GameVortex now has a Twitter account. I've hooked it up to the websites RSS feed, so that recently released content is tweeted to @GameVortex. If you're a Twitter user, Follow us. We follow back, so we can better stay in touch with our reading audience.
Also, if you're interested in keeping up with some of the staff, specfifically, here's some links to our Twitter pages:
Geck0: @GameVortexGeck0
Fridtjof: @mapdock
Wumpusjagger: @Wumpusjagger
J.R.Nip: @JRNipmuc
Starscream: @StarscreamGV
Cyn: @LSUEarl
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
New Design on the Horizon
In celebration of GameVortex's 10th Anniversary, we've been making changes here and there. The thing we're currently working on is a redesign.
We're focusing on making the site more functional, not just different looking. That mean that we're going to be really addressing the way you navigate the site quite a bit. There are some things that are a bit clunky, currently, and we're going to be making the navigation of the website(s) a bit more straight-forward. Also, we are going to make some of the little known sections of our sites, such as our predefined search pages (such as this Tomb Raider page), our Features Index and our Company Index easier to locate.
The vast majority of our readers seem to find us via Google and then only stay for the specific review they were looking for. We don't mind, but we would love for those same readers to check out other content that we have that might interest them. To this end, we will be working on making new links to related content, as well as making it more obvious that the old links are actually there. Hopefully, readers will take the time to check out some of the other content we have that appeals to them.
Also, if you noticed above that I keep saying "sites," instead of "site," that's because GameVortex, while our flagship website, is not the only website we have. We also run PSillustrated (PlayStation Illustrated), which is actually in its 11th year, as that was our first website. Additionally, we are currently trying to come up with good names for a DVD/Blu-ray website, so our readers can still get that information, without the movie reviews taking up as much space on the game sites. All of our websites share a common reviewer pool and common management, so, in order to help stress this relationship, our new site designs will share a good bit of commonality between them - similar navigation, yes, but also elements that give them a unified look.
If you have any suggestions for the design, please leave them as comments to this entry, or email me at Robert [at] GameVortex [dot] com.
We're focusing on making the site more functional, not just different looking. That mean that we're going to be really addressing the way you navigate the site quite a bit. There are some things that are a bit clunky, currently, and we're going to be making the navigation of the website(s) a bit more straight-forward. Also, we are going to make some of the little known sections of our sites, such as our predefined search pages (such as this Tomb Raider page), our Features Index and our Company Index easier to locate.
The vast majority of our readers seem to find us via Google and then only stay for the specific review they were looking for. We don't mind, but we would love for those same readers to check out other content that we have that might interest them. To this end, we will be working on making new links to related content, as well as making it more obvious that the old links are actually there. Hopefully, readers will take the time to check out some of the other content we have that appeals to them.
Also, if you noticed above that I keep saying "sites," instead of "site," that's because GameVortex, while our flagship website, is not the only website we have. We also run PSillustrated (PlayStation Illustrated), which is actually in its 11th year, as that was our first website. Additionally, we are currently trying to come up with good names for a DVD/Blu-ray website, so our readers can still get that information, without the movie reviews taking up as much space on the game sites. All of our websites share a common reviewer pool and common management, so, in order to help stress this relationship, our new site designs will share a good bit of commonality between them - similar navigation, yes, but also elements that give them a unified look.
If you have any suggestions for the design, please leave them as comments to this entry, or email me at Robert [at] GameVortex [dot] com.
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Geck0 is... finally... OFF THE WALL
So, I've been answering some questions on Yahoo Answers... specifically videogame related questions that I feel I am qualified to answer - or that I know where to find the information.
On a couple of occasions, I have found that there is some problem or another with posting my answers... Sometimes, Yahoo Answers will have some issue on their side that keep me from posting... some error of some sort. Other times, The question will be resolved before I get a chance to post my answer. Recently, I tried to post an answer only to find that I had exceeded the allowed length, causing some of my answer to be truncated.
I'm not complaining, mind you, just learning the system a bit. Actually, it's quite to the contrary; I'm using these problems to my advantage. I've wanted, for some time now, to write editorials for GameVortex... sort of a periodic column. Well, I'm using my answers to these questions as sort of a jumping off point for my new editorial column, aptly entitled, "Off the Wall." (Seemed to make sense, me being the "Geck0" and all.)
