webpage issues over which I am mulling

[truepenny]

I'm getting to the point in being an Actually (If Not Yet Lucratively) Published Author where a webpage is looking like a good idea. Really, I've been at that point for a while, but I think I've conquered my self-consciousness sufficiently now to contemplate going live with it. I have a jaw-droppingly gorgeous site-design courtesy of the charming and talented HL, and I've got content (at least some) and of course the domain name would be www.truepennysRLname.com. All good. But I'm left with a couple troublesome thingies upon which I invite commentary and opinions. Even if you don't do web design, anybody on LJ has at least some experience wandering 'round the Web and can comment from the viewer's perspective. So.

1. This website needs a title other than truepennysRLname.com. Suggestions MOST welcome.

2. When you're looking at an author's website, what kind of content do you like? What things are you sick of? Etc. Or, if you're an author with a webpage, what stuff on your site makes you most happy? What stuff do people who read the website seem to like? What stuff is, in retrospect, kind of a mistake?

3. What work should a frontpage be doing? Specifically for an author website, but you're welcome to wax philosophical if you feel so inclined.

I'm seriously canvassing here. Not looking for the wisdom of the ages, just some opinions.

Gratitude shall be heaped upon all those who respond.

Comments

[oracne.livejournal.com]

1. This website needs a title other than truepennysRLname.com. Suggestions MOST welcome.

I've seen ones named for universes/worlds/characters the author has created. Those have the advantage of turning up in searches about those characters or whatever. And sometimes, sadly, the stuff in the book is more memorable than the author's name. If not that, I'd go with simple: "Your name"'s Offical Homepage.

2. When you're looking at an author's website, what kind of content do you like?

List of their publications and where to find them is the big number one. A bio is interesting. A selection of links can be fun to browse--those of personal interest to the author as well as links to reviews, interviews, etc.. I really like essays by the author on various aspects of writing or their books/stories; I also like when writers list their own favorite books/influences. I've seen "where I'll be" pages, too, with lists of cons the author is attending--I don't know if I could bring myself to do that, but it would be good for self-promotion.

3. What work should a frontpage be doing?

I have hoary taste in HTML. My preferences: clean, not too many graphics (or even no fancy graphics), a clear table of contents. No frames. No cutesy names for the various links--plain old "publications list" and "bio" and "list of things I found under my sink" works best for me. Good contrast--no dark purple with slightly lighter purple lettering.

So I guess on the front page I'd like the site's title and a list of the things that can be found there, with links to same. Sites with just a picture and the title annoy me because they mean an extra click.

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

1. Have you got any characters in anything of yours with distinctive names which you would be happy to use in this context ?

2. I like nice clear indications of what they have done and are working on, release dates so far as such are known, and whatever personal stuff or interviews they include to be in a separate place marked as such. I don't like big flowery illustrations, I really don't like illustrations as backgrounds for text, and I don't like things with heaps of frames and flash animations and suchlike rubbish. [ Not that I think you're likely to inflict them on us, but have a vote for minimalism fwiw. ]

3. A frontpage... oooh, you'll have me ranting about my day job in a minute. IMO, all a front page need to is indicate what you're doing, link to what you have to offer, and have some little bit of distinctive style sufficient that everything you've got looks like it belongs together.

[jenett]

1) [Name]'s Official Website works, unless you have a particularly notable name from the writing that you're willing to use (since the title is the thing that will be the default for any bookmarks people make, something clear and to the point is preferable, and something that they'll go "Oh, right, that." when they look at their bookmark list, rather than "What's that site again? Eh. I don't remember, and I don't have time to look right now."

2) Stuff I like is content that may not be directly publishable, but which informs the writing. Background material (explanations, history, maps), annotations if you think they're amusing and worthwhile, FAQs, etc. The specifics of what I'm interested in depend a bit on the author, though.

Definitely I'd include a list of works published: I can't be the only person who sometimes goes to webpages and go "I didn't know those existed! Must buy them now!"

I don't particular need links to a bookseller for books as long as the appropriate information (author, title, publisher, ISBN is nice) is there, but links to information on how to get back issues of magazines or other not-so-obvious publishing methods are very handy.

I'd agree that forums or interactive stuff should be handled very carefully: they can eat time, especially if you don't have much experience with them to start (I'm not just talking maintainance: getting comfortable with handling issues raised/how to respond to difficult situations can take a while, and is a neverending task anyway, since someone always comes up with something new and odd, in my experience).

I'd suggest, for emailing, using something that is *not* a primary email address for contact (that way, if you start getting way too much spam on that address, you can change it: most webhosting plans offer multiple addresses for no charge, and many offer unlimited aliases these days, which just forward to a different address, so you could do, say contact@realname.com, whatever the domain name is, and have it forward elsewhere.)

Another option is using a feedback form (they're pretty simple to create, assuming your webhost supports them) which can be handy because you can help direct the kinds of responses you want, and people seem less likely to write the really weird stuff than they can be in email. It can also help you sort out how to handle the emails much more quickly if you use email filtering.

3) I tend to do a front page with an image and links to major sections, but it varies a whole lot (take a look at http://gleewood.org, http://gleewood.org/personal, and http://limen.gleewood.org for some variations on my own websites).

On the other hand, I like doing that kind of graphic design, and I don't get a lot of chance to do it, and figure my personal pages are fair game - for a more professional look, I'd avoid doing something like the last of the three - at the very least, it should have links to multiple pages on the inside if you do a graphical front page.

(In this case, maybe somehting like 'author bio', 'works', and 'background notes' if you had three separate pages for those things. If you just have a single page of text, I think a graphical splash page is a little silly.)

But simple is good - a nice page with a simple graphic at the top and nice organization is also always appropriate. If you use graphics, make sure they download quickly: I can do much more detail on this if you like.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

My web page is called "Bluejo" and what people like about it seems to be the map and the poetry. I've been thinking I'll need to do a Tooth and Claw bit, which will have a FAQ and a sample chapter link if Tor put sample chapters up and maybe a picture of Sebeth if I can find someone with a digital camera.

Useful things -- links to anything you have online, list of stuff you have forthcoming, link to the author bio on Jack's page, photos of your necklaces.

As for design, what Rysmiel and Misia said.

[diony.livejournal.com]

2. When you're looking at an author's website, what kind of content do you like? What things are you sick of? Etc.

I tend to go to an author's website for very specific reasons:

1) I've just read something by them and want to know where to find the rest of their work.

2) I've just picked up something by them which seems to be in a series, and am trying to figure out how it fits in. I hit C.J. Cherryh's website frequently for just this reason.

3) I want to know what they're working on and (if appropriate) when it'll be published. Sometimes I'm specifically trying to figure out if a book I've just read is going to have sequels/related works, so I am ecstatic when an author makes it clear that it will, or won't, or even that they just don't know yet. It is deeply frustrating to read every page of an author's website and come away without any idea if they're still writing.

Bonus points for information about what books the author herself likes; if I like someone's writing I often like their taste in reading.

[valancy.livejournal.com]

A tiny amount of reading material is nice (just in case I stumble on to someone I haven't read before); LJ links are fun, weirdly enough, and I've read several connected to authors' websites (Gaiman's being the most famous), and you often end up liking the person so much you want to buy there work merely for that; links to buying; publication dates; meet the author times; cute picture (mediawhore me, *sighs*); a couple of reviews.

An example to point you to

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

I like blackholly's layout a lot. Very clean, and individual. See here (http://www.blackholly.com/).

I'm planning to try to start up my own website very soon, too, and am mulling over design issues as well.

Cheers,
Peg