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| Author | Message |
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therainstormlord
  
| #1 posted March 19, 2008 at 10:13am (EDT)
edited March 19, 2008 at 10:17am (EDT) |
Certainly not an original idea but after seeing someone on here with a goozex-advertising signature, it struck me that gametz should possibly have a few different signatures that we can use on other bulletin boards (for me, I most notably frequent mmorpg.com, avsforums, dvdtalk and cityofheroes.com). You can have dynamic signatures like:
"I'm a quintuple gold star trader on gametz",
"50 trades completed, 5 pending at the game trading zone",
"I just traded <insert game> for <insert blah> at gametz"(where "insert blahs" can be pulled from the database or limited by character count).
"Check out my available games for trade at the gametz"
... you get the idea.
You can start with simple text and logos but given the skill of some of our members, you could eventually integrate some custom backgrounds for them as well. If it really seems successful, you could start rewarding people with a day of subtime for x click-throughs from their signature (assuming you can capture that.)
Anyway, it seems like it *could* be easy to do but from the business side you would have to evaluate how much that will cost in terms of bandwidth.
Edit1: I should add that while you could start with 1 type of signature, there are a few different packaged forums out there that handle signature code differently -- not sure how that would impact things, but yet another consideration.
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bill
    
| #2 posted March 19, 2008 at 10:32am (EDT)
edited March 19, 2008 at 10:32am (EDT) |
It's a good idea. It could help bring in new people, for sure. Bandwidth probably wouldn't be an issue, I have a lot to spare these days.
I'm not so great with graphics, and I'd have to research some of the techincal side of it. But, it's doable. It would be a fun side project.
I'd really need help with the graphics, though.
p.s. Happy Birthday |
therainstormlord
| #3 posted March 19, 2008 at 12:26pm (EDT)
edited March 19, 2008 at 12:30pm (EDT) |
Thanks for the birthday wish! ( ' :
You wouldn't even have to get fancy with the graphics necessarily -- xfire gets away with quite a bit of information in their mini profiles (http://www.xfire.com/cms/xf_manual_miniprofile/).
mock up:
Also consider something to the effect of:
"Bill's getting: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo Wii)
for Legacy of Kain (Dreamcast), Virtua Tennis (Dreamcast)..."
I can see that sucking people in for a click. Make that section hotlinkable to current trades... |
bill
| #4 posted March 19, 2008 at 1:49pm (EDT)
edited March 19, 2008 at 1:50pm (EDT) |
Yeah, that's not bad.
I have to use some special stuff to generate an image file on the fly like that, but it's doable. It doesn't always look great, but it's something I could work on. I have some code that generates graphs and that's similar.
I'd like to see how interested people might be with this, also. But, I might just throw something together anyway, because it might be kind of fun. Probably not right away, but hopefully I'll get some time in the next month or two. |
gameplayer9
(frozen)
| | #5 posted March 19, 2008 at 3:14pm (EDT) |
dont forget to include stars   |
Grenadier
 
 
| | #6 posted March 19, 2008 at 3:51pm (EDT) |
I think Goozex's generator runs on a schedule, or some kind of queuing system. Updates are not always visible right away. You could do something similar, to avoid system strain.
Click here to join Goozex and get a free game! |
OuTrAgE
 
| | #7 posted March 19, 2008 at 4:21pm (EDT) |
I think it's a pretty good idea. If you need any help with the graphics, let me know.
 |
Chad
| | #8 posted March 19, 2008 at 7:13pm (EDT) |
i'll create a wonderful banner for you. |
Chad
| | #9 posted March 19, 2008 at 7:21pm (EDT) |
I must admit, even for my work this is amongst the best I have ever done. |
bill
| | #10 posted March 19, 2008 at 7:32pm (EDT) |
awesome |
el_hefe
| #11 posted March 19, 2008 at 8:13pm (EDT)
edited March 19, 2008 at 8:14pm (EDT) |
Can you personalize a signature like that for me, Chad? You can put a list of various goals, dreams, and aspirations I have that I'll never achieve orbiting around the GameTZ logo and my gold stars. It could say something like, "At least I have my two gold stars" followed by some illustrations of rejection letters and books on fire.
(I hope I'm generalizing myself accurately.)
You could offer this service to other users, as well. PiemJi, for example, could have a list of women and children he has stalked over the years, with a line crossing out each one he's received a restraining order from. You could also make one for Lundberg, having the sig filled with caves he has yet to explore and anime wall scrolls he hopes to get; or one for John and his "um" count (because everyone knows an "um" is followed by a harsh Gogganizing, so it's just to save space).
Chad is an artist and should be respected as such. |
Chad
| | #12 posted March 19, 2008 at 8:23pm (EDT) |
I most certainly can. I will try to get to it tonight. |
benstylus
 
