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| Author: Posted: Nov. 17, 2002 | This Page Viewed: 3,845,648 |
Question of the Week: 56 - 8/27/2001 What Would You Like to See at The Voice? By most measurements, TWV is a very successful site. YET, it is always in a constant state of change. This week we ask "What if YOU Ran the Witches' Voice - What would you change? In fact, feel free to post ANY suggestions that you may have related to this web site, its look, feel, design, content or tone... We have literally hundreds of ideas but would love to hear yours. Why? Because TWV has been built on your suggestions since day one... It's time to ask again! Kindly, keep your suggestions constructive. |
| Reponses: There are 65 responses posted to this question. | Reverse Sort |
| The Witches' Voice Is Great. You All Do A Much Better Job... | Sep 2nd. at 6:38:50 pm EDT |
| Manzanita (Chula Vista, California US) | Age: 14 |
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The Witches' Voice is great. You all do a MUCH better job than I would ever be able to do. I have some sugestions, so... 1) Traditions--Keep the page for established traditions, but how about another for solitary-type trads? It's always interesting to hear from other solitaries. 2)An Artwork Page--Maybe like the essay page? A topic, and then we send in our personal artistic interpretations. Except I think this would be better WITHOUT the age split. It works well for essays, but artwork... 3)Message Boards--I think these work better than chatrooms. Discussions can be discussed by everybody for a longer period of time since there are no timezone worries. Maybe several-one for solitaries, one for teens, one for coveners, one for Pagan issues, one for artsy-crafts, etc. Perhaps you could bring someone in to moderate? Really, the site is great. Don't add a shop. If someone needs an online shop that badly, there are plenty out there just waiting to be found. And Wren's Rants are good. The "Cats" section, though, needs serious revamping. Instead of keeping all the photos posted, you could change them monthly? Hmm. |
| I Would Keep Wren's Rants. I Personally Really Like Them. Wren Is... | Sep 2nd. at 10:05:23 am EDT |
| DolphinSmile (Allen, Texas US) | Age: 20 |
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I would keep Wren's Rants. I personally really like them. Wren is a great writer, and I am impressed by how she can think of something to write about every week! I mean, I like reading the editorial section of the newspaper, so this is kind of the same thing. If it really bothers people maybe move it off the main page, but please don't get rid of it. The Cats section is kind of getting out of hand. Maybe you shouldn't keep all the pictures. Also, to be fair, how about a "Pets of Witchcraft" section instead? Personally, I'm mainly a cat person, but how about showing that not all witches just have cats. Show some dogs, parrots, horses, whatever. No need to break them up to, in case people have more than species in a picture. I would like to have somewhere where people can voice their opinions more, besides this Weekly Question thing, and interact more with other readers of this site (like a message board maybe). I'm not sure that would work though. There might end up being way too many, or it may get ugly and have to be moderated, which would give you guys more work. If you could get it to work out it would be neat. I've been looking at some pagan newsgroups, but they all seem to either be dead, or full of trolls and flame wars. Also, in regards to what some have said about the Traditions section only allowing established traditions. I think that makes sense, since if you let in anything anyone calls a tradition, you'd end up with millions of traditions! Keep the Traditions section the same as it is, but maybe put up a separate section on solitaries, where post things about what it's like to be a solitary. But even if you don't change anything, this site is still great. I disagree with some of the opinions that you should have a witchcraft course or something else that teaches Wicca or whatever. There are already way too many sites like that out there! I much prefer the section on how to get started and go find the stuff yourself. There are already hundreds of books and even more websites about the how-to's of Wicca. We don't need to waste space here rehashing it. This site is good for people who already know the basics and are ready to move on. |
| Mm, I Would Just Like To Start Out Saying That I Love... | Sep 2nd. at 9:07:03 am EDT |
| CharismaKitt'e (Dayton, Ohio US) | Age: 14 - Email |
