[Maverike Prime]

I had previously posted a similar question in another forum, but I've kinda changed the direction I'm going in and managed to frame the information I'm seeking a bit better.

I am presently studying... hehe I say that like I'll not be studying in this venue, but I am studying to be a web designer. I've tinkered around with web sites numerous times and presently have a self hosted Warhammer blog: Maverike Prime's Forces and I'm moderately satisfied with it. However, I enjoy challenges. Like a Khorne hound I revel in the ability to meet a challenge head on and best it. To that end I typically try to take on larger projects, both for the challenge aspect of it, but also as a means to force myself to learn by effort. So, as my education continues I am seeking a bigger challenge in web sites then just my little self-hosted, self-published blog. In short, I want to make a bigger website. Maybe it'll be a competitor with "Bells of Lost Souls" and "From the warp", maybe it'll just be a niche site for a particular sect of the Warhammer hobby population. I don't know yet.

Previously, I simple posted what I wanted to post. If people read it, they read it. If not, they didn't. I didn't really concern myself with the outcome. I want that to change with this next en devour. I want to build a site that people will actually read, one that will actually bring people back. Hence why I am posting here. I am seeking information. So I am asking.

First thing: What do you Consider your self when you go to Warhammer sites? Are you a gamer and just play to enjoy the game? Are you a Fluff enthusiast and enjoy the story discussions about all the various armies? Are you a builder and you can never build a model the way it was intended to be built so you have to convert it? Are you a Strategist and enjoy reading about Army lists and new tactics? Are you a Tournament Circuit goer who competes for the prizes? Are you an artist and enjoy learning about new painting techniques or seeing newly completed paint jobs?

There is no right or wrong answer to these questions. I simple want to develop a concept of my potential audience base. If you consider yourself something else, tell me. Just try to explain what it is. Doesn't do me any good to know you consider your self a "GiGa-mek" if I don't know what a GiGa-mek is.

Second thing: What Web sites do you go to regularly for warhammer material? What sort of information do you go to that site for? What is about that site that you like? What is it you don't like?
NOTE: This is NOT intended to be "I hate whatever.com" fest. If you disagree with what someone else says about a site, fine. That is your choice. Do NOT get into an argument about it here.

Personally, I'm a converter. I enjoy building the models and changing them. I enjoy taking a basic Fud-fud marine and turning him into an all-conquering Champion of Man Kind. I love transforming a rank and file Chaos Marine into a leather winged terror of the night. I go to a variety of web sites and generally skim over the head lines. If I see mention of a head line that I think means the poster converted a model I'll go and read the article. To a lesser extent I will go to various sites and read tactics and army lists, but I do not consider myself to be a strategist.

The Websites I regularly visit:

• From the Warp
• • What I like about this site:
  • LOTS of information.
  • I've actually met the guy that runs it.
  • When Ron posts information about his projects, he goes into tremendous detail to explain the project. It's great to learn what he did to accomplish something
• • What I dislike about the site:
  • The organization could be a bit better. Maybe that comes from having 50 people posting. Maybe it comes from limitation of the blogging system Ron has picked. I'm not really sure.
  • The site is a visually a bit depressing. I'm not saying I dislike reading it. Simple that the colors are all grey, white or black.
• Bells of lost Souls
• • What I like about this site:
  • LOTS of information about a variety of games. I'm not presently interested in any of the other games besides 40k, but if I ever do develop an interest in them BoLS will be an asset.
  • The site is warm and inviting.
  • The large number of posters provide a good point of view on multiple subjects.
  • the site makes posts that pretty well cover the gamut of hobbyists so if I choose I can get a taste of strategies, painting, and army lists.
• • What I dislike about the site:
  • The organizational lay out of the site. Of the 1024 pixel width, 512 of it is taken up by adds, and outside links. The articles them selves seem to be squished to the left.
  • the comments need some control. I don't like having 90% of the page length being comments.
• Games Workshop.com
• • What I like about this site:
  • It IS the web site for the company behind Warhammer. And occasionally they have some good articles.
  • I like the way they have an interactive system in place so I can log in and save articles and orders.
• • What I dislike about the site:
  • the fact that it's all coded in Java server script. I don't what they were thinking, but that hurts on my computers.
• Dark Future Gaming
• • What I like about this site:
  • The author does some really good in-depth reviews of various products.
• • What I dislike about the site:
  • The site is a visually a bit depressing. I'm not saying I dislike reading it. Simple that the colors are all grey, white or black.

