BASHMAN wrote:
As for the Wiki, I think it would be far more productive if you *didn't* have to be invited to work on it. Having that as a barrier will deter people from working on it.
I'll look at seeing if that can change on the site. I dislike it too. However, my sidenote - is that I'd rather it stick with the "Google Sites" wiki farm, simply because with any other wiki farm it could go under then all our info would be deleted and gone. Google isn't likely to go away anytime soon. I've also found that Google Sites supports wiki work the best - having the most options (from Google Docs, Calendars, video, etc...) and has great/easy support to figure things out.
Wikipedia is great. But it's NOT a wiki farm. It's a site on a wiki farm (of it's own server now). And for Wikipedia, you DO have to have an official account or the admin find your change and remove it without asking. They did that because politicians were changing their Wikipedia entries for more beneficial pages, when Wikipedia is supposed to be impartial info ... ie. "encyclopedia" style info.
That said.
If anyone knows of a better wiki farm and wants to update and organize it... I'm behind it. Feel free to copy/paste any text/work I've done on the current site.
BASHMAN wrote:Last: I like the BAM! masthead just as it is. In fact, the next printing of the book is using a similar design for the masthead. This will keep things congruent and recognizable. I think coming up with a new logo, etc is putting the cart before the horse.
The current BAM! masthead on the wiki is a new original design. I put it together a few nights ago. I (actually) hadn't referenced the older logos, but happily they're sort of inline with the simple style of the old logos as you can see. Then also the couple very different ideas for a new logo as well.
from Issue #1
from Issue #5
from the new wiki masthead
completely different ideas
BASHMAN wrote:
While BAM! content is made by fans, and I have no problem with you guys working together on it, or using the forums, etc to organize it, come up with article ideas, etc. I still need to publish it. I may want to add an article, etc- to each issue.
LOL
100% Sir.
In fact. I don't think it's ever been said anywhere in these discussions yet. I would guess and assume everyone here that's excited for the BAM! project feels the same. My feeling has always been:
Step #1.
We asked for your approval to take the next step with BAM! with fans offering articles to the next level of fans taking a stronger force in organizing the articles and laying them out, etc.... essentially building the issues of BAM! All completely in effort to publish BAM! more regularly with neat new ideas.
Step #2.
Once that work is done and BEFORE it's published to the general public, we present it all to you for official approval, for adding any articles of your own, and specifically for a "BASHMAN Commentary" short blurb/thought you have on each article.
Step #3.
Finishing the layout by adding all the edits above, the new issue of BAM! is "finished" by saving as a PDF. And given to you.
Step #4.
You publish and publicize the new issue wherever and however you have in the past as normal.
BASHMAN wrote:
So I wouldn't get all happy with the layout until after all the writing and art is done for an issue.
heheh....
As for getting excited about layout, etc... I (think) I'm the only one doing that, simply because one of my specialties is layout and design. It's more of a natural part of the process in thinking of articles and ideas for me.
When the excitement to try something (visually) hits me, I do it. So, yeah... I 100% agree with not putting the cart before the horse. But I'm really (personally) not, it's just the way my brain works, hehe.
Also.
I do tend to think that visuals (especially in comics) tend to get people EXCITED. And when people get excited (many times) they also get ENERGIZED to do "work" on a project they've had on the back burner.
SIDEBAR on making the layout.
I've thought about doing gamer magazines alot in the past. But never really completely created one. So I'm naturally thinking about layout and how to build the product.
I understand and would like that in the future OTHER fans get more involved and can do the full layout and design on their own.
In the past, designing a "book" like this most graphic monkeys would use InDesign, Pagemaker, or QuarkXPress. In my "hobby time" experience ... playing games and building game campaigns that have fun props that each player can USE, I've found that the normal guy can't use those higher end programs.
Rather than being all "graphic designer snooty" and doing it in "my high end program anyway" so the layman can't work with it... I've found that you can get a good product out of a more simple program like a simple Word Doc.
And so... with a little practice, I've practiced making Docs in Word that look like they're designed in InDesign (as best I can) but are really just creative uses of HEADERS/FOOTERS and such in Word. This allows almost anyone the ability to open the original design layout and edit, just being careful not to move around the layout borders, etc...
Then on top of all that, Word can now "publish" (ie. Save) as a PDF document. Lastly, if you have Adobe Premier Acrobat - you can update the PDF with any forms or tables of content or hyperlinks, etc... (though Word might do that too now that I think about it!)
All that said. I've been thinking about building the new BAM! simply but nicely in layout in a simple Word Doc... that way ANYONE (on the BAM! team) can edit it. They just need to make sure the fonts in the doc are loaded on your machine.
That's all my thoughts on building the new BAM!
I don't want to get ahead, but that's just how I think. Hope it's not distracting. LOL
anyone have any other suggestions or questions?
thanks
-kev-
