First, I'd like to say that I have no close connection to OTW and AO3, as in: I never participated or followed their development other than read occasional updates on my LJ-FList from friends who do. I don't know the community part of this site, the power struggles, the happenings like that server naming you were talking about and so on, so I won't comment on that.
Therefore, when I recently entered AO3 with the intention to try it out, I did so as someone who came straight from the shiny world of AMVs and Gamer-Forums, from sparkling Japanese Websites and enthusiastic communities where graphics are a natural part of posts, of discussion and of the fandom per se, where accessability is an important feature and a bulk of the fandom is below 25. So, my contribution to this discussion here is entirely focused on usability and layout of the site, the two things any new fan here is confronted with.
Second, I am also active in Western Media fandoms, always have been, although the major part of my fannish heart beats in East Asia. =) So I get the "this is a text archive, there is only text needed" approach. Funnily enough, the lack of OhhhShiny! in archives for western TV-Shows or movies never bothered me as I didn't expect it in the first place.
So, when I stepped into AO3 as an anime fan, with the intention of making this archive a new part of my shiny fandom.... I couldn't.
I'm not going to address the pretty messed up navigation system as I was told that people are aware of the shortcomings and that a major revision is in planning. That leaves the layout.
When I looked at the site with the public skins (because one of the first things I wanted to do was to switch away from the default theme), two words came to my mind: "graveyard" and "grandparents". As I understand it, this archive is a labour of love made possible by fans. Therefore I assume that there are no graphic designers contracted and all skins are fan-made. Which is awesome, really, except the part where all current skins are... rather dull to my eye. No, shiny is not needed to read fanfiction, but shiny is an important part of my fandom and to make me feel like I belong, like this is a fannish home for me, shiny needs to be at least an option. I'm not talking about screaming bubblegum layouts (although at least one couldn't hurt ;P) and Hello Kitty invasions, but about bringing in a few more stylish approaches.
I wanted to link to vox.com as they had some pretty awesome color schemes and layouts, but the site has closed. But really, pick any website with a little more sensual layout and you know what I mean. Heck, even most basic webforums have a more stylish design. ^^; To me, anime and games don't have their emphasis on the narrative part (although there are tons of awesome stories out there), but on a sensual co-existence of narration and the visual part (not just the actual drawings and CG, but also font designs or color schemes in general).
As I see it, the goal should be to keep visitors here, to make them want to stay, want to participate, not to close the website after they read the one story they came here for. Community happens when people stay, when they explore, when they feel at home and compelled to take initiative. To put it bluntly: as someone with no ties to an existing community there I have no urge to explore a fandom-related website that is visually off-putting to me. And I'm 30+ years, so imagine what kids half my age do who come straight out of the fast-paced, colorful world of anime, of AMV, of Machinima, manga and so on. While there are older fans of anime and games, quite a few, actually, the most active part of the fandom is on the younger side. Early Twens, Teenagers, sometimes even kids. As I see it, active fans are needed to kickstart something.
So I suppose my suggestion would be to raise awareness when it comes to the way many fans of Asian Media tend to operate or to experience their fandoms. I cannot speak for other anime and game fans nor do I want to. But over the years one meets with people, one talks, one squees, one compares preferences and so on and certain conclusions start to emerge. To me, this site lacks color, it lacks the possibility to easily customize the different parts of my skin (without having to write CSS skripts), it lacks attraction and usability for younger folks (for example often a lack of directly referring explanations aside from one centralized FAQ collection, like on the dashboard page: what is the dashboard? Some form of blog? Who can see it? etc.). It feels heavy, unintuitive, unflexible and dull. Without connections to existing circles and communities that puts a pretty big barrier up, at least for me. I have the feeling that currently it's expected that people join this archive through relations to already active members. What I miss is easy accessability for utter newcomers.
