So, Websites...

[the_gneech]

I'm going to be farming out one of my eternally-unworked-on projects, specifically creating a new website to showcase my writing work and a kind of online resumé generally, to replace the "Coming soon!" page that Kerry so kindly tossed up to www.gneech.com. At first it probably won't contain that much, primarily links to Suburban Jungle and NeverNever, probably "Stray Cat Strut" as a freebie story, a schedule of my upcoming con appearances, etc., but as I get closer to publication for some of my projects, I hope to start updating it with "state of the book" reports, etc. I was also thinking of moving the Brigid & Greg Fictionlets there.

I used to have some of that kind of thing at my old AOL site, but it was so hard to maintain with AOL's proprietary FTP junk that I eventually gave it up as a waste of effort. (Still, credit where it's due, that wasn't a bad site in 1998. But that was forever ago in internet time.)

A lot of that function is handled now by my LJ, obviously, but this will probably be a more "professional" and less "personal stuff mixed in" kind of thing.

So right now, I'm looking around at some well-done sites for inspiration. Some of my top choices at the moment...

StephenFry.com -- A little too Flash-heavy on the intro, but a nice classy look.

NeilGaiman.com -- When I was in high school, I wanted to grow up to be Neil Gaiman. I just didn't know that, because I hadn't heard of him at the time. If I had, I'd have said, "Dammit, that guy's stealing my future! GET HIM!" Still ... nice website. Although I liked his previous one better.

He's even English, the bastard. That was something else I wanted to be when I grew up.

TerryPratchettBooks.com -- Nice navigation at the top, which will be important on my site. It's going to be as much a portal to my comic sites as it is a listing of my writing projects, so it's going to need clear signposts instead of mystery-meat navigation.

CSS Zen Garden: Dark Rose -- Very pretty, although it may take itself a bit more seriously than my site should.

CSS Zen Garden: LuGoZee -- I love the overall look of this one, arty-gothy with a quirk of humor ... sort of "Eleanor Rigby" meets "The Addams Family".

CSS Zen Garden: Mozart -- Another one that's just plain pretty. :) I don't write (or read) music, of course, but it might be possible to do something with SJ/NN characters in a floating background, perhaps.

CSS Zen Garden: Title Unknown -- I like the color scheme on this one. It's also a little friendlier than the kind of 17th/18th century looks of the other CSS Zen Garden ones I've been linking to.

CSS Zen Garden: Porcelain Meditations -- Potty humor aside, this has a nice, contemporary look, and again features a quirky sense of humor.

CSS Zen Garden: Natural -- Mmm, preettty. :) Given how much I like tromping around in the woods, there might be something to that as a design element. It also ties in nicely with NeverNever and my fantasy writing, if not as much SJ or Brigid & Greg.

CSS Zen Garden: San Francisco -- I could write "Your momma is a poopyhead!" and a page like this would still make me look hip. It could also be a showcase for lythandra's photography.

Any thoughts, anybody? For that matter, are there other sites that you think would be appropriately Gneechish?

-The Gneech

Comments

[xoagray.livejournal.com]

*laughs softly*

You know, they just don't look the same in a console window. :)
But good luck on your site. I've been putting off making one of my own for years, because I'm not all that well versed in HTML. But I'm going to have to learn it. ;)

X

Do it with style or don't bother doing it

[exatron.livejournal.com]

Have you seen Groklaw.net's Woodlands theme?

I ♥ CSS Zen Garden. That site really showcases what stylesheets can do. Too bad MSIE doesn't handle multiple stylesheets well or you could give users a few choices.

Re: Do it with style or don't bother doing it

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

I hadn't seen it, no; it's nice though! Would do well w/ NN.

-The Gneech

Re: Do it with style or don't bother doing it

[exatron.livejournal.com]

The childproofed unicorn would be a perfect fit for that theme. It might work well for any gaming-related content, too.

Another site with an interesting look is Inkscape.org.

Question:

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

Does "farming out" mean you intend to get an official web designer, so that you can deal with matters more compelling (if less pressing/desirable) at the moment, such as NIMH?

Have teh best

-=TK

Re: Question:

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

lythandra has agreed to build the site, actually. :) She's going to use it as a showoff site for her resumé. :)

-The Gneech

Re: Question:

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

Kewlness.

Have teh best

-=TK

[hantamouse.livejournal.com]

A lot of these sites look like they have too much style for your purpose.

Your destination websites are diverse, and each have a unique style & flavor. Any portal site linking to all of them would have to be relatively plain, so as not to distract from the destinations' styles. Some plain simple mundane (photo?) style that says "This is the real world. Here are some other worlds you can go to."

[exatron.livejournal.com]

Most of the CSS Zen Garden sites are meant to show off more than be practical. Simple, elegant, and professional is the best choice for almost any site design.

[katayamma.livejournal.com]

What ever happened to your rpl domain? You decide not to use that for anything?

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

I have plans for that too ... but I can only cope with one thing at a time! ;)

-TG