Those are the major ones I check out. There are other smaller personal blogs I have setup in my RSS reader. Every now and then I get an article I want to check out from them.

So what about all of you? What part of the hobby do you enjoy the most and what website(s) do you frequent? What about that site(s) do you like? What about them don't you like?

 

[Maverike Prime]

Considering where you are posting, have you considered writing for Heresy instead?

Just so I know we're talking about the same thing: My understanding was that Heresy-online.net was a web forum and message board. I'm not talking about setting up a message board.

The games site niche is pretty saturated already, with Heresy, Bols, Warseer, Dakka to name but a few all filling their niches, unless you have something truly original and can attrack a lot of sources/writers/active posters you will find it hard to break into the scene.


The questions you are asking are things which really YOU need to go out and research, if you really want to make a site then you need to go and read a lot of material and see what people are posting and how the demographic breaks up. You then need your niche and I really can't see an opening which isn't already heavily filled.

:scratchhead:
so I have to go out and ask what sites people read... isn't that what I'm doing?

Sorry for the sarcasm. I couldn't resist. But what exactly are you referring to?

I know the broad news will be generally the same across any 40k, WFB site you go to. "The Dark Eldar Are getting a new release." Okay, you can read that on DakaDaka, BolterandChainsword, Heresy Online, Games Workshop.com, From the Warp and Bells of Lost souls. They're all going to say the same thing, just in different ways. Shy of tracking down everyone of the GW developers and shoving a neural implant in their neck and using that to read information directly from their brains, there's not much I can do to change that.

I'm not 100% sure what direction I'm going to go in with the website, assuming I go forward with it at all. At this stage, the only thing I'm committing to the effort is time.

Maybe we're referring to two different things. Presently I'm trying to develop a demographic map by looking at the various sites that people are reading. The four sites I listed are the ones I read, not counting the 1,000 40k blogs on blogger.com mind you. Outside of asking "What sites do you read and why do you read them?" I'm afraid I don't know another way to obtain the information.

If you have another means, by all means, please tell me.

Of course if you're actually referring to something else, please tell me that too.

 

[Maverike Prime]

http://www.heresy-online.net/news-network-blog/ is the news part of Heresy, in its infancy but I am sure it will grow larger considering that on average a visitor to Heresy stays longer than most other 40k sites.

Ah cool. I did not know about that. Thanks.

No, I meant you need to do the legwork not ask people, few will bother to reply and will skew your demographic horribly, furthermore people have a tendancy to say one thing and actualy be doing another, if you really want accurate information you will need to go and read what people are writing and which kinds of threads get the most views and replys on forums - these are the active kind of topics and the ones to target.

okay. I see what you're saying. I'm doing that as well. I didn't mention it originally cause... well, I'm doing it and you can't help any with it. No point in wasting your time by posting it and having you read it when you can't do anything to effect it.

I'm asking for other people to supply information not so much for it's accuracy but more as a back check for myself. You mentioned Warseer. I'd never heard of that site before. So that's another source I can work from. Thanks. That's really all I'm hoping for from this.

What I am saying is that your only real chance is to decide what you are going to do, do it and see if it sticks.
My other point was that I really can't see any other niches, but that is not to say there arent any for example, the following are what these sites seem to specialise in:

BoLs: news articles and some thought provoking stuff
Dakka: Modelling and showcasing
Heresy: in depth discussion of 40k issues
Warseer: general board, breaking news

I do not know of a tactics specific site, but that is more that I have not looked for one than there necessarily isnt one.

Anyway good luck and see what you get, though as Heresy man I would prefer you just wrote for Heresy itself.

I would disagree with your assessment about BoLS posting thought provoking stuff, but that's exactly what I want to avoid in this effort.

Any idea who I talk to about writing for Heresy?

 

[Maverike Prime]

Have a look at this thread here: Click me Jezlad is the man to talk to..

Thanks Squeek.