Site Construction Struggles?

[Robin]

What's the hardest thing thus far about constructing your shrine "in public?"

Is there any particular area of your site that you're struggling with more? Are there any unusual challenges you're facing while working on your Construction Zone project?

[Destinie]

I think that I used to put my shrines out there unfinished but in the last several years I only want to upload stuff that I consider "done". So this is difficult for me to reverse-train myself to do what I used to do. I think I worried that if I put it out there I would never actually "finish" the site. :O But I think having a set topic might make it easier.

[Robin]

@Destinie: Same here! I usually never release a site till I feel like it's "done" (and I'm always finding little nitpicky things to fix so that the release date gets pushed back a bit, too, LOL). #perfectionistproblems

Releasing my Eight site "unfinished"/in production has been a big challenge for me because of this. (I feel like I'm getting dressed in a glass house, LMAO) But then again, it's also a huge motivator for me to finish it because it's sitting out there unfinished, so I guess it works out? xD

[Robin]

In general, there's no such thing as a "finished" website. Sure, you may have one website completed with the available content that you've got, but then, there's always bound to have something new that needs to be added, so on and so forth. Besides, you want to get all your visitors/fans to come and visit your site as much as you can when you've got something new to show, right?

This is true! I often think of my completed websites as "done/never have to think about them again until it's been like 3 years or something" (ROFL), but there is always something new to add! (See: my Dove site, which I "finished" last year but I keep tinkering with the layout because the readability is bugging me LOL)

[Destinie]

Well, I know personally speaking that a lot of my shrines that I have made I consider to be "finished" since I aim for them to be more like articles instead of a living, breathing fansite. Not all of them but a few of my sites like Asunder or Flight are for characters that their series/game/etc. is finished and the sites are made to be enjoyed in one visit. If people keep coming back to them to reread or revisit, I think that is great! But in my mind they are definitely finished pieces of art rather than a living website.

The same thing for my construction zone topic. I'm focusing on 90's era Godzilla and while there are TONS of Godzilla fansites out there, there isn't going to be one that is a static dissertation that mine aims to be. So, again in that sense, looking to have a finished site. Though the event might be helpful to get feedback on what sorts of things to write about before the site is considered "done" so I am looking forward to that aspect!!

[Robin]

@Destinie: I hear ya! (And that's how I view many of my sites, too, as an attractive collection of generally static essays)

Also, I'm really looking forward to your site--I think of Godzilla more as a '50s and '60s kind of monster and didn't think about it continuing on into the '90s at all, so it will be super informative :D

[Destinie]

@Robin- Thanks! I hope so! 90's Godzilla is my favorite incarnation. So many of them stuck with me. I need to get on watching some of the films I missed for the site tho. I do plan on also putting a section that talks about pre and post-90's too! :)

[Robin]

@Robin- Thanks! I hope so! 90's Godzilla is my favorite incarnation. So many of them stuck with me. I need to get on watching some of the films I missed for the site tho. I do plan on also putting a section that talks about pre and post-90's too! :)

OH that historical section will be great for info and backgrounding! :D I'm definitely interested to see how the different versions across the decades compare, and why the '90s one is your favorite!

Also, today I ended up splitting up an article for my Eight site into 3 separate pages because otherwise it was looking like a dissertation LOLOL

[Laura]

The hardest part for me is properly planning the content and listing it on the site. :) I have ideas about what I want to write about but unless I've already written it, if I leave and come back, my opinion has changed about how I want to divvy the content up.

Example - For Windrunner, I split up some topics about Sylvanas as the leader of the Forsaken. After reading through some novels and experiencing new content in the game, I now want to re-arrange the section completely! I suppose this is okay though, since it IS a construction zone but I feel like I don't want to give "false advertisement" to people on what to expect to see on the site. XD

[Megan A]

I think the most difficult thing for me to process was that my site is SUPPOSED to be under construction, and it's OK that the content that I have up isn't perfect. I spent a long time writing, rewriting, and revising the small sections that I currently have uploaded which is why it took so long for me to get it online.

Initially, I wanted to upload more content, and I was really struggling with finding the right amount of information to finish before I plug. I wasn't happy with just a small amount of content and was really self-conscious about uploading an imperfect shrine.

The hardest part for me is properly planning the content and listing it on the site. :) I have ideas about what I want to write about but unless I've already written it, if I leave and come back, my opinion has changed about how I want to divvy the content up

This is something I'm actually struggling with right now too! For my site, this will mostly affect creating the layout and navigation though so I may just do something temporary until I figure out a more solid outline.