects into the same space. The next OtakuBoards will have additional display panels that will need their own real estate - trying to squish them into our current size would be very difficult.

Future versions of the site will be based on a minimum 1024x768 design. This is [i]plenty[/i]. Believe me, all of the computers I use run at resolutions far higher than that but it is not necessary to make the site's default resoultion any higher. As I said, I don't want OB to "fill the screen" and we also have to take into account different monitor types (CRT versus LCD, widescreen versus regular, etc).

What does this mean for those using smaller resolutions? One of two things. At worst, it will mean that there [i]will[/i] be a horizontal scrollbar - however, the actual posting area will fit well within your resolution. So at least you won't be scrolling to actually read text.

The best case solution is that we are able to build either a scalable site or that we build a smaller "Lite" version and a bigger version (the smaller version might be good for cell phone use as well). At the moment this is the least likely option because of a lack of resources, but it's something I would like to do.

Also just as a side note to this issue, one of my main concerns with OB is readability. If you are reading an RPG or a story (or even a discussion thread), you're often reading several paragraphs of text. Those paragraphs can not be too wide - the more characters that are added in a horizontal line, the easier it is for the reader to "drop" that line or to accidentally re-read it. This is why newspapers are arranged in tight columns. So any extra space will be used for other site elements, rather than thread displays.

[b]OB Network[/b]

The suggestions I've seen so far are great. Many of you seem really interested in a review site. I think we can probably produce this based on the technology we are using for Otakupedia. It would be nice to have reviews submitted by OB members, rather than having a full-time staff dedicated to the site (although we'd have to have an editor and staff would be welcome to contribute).

[b]Hosting[/b]

I was interested to see how this would go and many of you have had very different interpretations of what I meant by this.

Basically I have been thinking about creating small sites that are relevant to OB and having them run by members of the community. So "hosting" wouldn't mean putting your journal up or your own personal site...it would mean having a site hosted that is somehow relevant to the OB universe.

So for instance, if you own a cool gaming site you might have the option of having it transferred to the OB Network. Your site would then be owned by us, but you would essentially have totally free hosting and an instant community (in other words, you'd be linking yourself with a larger and more established site).

This is obviously very dependent on quality and so on. At the moment I have no sites in mind for this - instead I'm more interested in developing our own from the ground up. But the option is definitely there.

[b]Events[/b]

There seems to be a call for more regular events, too.

At the moment a new event is being developed by White. My hope is that we won't have big gaps between events in the future - I think a month-long gap is more than enough. But generally speaking I'd like to run events back-to-back.

So I do want to assure everyone that this is the goal. Everyone must remember, however, that we do only have one Event Master. It might be necessary to recruit a second (or even an "events team") in the future.

[b]Forum Structure[/b]

Yep, this is one thing I agree with 100%. There's a lot we need to do here. I am very much in favor of some of the ideas I've read here - perhaps the final layout will be a combination of these ideas.

[b]OB Picture Site[/b]

If we do this, it would need to be non-thread-based. OB pictures didn't work well as a thread, but as a standalone site with the ability to comment...that's a different thing altogether.

If we can create a picture site that ties into our database (so that you can use your OB account on the pictures site too), then that's something we might do. I will investigate and see what's possible.

[b]Suggestions Page[/b]

This was submitted by 2007DigitalBoy and I'm kind of intrigued by the idea. Perhaps you could clarify exactly what you mean - I haven't seen Amazon's suggestions page. I will have a look soon and see if I can get a better idea of this concept.

If we had a better way to organise suggestions (as in, "most wanted" features in order of preference), this would be good. I'll have a think about it.

[b]OB Emptyness[/b]

I acknowledge that OB has been slow lately, but I believe this is largely due to our email system problems. I am pushing hard to have this fixed as soon as possible, but server issues rely on Adam or Justin's involvement. Both of these guys are extremely busy and OB is not a top priority. Hopefully, though, we can sort something out before too long.

[b]Post Tags[/b]

Very cool idea. I will look into this.

[b]The Nexus[/b]

This idea really came at the wrong time. We don't have enough online game playing members to justify this forum - plus, we couldn't quite get the forum operating as was required (this is to do with the way vB displays forums). I'm sure we could have modified the technology to do what we wanted, but again, we had no programmer for this task.

[b]Gaming Site[/b]

Stay tuned on this. We are working on something, but it isn't an OB Network project.

[b]Skins[/b]

This is a really big issue - it's a big issue for me too!

I have put together a skin package for the OB staff to look at but thusfar, nobody has developed a skin.

Unfortunately skins take a very long time to produce. And for OB, they are especially tedious because of our heavily customized layout.

I have been considering other options to solve this problem. First, we could look at incorporating "free" established skins into OB (with the relevant modifications to make them "OBified"). And second, as was suggested, we could open up skin design to the community as a whole (perhaps some kind of event, as Shy mentioned).

These days I don't have the time to produce more skins myself and if I don't do it, it probably won't happen. This is why I've been looking at other ways to achieve this goal without necessarily needing large amounts of my time.

[b]RPG Community Events[/b]

Yep, I hear you. We are limiting these as much as possible. We'll have them rarely. Instead I am encouraging White to look at other avenues for events. The next event, when it is ready, should be pretty cool.

[b]Jukebox[/b]

I really have to look at exactly how many people are using this service. I agree that the number is probably pretty low (if anyone is using it at all). There was once a time where the Jukebox mattered, but I agree that it doesn't anymore. So it will be one feature we won't be keeping.

[b]Staff Rotation[/b]

This is pretty much done as needed. Staff will especially change as forum numbers/layouts change as well.

[b]Connectivity with theOtaku[/b]

This is something I'm keen on and there are a couple of small ways that this will be improving, especially when the updated version of theOtaku.com launches.



That's about it for now I think! Phew! Feel free to reply and if people want to continue to answer the survey, feel free to do so. [/font]

[Nomurah!]

[I][B][SIZE=4]1: What changes (if any) do you think the forum structure needs?[/SIZE][/B][/I]

[COLOR=Magenta][B]Well, I'm all for the ideas that Des and Shy had, and even though I'm quite comfortable with the current structure, I could probably add in an idea or two.

- Otaku Media (for right now, I can't come up with a better name)
-Anime Lounge
-Manga Lounge (not the same as MWS)
-Movies, Music and TV
-Literacy (Books)
-Community
-Community Events
-Otaku Lounge
-Creative
-Stories and Fanfics
-Art Studio
-- Art by request
-Manga/Comic Workshop

And I think that suggestions should have its own small forum. [/B] [/COLOR]


[I][SIZE=4][B]2: What new sites would you add to the OB Network?[/B][/SIZE][/I]


[COLOR=Cyan][B]Well...Otakupedia is definitely nice, and I'm satisfied with the OB network. But really, it doesn't seem like much of a Network with only one site. I really couldn't be of much help here.[/B][/COLOR]


[I][B][SIZE=4]Should OB Network provide a free hosting service to members for their own personal sites? If you have your own personal site, would you consider having it hosted by OtakuBoards?[/SIZE][/B][/I]

[B][COLOR=Magenta]Well I see no harm in it, since I have made a few crappy sites. I'd sponsor a few sites, (the really good ones) and try not to look like the OB would sponsor just anybody.[/COLOR][/B]


[I][SIZE=4][B]Comments/Suggestions[/B][/SIZE][/I]

[COLOR=Cyan][B]I'm actually very happy with how the site looks as of now, but if other users want more skins, then, I'm sure you guys could do something like that. It's nice that you're letting us say what we'd like to see in the next upgrade of the site, etc.[/B] [/COLOR]