The new website?
- Thread starter Thughab
- Start date
Skaldir
formerly known as Unicorn
Hi guys.
I want this new webpage to be a bit more mainstream than Swanö.com
I am still not sure how the layout will be and stuff. But I know that I want to focus on all the stuff I have done up till not (and that´s a lot....) and have MP3 snapshots for new listeners, and a webshop for Swanörelated goodies and much more. Why dont you guys come with a few suggestions of what makes a good website?? I am all ears
Dan
I want this new webpage to be a bit more mainstream than Swanö.com
I am still not sure how the layout will be and stuff. But I know that I want to focus on all the stuff I have done up till not (and that´s a lot....) and have MP3 snapshots for new listeners, and a webshop for Swanörelated goodies and much more. Why dont you guys come with a few suggestions of what makes a good website?? I am all ears
Dan
Dan Swanö said:
I think, with regards to freebies to lure fans, stuff like the EoS Uncreation version, the Nightfall Overture release gig and tidbits like that which you'll never really release, but are interesting for fans, are a big draw.
Also, you could have a section that compiles links to interviews and reviews of your albums; I think that would be excellent since you are, at least to me, one of the more interesting metal / prog musicians in interviews.
As for your store, have you ever thought of putting your stuff on the iTunes store? Seems like something you could benefit from. You might want to have as much of your discography available via your website, and if I could ask for any piece of clothing, it would be a nice Swano or EoS related hoodie sweatshirt, a la Emperor Hordanes Land hoodie. T-shirts are great for trashing around in mosh pits during shows, but I'd like to wear a Nightfall Overture or Purgatory Afterglow hoodie to class sometime, so I can teach students about history AND good music while I'm at it.
One last thing I'd add is to try and give an update of what you're working on and what you're listening to. You know how on some people's UMF signatures it displays what song they're listening to? You could have that on your website... something that demonstrates what you're into at the time. You know, university professors compile bibliographies on their particular field / subject, and they generally have them on their C.V.s and such. Maybe you should have a Dan Swano music bibliography? It's also interesting to see what made a musician who he is.
That's my two bits. I hope it helps. I've been listening to your stuff since I was a wee junior high schooler in 1994; it would be nice to see your development laid out bare on your website, at least the stuff you're comfortable with sharing.
A few ideas for your new site.
1. Make the layout clean and easy to view. I hate pop ups and flash stuff.
Good site: www.bloodbath.biz Easy to see everything and clean. nice to your eyes.
Bad site: http://www.susperia.net/ To much text everywhere...hard to see..
2. Clothes....Shirts with Edge of sanity, Infestdead and so on. I guess this would be causing some income to maybe. Be sure you handle it fast and service minded.
3. Contact with fans. I know you already answer a lot of things here. Maybe you should have an "Ask Dan" forum or something. I guess you already are aware of the respect you get from a close contact and the answers you give on this forum.
4. Updating the site is also important. Makes the site more alive and funnier. Maybe a journal or something...things that happend this week..month...whatever it is. News section to.
5. Playlist.....albums you listening to at the moment.
Jaja...det var några tips. Lycka till.
1. Make the layout clean and easy to view. I hate pop ups and flash stuff.
Good site: www.bloodbath.biz Easy to see everything and clean. nice to your eyes.
Bad site: http://www.susperia.net/ To much text everywhere...hard to see..
2. Clothes....Shirts with Edge of sanity, Infestdead and so on. I guess this would be causing some income to maybe. Be sure you handle it fast and service minded.
3. Contact with fans. I know you already answer a lot of things here. Maybe you should have an "Ask Dan" forum or something. I guess you already are aware of the respect you get from a close contact and the answers you give on this forum.
4. Updating the site is also important. Makes the site more alive and funnier. Maybe a journal or something...things that happend this week..month...whatever it is. News section to.
5. Playlist.....albums you listening to at the moment.
Jaja...det var några tips. Lycka till.
madu
Member
Big, friendly letters, not like that Susperia site 
My most wants are already listed, but I'd want..
-Downloads of the stuff that's more or less impossible to acquire on CD, and then some samples from the more available albums.
