515 Crew

[Greg Protocol]

515crew.com has a few hundred dollars in free Google and Yahoo advertising. I haven't been in a rush to use it, but it would be an excellent way to bring new members and younger kids just getting into the central Iowa scene to the site. Not to mention, I'm sure it would bring a load of nu-metal fans with ensuing hilarity.

Presently I'm looking for suggestions to improve the site. For example, the photo album will be returning this week after a long hiatus. Obviously the messageboard is the most popular feature of the board. Should the site point directly to the messageboard after a splash page? I've considered changing the bands and show environment to a wiki as well allowing anyone to modify descriptions of bands/shows/venues/etc. Comments?

Code: Select all

[18:35] justfornowplz: Yo dude
[18:35] justfornowplz: we should have a way to post fliers on the main page of the site.
[18:35] justfornowplz: Just sayin

Great idea. How about an upload form to get that done this week?

[Joe]

Wiki - Good idea.
Flier upload - Good idea.

-Joe.

[noel_nothing]

couldn't we use that money to buy us some beer???

[Bullet Tooth]

couldn't we use that money to buy us some beer???

delete this fool.


wiki seems like a bad idea. would leave it open for shitheads to fuck with our stuff. maybe have banning a penalty for fucking with others stuff.

[Joe]

If there's a way to use this money to get more kids interested in our music scene, do that before anything else.

And let me clarify some shit on the wiki - A wiki would be good for band descriptions, venues, etc... but not for show listings. Some asshole would just fuck that up, change the date, time, whatever. That stuff is just too important. Anything else, wiki the shit out of it.

-Joe.

[El Rhino]

515crew.com has a few hundred dollars in free Google and Yahoo advertising. I haven't been in a rush to use it, but it would be an excellent way to bring new members and younger kids just getting into the central Iowa scene to the site. Not to mention, I'm sure it would bring a load of nu-metal fans with ensuing hilarity.

Yeah, we could use a couple new regular posters here to liven things up a bit. I wonder if getting a few dozen 515crew.com stickers or something printed out and sticker bombing a few places would help?

I think a more comprehensive main page where you could go and see show listings, flyers, photos from shows, better graphics, scene related news, Herb spottings, etc, etc would be cool.

[jjjsXe]

Herb spottings

that is just so funny

[noel_nothing]

what about varg sightings?

[robdigi]

what about humor sightings? THEY ARE RARE IN THE THREADS THAT YOU ARE ALSO IN

[inx515xhell]

[El Rhino]

[jonnyROCKET]

for the flyers: a way that a random flyer for an upcoming show will be displayed until the day after it happens? then you click it or click something for "more upcoming shows"

[robdigi]

lol o dang

[El Rhino]

lol o dang

Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought. Gonna have to throw "o dang" into my daily lexicon.

I would like to see the main page (ran by an admin or someone responsible enough to keep it straight-forward and business like, no bullshit inside jokes or horse hockey) done chronologically, like you go there and see a flyer for a show in a couple of days, a clip of news about something or other that relates to the scene (say, smoking bands, Vaudeville Mews staying, etc) and/or maybe a photograph or two of a recently past show/event with maybe a very brief couple sentence write-up of the show/event. I think this would make this website be something that more people would want to use.

[Nlaffey]

Possibly a wordpress/blog type page so that multiple people can update it quickly and cleanly.

[robdigi]

speaking of the mews, their site is a good example of that sort of thing.

[DaVo]

Wiki is always interesting but it could fall victim to assholes. Though IUA has been wiki for over a year and there has been any problems yet. There is other options like Drupal's Book. Where a group could set up a project and not everyone can post to it.

I would suggest doing something other than Gallery for photos. Maybe it's just me but I have never had good luck with the script. It tends to take forever to load.

A e-zine would be cool with a focus on local shows, bands, news, reviews, etc... Something anyone can add to and could be done simply by adding a content option for blogs and setting up a page with a river of new items.

Show listing with a calandar that shows up in the toll bar would be great for show listing. Something that shows upcoming for the week and is on every page would be a nice reminder.

