Thinking Of A Redesign…
07 Apr '08 Filed under News -
For quite some time now, I have been thinking of making a redesign for this site. Not as in the sense of making a new style (colors, layout) - but in a general redesign for the posts, tutorials and software. Currently, all of my stuff is just cramped into this huge site and it really makes me angry when I look at it. My guess is that it not only disturbs me - but others as well!
The software page seems like a total non-professional software maker and so it keeps a lot of customers from buying iMap. iTweak probably experiences the same issues - but because it is free, people just tend to download it without any worries of being hacked. Weird! They should be worried about free software even more! Though, this is exactly not want I want to bring across. I want to really let the software appeal to everyone and so I thought of moving the software out of this site and into a separate software company domain. This would allow me to junk out the software and make it be professional from both the website and the support; plus keeping the profession of the software.
The same goes for all the tutorials. Although they are a major part of my site, I think they are taking a too heavy weight on this site and so I’d like to move it as well. There are already several iWeb tutorial sites out there and so another one, wouldn’t be the ideal solution. I’d rather make it a site for tutorials in general; at least Mac-based.
I have gone ahead and registered the following domain. This “MacTutorialCenter” should be a site where I basically write all tutorials that have to do just the slightest thing with Macs. I have finished quite a stunning design for it and have started converting the tutorials to fit that page - but now that it is close to being finished I am actually worried about the site being a failure.
Although the iWeb tutorials are highly attractive, I have a feeling that this site will end up like MacInstruct. I totally do not know if they have visitors, if they are alive - but to me it seems like they are just keeping the site alive for the sake of keeping it alive. It’s like trying to reanimate a dead person… No - I am not saying anything about them personally - but this is simply how I feel when I look at their site.
On the contrast, what will happen to Guimkie as soon as I remove half of it? I don’t know…
LOL - This is the point, I am totally confused on how I should put this whole imperium of sites together (or apart).
So if anyone feels like they can drop me a comment about this, then feel free to do so in the comments section. Any input on how you would feel to see such a tutorial site and WHATEVER 
- state it below!
07 Apr 08 at 8:21 pm
I was thinking about the same thing in the past few days…
And you know…
If I had to redo an FAQ site then I would do it as a MediaWiki so that anyone who registers could actually edit the site thus you wouldn’t have that responsibility “Damn I have to update my site!” because maybe someone else would take care of updating it for you… And if there’s too much spam on it you could create a Group in the MediaWiki with permission to edit…
I’m starting a Wiki for Lyrics translations next week… I don’t think it will get as many visitors as the iWeb FAQ but I hope it will and I hope someone will add some stuff to it… Well… That’s something new to me and I will see how it will go…
Regards,
Cédric
07 Apr 08 at 9:05 pm
If I was you I would split your current design into professional and personal parts.
Professional part would include iMap and iTweak. iMap part would inlude everything relevant to iMap inluding tutorial and videos and a forum perhaps. The same for iTweak.
Your personal part could contain other interesting things about iWeb or whatever you are interested in. But I would keep everything under your http://www.guimkie.com domain.
For an example look here: http://www.beedocuments.com and http://www.beedocuments.com/aboutus/ and http://www.beedocuments.com/blog/
… hope this helps a little.
07 Apr 08 at 9:11 pm
Yeah - allowing other authors as well is a great way to run a site as well
Keeps a lot of stuff off your own hands. Thanks for your input Cedric 
Trixit - I think the personal stuff and business is probably the way to go. I think this is what I will be doing.
Max
09 Apr 08 at 3:57 am
Hello guys,
I came here to see something else but I am glad I did. I am just in the early stages of a tutorial site for iweb (in French) as some of you know. And this post and comments give me much to think about too.
Cedric, I think a wikki might not get the traffic your site is getting, furthermore it is now well known, by the iweb community. I gave it on a forum again today, I would hate to see you move it.
Max, I kind of like the idea of a dual site the sold items on one hand and the rest of the stuff. As for Macinstruct, I go take a peek once in awhile and I am disappointed, but that is as much the lack of new material that is creating the lack of visitors.
I realised today that you have to remind people all the time that your site is there.
A woman whom I helped by email, she has seen my sit, she knows that I have tutorials, she subscribes to my newsletter, was asking in the forum about imap. I have on my site all the instructions about imap (in French) but she was asking in the forum what it was. I felt like pulling my hair.
Enough ranting
Whatever you do I am sure we will go along with you and like it.
Best
Mireille
clubiweb.com
09 Apr 08 at 7:51 am
Good to hear that you seem to understand why Macinstruct seems dead to me. New material wouldn’t be that of a big problem - but I’m guessing that at some point I am going to get saturated as well…
Max
13 Apr 08 at 6:37 pm
[...] Apr ‘08 Filed under iWeb - I know, I know, I know! Instead of fixing up the existing sites, I am creating one new one after the other [...]
07 May 08 at 5:05 am
i’m just glad i found you and will happily pass you and your help along.
thanks!
ea
27 May 08 at 5:53 pm
[...] Software - It’s a long time since I have ever posted some new news for this site. I did mention quite a while ago that I was a bit confused on how to continue this site. It ended up that many of [...]