New Web Site
 

Greetings all,

I'm in the process of working with Roger and Jim on a new, imporved website for Aural Moon. We have some really good ideas that I think you'll like. We could really use your thoughts. So here's a few questions:

1. Yes, we know you want a shoutbox or "black" room - that'll be in there!

2. Do you like the dark web site, or would something with lighter, more uplifting colors sit your fancy? What if you could choose between the two?

3. What new features would you like to see? A different format for the requests?

4. Do you use the Now Playing Window? WHat new features would you like to see there? Would you rather see the Now Playing window integrated into the main page, or does it work separately?

5. The forums: How would you change them? What features do you use the most?

Let it rip!

The less busy a web site is, the better.

The color is great. Works well.

The now playing in a different window is a pain. I use it a lot, and it's a burden, especially during my show. Replacing the stale old messages with that would be nice.

Make the shows easier to see. Having that easily accesible is good. The calendar is a great feature, but it's never updated and usually incorrect. That's not good. If there's no time to update it, trash it.

The chat (white and black) are fine as is.

Request formatting...do you mean how to do it or the paramaters? If you're soliciting responses on paramaters, this thread's going to get bogged down.

Thanks for the time and energy Avian...

One of the things I never got around to with the station was to organize the requests so you could browse by artist name, then by album. Or flip a switch, and you'd be browsing by year. Things like that.

What do you think?

Yes, the new website should be much cleaner. I'm also leaning toward putting the "now playing" in an iframe or something on the front page that would update itself.

It would be cool to have a form on the site for DJs and admins (maybe on SAM) that you would fill out with your show name that would show up on the site.

The calendar situation has to be fixed. I'm favoriing using a calendar again, but make it more useful, and make sure it's updated.

I think you covered all my concerns perfectly, especially the now playing. That's scary!

Like iTunes. Artist->Album->Track. I've wanted that for a long while.

I think the main point is what Rick said - to do as least busy site as possible. In my opinion we could make one link to news archive and show on the main website only recent news (one or two).

I am not using calendar mainly because of lack fo updates.

I like Now Playing window in separate window. This is good to have 5 previous songs and 2 forthcoming. This can't be on the main site because whole site can't be refreshing every xx seconds. I like it as it is to be honest.

Uplifting colours aren't bad idea although we should not forget this is the Moon, not a Sahara :D. Darker colours as a background and in overall a bit of mystery in the layout.

Forums are perfect IMO.

Guys, do you plan to change AM logo? I'm just curious.

How about both? A now playing window that refreshes, and a link that says "song history".

Somewhere the number of listeners should be kept. I like that feature.

I wouldn't mind a supple background color that is pleasing on the eyes (lighter would be my choice). I have always wanted Now Playing to update itself. That way I'm not updating the page everytime a song is over. And maybe it should tell me the next five songs and bands coming up, not just the bands.

When Stan was around I thought a space for theme for the day would be cool. We could take turns suggesting themes.

Also better instructions for SPChat and I've always thought you should have a screen name and a password before entering SPChat and you should need a screen name and a password before making requests. It would also be nice if someone could figure out how to make SPChat Safari friendly.

Re Now Playing: Unfortunately, with songs of varying length, the only way left to do this is to refresh periodically. There used to be a server-side push mechanism but thanks to our friends (fiends) in Redmond who couldn't make it work, that HTTP feature has been deprecated.

Re SPChat: A FAQ for AuralMoon is long overdue. Not only SPChat but request, station mgt., etc. Q&A.

I'd also like to take a stab at the SPChat code and get rid of the non-W3C issues that make it non-functional for many of the browsers.

Re: New Web Site
 

Sure. As is is fine.

It's fine as is IMO, but change is refreshing sometimes.

Again, clean it up. All I ever use is the black box, forums, requests, 56k link, and WPN? window. It's too busy with this and that and the other. Clutter, clutter.

I personally like the separate window. Unlike the main page, it does self-update. Most of the time that I'm listening I'm not on the main page shouting. I open the seperate window, and then go from the main page to email or something. I get to work. So I'm working and listening, and I simply maximize the WPN window, check the song, minimize, and back to work. I like that much better. I'm not keen on integrating it to the main page. Even it if is, I'd still like the option to have the seperate window. As for what it says, I like the Artist, song, Year, Album format now, with the cover art. I'd like the upcoming artists to go from 2 to 3 or even 4, but I disagree with T8R about it telling me the upcoming songs as well. Radio should have some element of surprise.


