Site revision - plans and updates

Per Chris' suggestion am starting this thread, and will bring my thoughts over here:

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Could we each set a goal for what we'd like to see done by the end of September in terms of setting up some key content in the redesign section of the site?

For me I aim to have all the statue pages setup in the redesign by the end of September.

Chris here...

First up, Mark, thanks for starting up this thread - I'd like to propose that this now be the "go to" thread for anything and everything to do with the site relaunch, in an attempt to keep everything in one place! :)
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Not directly connected to setting goals within my area, but I think one of the first things we need to start thinking about is the new site header. I think we'd all like to see Kyle come up with something, ideally complete with a new illustration, if he was up for it. I often speak to Kyle outside of these forums and know that at the moment he is crazy, crazy busy, so if we want him to do anything as regards the site header before the December relaunch of this site (assuming he even has the time to take it on) IMO we need to be talking to him now. :)

The reason why I say this is because something else I think we're all agreed would be cool would be to have a special TCL watermark on all our images that matches our new site logo. Obviously we can't get watermarking images until the new site logo exists, and any content that gets uploaded to the site now that has the old watermarking will actually need taking down and re-uploading, which is poor use of time-and-motion... :)
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In terms of my own immediate goals, I think what I intend to focus on this month is creating and assembling everything graphic-based for my sections of the site, so that by the end of September all the page headers, graphic interfaces, etc., etc., are all completed. Kyle has also asked me if I can help him update the graphics in his Encyclopedia section, which is quite a big job.

I've also sent MannyF a PM with some specific questions about the WordPress interface and how I can best make use of its features - once I get an answer to those I should be able to get cracking with actually uploading content! :)

Take care... :)

Guys I know we're all busy but could everyone on the team just do a quick post to say what they are going to aim to get done by the end of the month... it doesn't have to be big, maybe the goal is just to get familiar with the wordpress layout and functionality, maybe its to do a single test page and post it here.

I'd LOVE to see us build a tiny snowball to get rolling into an avalanche of updates! Let's start small, let's say what we're aiming to do for end of September.

Cheers,
Mark

I don't have access to word press and wouldn't know where to begin with it..... so on that note there isn't a deal of stuff I can do :(

I'm also gonna wait for the new site to go up before working on new content. Cannot see the point as it will be time wasted when the pages have to be re-done again in Word Press.

So I'm really at a stand still....

Chris here...

"blackiecats, post: 29167" said:

I don't have access to word press and wouldn't know where to begin with it..... so on that note there isn't a deal of stuff I can do :(

I'm also gonna wait for the new site to go up before working on new content. Cannot see the point as it will be time wasted when the pages have to be re-done again in Word Press.

So I'm really at a stand still....

Neil, the WordPress interface, etc., is already loaded onto this site - if you ask MannyF he'll set you up with a username, password, etc., and you can log in. :)

It's pretty fun to use once you get the hang of it (said Chris, who's still getting the hang of it himself), it's basically like working in a software package like Dreamweaver that allows you to edit webpages visually rather than via coding (although there's also an HTML interface if, like me, you prefer to code by hand). :)

Take care... :)

I just got back guys from a week long trip through Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland so im pretty beat...and i have research papers due evey week to top it all off. I would like to see what Wordpress is all about and give it a shot but truthfullly there is not much i can contribute as far as uploading content with my time limited and all. I cant afford to put my schoolwork off since i have gotten already two weeks extension on my papers.

I'd still like to try out Wordpress but really wouldnt know where to begin and my HTML skills are almost nil since i stopped uploading content a long time ago

Chris here...

At the risk of sounding a negative note (and not meant as an attack on anybody), it's starting to sound to me as though the whole moving of the site into the WordPress is going to basically be down to MannyF, Mark and myself - which is OK except this site is well over 1000 pages in size (the Cartoon and Comic Sections alone, without the Animation Art section, are over 750 pages), so that is an absolute ball-breaker of a job. I think we're going to be hard-pushed to get this completed for December, although I intend to give it my best shot! :)

At the moment I'm talking to Manny about some problems / limitations I'm encountering with the WordPress interface, hopefully he and I will be able to get those hammered out and I'll be able to get to work transferring content. :)

Take care... :)

How hard is it to transfer content? I have absolutely no idea how wordpress works and i havent accessed FTP in ages

Chris here...

