Asessing the Job - What would you like?

[Nomad]

It's me. I am considering once again to work on Exasco, however, I am pretty busy with school, work, and my side project Pandoris. That is not to say I couldn't make time. Before I decide I want to know where the site is really at. Where are the members, what do they think about the site now, and where would they like to see it.

So if you are a member reading this thread please answer my question. What do you think about the site now, and where would you like to see it.

[Markme]

The sad thing to say i think you are really only going to get a reply from about 10 people.. because thats how bad it is at the moment.

I would really like to see the site active with regular new faces around the place and perhaps a new skin design or somthing..

I'd most like to see you be able to do all the things i cant/dont know how to do, because im unaware of how to do alot of the neccessary things around here.

[!-nessica-!]

personally i quite like the way the site is now with the layout and skin and such. i think the design is smart and simple.

id like it if more people posted.. and actually made an effort to. and not just in the games and surveys. and more people starting threads because if we have more variety i reckon more people will post. but yeah, just more people posting.

im not sure what else there is to ask for that the site doesnt have? maybe some suggestions of what is possible and then we can say whether itd be cool or not?

[Nomad]

I'm so far out of touch with Exasco, this is hard. I'd like to build something, but I'm not sure what this site needs. I personally feel one of the problem is that this site is not unique. All the scripts are available elsewhere, nothing is customized.

I feel that our target to is too board. Look at how many topics there are yet how little activity. That for one looks horrible. What is the age range here, what are the issues at hand we want to discuss? I think the site needs clarity.

Also what can I get here that I can't get else where, or at least be better than your competitors.

I think it is also very difficult to manage a site when you have a wide age range, for instance 13-24. I think that is another problem.

If I were to do anything with Exasco it would literally be from the ground up. I would perhaps even drop vBulletin all together. I would have to think of something that hasn't been done yet, or do a spin off something yet keeping Exasco different. The site needs something to make it pop.

[(sha)]

honestly, i like exasco just the way it is. and i agree with ness about the design and more people. there just arent many posts nowadays.

an so what if it isnt unique like you say. its unique cause of what it is..... exasco. of course. and thats because of the people and the bond they have. ya know.
uhm and age range...... why does it have to be a set range? that doesnt make sense. thats like saying you are too old or too young.

i have to say it though, ground up does not sound good. it seems like you are saying to just redo everything. i just dont get why.

[!-nessica-!]

firstly, since you are "so far out of touch with Exasco" as you say, you dont really have the right to say that it needs to be started from the ground up. dont mean to be blunt but i think you saying that is kinda rude.

i understand that you are trying to help, but redoing exasco isnt what it needs. 13-24 is a relatively small age group. and i dont think its really directed at an age group as such, because some 13 year olds can understand things a lot better than some 19 year olds, it depends on their life experience.

i also dont understand why you actually want to redo everything. theres a reason some people stay, and thats coz they like it the way it is. i think for this kinda site its more important that you have the bonds and such between people, like we do, because it is kinda like a chat forum, where you can come and post about anything.

the only issue is the lack of activity. which can really only be solved through advertising the site.

[Markme]

Originally Posted by Nomad
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I'm so far out of touch with Exasco, this is hard. I'd like to build something, but I'm not sure what this site needs. I personally feel one of the problem is that this site is not unique. All the scripts are available elsewhere, nothing is customized.

I feel that our target to is too board. Look at how many topics there are yet how little activity. That for one looks horrible. What is the age range here, what are the issues at hand we want to discuss? I think the site needs clarity.

Also what can I get here that I can't get else where, or at least be better than your competitors.

I think it is also very difficult to manage a site when you have a wide age range, for instance 13-24. I think that is another problem.

If I were to do anything with Exasco it would literally be from the ground up. I would perhaps even drop vBulletin all together. I would have to think of something that hasn't been done yet, or do a spin off something yet keeping Exasco different. The site needs something to make it pop.

I very much agree that exasco isnt unique at all, and that all the mods are available everywhere...
That wouldnt be so if i knew how to program vbulletin mods, and i have an idea of where to start, i just dont know what i want to build or how i want to customise an already used mod.

I think that we need to offer proffessional help, like live one on one help with proffessionals..
But the problem with that is cost or trying to find people who are going to voulanteer and be active daily.

I personally want the main focus of this site to be helping the people who need it.

People arent open to the idea of a new looking exasco because they have seen this one for so long, but thats not to say that you wont like the different looking version.

the reason exasco is innactive is because people have to make an effort to keep the place active and they get pretty much nothing in return for it.

i would still like to keep vbulletin as its diverse and very supported.

I know you have an idea of what u want...

so write what you want to do with this place here... be as detailed as you want. And we will go from there.

Originally Posted by !-nessica-!
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firstly, since you are "so far out of touch with Exasco" as you say, you dont really have the right to say that it needs to be started from the ground up. dont mean to be blunt but i think you saying that is kinda rude.

i understand that you are trying to help, but redoing exasco isnt what it needs. 13-24 is a relatively small age group. and i dont think its really directed at an age group as such, because some 13 year olds can understand things a lot better than some 19 year olds, it depends on their life experience.

i also dont understand why you actually want to redo everything. theres a reason some people stay, and thats coz they like it the way it is. i think for this kinda site its more important that you have the bonds and such between people, like we do, because it is kinda like a chat forum, where you can come and post about anything.

the only issue is the lack of activity. which can really only be solved through advertising the site.