I guess the biggest question is how far you want to go in the social network direction? Profile/home pages are cool and could be a big promo for local bands but it would take away from the interactive BB. it all comes down to navagation which is the biggest problem I have with IUA.

[Walking Thunder]

I like the idea of using Wiki. Though it does seem like people might dick around with it. What about assigning moderators to preview updates and/or changes to Wiki pages? Then it would be up to the moderator to decide if the change is valid/appropriate? I think something like this would cut down on the mis-informational antics. But this method could potentially become a hassle.

[robdigi]

the problem with a wiki is that it is difficult to browse (in relation to a single regularly updated page), and is difficult to integrate into the current site design. a main page with show/flier updates in a simple blog form is way more effective. a wiki is too much for what we are trying to accomplish here. this site needs simplicity- a single home page with show listings and fliers, and the forum. it's nice to aspire for more, but is there really the needed amount of enthusiasm to maintain that? considering the history here, I would say "no"...

[El Rhino]

Yeah, what he said plus you know that one of you pencil dicks are going to fuck up the wiki by putting a bunch of stupid shit up there.... Hell, it might even be me.


I think a few years ago someone suggested podcasts. I don't know how complicated that is, but it would be kind of cool.

[ginx86]

I think a few years ago someone suggested podcasts. I don't know how complicated that is, but it would be kind of cool.

Pretty easy actually. Anybody that wants to play DJ, has a cheap computer mic, digital copies of the songs they want to play and a copy of Audacity and they'd be set.

[Hank Fist]

yeah, i don't know what's possible, but it'd be cool a person could have like one mp3 loaded up for people to listen to if they wanted, and a little play button.

[Smoking Guns]

i like the audio idea. on the band list page, we could have a link to a website, a sample song, maybe some other stuff too...

i like the local band section now, actually. the only improvements i would suggest for that would be to add the audio sample and maybe a way to search for things such as BAND NAME and GENRE or somthing.


and really... the only problem with ALL the ideas suggested is that SOMEBODY has to keep on top of all this. it really looks shitty if the latest news and show updates and whatever are not up to date. also looks shitty if the local bands lists is full of bands that don't actually do anything or are no longer active.

and i'm pretty sure most people are too busy to keep on top of everything that's going on in a scene. so i'm not sure the best way to keep things up to date. maybe having the ability for anyone to add updates or changes, but then having only a handful of people who have the authority to actually approve of the changes. but then those handful of people have to make sure to constantly be checking the site for pending changes.

but i think making this site more than just a message board would be a VERY good idea.

[inx515xhell]

100% more titties.

[joseph]

100% more titties.

[DaVo]

yeah, i don't know what's possible, but it'd be cool a person could have like one mp3 loaded up for people to listen to if they wanted, and a little play button.

I don't think it would be that hard to put up a file sharing script or a mp3 player. The thing would be finding a CMS that allowed one sign in for everything. I don't think that phpBB has a bunch of modules.

[ginx86]

I don't think it would be that hard to put up a file sharing script or a mp3 player. The thing would be finding a CMS that allowed one sign in for everything. I don't think that phpBB has a bunch of modules.

Setting up an embedded windows media player with a pre-assigned playlist on a webpage is a cakewalk.

I really don't see the point in forcing a sign in to listen to either a podcast or streaming music since the point is to promote Iowa bands.

[DaVo]

I don't think it would be that hard to put up a file sharing script or a mp3 player. The thing would be finding a CMS that allowed one sign in for everything. I don't think that phpBB has a bunch of modules.

Setting up an embedded windows media player with a pre-assigned playlist on a webpage is a cakewalk.

I really don't see the point in forcing a sign in to listen to either a podcast or streaming music since the point is to promote Iowa bands.

I was talking uploading.

[DaVo]

You two guys don't understand web development at all.

It wouldn't be too hard to write a little LAMP app that allows uploading mp3s and uses the phpBB session variables. Greg could probably do this in a couple hours, I assume.

Will admit php scripts are a mystery to me.

[ginx86]

I was talking uploading.

Sorry, misunderstanding on my part.