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Author
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Comment
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Heidi
Anne Heiner
ezOP
(3/17/03 5:52 pm)
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SurLaLune: Informal Survey
Hello all,
As I am looking over this large site I have created, I find I am considering some major updates, changes, etc. Before I start, I would like to set some priorities and consider new avenues as yet unexplored. I receive regular feedback from e-mails, but I would like to ask the "regulars," too. I realize your favorite area is probably this discussion board--it is one of mine, but there isn't much to do on my part to improve it at this point. Everyone here has made it a great place to come and discuss our passion on a weekly, daily--or is that hourly--basis. (Insert applause here.) Please consider the other areas which are all linked from www.surlalunefairytales.com.
Here are some of my quickly thought up questions to consider:
Which elements of the SurLaLune site are the most beneficial, interesting, repeatedly viewed, referenced, etc.?
Which areas are the least helpful and superfluous?
What do you feel is missing from the site?
What should be expanded and what shouldn't be?
Thanks for your thoughts and helping me to make this site bigger and hopefully better.
Heidi
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Jess
Unregistered User
(3/17/03 6:52 pm)
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Hourly person (sometimes)
Heidi,
While you are at it, I have a question: can we help to fund your site? Write grants or donate? You haven't said anything about this, although I know there is a cost both in time and money for you to do this site.
More comments later on the pages.
Jess
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Heidi
Anne Heiner
ezOP
(3/17/03 9:36 pm)
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Re: Hourly person (sometimes)
Thanks, Jess.
Actually, for now, the site is paying for itself with the revenue
I receive from Amazon.com sales. Thank you to everyone who clicks
through SurLaLune before making a purchase on Amazon. I won't know
how much another year of EZBoard will cost until August when I renew
for the year, since the charge is for average traffic which has
increased considerably this year. There is an option to add to the
EZBoard community chest, but I don't think it is necessary to drum
up business there yet.
Also, SurLaLune reached 600,000 hits today, so it is doing quite well on a worldwide basis. I've received e-mails in Italian, Spanish, French, Korean, and many variations of English! It is also a top search result for many types of searches on Google which is responsible for sending about half of the traffic the site gets. Unfortunately, this has made my own web research less helpful since most of the stuff I look for usually sends me to my own site. Longevity and a really big site--well over 2,000 pages including the board archives--have made this a hot spot. The support from all of you and other publications have helped quite a bit, too.
Thanks again,
Heidi
PS: Please remember to click through SurLaLune or Endicott Studio when making purchases--not just books!--from Amazon. It doesn't cost you any extra and our sites receive a small percentage which eventually adds up. Amazon policy prevents me from buying through SurLaLune as its webmaster, so I always click through Endicott to help out the two charities which receive the funds generated through that site.
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Kevin
Smith
Registered User
(3/18/03 12:43 am)
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The missing link
Heidi,
I feel that the link from these forums to the website proper should be made more prominent, or to have a "sticky" FAQ containing the most frequently asked fairy tales.
This should help answer the questions of those questions that keep coming up, and allow people to see discussions in the archive before they ask again (I don't rate the EZ board search function very highly).
In particular, a direct link to the fairy tale bibliography would come in handy for all those "can you recommend me books on X" questions that are covered on the main site.
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Meurglys
Registered User
(3/18/03 6:14 am)
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Viewing/posting figures
Another Board I visit has asked that it's regulars try to keep their post count and page viewing down during the month before it's renewal is due because apparently that's the period the averages are taken over for the costing of a Board's renewal.
It does tend to have many more frivolous posts than here so a similar request here might not have much effect...
Just thought I'd mention it... it hadn't occured to me before that lurking also added to the renewal cost.
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Heidi
Anne Heiner
ezOP
(3/18/03 9:13 am)
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Re: Viewing/posting figures
Actually, the renewal is in early September and the site traffic is always down in summer months, so there shouldn't be a need to ask for lower visits. I don't want to scare anyone away from visiting the site as often as they want. I know I look forward to the little five minute breaks in my day when I can quickly browse the discussions--although my own visits don't count towards the traffic anyway!
Any thoughts on the SurLaLune site itself?
Heidi
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Laura
McCaffrey
Registered User
(3/20/03 5:32 pm)
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Re: Viewing/posting figures
Just some quick quick thoughts and will try to add more tomorrow. I really like how you put new releases on the sidebars of the home page. I check back periodically to see what's up. I love illustrators, the actual tales and the way you have links to history, retellings, etc. Also like your use of color and image. Everything is very clear and easy to navigate, and at the same time visually compelling.
Maybe a more focused home page with less links? For example, rather than having all the tales listed have one link that says annotated tales, new tales, etc. By clicking on that you'd go to a list of the linked tales. This would also allow what is on the home page to stand out more, the FAQs for example.
