Nibuca asked a question in Twitter the other day.
What do you look for in a Guild Website?
I shot back one quick response:
Give non-WoW templates
That’s it.
I don’t care too much about the functionality, I do want to be able to read and leave comments, but the only thing that is important to me is being able to access the guild website when ever I want to.
It isn’t really relevant to me anymore anyway, for a couple of reasons:
- I am now the guild master of a guild that doesn’t and won’t have a website (a point of differentiation when I spam trade chat?)
- I have been told at work – look at WoW stuff, pack bags and go!
You know how I got caught?
I was making a post on my guild website asking for them to give us a work friendly theme option.
Unfortunately their awesome WoW theme was much more important than by ability to visit the site, to use the site.
They wouldn’t change the theme (or allow the selection of the default theme… too easy), so I won’t be using the guild page.
Why does it matter anyway?
Well I don’t know about you, but if I have time to get on the PC at home, I’m going to use that to play.
Updating my UI, reading blogs or joining in Guild website activities tend to fall into non WoW time.
When do we have the biggest blocks of non-WoW time. When do we plan our raiding week?
If you are a Guild Master/Guild Website Admin, you want people to use and appreciate your website. I have been a guild leader in a guild of 300-500 members where only 30 odd people ever visited the website… it hurts!
Anyway, too late for me.
Make sure it isn’t too late for your guildmates!
Gnomer and Out!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
http://gnomeaggedon.net/2009/12/04/dear-guild-masters/
[...] This is a great question asked by Nibuca on Twitter which was brought to my attention by Gnomeaggedon. [...]
That is so true in the wow niche. Many people when creating websites often think it’s cool to go get a WoW theme, or a WoW website fankit and customize their website to look like http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/. That’s just a stupid strategy (a strategy at one point I thought was cool).
The purpose of guild websites should be to communicate and to share information between the guild. And in sticking to that purpose, people should choose themes that help accomplish that goal.
That is why I must say, I like this blogs theme because it is so easy to read and access information at any time without having to look at Elwyn Forest in the background.
Bugger my 1st reply got lost in the interwebs…
Anyway basically I have stuck with this theme even though I have considered others for it’s “readability”.
It’s bad enough having a fireball throwing Gnome at the top and piles of screenshots
In defense of some of the WoW-themed sites… there are those that have built-in functionalities that are WoW-specific and useful.
Our own guildsite allows people to easily create item links. It synchronizes with the official Armory to provide roster information. It knows what each character’s rank is and allows them appropriate access in the site for forums and calendar invitations.
For guilds that don’t have a lot of tech-savvy or time to devote to designing and maintaining a website, fan kits are a fast and easy way to present a reasonably professional-looking site with an obvious purpose.
My guess is you would have been in trouble for looking at a different non-work related site anyway, it’s just more obvious when it’s got orcs and elves splashed across the screen.
Totally agree, but it is my experince with forum and guild creation sites that many of them have a default “gray” theme. No graphics, just text.
You can leave that open accidentally without drawing every eye in your building.
You are right of course, other sites would grab attention too, but WoW has a reputation for anti-productivity… Which I guess I actively support by producing content that people read at work…
/bad Gnome!
Ohhh and I meant to mention that often these themes are end user/profile configurable themes.
Blog Azeroth is an example of a configurable forum theme
Wait – you got canned for going to WoW sites? As in “I am not longer employed?”
HR said personal use = instant dismissal
Immediate manager said “final warning”
So job still in place (just) but WoW will never be seen
::phew::
glad to hear that you still have an income to fuel your hobby
No offence, but the heading of Gnomeaggedon is quite colorful and wow-themed too! Don’t you want us to read this at work or what? (The inn is the same, but I genereally at least use much less screenshots than you do..)
I know… I wish I could change my iconic header… Well maybe not.
At least you can read me through a less obvious feedreader, and I’m a novelty.
Guild websites on the other hand should be essential reading for any guild member, so should have flexibilty for all
well. but reading through a feedreader you miss the comments and stuff… It’s just an observation. Work-friendly layout must be kept very simple and void of colorful screenshots. Tobold is a fine example.
Yeah, I got let go at my job for a similar situation. My only issue with it was I was at lunch, but they didn’t care. Took my badge and told me to leave.
Sorry to hear that. I
don’t think many people realise how hard emploers feel about non-work and in particular WoW browsing on work time/resources.