"MannysCollectibles, post: 29183" said:

How hard is it to transfer content? I have absolutely no idea how wordpress works and i havent accessed FTP in ages

Well, the principle behind WordPress is that it's supposed to be easier because you're working with a WYSIWYG interface - i.e., it's like putting pages together in Dreamweaver rather than doing HTML code. So, once a page has a template (for example, each action figure's page in the Toy Guide utilizes the same template), on paper it should be reasonably straightforward to switch one image for another, copy-and-paste in the new text, etc. :)

At the moment I must confess I'm finding the WordPress interface rather frustrating, but that's possibly because I'm not using it correctly. The Flash image uploader also crashes all of my web browsers except Google Chrome, which doesn't help my frustration. :(

Unless I'm able to get some help for the pages that I'm responsible for (and in fairness I'm sure that MannyF at the very least will help me if he can), I reckon I've got as much as 200 hours work in front of me, just transferring the content that's already up on the current version of the site. So, there's quite a lot to do between now and December! :D

Take care... :)

Just got an email with my word press password and username but it is not working

Here is what i received from [email]thunderc@host303.hostmonster.com[/email]

Username: Manny R
Password: beyondsight
http://www.thundercatslair.org/forums/../relaunch/wp-login.php"" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/wp-login.php

I logged in using your username Manny. Might have spelled your password wrong.

My Status 03/09/10

Chris here...

Having spent a day equal in frustration and reward wrestling with the WordPress interface, I've developed something of a love/hate relationship with it! :D

For adding images throughout a page (i.e., not as a gallery) it is an absolute Godsend, saving so much time and hassle messing about with FTP, it's actually much quicker! :)

For adding galleries (such as the screenshot gallery on an Episode Guide page) it's a complete PITA - MannyF has given me the green light to bypass the WP image uploader for the Episode Guide and upload the images to a directory via FTP and link to them instead! :)

Overall, I'm a lot happier using WP than I was at the start of today and am very happy to get the chance to use it on a "real life" project! :thumbsup:

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Guys, here are the pages I've completed so far - I've decided to try and work through these in a logical fashion.

Animated Series home page - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=2

2011 (new) Animated Series page - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=221

1985 (classic) Animated Series page - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=227

Episode Guide index - Production Order - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=54

Episode Guide index - US Airdate Order - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=693

1985 (classic) Animated Series - Articles & Features page - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=699

You'll notice that I've restructured the Cartoon Section - I spoke to MannyF about this a while ago and he agreed it was a good idea. I've tried to work on the magic "three clicks" principle, i.e., that the information that someone visiting our site is looking for shouldn't be more than three clicks away! :) It doesn't always work, but is a very good guideline to aspire to! :D

Take care... :)

"He-Fan, post: 29181" said:

Chris here...

At the risk of sounding a negative note (and not meant as an attack on anybody), it's starting to sound to me as though the whole moving of the site into the WordPress is going to basically be down to MannyF, Mark and myself - which is OK except this site is well over 1000 pages in size (the Cartoon and Comic Sections alone, without the Animation Art section, are over 750 pages), so that is an absolute ball-breaker of a job.

Take care... :)

I'll try to help, but I can't access Word Press! Manny sent me log in details (and like MannyR) they won't work! :( I'm not making excuses or trying to shirk off work. I even turned up to a meeting that was meant to discuss Word Press use (which myself and MannyF were the only ones there)

That is not a dig at anyone, just stating it to show I am more than willing to be part of the site upgrade and help with the process.

There should be message window that pops up. Remember to enter:

username: redesign
password: catslair

...first before entering the wordpress login details. Afterwards, a Wordpress page should appear and ask for the wordpress details.

Hope that helps. If not, let me know.

Yes! It's working now :)

But now I'm stuck on how I actually work this thing..... do I just copy and paste the html from the old pages?

Might need some help getting into this! lol

Thanks again Manny for the email/log in details.

I have to be totally honest, but - I'm just starting my second year of Journalism and am currently undergoing a hectic schedule with gym and other projects that I won't have alot of time to do website work. I could do another ThunderCast episode within the next few weeks but that's all it'll probably be. Thought I'd be upfront and honest with you as I don't see it getting easier.

Chris here...

"blackiecats, post: 29216" said:

Yes! It's working now :)

But now I'm stuck on how I actually work this thing..... do I just copy and paste the html from the old pages?

Might need some help getting into this! lol

Hey Neil, awesome that you've managed to get into this! Once you get going I think you'll find it's a lot of fun to play with! :thumbsup:

The bad news is - nope, you can't just copy-and-paste the HTML from the old pages because once the new site launches, none of the old links (either anchor links to other pages nor image links) will work. The only real way to make this work is to actually rebuild all of the pages from scratch. :(

What should make this easier is that WordPress has a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) visual interface which means you don't have to spend hours wrestling with HTML code to generate the pages, you can create them desktop-publisher style! :)

However, we do all of us have a hell of a lot of work in front of us to get the entire content of this site transferred by December! :eek:

"nickmills, post: 29219" said:

Thanks again Manny for the email/log in details.