| | #13 posted March 19, 2008 at 8:43pm (EDT) |
bill wrote:
> Yeah, that's not bad.
>
> I have to use some special stuff to generate an image file on the
> fly like that, but it's doable. It doesn't always look great, but
> it's something I could work on. I have some code that generates graphs
> and that's similar.
>
> I'd like to see how interested people might be with this, also. But,
> I might just throw something together anyway, because it might be
> kind of fun. Probably not right away, but hopefully I'll get some
> time in the next month or two.
make it a subscriber only feature 
Need a quick loan?
Ask benstylus. |
Boss
| | #14 posted March 19, 2008 at 10:36pm (EDT) |
I like the idea as well and would be willing to help with graphics if needed.
 |
Chad
| | #15 posted March 20, 2008 at 12:26am (EDT) |
i already did the graphics. thanks for the offer, though. |
RDTZ
| | #16 posted March 20, 2008 at 2:36am (EDT) |
I want this to happen. You have my approval, bill.
"My cock senses are tingling!"
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therainstormlord
| | #17 posted March 20, 2008 at 8:59am (EDT) |
benstylus wrote:
> bill wrote:
>> Yeah, that's not bad.
>>
>> I have to use some special stuff to generate an image file on the
>> fly like that, but it's doable. It doesn't always look great,
> but
>> it's something I could work on. I have some code that generates
> graphs
>> and that's similar.
>>
>> I'd like to see how interested people might be with this, also.
> But,
>> I might just throw something together anyway, because it might
> be
>> kind of fun. Probably not right away, but hopefully I'll get some
>> time in the next month or two.
>
> make it a subscriber only feature
>
I wouldn't envision it as subscriber only -- it's in our collective interest that as many people choose to use the signature as possible. Perhaps a subscriber can have a customizable sig logo/background or something though. |
zylo
| | #18 posted March 20, 2008 at 9:10am (EDT) |
We probably wouldn't want people with BTRs to use it.
"What's this GameTZ place?" "Oh, it's a place where people are scammed." |
therainstormlord
| | #19 posted March 20, 2008 at 9:41am (EDT) |
zylo wrote:
> We probably wouldn't want people with BTRs to use it.
>
> "What's this GameTZ place?" "Oh, it's a place where people are scammed."
hah -- good point, probably could be replaced with a generic "latest trade completed on the website" rather than the stats of said btr user. |
Raisin
| | #20 posted March 21, 2008 at 11:15am (EDT) |
Chad wrote:
>
>
> I must admit, even for my work this is amongst the best I have ever
> done.
im taking this |
_kate_
 
