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Geek Culture / IndieReviews needs people willing to play games then write about them

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thm120
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Posted: 24th Oct 2010 22:08 Edited at: 21st Nov 2010 22:10
im opening a website < http://indiereviews.net >
and i need a team of reviewers.

Each written review has two ads in place, the revenue from those ads go directly to the author. so basically more reviews = more ads which eventually = more money!
The staff members are also eligible for bonuses and money towards games ( if we are doing well )

We require that you submit at least 1 review every 4 weeks. (can be a written or video review)|| nevermind no requirement what so ever

we do both video and written reviews for PC, PS3, and XBOX360 indie games,


sign up on the website &
email me at [email protected] and we will get you set-up
Gencheff
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Posted: 24th Oct 2010 22:13 Edited at: 24th Oct 2010 22:15
Sounds fun.I'm interested,I can find time each day to play/review a game.

One recommendation though,a redesign on the website is suggested.

thm120
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Posted: 24th Oct 2010 22:23
Quote: "One recommendation though,a redesign on the website is suggested."
that will come gradually as we grow and get ideas from people involved in the website..

you can email me at: [email protected] and sign up on the website n i'l fill you in on how things are done
Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 24th Oct 2010 22:38
to be fair it is hard to navigate.

Smoke me a kipper, ill be back for breakfast.
thm120
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Posted: 24th Oct 2010 22:48 Edited at: 24th Oct 2010 22:52
the tabs to the left are the nav buttons .. but as i said change will come, provided i get more ideas n such from people like you
Master Man Of Justice
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Posted: 24th Oct 2010 22:50 Edited at: 24th Oct 2010 22:50
sign me up.

I love reviewing products.

Eminent
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Posted: 24th Oct 2010 23:40
Sure why not.


Bugsy
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Posted: 26th Oct 2010 05:44
I sure love reviewing games count me in. I like writing.

imageflock.com/img/1272671763.jpg[/img]
skype = isaacpreston. I want to talk to YOU
JoelJ
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Posted: 26th Oct 2010 06:01
Great idea, but let me offer you a few suggestions:
Quote: "that will come gradually as we grow and get ideas from people involved in the website.."

There's a problem with your thinking. You're saying that your first priority is to get readers/writers and then you'll fix the site. The problem is, no one is going to stick around if you don't fix it FIRST. Although it has some really cool effects, your website need help. So take the criticism NOW and don't wait until AFTER you have a community, otherwise you will be waiting a very long time.
Here's something you never want to have to say:
Quote: "the tabs to the left are the nav buttons "

Having to say that is a sign of a flawed design. It's fine if you have to explain every once in a while, but even after I read that, it was still a little difficult to figure how to get anywhere. Which will drive potential readers away.

Here a couple suggestions for the site:
Make the main navigation always visible to the reader. Provide some way for the user to figure out what the icons mean (It's confusing to me which tab takes you where). I would suggest making the icons always visible, then when you mouse over expand out the title of the page it's going to take you. Make it as easy as possible for someone who doesn't have any direction to navigate your site. Sadly, that means that some cool effects are going to have to go.

I love the idea for the website. I hope it goes well for you. Good luck.

Your mother has been erased by a mod because it's larger than 600x120
Phaelax
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Posted: 26th Oct 2010 06:26
I can do written reviews for PC games, but as Joel said you need to fix that site. The navigation is a bad idea; relying on pictures that are hidden by default?


