Grand Zero wrote;
"I think it's fairly obvious to all that the five or six of that are left are not going to be able to hold this project together for much
longer. I think it's time to post this place in Yahoo or something similar (with similarly high visibility) and get some new blood in
here. We need fresh faces, fresh opinions, fresh attitudes. The stories are getting to be quite intriguing (sp?) but the discussion
and participation has certainly gone flat."
I couldn't agree with you more GZ. We have taken some steps to get the site into the directory listings (such as Yahoo), and we are listed with some of the search engines, but it's not effective enough.
Since we're on the subject, let me list some of *my* complaints about the site, and then ask a few questions of us all.
1. The site is too hard for newbies.
2. The bbs are too slow.
We're working on those issues, but it sometimes seems to take more time than we have.
As near as I can tell, we *are* getting new visitors, but they don't often post, (that's an understatement :-) ),and I'm not sure that many come back. I think it's because the site is too confusing at first glance, and folks go off to find an easier project. I don't blame them. (but I wish they would stay. :-( ).
Would it be better if the pages themselves contained less graphics for headers and backgrounds? But let's have more pictures from Mars in the incoming?
Pages with less graphics load faster. Faster is better? (I think so.)
The real heart of the site is the Incoming/Outgoing probe messages, and the two bbs. The summary page that Xanthos has worked so much to create, and update, would be a great place for newbies to go, after a brief introduction.
Sorry, I'm rambling. In general, I would opt for speed over flash, an easy time for newbies, and focus on the true *content* of the site.
Thanks for bringing this up, GZ.
Best Regards to all,
SkyKing