I use the "View New Posts" daily. I also use the PM feature, and the search feature. And it's time to delete the 5th anniversary forum from two years ago.

Hi Avian..nice to see you.

1. Shoutbox - Can it automatically refresh? White - good as is. Agree with vax...a FAQ a link to which is quite visible on home page to include instructions for people who are attempting to chat and having probs. I'd suggest a popup with instructions upon entering white, but they have to disable those to get in.

2. I like the dark web site. After being zapped all day at work with dazzling white screens, the black background is very soothing.

3. Requests work fine for me, especially since you did a bit of tweaking on the search options (search by band, year, name of song etc.). Have we ever gone back to one an hour?

Perhaps have the content of a particular show more easily accessible. I know you can click on the "Shows" link to go to the forums for the show's playlist, but couldn't we just have it pop up with the general description blurb when clicking on Today's or Upcoming Events and elimate the need to navigate the forums.

The home screen is a bit cluttered with news, although always an interesting read. Could we have a link to "NEWS", rather than a textual display on the home page?

If Jim still wants to accept CD donations, have a separate forum where he can give instructions for giving, using a "sticky". The forum could also be used to acknowledge gifts of this type.

4. I use the WPN window alot, even when I'm unable to listen. I don't mind it in a separate window, and agree with tee on having the ability to know what's coming up for maybe 5 - 7 tunes with the name of the song, as well as the artist. I'd also like to see who has requested a song, not to be RQ police, but just out of interest. I guess that would be too hard to implement.

5. Forums are good as is. Perhaps omit the need to register and sign in for white and black separately from the forums?

If I were only given one choice as far as a change, I would ask for a longer list of upcoming songs on WPN to include song title, as well as artist.

Thanks All.

The WPN window should refresh in this manner already. The front page NP window doesn't for other technical reasons, although I hope to solve that in the next version of the site.

BTW - great suggestions all - keep em coming.

Refresh in this manner? Which? It's certainly not server-side push. The WPN window refreshes with a http refresh which is handled by a bit of JavaScript code:

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript">
<!---
var refreshID = "";
refreshID = setTimeout("DoRefresh()", 90000);

function DoRefresh()
{
var buster = Math.random();
document.location.href = 'playinghtml.php?buster='+buster;
}
//--->

</SCRIPT>

Yes! Good one! The non-forum listeners are many....I like this idea a lot.

Mossy and Spaz, very concise, nice suggestions!

Spaz, I agree with you about the now playing and the fact that it refreshes. I withdraw my rq to have it on the main page. Maybe one tune.

If the black box refreshes on it's own that'd be great. I must click that damn button a hundred times an hour.

Vax, you're getting too technical for me...all I care about is if the thing will refresh by itself.

Darn this work load..........
 

All the suggestions I would make have been covered. :)

I prefer the darker background.....reminds me of the night sky.

Whatever happens the Moon will always rise in Keithie's household.;)

I do miss the lunar moon we had on the front page showing the current phase of the moon. I know why we had to take it off, but it would be nice to have it back.

The Mortis Factor
 

Yes Mortis does think sometimes although people have their doubts.

Keep the front page simple to lower the upload but a another colour would nice - white for a change - Like the moon itself.

Shoutbox is OK but the white room is technically a load of crap - slow a lot of times and no features but OK if there's no other choice.

I use What's pålaying next a lot - don't integrate it on the front page to keep the loads down.

I don't request any more so Vax's thoughts are fine and I don't use any of the other features

But I do think AM should have more news of the bands on AM - the front page doesn't really change that much!!!

Re: The Mortis Factor
 

I like this idea.

This would be a technical nightmare, and something a "pro" site would do - meaning one that was run for a living and not a hobby - but I'd like to see a link in the WPN window that'd take you to the artist's homepage, or allmusic.com page, etc. The nightmare would be that those pages constantly change. Again, don't even try it. It'd just be nice "if."

As a new user...............
 

I found the site very attractive. Once I saw the existance of the PROG Radio stations, I looked around and landed here. As I continue to listen, I'll gladly input. For now..........I'm VERY Impressed. Thanks Rob

Spaz - the internet thing my friends are doing will have this...but I think it's not really appliciable to the Moon. I like to get out the word when I can, but that kind of free advertising is tough.