"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" ~ Arthur C. Clarke
Libervurto
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Posted: 26th Oct 2010 12:41 Edited at: 26th Oct 2010 12:44
I have been looking for something like this!
How does it work, do we just review any old game and you pick the ones you like?
I assume they have to be indie games.
If we can do web games, I'd like to review Hex Empire, so baggsey and no one else can do it meh meh


Do oranges know what colour they are?
Eminent
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Posted: 26th Oct 2010 23:08
I call Super Crate Box. It's awesome.


thm120
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Posted: 29th Oct 2010 08:19
Quote: "How does it work, do we just review any old game and you pick the ones you like?"
not at all you can review whatever game you like, the only stipulation is that it has to be an indieGame .. luckily, there is still s spot open (more will come later) so if you want to join us our mission to help 'enhance the views' on indie games, send an email to me at [email protected]

@joel - Fixed the nav, this was the first time other people actually saw the site so once i saw that it wasnt going well with that nav, i scrapped it and adopted a more 'user friendly nav' care to comment on the new nav? http://http://indiereviews.net/
JoelJ
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Posted: 29th Oct 2010 08:52
That's a lot better. I'm not much of a designer for colors and such, but it seems very white. I couldn't give any suggestions though, I'm just not good at it. Here's a cool site someone showed me that helps you pick out colors for this kind of thing: http://kuler.adobe.com/

Your mother has been erased by a mod because it's larger than 600x120
thm120
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Posted: 29th Oct 2010 22:39
Quote: " it seems very white"
yea i dont have an eye for color eighter, i was thinking about allowing the user to dynamically choose which background image/color is used while they are logged in..
Libervurto
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Posted: 30th Oct 2010 05:41 Edited at: 30th Oct 2010 05:47
It still disappears, I don't like that to be honest, I think the nav buttons should always be visible. Also there's no title on the page.

This looks really lame but it's just to show some fonts I found that might suit your site.

The fonts are called pixelplay.ttf and Borgnine.ttf and are free to download.

I forgot to change the image compression so it looks a bit odd.
I like the body text (pixelplay) because it looks like the text from old RPG's, and Borgnine is quite a cool title font.

I like websites that have large images like this http://www.gog.com/en/frontpage/ but I think GOG looks a bit busy, there's too much on the screen.

Could you do it so when the mouse hovers over a game review a big picture of that game appears at the top of the screen? That would be pretty sweet.


Do oranges know what colour they are?
thm120
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Posted: 30th Oct 2010 22:25 Edited at: 30th Oct 2010 22:26
Quote: "It still disappears,"
it lowers the opacity when you are not at the top of the screen, Imo it it's good for a site with a lot of text on screen.. allows you to see things that may be covered up, to bring it back while ur not at the top, just simply hover over the menu

Quote: "Could you do it so when the mouse hovers over a game review a big picture of that game appears at the top of the screen?"
still implementing that idea

Quote: "I like websites that have large images"
I am transforming the "featured games" area to something like the carousel on GOG (just not as big).

as for the text.. no, it will conflict with the "feel" of the website
Libervurto
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Posted: 31st Oct 2010 00:20
@thm120
Fair enough, I'm no designer
The video review to boxy craft was good, was that you?


Do oranges know what colour they are?
thm120
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Posted: 31st Oct 2010 00:50
Quote: "was that you?"
thank you very much & yes it was.. lol i wasnt sure about the quality of that review, thanks for confirming it for me
Jeku
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Posted: 31st Oct 2010 20:07
I don't think it's cool that your links to the game companies open up in a javascript foreground, with your indie site still in the background. Why do you do it that way? Feels scammy.


Senior Web Developer - Nokia
thm120
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Posted: 1st Nov 2010 00:21 Edited at: 1st Nov 2010 00:26
Quote: "I don't think it's cool that your links to the game companies open up in a javascript foreground, with your indie site still in the background. Why do you do it that way? Feels scammy."


why would i create reasons for people to leave the site? stats show that having links that go to other sites can and most likely will draw the users attention to something els and less likely to return.
so a simple solution, allow the user to go to that site, within your site..

its actually pretty usefull, no scams about it what-so-ever, besides.. whats better than having the "game maker's" site in front and the review in the background, accessible with just one click
lol besides what is there to scam? you're not and can not buy anything, and you're not bombarded with advertisements.
bitJericho
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Posted: 1st Nov 2010 15:20 Edited at: 1st Nov 2010 15:20
Quote: "why would i create reasons for people to leave the site? stats show that having links that go to other sites can and most likely will draw the users attention to something els and less likely to return.
so a simple solution, allow the user to go to that site, within your site.. "


welcome to the WWW. I usually go back, get the link, read the review I intended to read (without the crappy frames), and go about my life thinking what was that designer thinking?