Anyway, some initial thoughts.
LauraMc
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Kevin
Smith
Registered User
(3/21/03 12:34 am)
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or . .
"Maybe a more focused home page with less links? For example, rather than having all the tales listed have one link that says annotated tales, new tales, etc."
The only problem with that is it could mislead new visitors about how much information there really is? For example, on the home page as it is now, you click on a fairy tale, and it leads you to a version of that fairy tale.
Which is great, but, in that sense it doesn't seem any different from dozens of other sites that reprint fairy tales. The strength of Sirlalune is the wealth of material that adds to interpretation of the fairy tale, but there's no mention of that on the first page, you have to first really click on the fairy tale, and then be alert enough to notice the side bar that contains further resources (which i didn't notice at first, due to tunnel vision on the tale).
Perhaps separate links to criticism/ biographies could help illustrate the depth of material, but it could also clutter things up. Hmm . . it's a tough one.
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Lotti
Unregistered User
(3/21/03 2:52 pm)
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Don't change a thing!
Dear Heidi,
first of all, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank you for
this wonderful site! Don't change a thing - just put in more! I
like to come back once in a while just to try to find out what new
treasures you have added, or to look for a nice "bedtime-story"
- browsing through the site, refreshing my memory on the old tales,
browsing on to variants I didn't know, sneaking over to the picture
section, getting hooked on the references and going farther - ah
well, there goes the "bedtime" and it is late at night
again because I could not stop... The more material you add, the
more I feel the site to be an "Alladins Cave". - On a
more seriuos note, I find that if I look for a specific information,
the site is very well structured and I find it easy to come to the
info I was looking for. The only minor detail that I find is that
you don't see right away which tales have been annotated so far
- only when you click on the resp. link. Or did I miss something?
Best regards!
Lotti, a big fan of you and your site!!!
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shiara
the witch
Registered User
(3/22/03 12:34 pm)
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Re: Don't change a thing!
I love that your site has so many aspects for every tale. Variants, illustrations, and retellings. I have used it a ton for all three! All i would suggest would be to put even more stories on! Try putting some lesser known tales on, so that they can be descovered by more people. Some of my favorite fairy tales are almost unkown. Like Tatterhood, The three Little Men in the Wood, Kate Crackernuts, The three strong women etc. etc. Hope that helps!
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Heidi
Anne Heiner
ezOP
(3/22/03 7:12 pm)
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Re: Don't change a thing!
Thank you everyone. It's nice to know that everyone is pretty happy with the product I have created. And Leah, I will be adding at least one of those stories for you in the future. I only have room for a few more, I think, but the three you picked are in the running as well as a section for Hans Christian Andersen's most popular tales.
As for the front page, I have long been trying to decide whether to go with less or more. It is hard to really show everything that is on the site, but I also don't want to overcrowd the page either. I just always hope everyone goes exploring further or reads the short headings I have explaining what is available.
Heidi
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Jess
Unregistered User
(3/22/03 10:35 pm)
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The first comment
Heidi,
First, a hearty congratulations on your incredible number of hits! It proves that what you are discussing is not only of great interest, but an excellent site about that topic.
Second, I am definitely of the less is more idea. When I am trying to find information, I do not want to have to sort through clutter. Now, the only question is what on your page could be considered "clutter?" When reviewing it, yet again, I wonder if you couldn't put the Annotated tales as just a link (oh, I should know this terminology my husband the former dot commer would kill me - lol). After hitting the link, you could show the full list. Just a thought. Also, I notice in the left-hand column you always have the "Part I" items listed out in full- why? You could just have a "back to home" header. Or do you find that people often use these links directly?
I must say that I love the story pages. I go back periodically to look at the new annotations and to see the books available (oh and I will buy now through you to Amazon - but does it work for all Amazon purchases or just the advertised books?). I would like to see the Juniper Tree annotated, if for no other reason than it seemed the most influential tale to the authors writing in Kate Bernheimer's book Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. Oh, and I have really enjoyed the illustrations as well.
Again, Heidi, your website is wonderful. Congratulations and thank
you. As you know, I obviously spend more time than I should on this
board procrastinating from my daily chores (I have a pile of laundry
just waiting to be spun into gold - where is that Rumplestiltskin
when you need him? ).
Jess
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Angel
Feather
Registered User
(4/15/03 10:05 am)
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Artwork
I love your website! I especially love reviewing the artwork for the various fairy tales. If there is a way to link illustrations that are available as cards and posters, that would be wonderful. It might also generate revenue like the amazon.ocm does. Unless they have a link to artwork, which I'm not aware of. Thanks!
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