Website updates in the works.

[seanan_mcguire]

Because "done" is a misnomer around here, the ever-fabulous team of taraoshea (graphic design) and porpentine (back-end code) are hard at work preparing a redesign for SeananMcGuire.com, aka, "my website." We're not getting rid of the current content—we're not insane—but we are trying to make it a little easier to access and navigate, by doing things like shifting the majority of the menus to be down the side of the page, rather than at the top, and by making the drop-downs a little less likely to snap back up while you're trying to browse.

Among other things, I'll be revamping the FAQs, since I really do prefer keeping them as current as possible. I live in a magical cotton candy wonderland where someday, my email volume will be kept under control by the existence of clear, coherent, comprehensive FAQs. So here's the question for the floor:

What isn't currently answered in the FAQs that you want answered?
What answers do you want to see expanded?
What additional questions do you have?
Are there any sections missing? What are they?

I'll be soliciting for questions for a separate Toby Daye FAQ later this month, so please don't suggest Toby-specific questions as yet, unless they're the very general "what's the release date" or "who does your interior dingbat design"-style questions. Right now, I'm just trying to get base data.

As an aside, if you think there's a page missing that's not part of the FAQs, what is it? You never get what you want if you don't tell me what it is!

Thanks, y'all.

Comments

[keristor.livejournal.com]

Since they are your FAQs doesn't the term 're-vamping' have a rather ... specific ... meaning? *g*

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

But...I like the vampires!

[keristor.livejournal.com]

Well, yes. But they probably get tired after a while and have to do it in shifts. Which look pretty but are impractical when they get blood on them, so they have to be re-vamped...

[stormsdotter.livejournal.com]

For Toby FAQ:

What is Toby's birthday? (As a side note, is her real birthday day listed correctly on her fake birth certificate and only the year changed?)

What tips do you have for cosplayers?
An on that note, I have been a terribly bad doobie for not posting my WorldCon pics.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Sweetie, did you miss the "please do not ask Toby questions yet, I really won't be going back to this entry to retrieve them" part of the post?

[stormsdotter.livejournal.com]

Yes. Yes I did. Sorry!

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

One that springs to mind:

"Can I interview you?" (Subdivisions for "...for my podcast/article" versus "...for my school project." And yes, the answer can--indeed, probably should--start with "only after you've read my FAQ and are prepared to ask me different questions.")

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Oh, good one. Thank you!

[beable]

I kinda miss some of your old pages talking about your music, I never got a chance to read all the "behind the music" things for Stars, for example.

But I can also understand if you are trying to keep your pages focused solely on your writing.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this is very much a professional author page. While I still love filk, and am currently recording a fourth album, the odds of my putting up a huge labyrinth of interlinking pages about specific songs are very slim. I'm trying to rebuild some of that data in the Music FAQ, which is basically where that content lives now.

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

You might want to put up a care and feeding section on your FAQ for those who serve as hosts/take you to dinner/feed you after events, etc.

This would be especially helpful if it had regional food options, such as chain preferences, local favorites and notes about what you really want to avoid.

You could also archive your 'putting things in my mouth so you don't have to' data there.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

The size and scope of the people randomly hitting my page has expanded so far beyond the scope of the people I want to have bringing me food that I really wouldn't be comfortable with that.

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

That's a good point, though it does save you getting taken to the wrong restaurant (i.e. Quiznos).

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Yes, but...if you're taking me to a restaurant, won't you have had the opportunity to ask me?

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

One certainly hopes. :)

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I'm being a very bad bird here, because I'm not checking the site first to see if this exists - but I'm nearly certain it doesn't.

I'd like a good idea of your calendar - something along the line of 'you can has' vs. 'you can NOT has' - before I poke you gently to ask if you want what I has that I think is nifty.

(Something like what Outlook/Google does - could be a good place to put book signings, cons, what have you.) Go go widget?

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Please check the site's front page, where the "Appearances" menu is a static part of the layout. I'm sorry, but I really don't want to publicize my daily social calendar on a public site with no filters. I'm happy to say "come see me be in author-mode here," but I'm not going to say "I'm free for dinner on this day." Not good for me.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

That's entirely fair. *checks* Okay. So far, so good.

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

This is just a personal navigation nit about the songbook. It would be nice if the songs which have chords available to them contained a link from the lyric page, rather than just the index. (Those with sample soundfiles could contain a link as well.

For that matter, those songs which appear on an album might could have links to their appropriate album page.

Just some random thoughts.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure the code could be modified to that degree, and since you can only get to the lyric pages from the index page (which links to the chords as well), it's not going to be a priority. But it's still a good note; thank you.

[vincentursus.livejournal.com]

Well, I was going to suggest fixing the broken link for people attempting to order 'Red Roses and Dead Things' but I see that has been fixed since I last checked.

Carry on. I have a CD to order.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Woo-hoo!

I have to restock CDBaby again—they're out of Stars Fall Home.

[danceswithlife]

Something I've been wondering about...what was your major at Cal?

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Folklore and Mythology.

[allaboutm-e.livejournal.com]

<3 for the Mysterious Galaxy links!

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Always!