It doesn't really affect me coming back to the site or not, it's just a minor annoyance brought on by a web designer who's desperate to keep people from ever leaving the site.

PROTIP: just open the site in a new window if you want to keep people at your site. That's not as big of annoyance as frames are.

Jeku
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Posted: 1st Nov 2010 20:41 Edited at: 1st Nov 2010 20:41
Quote: "so a simple solution, allow the user to go to that site, within your site.. "


Welcome to the Internet, I guess.

I'm just saying that it feels scammy when web designers do crap like that, and it makes me not want to visit their site ever again. It is so rarely done, that I haven't seen anything like it in years. I would suggest making your site's content interesting enough to make users WANT to stay on your site, rather than tricking them into staying.

After all, a user can just click the Home button to force themselves away from your site if they want. Do you think keeping them on your site doesn't annoy them?

I'm sure you're breaking basic web design principles by doing this, but to each his own. I wouldn't visit a site that employs such tactics


Senior Web Developer - Nokia
thm120
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Posted: 1st Nov 2010 23:16 Edited at: 1st Nov 2010 23:18
i just thought it would be more convenient but ok.. if the people do want it then its gone..
Quote: "
a minor annoyance brought on by a web designer who's desperate to keep people from ever leaving the site."
or maybe a web designer who wanted to make things more convenient .. u never know

lol back to this quote:
Quote: "web designer who's desperate to keep people from ever leaving the site"
might be why IGN and other sites dont have any links that leave their site unless its an ad.. welp, the links are completely gone then.. if the 'pros' do it, i might do it as well
Jeku
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Posted: 2nd Nov 2010 01:47
So your solution is to remove the publisher links in their entirety? Do you really think your users are too dumb to know how to leave your site?

Quote: "might be why IGN and other sites dont have any links that leave their site unless its an ad"


Oh, really?

http://games.ign.com/objects/025/025025.html

Every company in their listing has a link to their website. Every game site I have ever been to, and I frequent dozens of them on an almost daily basis, supplies links to the publisher sites.

I see you link to the game ZIP files directly, which would surely piss off the developers.


Senior Web Developer - Nokia
thm120
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Posted: 2nd Nov 2010 04:07 Edited at: 2nd Nov 2010 04:10
Quote: "Oh, really?
http://games.ign.com/objects/025/025025.html
Every company in their listing has a link to their website. Every game site I have ever been to, and I frequent dozens of them on an almost daily basis, supplies links to the publisher sites."
did you have to click more than one link to reach the publisher's site or is it directly accessible to the readers from each and every review?

Quote: "I see you link to the game ZIP files directly, which would surely piss off the developers."
fixed.. didnt even realize i did that, thanks for the heads up
Jeku
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Posted: 3rd Nov 2010 05:36
Quote: "did you have to click more than one link to reach the publisher's site or is it directly accessible to the readers from each and every review?"


Consider IGN's main market is commercial games, many on console, there's often no reason to go to the large publisher's websites. If they cover indie games, I'm sure they give links out on where to download the game.


Senior Web Developer - Nokia
Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 3rd Nov 2010 05:52 Edited at: 3rd Nov 2010 05:54
@thm120 the nav bar is still annoying, it would be better to leave it permanently at the top and not change its opacity (should never be less than 60%).

And jeku is right.
If you are going to put a link to another site, use target="_blank" and itll force it into a new window/tab.

Smoke me a kipper, ill be back for breakfast.