My first "OFF THE WALL" article to be published was "The Proper Care and Feeding for Guitar Controllers." It was written in response to a question on Yahoo Answers, where the asker was worried about breaking their guitar controller.
It's not the best thing I've ever written (well, I hope it's not the best I've ever written), but it's a start. When I see a question on Yahoo Answers that looks like it would be of interest to several people... and I feel the need to expound on the subject, I will pen an "Off the Wall" article anew to address it. So, for now, the period of my periodic column will be "from time to time." If it generates some sort of interest or I get a good number of backlogged articles that are, shall we say, timeless, then I may look at assigning a specific frequency to the column's updates.
I would rather apply any spent effort in sticking to a regular release schedule towards the culmination and ultimate production of a web comic that I've been kicking an idea around for... as for the comic strip, I'm working on it...
On a couple of occasions, I have found that there is some problem or another with posting my answers... Sometimes, Yahoo Answers will have some issue on their side that keep me from posting... some error of some sort. Other times, The question will be resolved before I get a chance to post my answer. Recently, I tried to post an answer only to find that I had exceeded the allowed length, causing some of my answer to be truncated.
I'm not complaining, mind you, just learning the system a bit. Actually, it's quite to the contrary; I'm using these problems to my advantage. I've wanted, for some time now, to write editorials for GameVortex... sort of a periodic column. Well, I'm using my answers to these questions as sort of a jumping off point for my new editorial column, aptly entitled, "Off the Wall." (Seemed to make sense, me being the "Geck0" and all.)
My first "OFF THE WALL" article to be published was "The Proper Care and Feeding for Guitar Controllers." It was written in response to a question on Yahoo Answers, where the asker was worried about breaking their guitar controller.
It's not the best thing I've ever written (well, I hope it's not the best I've ever written), but it's a start. When I see a question on Yahoo Answers that looks like it would be of interest to several people... and I feel the need to expound on the subject, I will pen an "Off the Wall" article anew to address it. So, for now, the period of my periodic column will be "from time to time." If it generates some sort of interest or I get a good number of backlogged articles that are, shall we say, timeless, then I may look at assigning a specific frequency to the column's updates.
I would rather apply any spent effort in sticking to a regular release schedule towards the culmination and ultimate production of a web comic that I've been kicking an idea around for... as for the comic strip, I'm working on it...
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
2009 Things to Do...
So, how did YOU read the above title? As things to do this year? ...or as the number of things to be done? Either way, you're pretty close.
Starscream is working on a new layout for GameVortex.com and PSillustrated.com... something fresh and much more easy to navigate around, while helping to reinforce the fact that PlayStation Illustrated is a part of the GameVortex Network. We will be going for much better integration between the two in this redesign.
J.R.Nip is starting to look at the redesign from a 'features' perspective... We don't intend for this to be merely a new paint job, so functionality will be improved, along with the look and feel of the websites as they are now.
As for me, I'm going to be involved in both sides, of course, but I'm also working on a few projects of my own, updating our RSS feeds so that they are more useful, seeking partnerships on various levels with other websites and companies and trying to become more active in my "community"... both in Baton Rouge and internet-based.
That's not quite 2009 things, but I'm not done with the list... just ran out of time to blog... gotta run and work on some of those aforementioned things...
...till next time.
Starscream is working on a new layout for GameVortex.com and PSillustrated.com... something fresh and much more easy to navigate around, while helping to reinforce the fact that PlayStation Illustrated is a part of the GameVortex Network. We will be going for much better integration between the two in this redesign.
J.R.Nip is starting to look at the redesign from a 'features' perspective... We don't intend for this to be merely a new paint job, so functionality will be improved, along with the look and feel of the websites as they are now.
As for me, I'm going to be involved in both sides, of course, but I'm also working on a few projects of my own, updating our RSS feeds so that they are more useful, seeking partnerships on various levels with other websites and companies and trying to become more active in my "community"... both in Baton Rouge and internet-based.
That's not quite 2009 things, but I'm not done with the list... just ran out of time to blog... gotta run and work on some of those aforementioned things...
...till next time.
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