-Definitely a 'what's cool'-list that shows your most played albums updated monthly or so, I'd keep a close eye on that one
-A complete list of your projects.. the metal-archives page is good, but it doesn't list all your non-metal projects.
-A biography! Doesn't need to be anything big, but I liked the biography Mikael had written for the Opeth site, something like that, telling a bit about your musical preferences and productions throughout the years.
-A shop with the Swanörelated goodies is always lovely.
Can't think of anything more at the moment, but I'm sure it'll be awesome
My most wants are already listed, but I'd want..
-Downloads of the stuff that's more or less impossible to acquire on CD, and then some samples from the more available albums.
-Definitely a 'what's cool'-list that shows your most played albums updated monthly or so, I'd keep a close eye on that one
-A complete list of your projects.. the metal-archives page is good, but it doesn't list all your non-metal projects.
-A biography! Doesn't need to be anything big, but I liked the biography Mikael had written for the Opeth site, something like that, telling a bit about your musical preferences and productions throughout the years.
-A shop with the Swanörelated goodies is always lovely.
Can't think of anything more at the moment, but I'm sure it'll be awesome
mleijzer
Guitarfreak
Marty Friedman's site has a section "Story behind the song".
I think that type of stuff is really cool.
I think that type of stuff is really cool.
Well, i'm really much into a nice and clean design/layout. Without a great layout, with loads of images and text the site will become to much and make me bored after a short while.
But the more info you can put on the site and still make it look good and not "stressy" the better it is!
But the more info you can put on the site and still make it look good and not "stressy" the better it is!
fireangel
Member
Deadlift said:
I have to say that Dan is absolutely one of the few musicians to really care a lot and answer things and all that. I know some other persons but it´s really a minority in this business. Recently there was a news on the net about Disturbed, some quarrel going on between fans with a different opinion than the band about a matter. Disturbed wrote on their website something in the vein of: We are so being in contact with all you. I don´t know any other band who comes to the net and answers questions of fans and discusses... " I almost fell from the chair laughing, because a lot of bands do that, in a much nicer way than Disturbed
In order to not have things cross each other´s way, it might be useful to link a possible "Ask Dan"- topic to the forum here. Especially because then we can also discuss the answers right away. Maybe this forum could get a sub-section, like Bloodbath is to Katatonia-forum, for example, for the "Q & A with Dan". So that everyone can open a thread with a question, which is most likely answered, and then the talk goes on. Pretty much like what we have now aready, just in a less formal way. The separated question-section could help avoid double work for Dan, or prevent unanswered topics, because people could look up previous Q & A right away, while now here you have to sip through all threads (as long as the regular search function is off at least).
Skaldir
formerly known as Unicorn
I think it would be great to store some things we've decipherd here in the forum, like lyrics of some tracks or albums (Dan helped here a lot to correct them) that weren't in the booklet or the complete releaselist and a list of everything he's recorded and so on.
Lots of stuff is here at the forum, hidden in some threads we'll all forget, so good if it was on the homepage.
I liked the personal style of the page with the blue "earthpic" somehow, but if you want it more professional, I can understand it.
For example I liked your own reviews of your albums and the "fave/least fave track" stuff under it.
At least, any new visitor should know fast what are your main projects and bands at the moment. That can be hard for a newbie..
Lots of stuff is here at the forum, hidden in some threads we'll all forget, so good if it was on the homepage.
I liked the personal style of the page with the blue "earthpic" somehow, but if you want it more professional, I can understand it.
For example I liked your own reviews of your albums and the "fave/least fave track" stuff under it.
At least, any new visitor should know fast what are your main projects and bands at the moment. That can be hard for a newbie..
mattcira
The Eighth Enocian Key
Here's a few of my kick ass suggestions to make "the new web site" the greatest in all the land (listed in order of importance):
First and foremost... streaming videos and "guitar lessons with The Swano" so that we meager fans can watch you noodling to a click track and also so that you can teach us to play prog classics such as Trogdor.
A fancy fan-friendly FAQ with Q/A such as:
Q: (Submitted by Timmmeth) Why are the last 3 N'gale covers all so blue?
A: (Dan Swano) Because Blue is the most prog-est color in the rainbow.