I asked him to redo the site, so he does have the right to say what should be changed and what should be scrapped.
i said to him that i would rather see him run the site if it meant that the site was going to be active and not run into innactivity further in the future.

[Nomad]

Here is really the best I can throw at Exasco at the moment. Instead of vBulletin which I think is a great platform, but it's not how Exasco started out. When it first came about was a rinky dink website. You could tell a teenage put it together, you don't get that on this site. I would want the site to send the image that a youth built this site, not a commercial product.

Also keep in mind that Exasco was a website long before it was a message board, thus making it easier to market the board (not to say the board took off right away). Exasco had loyal visitors who would come back to see what was new. I was constantly writing and posting my content, that made Exasco unique. That also gave Exasco it's image and definition. A kid going through shit, documenting it, and theorizing.

The site needs both structural fixes but also subsentence fixes as well. I can always pick up a pen and begin my theorizing life, but that could get scary very quickly.

[Markme]

well.... i know this looks commercial, but i designed this myself
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.

and i agree with you that it was a website ages before.
i dont have too much time to reply, but i will respond more at a later date.

[Nomad]

I think the color scheme is good which can be reused. I just think a more comfortable feel would come from someone's sweat and hard work as opposed to vBulletins.

Perhaps we could have two sites (same name). I don't know if you remember but when I first used vBulletin it was separated from Exasco. You had the site and the message board. Two styles but the same color scheme.

I am not sure, I'll keep thinking..

[Markme]

Originally Posted by Nomad
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I think the color scheme is good which can be reused. I just think a more comfortable feel would come from someone's sweat and hard work as opposed to vBulletins.

Perhaps we could have two sites (same name). I don't know if you remember but when I first used vBulletin it was separated from Exasco. You had the site and the message board. Two styles but the same color scheme.

I am not sure, I'll keep thinking..

Hmm i cant really remember, but what i remember is Exasko saved my life back then, changed my perspective on life and helped me want to get up in the mornings and change my attitude about life.

I'm pretty much happy with anything you want to do
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.
two names 4 names.. 10 names, as long as the site is here in the years to come and people are able to find refuge and help here im happy.

[CyberPhoenix Kay?]

I don't think we need any drastic changes like the ones that have been suggested...countless times i can remember being put of somthing a site or a game or whatever because of the massive changes they make, somtimes they are good, but if they are just differnt it makes them feel unfamilar, so i usually just stop using them...

I think the way exasco is going, and the best approach is just constant small changes...sometimes we can't make people come no matter what we do...just like some actors can't become big no matter how good they are, they just have to be determined and get the right break, morgan freeman, one of the greatest actors got his first real break at either 54 or 44 and only because he kept at it for many years, determination...

The people here are happy, and that is really good enough for me, if we never get bigger, i am happy, because i know we are helping SOME people, which is better than nothing and SOME people are happy..If we change too much we risk driving the origional people and probably closest to this site.

So basically i say stop with all the suggestions about huge changes and just keep going.

just my 2 cents.

[(sha)]

i sooo agree with that. couldnt have said it better myself.......... no seriously i couldnt have. lol. but thats awesome and completely true. im happy here. just think we need lots more posts and stuff. so thats what im trying to do.

[Markme]

Originally Posted by (sha)
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just think we need lots more posts and stuff. so thats what im trying to do.

not trying to put a negative spin on that, but in the eye of a webmasterr.. i see it as a positive thing, but in a sence bad.. not because your posting, because if your the only person making an effort to start a thread then its only going to attract people with your interests... which in return brings us back to a stand still because every one that has the same views as you will have already posted and there will be nothing left to said.

Originally Posted by CyberPhoenix Kay?
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I don't think we need any drastic changes like the ones that have been suggested...countless times i can remember being put of somthing a site or a game or whatever because of the massive changes they make, somtimes they are good, but if they are just differnt it makes them feel unfamilar, so i usually just stop using them.............................................. ....
edited short

The thing is we havnt been trying to attract members, we have just been sitting here doing nothing.

The people who remember the original Exasko will rememberhow much they loved the place, it was a little den of knowledge and warmth and love....
It saved lives, it helped many and it gave alot of people a meaning in life.

Isaac is right when he says, what do we have to offer thats different to every other website on the internet?
Answer is nothing significant.
Changing the site doesnt mean we are going to tottally redo everythiing about exasco.
The skin may change, the colour scheme may not.
Some mods will be removed, some created.
Exasko was a very good site, it was absent of isaac often because he felt he couldnt post on his own site.

Isaac wouldnt have known who i was back then, but im sure he remembered the first few hundred members he had.
I am in no way looking to drive away the current members, i just want to make exasco appealing to newer members aswell.'
If we attract greater members, we will attract proffessional councillors and helpers, but at this stage not many people are interested.

So i hope people wont think im going to throw away exasco.. i just want to alter it so it can be shared with every one and not just us. Perhaps this site will have something that will save a persons life.. but that person may never have the chance if they cant see themself using the site.
right now 50% of our members havnt posted more than 4 posts. i'd like to make that 10%

[CyberPhoenix Kay?]

But like i said mark, it's not always how good you make things, i mean, maybe this is as good as we can get it?

I think it's a matter of time and small improvments, not drastically changing the site to try and attract newer people.