MMORPG -- Many Men Online Role Playing as Girls

G.I.R.L -- Guy In Real Life
thm120
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Posted: 3rd Nov 2010 12:32 Edited at: 3rd Nov 2010 12:35
Quote: "the nav bar is still annoying"
ok fair enough it will change, but may i ask why its so annoying? is it interfering/conflicting with anything on the website? any content? or is everybody just used to the traditional non scripted nav bar that sits on top of the page?

meh idk anymore, i thought it was a cool effect to spice up a regular boring website as well make it unique and stand out from the rest
bitJericho
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Posted: 7th Nov 2010 18:27
I personally didn't mind the nav bar.

Libervurto
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Posted: 7th Nov 2010 18:51
Quote: "meh idk anymore, i thought it was a cool effect to spice up a regular boring website as well make it unique and stand out from the rest "

It is a nice effect but I found it disorientating. Would it be possible to add a button to the bar to turn the auto-hide on/off? That might suit both camps.

I agree that opening external links in a background window/tab would work better. That way, even if they wander off, your site is still there when they're done browsing. I like websites that link to other interesting websites; it's not a flaw to have people leave your site, it might even make them want to come back.

I'm a bit busy at the moment but I will try to do a review for you soon.


Do oranges know what colour they are?
thm120
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Posted: 7th Nov 2010 22:59
Quote: "Would it be possible to add a button to the bar to turn the auto-hide on/off?"
I look into that
thm120
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Posted: 21st Nov 2010 19:31 Edited at: 21st Nov 2010 19:32
i have come up with the final design.. http://indiereviews.net and we are ready for more reviewers.. our only requirement is that you do at least 1 review every 3 weeks.. that can be a written or video review.. any takers? email: [email protected]
Jeku
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Posted: 21st Nov 2010 20:34
What's in it for the writer? How can you "require" that they write 1 review every 3 weeks? Are they going to be on the payroll? Do they get some kind of benefit for this?

Also, is this site just for indie games? I'm wondering because NFS is on your front page.


Senior Web Developer - Nokia
thm120
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Posted: 21st Nov 2010 21:13 Edited at: 21st Nov 2010 21:31
Quote: "Also, is this site just for indie games? I'm wondering because NFS is on your front page."
NFS and AA3 are part of the "featured free games' section.

Quote: "Are they going to be on the payroll?"

kind of, in return for your reviews, you get paid off comission .. basically. for every review you have, you get to put advertisements on it, the revenue from those ads go directly to the reviewer.. not to mention the bonuses which will come in the future such as free games/money for games and bonuses.

we also require at least 1 review every 3 weeks because.. well c'mon if ur not doing any reviews what so ever then you are wasting everybody's time .. i figured 3 weeks would be a reasonable amount of time to get at least 1 review in..

and jeku im getting some kind of hostile vibe from you lol idk why.. i hope its just in my head.
Jeku
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Posted: 21st Nov 2010 21:26
Quote: "and jeku im getting some kind of hostile vibe from you idk why.. i hope its just in my head"


It's in your head. I'm being harsh because you're basically advertising an almost empty website, asking people to do work for virtually free. I'm totally cool with people offering to write reviews for you, but when you require them to do it X amount of times a year, I find it kinda strange. I believe all my comments have been quite legitimate (not linking to site or even giving publisher links, for example). You shouldn't be getting bad vibes from honest critiques


Senior Web Developer - Nokia
thm120
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Posted: 21st Nov 2010 21:39 Edited at: 21st Nov 2010 21:41
Quote: "asking people to do work for virtually free"
if i had a job, i would TOTALLY pay reviewers.. but everybody gotta start somehwere ya know.. im pretty sure IGN didnt start gunz-a-blazing paying everybody that was involved.. i imagine they started with a group of friends who had a mission. i would do this with my friends but they are all typical people/not computer savy, never even heard of indie games.

