Starting New Sites or Revamps

[Todd]

So you make the decision to make a new site, or revamp one of your old ones. Where do you begin? Do you outline? Do you make the layout first?

[Todd]

I generally start by making something that looks like this: http://nightbringer.net/x/tidus_outline.gif

That table will keep me organized throughout my whole site-making process. It also gives me a sense of completion seeing more and more of it being finished, and motivates me to keep going. As I'm writing, I'll realize certain sections won't be needed, as I'll have covered them in other sections, or I'll think of more sections to add. I simply remove or add those to the table and keep going.

I make my layout after I have a few sections written. By then, I'm invested and know I'm going to make the site, and making the layout is a nice break from the written content. After that, going back to the written content is a nice break from layout coding, lol.

[anon]

I make a new text dump file. I use it as an outline to plan out my sections. Afterwards I start developing the sections and individual pages.

It's usually hard for me to organize my info if I have no idea what my layout is supposed to look like. I guess since I code the same it shouldn't really matter, though.

[Elysa]

I tend to make the layout first, as I like to know how the content looks on the site. (Though if I end up not making the site, I'm stuck with layouts I don't use for other things because somewhere I'm still hoping to make the site one day XD) I generally do plan the sections I want to write about, but I often change things during the actual writing process.

[Destinie]

I haven't started a new shrine since the summertime! XD I miss making them, haha!

Anyway, I usually start with an outline in my favorite Word Processing software. I usually just make a list of bullet points with notes for me to remember what I wanted to talk about. Then I start filling out some of the bullet points with more sentences until they turn into essays.

I usually have to have the layout first before I can go in and plug the information. I think that this is because I feel like I have something done and therefore have the motivation to complete it faster. When I made Flight, I had the information sitting on my HD for months and months. I think after I finally completed the layout, I was able to get the motivation to plug in what I had and then write the other essays.

I'm very visual so I need something to see when I am working on it. Content = Design is my philosophy.

[Mikari]

I used to make the layout first, but more recently I started on the written stuff, just to make sure I get everything typed while I'm in the mood so I don't lose interest, recycle the layout to be use on my collective and leave it at that. I like to include pics in the text pages so it's not a big wall of text and for that I need a layout to arrange everything. thus even if I type the content first, I revise it after the layout is done, while at the same time arranging it and putting up the images to accompany it. That's the most time consuming part of the process.

For revamps since there's content already written I could go in any order. Make a layout first or listen to and update the written stuff first, depending on my mood. Rather than changing the layout, I'm more into making skins lately, so there will be a new layout, but the old one will still be there too.

[dubiousdisc]

First of all I write a text dump. They look like this. Then I just...start writing XD Then whenever I get a good idea for the layout, I develop it. This might happen at any time during the process.

I like to include pics in the text pages so it's not a big wall of text and for that I need a layout to arrange everything. thus even if I type the content first, I revise it after the layout is done

I do that too a lot. XD

[Saya]

It depends: new or revamping. Normally for the new shrine to be done I begin outlining it while doing the layout. Example: I divided in to sections of stuff I want to do, and then now I need to divide it under sections and similar =)

When it comes to the revamp, normaly first thing is that I'll be doing new layout and that means I must first do something I like (Butterfly is in need of revamping but I'm blocked), then I re-read the sections, add stuff or delete stuff, and then maybe even re-write stuff. =)

[Sarah]

When I start on a new site, I have to make the layout first. Having that done usually gives me the motivation I need to start on the content of the site. It doesn't always work though, as I have about three sites-in-progress on my flash drive right now with completed layouts and even some content, but they are far from being publishable. (By my own standards.) So, it probably would be better to do the content first and then the layout, but.. I just work the other way around.

When I do get the layout and coding done, then I make the different sections of the site (info, media, etc.) and just type in the titles or descriptions of pages/articles I plan to add to each respective section.

As far as revamps (and I guess it could apply to the design aspect of new sites as well), I will try to come up with a design in my head and create it in PSP to the best of my ability. That doesn't always work out either, haha. Sometimes I come up with an entirely different design than what I had imagined, but it's almost always something I am even more happy with.

[Masao]

Oh wow you guys, I feel so bad. lol whenever I do any work, I have to start with the layout. Once I have the navigation figured out, and pages divided, I just write. I do very little planning.

But I have been brainstorming some new shrine ideas, but my "outlining" is still very vague. I keep most of it in my head and dump it out when I decide to write.

The biggest deal is usually the layout though, 'cause that's how I decide how to style and organize the contents by.