Star Trek Gamers - ClanBase
Clan
based web development and design
Part
1 - The basics
Some people who are in the trek
gaming world like me can remember a time back in the mid 90's when
most clans didn't have or need a website, infact a vast majority of
them didn't even think a clan website was needed back in the old
days. Times have changed though to an extent that even start
up clans have some kind of web presence, either on a small free
hosted forum or a small free hosted website.
To get ahead in the clan world
these days takes a lot of time and dedication and also requires a
good stable website. One of the reasons for this is due to the
PC gaming world breaking into the mainstream and more importantly
the availability of people on high connection speeds and free web
templates.
The clan website is basically the
silent member of the clan and is the one place where your clan may
end up making or breaking a future recruit.
The reason is simple. A lot
of prospective members to your clan usually check your site out
first. if they find it to be good looking and full of info
they will be impressed and possibly join. However if they find
it to be an absolute mess full of dead links and spattered with
horrible colours and massive gif animations that take forever to
download they will instantly close the browser and move on.
The basics of a good clan website can be seen in almost all of the
clan sites you'll see in the clans and sites listed in the STG's
clan directory, it can basically be broken down to the following...
-
Most websites have a standard
design with the content in the middle and the menu either on the
left (like on this site) or the top (like on smaller sites).
Its become the standard menu layout for the majority of websites
and people usually instantly look at the top or left for the
menu links.
-
The first page which loads up
(either index.html or index.php etc etc) is normally the page
where your clans latest news is. This gives the possible
new member a snapshot of what is happening in your clan.
It is VERY important to keep this front page updated with the
latest news and goings on of your clan to make sure that any
possible new member sees that your clan is an active one.
-
Along with the main index page
for news you will need 3 other important pages. One which
lists all the games your clan plays, another to list the members
of your clan and the 4th page as a contact page for new members
to contact you.
The 4 page layout basic clan site is
what most new clans in trek gaming goes with thesedays. Although
they are not the most full site with regards to content it is the first
basic building block on which the rest of your site can be based upon.
So to recap...
Your first clan site should at least
have the following pages.
The Index
This is the first page that everyone
hits on your site, it should contain all the current news of your clan
and the names of new members who have joined.
Games List
The page where all the games played by
your clan members is listed. This can include official played
games by your clan and special games played by the members when off
duty.
Clan Roster
This page should list all your current
members. It should also list the command structure of your clan as
well on the top of the page. Member bios can also be a good idea
for this page.
Contact
A simple contact page with your
recruiting officers email address should do the trick.
Once you get this simple site online
your web presence has started. For a more detailed clan site read
"The Basics - Expanding your first site". |