Yorksrvc - Baltimore, I see. Do I know you?

Right - by "in this manner" I was referring to your reference to "refreshing periodically"

It did this - when you clicked on the name of the artist, it went to their allmusic page. Then allmusic changed their query format, I left the station for awhile, and the code never got updated. That can be fixed at any time, I believe.

Right, but what I'm saying is that those pages change too often for it to be worth it, right? Could be wrong...

No, they're the same. It's the allmusic page from that website's database. It's not the artist homepage.

"I see" said the blind man to the deaf boy.

For our new page...
 

I will just tell what I think would be logical format changes;
I would like to see a new homepage graphic, More color
The largest Modules are the center stagnant ones, Still posted Dec. last year, This section needs dusting and given less frontpage
Push up shoutbox so that emotioncons and the rest can be used without Scrolling after every shout. more e/cons would be more fun as well
Forums work very well for me "if it ain't broke..." I would welcome a new color, we have been blue a very long time
What's playing now is wonderful, I would like more advance notice of upcoming bands, maybe 4 or 5 artists, If the Playing cut had a countdown timer, that would be sensational
In a past forum, a map depicting Moonie locations was proposed, this would be AWESOME!!
Can't wait

It's starting
 

We've started the revamping of the website! If you click on the artist name on the What's Playing Now page, you'll go to their allmusic profile page. If there's a similar name, it will ask you to pick the correct artist from a list.

Yay!

how about a box on the frontpage with the last five posts from the forums? might bring a few folks here... :cool:

Re: It's starting
 

IT HAS BEGUN! (start Mortal Kombat music)

Yes, that is planned for the new website.

Perhaps I'll be the only one that is against that idea but I like forums as they are, without posts on main AM website. We have sometimes quite private things here to discuss, some posts taken out of context may seem stupid or even rude. If someone is interested then they will glance at forums. I treat forums as kind of intimate place for our moon family, room that can have door opened but do we have to open all windows (even on Macintosh :D)?

I had sort of the same impression when I read Roger's post. In my mind, it's not the privacy issue (I can be just as rude in the black box!) but the fact that having the actual posts on the main page can be quite cumbersome...unless...it's just the one sentence like "new posts". If you put my show post up for example it would take up the whole page.

If what Roger is suggesting is an easier link to the forums, I'm all for that. Maybe widen the box and have bigger link, plus a description of what the forum is.

Long time no see, all.

As a proprietor of at least three web sites, I know how the urge to change things around is, but damn, I LIKE the way the static background works behind the "framed" content of the main page.

Of course, I'm not here every day to get bored by the same old design.

Many of the other suggestions I thought were very good. I'll just hate to see the old design disappear.

No to full Posts on the Front Page...
 

Gotta say Woj has it, Sometimes I put alot of content into my posts(i.e. My home Theater Primers) and can't imagine them on the Front page in thier entirety. And then there is our poor excuses for comedy such as my Sarcastic self. Posted out of context would make them poorer.
How about a small portion of the Forums front page on the home page?
Showing the Headings to Groups( i.e. Gen Dis/Prog News) and the most recent poster like you do now on Forums page one. Maybe most recent THREAD headings but thats enough....This I would LIKE!!

I think the only thing that should be on the front page regarding forums is the button that says "Forums." I don't think anyone who wants to get involved has had difficulty finding the forums before.

Refering to sharc's good post I think that latest threads are the maximum of the forums that could be on the main page.
And if I was asked what I'd like most I am with Yesspaz: No changes in that case.

The forums on the main page will just be a short list of the most recent topics posted on, like:

Re: Fripp New Album by Yesspaz
Genesis Reunion? by Avian
Giant Robotic Monkeys by Roger Lee
Re: New Web Site by Rogor Mortis

Then you can click on the link to go to that post, or a link to automatically go to new posts right from the home page.

I think that this will be a great feature for many people.

There are other feature we're working on - I think you guys will really enjoy the new site when it ramps up to its full potential.

I'm sure whatever ya'll do will be great, but I simply open the forums and click "Find New Posts" or whatever it is in the upper right as soon as you load the forum page. That's the same function that the main page links will do, right?