A weekly blog with your fantasy football picks.
A photo gallery of all of the chicks who have lifted their shirts at your shows. No metal site can be complete until it contains such a photo gallery.
A list of the top 10 albums currently in your cd player rotation. I went and bought the new Korn because the drummer from Katatonia had it listed in his Now Playing list.
On the home page, make certain to contain an entirely ambiguous band Mission Statement proclaiming that you created the scene and that all other bands sounding similar to you are simply your contemporaries.
and by the way Dan, I finally read The Dirt thanks for the suggestion, thats about the craziest book Ive ever read.
First and foremost... streaming videos and "guitar lessons with The Swano" so that we meager fans can watch you noodling to a click track and also so that you can teach us to play prog classics such as Trogdor.
A fancy fan-friendly FAQ with Q/A such as:
Q: (Submitted by Timmmeth) Why are the last 3 N'gale covers all so blue?
A: (Dan Swano) Because Blue is the most prog-est color in the rainbow.
A weekly blog with your fantasy football picks.
A photo gallery of all of the chicks who have lifted their shirts at your shows. No metal site can be complete until it contains such a photo gallery.
A list of the top 10 albums currently in your cd player rotation. I went and bought the new Korn because the drummer from Katatonia had it listed in his Now Playing list.
On the home page, make certain to contain an entirely ambiguous band Mission Statement proclaiming that you created the scene and that all other bands sounding similar to you are simply your contemporaries.
and by the way Dan, I finally read The Dirt thanks for the suggestion, thats about the craziest book Ive ever read.
fireangel
Member
mattcira said:
He also has a Slipknot-, and if I am not totally mislead, a Korn-tattoo aswell.
NP: Throne Of Chaos - Menace And Prayer
PyroVesten
I'm not Pyro
My suggestions for the website are a little more general.
- Don't go crazy adding 100 sections that are just going to suck up your time. It could be better spend creating music
- Simple navigation system (either a vertical menu on the left, or horizonal menu up top) would work well.
- Don't use flash.
- Don't have a splash page that people have to click to get to the first real page of the site.
As for sectoins, I think again, keep it simple.
- Home/News
- Projects/Discography (a simple, but clear list of all of the projects you have been involved with divided into current and past)
- Reviews/Interviews (this would have links to reviews and interviews on the net)
- Downloads (MP3s, Video, Images)
- Store
- Forum
- FAQ (A lot of the same questions get asked...may as well answer most of them here)
- Contact
- Links
..and that's about it.
- Don't go crazy adding 100 sections that are just going to suck up your time. It could be better spend creating music
- Simple navigation system (either a vertical menu on the left, or horizonal menu up top) would work well.
- Don't use flash.
- Don't have a splash page that people have to click to get to the first real page of the site.
As for sectoins, I think again, keep it simple.
- Home/News
- Projects/Discography (a simple, but clear list of all of the projects you have been involved with divided into current and past)
- Reviews/Interviews (this would have links to reviews and interviews on the net)
- Downloads (MP3s, Video, Images)
- Store
- Forum
- FAQ (A lot of the same questions get asked...may as well answer most of them here)
- Contact
- Links
..and that's about it.
Kenneth R.
Cináed
Xack
Check Out My Member
- Sep 2, 2005
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I contacted Dan a few years ago while working with Stuck Mojo (no hatred please) about doing his site for free or rather in trade for non-mp3ed versions of all those demo posted last year and a couple retails (Odyssey, Unicorn, 2 Nightingle cds and any future releases.)... that's a small fee for web design & maintainace... I've been doing websites for 8 years now all in the metal genre and have more than enough qualifications to deliver a site far and above the older site... I just wish he was interested in my offer...
Dan if you read this, my offer still stands and I can have a website fully operational within two weeks.
Dan if you read this, my offer still stands and I can have a website fully operational within two weeks.
fireangel
Member
Xack: maybe Dan wouldn´t let any stranger work on his website? I mean that´s some huge responsibility he would hand over, and being dependent on you then, it might be possible that he´d wish the website under his own control and influence. Possibly you wouldn´t let someone you just met handle important projects of yours, either.