Just to clarify: I don't want to simplify the entire matter by narrowing it down to "stylish" and "shiny" layouts and we all will be happy yay! It would be equally important to actively seek out existing communities and to invite them, to persuade them to join. But one thing I encountered often enough when dealing with Western Media only fans (and which, I guess, is kind of representative for other points of interaction as well) was their lack of understanding when it comes to visual appeal. What for them is unneccessary frippery is a part of my fandom and makes me feel at home. Right now, when I enter AO3 and take a look at the site I know that this archive is not made for me and my fandom culture.
no subject
Therefore, when I recently entered AO3 with the intention to try it out, I did so as someone who came straight from the shiny world of AMVs and Gamer-Forums, from sparkling Japanese Websites and enthusiastic communities where graphics are a natural part of posts, of discussion and of the fandom per se, where accessability is an important feature and a bulk of the fandom is below 25. So, my contribution to this discussion here is entirely focused on usability and layout of the site, the two things any new fan here is confronted with.
Second, I am also active in Western Media fandoms, always have been, although the major part of my fannish heart beats in East Asia. =) So I get the "this is a text archive, there is only text needed" approach. Funnily enough, the lack of OhhhShiny! in archives for western TV-Shows or movies never bothered me as I didn't expect it in the first place.
So, when I stepped into AO3 as an anime fan, with the intention of making this archive a new part of my shiny fandom.... I couldn't.
I'm not going to address the pretty messed up navigation system as I was told that people are aware of the shortcomings and that a major revision is in planning. That leaves the layout.
When I looked at the site with the public skins (because one of the first things I wanted to do was to switch away from the default theme), two words came to my mind: "graveyard" and "grandparents". As I understand it, this archive is a labour of love made possible by fans. Therefore I assume that there are no graphic designers contracted and all skins are fan-made. Which is awesome, really, except the part where all current skins are... rather dull to my eye. No, shiny is not needed to read fanfiction, but shiny is an important part of my fandom and to make me feel like I belong, like this is a fannish home for me, shiny needs to be at least an option. I'm not talking about screaming bubblegum layouts (although at least one couldn't hurt ;P) and Hello Kitty invasions, but about bringing in a few more stylish approaches.
I wanted to link to vox.com as they had some pretty awesome color schemes and layouts, but the site has closed. But really, pick any website with a little more sensual layout and you know what I mean. Heck, even most basic webforums have a more stylish design. ^^; To me, anime and games don't have their emphasis on the narrative part (although there are tons of awesome stories out there), but on a sensual co-existence of narration and the visual part (not just the actual drawings and CG, but also font designs or color schemes in general).
As I see it, the goal should be to keep visitors here, to make them want to stay, want to participate, not to close the website after they read the one story they came here for. Community happens when people stay, when they explore, when they feel at home and compelled to take initiative. To put it bluntly: as someone with no ties to an existing community there I have no urge to explore a fandom-related website that is visually off-putting to me. And I'm 30+ years, so imagine what kids half my age do who come straight out of the fast-paced, colorful world of anime, of AMV, of Machinima, manga and so on. While there are older fans of anime and games, quite a few, actually, the most active part of the fandom is on the younger side. Early Twens, Teenagers, sometimes even kids. As I see it, active fans are needed to kickstart something.
So I suppose my suggestion would be to raise awareness when it comes to the way many fans of Asian Media tend to operate or to experience their fandoms. I cannot speak for other anime and game fans nor do I want to. But over the years one meets with people, one talks, one squees, one compares preferences and so on and certain conclusions start to emerge.
To me, this site lacks color, it lacks the possibility to easily customize the different parts of my skin (without having to write CSS skripts), it lacks attraction and usability for younger folks (for example often a lack of directly referring explanations aside from one centralized FAQ collection, like on the dashboard page: what is the dashboard? Some form of blog? Who can see it? etc.). It feels heavy, unintuitive, unflexible and dull. Without connections to existing circles and communities that puts a pretty big barrier up, at least for me. I have the feeling that currently it's expected that people join this archive through relations to already active members. What I miss is easy accessability for utter newcomers.
Just to clarify: I don't want to simplify the entire matter by narrowing it down to "stylish" and "shiny" layouts and we all will be happy yay! It would be equally important to actively seek out existing communities and to invite them, to persuade them to join.
But one thing I encountered often enough when dealing with Western Media only fans (and which, I guess, is kind of representative for other points of interaction as well) was their lack of understanding when it comes to visual appeal. What for them is unneccessary frippery is a part of my fandom and makes me feel at home. Right now, when I enter AO3 and take a look at the site I know that this archive is not made for me and my fandom culture.
... Um, The End. *sheepish look at wall of text*