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Scribal Musings

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by surfacinglove, Aug 1, 2007.

  1. surfacinglove

    surfacinglove New Member

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    Hello everyone,

    I've created a website called Scribal Musings to serve as a creative writing online community. I'd like you to check it out if you can, maybe even join if you'd like to post some of your own writings. There are not many musings on there right now, but that will hopefully soon change. It is still kind of a work-in-progress.

    There are many different style of musings to write: poem, lyric, story, monologue, rambling, diary, and many others. Trying to write in multiple styles can really keeps things creative and helps me voice things in different ways.

    I look forward to having others take on this adventure with me. It encourages me to write more, and to get better at it. ScribalMusings.com allows others to read and comment on your works, then add their own if they'd like.

    Check it out, and add your own musings to help make this site great! Also, please forward this on to other friends of yours that you think would be interested in a site like this. The more people that jump on board, the better this site will be.


    Cheers,
    Jake Atkins
    www.scribalmusings.com

    [​IMG]
     
  2. Oxo

    Oxo New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(surfacinglove @ Aug 1 2007, 01:07 PM) [snapback]488712[/snapback]</div>
    Looks promising at this early stage but I'm not happy about the jet black screen background. Makes it seem rather sombre, even depressing. I haven't registered yet.
     
  3. surfacinglove

    surfacinglove New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Aug 1 2007, 11:17 AM) [snapback]488719[/snapback]</div>
    Sorry for the depressingness... all I can say is I thought it looked cool and the colors seemed more edgy/modern then your typical white/lighter-colored pages. I was going to go simple/white (kinda like mac design), but decided there are so many white webpages, and I might even want this site to have a slightly "darker" feel... so I went for black, with the highlights of red and white/grey :D

    Thanks for your input though, I'll take it into account. ;)
     
  4. Pinto Girl

    Pinto Girl New Member

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    My view: setting body copy in white or red type on a black background is a great way to make sure that it's never read.

    Especially online.

    When you're reading a book, have you ever noticed how the pages are *white* and not *black*? It's not just a coincidence. It's much more legible this way.

    If it's a literary website you're attempting, you need to make sure that you celebrate each and every letter of each and every contribution. That means, the type you set has a much bigger responsibility than "looking cool" (whatever that means). Your job is to make sure that it's read.

    I'm old fashioned and have a traditional art school background...type handling online is one of my pet peeves. If you're unsure about how to proceed, hire a designer who can help. I'm sorry to be so harsh, but you asked...this site is about letters and words...it's important to be kind to them!!
    :)
     
  5. surfacinglove

    surfacinglove New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Aug 1 2007, 02:45 PM) [snapback]488878[/snapback]</div>
    Actually, now that I think about it, I can see how anything longer than short poems would get annoying to read. Thanks for the insight! I do still like the white simple look, think japanese style, and I was wrestling with this. I think I'll keep the same color scheme, just reverse the whites/greys with blacks, keeping the red highlights. It might take a few days to get around to it however...
     
  6. surfacinglove

    surfacinglove New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(surfacinglove @ Aug 1 2007, 02:53 PM) [snapback]488882[/snapback]</div>

    Ok, can you take a look now? Things should be more legible and eye-friendly :) Let me know what you think, and I'd love any contributions to the site itself!

    [​IMG]
     
  7. Oxo

    Oxo New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(surfacinglove @ Aug 3 2007, 01:00 PM) [snapback]490031[/snapback]</div>
    A big improvement! At first I wondered what the jumble of letters were for at the top but later I realized they are hidden links to other pages. It's a clever gimmick but I think it should be obvious at first glance that these are links. Would it be banal to hang fruit or leaves on the tree and make those into the links?
     
  8. surfacinglove

    surfacinglove New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Aug 3 2007, 12:39 PM) [snapback]490088[/snapback]</div>

    Thanks, I'm sure it'll get better and change functionally as the site grows. I liked the idea of a simple random string of characters floating, and forming words when moused-over as links to the specific categorty of posts. I was thinking about maybe using the tree to house something link-wise, but I kind of like the clean look of it... not to mention how much more labor it would be to place things at specific locations around it.

    Any further suggestions on the links at the top? What browser/resolution are you viewing in?
     
  9. Oxo

    Oxo New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(surfacinglove @ Aug 3 2007, 03:00 PM) [snapback]490105[/snapback]</div>
    Mac running Safari with screen set at 1024 x 768.
     
  10. surfacinglove

    surfacinglove New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Oxo @ Aug 4 2007, 11:19 AM) [snapback]490570[/snapback]</div>

    Cool, that should look pretty good then.