Gingerbread Man on 6/2/2003 at 06:08
I've been working hard getting the new, bigger, more varied TTLGear Store ready.
What I'm asking for is help filling the shelves.
Here's an idea I've been thinking of:
See, with the Premium store at CafePress, in addition to being able to have as many designs per item as we damned well please, we have the option to section things up ... make "departments" as it were.
The first thing we want to do when the store opens is to solicit designs and input from all a y'all ... There are lots of different tastes, many talented people, many people who can't do the artistic stuff but r0xx0r at the concepts, many who are the other way around.
There will be one section that is strictly TTLG Logo stuff, that's the relatively boring part. Lots of different stuff to choose from, but it's all basically similar. The idea is more to present the same design in as many ways as possible in the hopes that people find at least one thing they might like.
The fun section, the bit we want crazy input on, is so far just called the Forum Section. There are a couple of things already there, but it's nothing fancy.
But here's the thought: Since we can section and sub-section to our heart's content with the new setup, I was thinking that it might be cool to incorporate something along the lines of a Member Mall or Flea Market or whatever.
Bad way to describe it, but here's the gist of the idea: There will be people who want to (and do) come up with many ideas. And once we get more than a few designs submitted, navigation will be a hassle, the place will look crowded and ghey. So why not give people who submit a bunch of ideas like a "booth" in that I would section it off, mae a little logo and linkie, and keep all the designs by that person on it's own index page like it was a department of the store?
Does that idea come across in my bad English? Is it a good idea? Does it suck?
Contributions don't have to be TTLG-flavoured, they can be anything (provided they stick to CafePress' terms of service). Plus, if you had your own subsection you could write a little description, have a little logo... silly fun things like that.
Hmm.
I'll make a proper post regarding the invitation to contribute ideas / designs later on, so let's not get into that now. All I'm interested in is if people think that it would be interesting / good to streamline the navigation of submitted designs in this way. Theory being that if you came up with, say, four or more designs that you wanted us to make available I'd set them up in their own tidy little section. Otherwise your idea can go on a larger, main Forum Section page.
<small>I swear I have to learn to speak English... I won't be at all surprised if I've managed to completely confuse the concept with my idiot rambling</small>
(edit)
AHA! I just thought of a "for instance"...
For instance, if Foofie or Larcenio Haul came up with a bunch of ideas, I could make a Foofie booth and a Haul booth, you see? Linked off the store front with small logo / words that say "Clan Foofie Stuff" and on the page it could have a little blurb written by aardy and then display the shirts, mugs, whatever that they had come up with.
sailoreagle on 6/2/2003 at 16:37
Nice idea. I'd certainly love have more stuff to choose from (though my wallet wouldn't like that much, I think, and my parents wouldn't like me always asking them for their credit card, but what can you do about that? nothing :cheeky:<i></I>). The idea of dividing the "contributed" stuff into sections when you get more than 3-4 things with the same / related design is good, too... if people start contributing a lot, the "forums" store would get really cluttered.
*wanders off to think of concepts and designs*
<small>[EDIT] <a href=http://kicie.net/misc/stfulhu.jpg>S'tfulhu</a> tshirt, for great justice. ;)</small>
CyberFish on 6/2/2003 at 21:11
I recall I sent an alternate TTLG logo design (for use on the T-shirts) to Digi and a couple of other people a while ago. If I still have it lying around I can send it to anyone else who wants to see it.
S'tfulhu T-shirt idea seconded! It could have eagle's drawing on the back, and "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh S'tfulhu T'tlegh wgah'nagl fhtagn!" on the front, in some stylishly sinister font. I personally recommend <font size=4 face=papyrus>Papyrus</font>.
And how about a T-shirt with a chaotic morass of random smilies across the front, and the words <font color=red>-MulTiPLe PerSonALiTy DisORDeR-</font> written diagonally across the back?
sailoreagle on 6/2/2003 at 23:56
I can do the S'tfulhu shirt (my drawing, my shirt design, thank you so much ;)), and I can probably also do the smilies one (if you let me, it's your idea after all). :)
Gingerbread Man on 7/2/2003 at 00:02
Mkay, but really all I'm after at this point is feedback on the sectioning idea.
We will be getting into "Hey you know what would be good?" in a different thread in a little while, but for now I'm just looking for opinions on the idea at hand.
Derailing topics, while a time-honoured tradition, doesn't help get things done quickly. ;)
But just for info, send things to me if you have them. I'll collect and set up all the submitted designs, but there are considerations and restrictions that CafePress imposes that I have to explain and everything first first.