| | #21 posted March 22, 2008 at 7:58pm (EDT) |
Bill, if you'd like I can play around with the idea a bit. Maybe send me a PM so we could bounce ideas back and forth as to what should go on one? |
bill
| #22 posted March 23, 2008 at 7:22am (EDT)
edited March 23, 2008 at 7:22am (EDT) |
you should just post your ideas here... any idea would need to survive public scrutiny... plus, I'm not feeling all that bouncy over this topic. So, perhaps, others would be better at bouncing. I'm feeling fairly absorbant, though... so, lets hear some ideas... I'd like to hear lots of ideas, then think about it for a while... weeks, probably... then, maybe I'll try to rig something up, if I have time and motivation later. I am often influenced by ideas people post, whether it seems like that or not. |
_kate_
| | #23 posted March 23, 2008 at 8:53am (EDT) |
All right then. I'll play aruond a little with it later and see what I can work up. Any comments/suggestions are welcomed. |
_kate_
| #24 posted March 23, 2008 at 11:56am (EDT)
edited March 23, 2008 at 12:32pm (EDT) |
How about something like this....
 |
therainstormlord
| | #25 posted March 23, 2008 at 1:20pm (EDT) |
_kate_ wrote:
> How about something like this....
>
> >" HEIGHT="450 125" BORDER="0">
ooh, that's purdy! |
_kate_
| | #26 posted March 23, 2008 at 1:31pm (EDT) |
Thanks! I figured something spiffy couldn't hurt. Haha.  |
RDTZ
| | #27 posted March 23, 2008 at 4:26pm (EDT) |
Agreed. That's pretty awesome. I want one.
"I'm a pimp. And pimps don't commit suicide." - Boxer Santaros
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John
| | #28 posted March 23, 2008 at 8:30pm (EDT) |
I'm not sure if I'm fond of the "last trade" idea. I think that, in many cases, would look bad. I'd rather see the room used for other stats or something. Either that or just a smaller image...
- John...
"He said 'You're really an ugly girl, but I like the way you... play.'
And I died."
- Tori Amos, Precious Things |
zylo
| | #29 posted March 23, 2008 at 8:42pm (EDT) |
Some trades have too many items involved to fit in the banner.
Another stat that might be attractive would be two Items Available. That way, people see what you're offering.
If you don't have two items available, then last trade will do.
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_kate_
| | #30 posted March 23, 2008 at 8:54pm (EDT) |
Well I'm thinking in cases of long, loooong trades it could be abbreviated with an ellipsis to indicate that there was more. I'll try out the item thing tomorrow.
John, what kind of stats were you thinking? Ratings and things like that? |
therainstormlord
| | #31 posted March 23, 2008 at 9:38pm (EDT) |
_kate_ wrote:
> Well I'm thinking in cases of long, loooong trades it could
> be abbreviated with an ellipsis to indicate that there was
> more. I'll try out the item thing tomorrow.
There definitely would have to be a character count limit for each side. |
_kate_
| #32 posted March 23, 2008 at 10:43pm (EDT)
edited March 23, 2008 at 10:45pm (EDT) |
Oh, absolutely. Hence the ellipsis. Right now I'd ballpark it at about 57 characters from username to trade info, with '...' to make 60.
Edit: Typos. |
Boss
| | #33 posted March 23, 2008 at 11:37pm (EDT) |
_kate_ wrote:
> How about something like this....
>
> >" HEIGHT="450 125" BORDER="0">
I would like to see more use of the stars/icons also make it look a bit more flashy so it stands out more and draws attention. |
therainstormlord
| | #34 posted March 23, 2008 at 11:42pm (EDT) |
_kate_ wrote:
> Oh, absolutely. Hence the ellipsis. Right now I'd ballpark
> it at about 57 characters from username to trade info, with
> '...' to make 60.
>
Have to assume a fixed-sized font for that if you haven't already. |
_kate_
| #35 posted March 24, 2008 at 12:05am (EDT)
edited March 24, 2008 at 12:11am (EDT) |
therainstormlord wrote:
> _kate_ wrote:
>> Oh, absolutely. Hence the ellipsis. Right now I'd ballpark
>> it at about 57 characters from username to trade info, with
>> '...' to make 60.
>>
>
> Have to assume a fixed-sized font for that if you haven't already.
Verdana 8pt for body. 10pt for title url.
Edit: After looking at it for a little while, I might drop the title url point size down to accomodate usernames like your own, thebrainstormlord. I can see those being an issue that might on rare occasions have to be settled with the ellipsis, but would obviously like to avoid that if possible. |
_kate_
| | #36 posted March 24, 2008 at 12:08am (EDT) |
Boss wrote:
> _kate_ wrote:
>> How about something like this....
>>
>> >>" HEIGHT="450 125" BORDER="0">
> I would like to see more use of the stars/icons also make it look
> a bit more flashy so it stands out more and draws attention.
All right, so something like trader info next to the user name...
Similar to what we have in the avatar area, but perhaps with a little explanation so that people know what they're looking at? I'll play around with the flashy part, but I'd really like to keep it looking like default GTZ so that people have some idea of what to expect when they come to the site. I wouldn't want to over- or under-sell the place, so it has to be evaluated from a 'new user' perspective. If you have some colour suggestions or layout opinions, I'd be glad to hear them. |
Boss
| | #37 posted March 24, 2008 at 7:41am (EDT) |
_kate_ wrote:
> Boss wrote:
>> _kate_ wrote:
> |>> How about something like this....
> |>>
> |>> >" HEIGHT="|>> 450 125" BORDER="0">
>> I would like to see more use of the stars/icons also make it look
>> a bit more flashy so it stands out more and draws attention.
>
> All right, so something like trader info next to the user name...
>
> Similar to what we have in the avatar area, but perhaps with a little
> explanation so that people know what they're looking at? I'll play
> around with the flashy part, but I'd really like to keep it looking
> like default GTZ so that people have some idea of what to expect when
> they come to the site. I wouldn't want to over- or under-sell the
> place, so it has to be evaluated from a 'new user' perspective. If
> you have some colour suggestions or layout opinions, I'd be glad to
> hear them.
I like the green. Its just the grey is so.. eh. I like the placement of everything though. Here are some suggestions for what you have: (I am going to attempt to make one when I have some time myself)
On the top right the gametz logo--make the branding more apparent (ie make the logo bigger)
You dont need the entire URL of the link but just the username, (the link of the ad when clicked can redirect them to your userpage with some sort of tracking embedded code hopfully)
Add a solid border around the entire image so it is captured inside and does not seem to be bleeding into any page.
I would get rid of the unsubscribed avatar and use generic ones. Maybe we can have a default of an image there for unsubscribers or we can have them choose from a group of generic ones.
Some info pieces that you may wish to use:
Location: New Hampshire, United States
Trades: with 536 Different Traders (639 total trades)
Deal Preference: Trade, Buy or Sell
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Boss
| | #38 posted March 24, 2008 at 7:44am (EDT) |
bill I have a quick question,
What font is used in the gtz logo? And you wouldnt happen to have a larger version (or a psd/ai) file for that would you? |
bill
| #39 posted March 24, 2008 at 7:58am (EDT)
edited March 24, 2008 at 8:04am (EDT) |
I have this: http://images.kenyonhill.com/tz/logos/game2tz.psd
I can't even read that, myself. So, I'm not sure what it is, but I think it's the original logo in PhotoShop format.
The font is Quasar... I have some font files for it here:
http://gametz.com/quasar.zip |
_kate_
| #40 posted March 24, 2008 at 10:27am (EDT)
edited March 24, 2008 at 10:29am (EDT) |
Hey guys. I got some bad news that just kind of knocked the wind out of my sails. I don't think I'm going to be geared to work on this very much for a few days, but I'd still like to hear from you all, and hopefully see some other designs too. |
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