I have to be totally honest, but - I'm just starting my second year of Journalism and am currently undergoing a hectic schedule with gym and other projects that I won't have alot of time to do website work. I could do another ThunderCast episode within the next few weeks but that's all it'll probably be. Thought I'd be upfront and honest with you as I don't see it getting easier.

Hey Nick, I guessed that this would be the case - so, I went ahead and created a new index page for your interviews, and will be adding the respective pages for each of them ASAP! :)

http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=727

Take care... :)
Merged Post:
Chris here...

Latest page from me: http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=765 . :)

I'm also working on updating the graphics to Kyle's Encyclopedia thumbnails (he's sent me over the files I need to do so) so they match the new site colour scheme. :)
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The biggest frustration I'm having with the WordPress interface is that it has something of a mind of it's own. One thing I've noticed is that, even in the HTML interface, the line break command <br /> is unnecessary, it automatically adds that formatting. This is actually a really good time-saver for certain things, but is also a pain in equal measure...

If, for example, I want to increase the dynamic white space by adding a couple of extra line breaks, because of the way the WordPress interface works, the line break HTML command does nothing - so, if I input the following into the HTML interface:

<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />

...I still end up with only one line break! If I go into the visual interface and then hit the space bar to create dynamic white space that way, as though working desktop-publisher style, when I publish the page it assumes that what I actually meant was to just have one line break, and auto-formats it that way!! :p

So, just to let you guys know how I've been able to trick this into working - instead of inserting a line break command into the HTML, I've actually inserted the following piece of code:

<p>&nbsp;</p>

This creates a new, one line paragraph, and fills it with nothing, thus creating the illusion of a line break! :)

However...if I then toggle back to the visual interface, it automatically deletes this empty paragraph!! GRR!!! So, for all my pages where I want to increase the dynamic white space, I can only edit them via the HTML interface! :rolleyes:

Anyway, just thought I'd mention this, not to sound a negative note but to let you guys know that if you're experiencing any problems with your pages, I'm looking all the time for potential workarounds - it amazes me that something so popular and successful is also so buggy, LOL! :D

Take care... :)

Hey guys, can we get back to each setting a goal for the end of September? I'm glad to see that most of the team now has access to the wordpress screens and that we're figuring out some of the ins and outs.

Can we set even just one modest goal each?

And can you please say only what you plan to get done by the end of September?

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Mark:

For me I aim to have all the statue pages setup in the redesign by the end of September.

I also plan to have posted the competition announcement on the front page and forums for the Pop Culture Shock giveaway of a Lion-O statue.


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Thanks!

Chris here...

"grizzlor, post: 29266" said:

Hey guys, can we get back to each setting a goal for the end of September? I'm glad to see that most of the team now has access to the wordpress screens and that we're figuring out some of the ins and outs.

Can we set even just one modest goal each?

And can you please say only what you plan to get done by the end of September?

Having gotten the hang of the WP interface (despite the frustrations it brings with it), I can now expand my goals a bit. My own personal goal right now is to try and get the whole of the current content of the Cartoon Section transferred over to the new site design by the end of September, excluding the scripts (which we will need the new watermark - which we don't have yet) and the Episode Guide (just because I don't think realistically I can get this done along with everything else by the end of this month).

Mark, I think you'll find that MannyC and Nick have already stated in this thread that they won't have sufficient time to do anything, although I'm open to correction on this - I can't speak for Kyle, beyond the fact that he is very busy and I'm currently helping him by transferring the content and updating the graphics in relation to his Encyclopedia. :)
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Here are the pages I've completed since my last update:

ThunderCats on Cartoon Network article - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=823
ThunderCats in the UK article - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=807
ThunderCats in Taiwan article - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=799
Promotional Stills - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=837
Artwork Elements - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=891
Press Adverts - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=934
About the Writers article - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=788
Mike Germakian article - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=985
Anime Wilykit article - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=976
Vultureman's Voice article - http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=963

I plan to try and complete everything in the Cartoon Articles & Features subsection here: http://www.thundercatslair.org/relaunch/?page_id=699 before moving on to Nick's Interviews and Kyle's Encyclopedia pages. I'll keep you guys posted how I get on. :)

Take care... :)

Looking good Chris!

To your point about some people having already posted that they can't do anything more this month... all I'm asking for is one modest goal... even just fiddling with wordpress and creating a test page, trying out the layout... whatever...

I really want to change the momentum with the team... everyone please do your best to do at least one small thing this month. We're always all going to be busy but I know we can all squeeze in 20 minutes for the site. If we can't do that now, then we can't ever do it.