At first there was no required amount of reviews.. with that only 1 newly recruited person did and still does reviews.. i realized not having a requirement is like running a business and telling the employees they dont have to come to work. but in this case we are partners and everybody is required to do their part in order for us to grow. how about 4 weeks then? is that more reasonable?
Master Man Of Justice
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Posted: 21st Nov 2010 21:54
sorry thm, havent done anything, my bust, im currently swamped with schoolwork and trying to get a portfolio of 3d, i just havent had the time. I should be able to start writing reviews after christmas.

thm120
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Posted: 21st Nov 2010 22:01
Quote: "sorry thm, havent done anything, my bust, im currently swamped with schoolwork and trying to get a portfolio of 3d, i just havent had the time. I should be able to start writing reviews after christmas."
fair enough man take ur time.. im about to be in the same boat as you anyways.. high school's a b****
Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 21st Nov 2010 22:07
More reasonable is no requirement.

Smoke me a kipper, ill be back for breakfast.

MMORPG -- Many Men Online Role Playing as Girls

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Jeku
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Posted: 21st Nov 2010 22:36 Edited at: 21st Nov 2010 22:36
Quote: "how about 4 weeks then? is that more reasonable?"


This is just my own opinion here, but it's unreasonable to *require* a non-paid freelancer to hand in reviews every X amount of days. If you have like-minded acquaintances, like some of the people on this forum, and you're all striving to be the next IGN, then that should keep you all motivated enough.

Personally I like the idea of a review site specifically for indie games, but it shouldn't be like a real job unless there's some sort of pay involved. And ad revenue isn't pay.


Senior Web Developer - Nokia
thm120
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Posted: 21st Nov 2010 22:45 Edited at: 21st Nov 2010 22:49
@jeku yea ur right... it wasnt like people were going to be terminated or harassed for not submitting reviews in X amount of weeks.. it was for motivational purposes only.. i have been a part of a lot of websites in which there were members ( virtual airlines ).. and the latest one i was in just failed because nobody was flying.. why? there was no flight time requirement or quota.

the one i was in before this recent one is still thriving.. why? because they have individual quotas.. keep in mind that these virtual airlines present no pay in any form

anyways the requirement is gone and im just hoping to god that all current and future reviewers share the same if not similar dream of being 'BIG' or in your terms 'the next IGN' and use that as motivation
Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 22nd Nov 2010 09:13
Usually motivation comes from people wanting to write the review rather than them having to write the review. I think that makes the difference between doing something for fun and doing work.

There's nothing wrong with prompting people or getting actively involved to motivate them. If you're active and doing stuff, it might motivate others to do the same and sending out emails with info on the latest games doesn't hurt. It's always good to set the example.

Also, I like Jeku's idea of reviewing indie games, the competition for reviewing commercial games is big. It'll be fairly easy to talk to indie developers when you're a smaller website, at least compared to the larger game-creation businesses. That offers scope for interviews on top of your reviews. Also, you might find it easier to market yourself. Heck, if your website is solid and you've got yourself a good set of reviewers, you might want to start getting into contact with businesses who sell Indie games, like TGC for a start. A mention in the newsletter might offer more readers.

thm120
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Posted: 22nd Nov 2010 21:36 Edited at: 22nd Nov 2010 21:55
@seppuku
Quote: "you might want to start getting into contact with businesses who sell Indie games, like TGC for a start. A mention in the newsletter might offer more readers."
not a bad idea.. i will definitely do that as soon as we get some more reviews out there

as for me doing my part to motivate others, im aiming for 20 Very Good if not excellent quality reviews over the course of the next 2 weeks
Libervurto
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Posted: 23rd Nov 2010 02:11
Hi thm,
I said I'd be interested in this but I've just started a new job, so I have no idea if I will have time to do this.
I'll post something in about a week to let you know.


Do oranges know what colour they are?
thm120
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Posted: 23rd Nov 2010 04:28 Edited at: 23rd Nov 2010 04:28
@OBese87 No hard feeling man.. do what u gotta do to survive

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