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MM, I would just like to start out saying that I love TWV. And that I do recommend it to a lot of my Witch, Wiccan, and Pagan friends. But what I would change or add would be... 1) Separate Sections... I would make just a Teen and just an Adult page, instead of Teens of the World and Teen Essays or Adults of the World and Adult essays. I think it would just be easier to have separate pages for the two. WWW.TeenWitchVox.com 2) Chats and Boards... I would have a group of chat rooms, like maybe 3 chats, and a couple message boards. Like if you take my #1 idea, have a Teen message board of the Teen page. I know that as a teen Wiccan, I've had a lot of questions and have sent a lot of e-mails to the staff of TWV. I also know, well at least hope, that I'm not the only person with these questions. So maybe someone could put up a question, and TWV staff member answer the question on the message board, so that others could read it. And people to add onto the question if their situation is kind of the same, but has more to it or something of the sort. 3) FAQ section... I think that you should have a FAQ section. Not just one for basics either, like a set of FAQ's for the different Traditions, kinds of magick. 4) Information... I don't know about everyone else, but I found myself going to other sites for information. I mainly just see TWV as a site of essays and Pagan news. I remember I was trying to find out about Tarot and I had to find a site that has/had information on Tarot. Maybe the answer to this one is to have a BOS, book of shadows, or something of the sort. 5) A site map... I personally don't get THAT lost on the site, but it would be helpful. 6) The colors... I sometimes find the white backgrounds with black writing a little bright. So maybe you could tone them down? 7) Artwork... I like the idea someone said about having a page to display people's artwork. That would be pretty cool to see. 8) Book Lists and Reviews... I also liked this idea someone said, about having a page that people could give book reviews. And maybe have a page that people could suggest books. Maybe having biographies on famous authors, like SilverRaven and Scott Cunningham. 9) Online shop... I've been to other sites that have their own shop online, where you can buy herbs, tools, candles, and others of the sort. This would be a good idea for those who don't have an magickal shops around them. Well that's a lot I noticed, but they are just some suggests that I have. And someone of you may have noticed that I was seriously pushing a teen this and a teen that. That's just because most sites don't have much, if not any, teen things. As if there aren't that many teens that have interests or are Pagan in the world. Well thanx for reading! MP! |
| Your Site Is Excellent! Don't Change Anything Now That After All This... | Sep 2nd. at 8:09:55 am EDT |
| Vanessa (APO, ARMED FORCES EUROPE US) | Age: 26 |
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Your site is excellent! Don't change anything now that after all this time I know my way around ;-) There's just one thing: I don't like the black background. It's kinda hard to read. Also, what's up with all the cat pics? Why should all witches have a cat? Do you mind if I submit one of my dog?! Another suggestion: How about some more stuff for kids (people with kids)?? |
| It Would Be Nice To See A Craft Corner For Those Of... | Sep 2nd. at 4:04:39 am EDT |
| Nikki (Bremerton, Washington US) | Age: 24 |
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It would be nice to see a craft corner for those of us whom perfer to make ritual items/supplies. You know " crafts for the crafty witch." Maybe a message board were we could swap ideas, trick, hints, and designs. |
| What Would I Change If I Ran The Witches Voice, Well There... | Sep 2nd. at 12:23:26 am EDT |
| moonstar (Independence, Missouri US) | Age: 17 - Email |
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What would I change if I ran the witches voice, well there are two different perspectives I could use. 1: The webmaster perspective. From the perspective of someone who knows all that goes into making a webpage, and knows what constitutes a good webpage, ABSOLUTLELY NOTHING the site is technically fantastic, very well done, and updated often enough, its great. The only thing I may do, if I had the recources, which I probably wouldnt after making such a great site, is maybe get my own #witchvox irc chat, or provide yourname@witchvox.com email, both of those would be really cool, but I would not change anything, its great 2: The Pagan perspective. As a Pagan, I would have to say the same thing, the site is fantastic, the only thing that confuses me is that the updates are on time, on real time, howcome I have to run on PST, but the witchvox staff doesn't. Seriously though, YOU GUYS ARE DOING GREATE, PERFECT, WONDERFUL, REALLY REALLY...GOOD, just keep it up. :-)(-: |
| I Think The Witches Voice Is Absolutely Fantastic. Although I Feel I... | Sep 1st. at 11:05:41 pm EDT |
| The Miracle Man (New York, New York US) | Age: 20 |
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I think The Witches Voice is absolutely fantastic. Although I feel I have to take issue with the amount of brazen nudity I've witnessed on the website lately...there hasn't been nearly enough! |
| The Only Thing That I Would Change Is The Set Up For... | Sep 1st. at 11:04:53 pm EDT |
| nick (Shakopee, Minnesota US) | Age: 20 |
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The only thing that I would change is the set up for the 5000 working links. The way it is now can make it hard to find exactly what you are looking for. the catagories are very genralized and many subjects are missing from those catagories. I think that it might be easier to find what you are looking fore if it was set up like a web browser. Otherwise I would change nothing. witchvox is one of the best pagan sites out there. |
| If I Ran The Witches Voice The Site Would Probably Only Consist... | Sep 1st. at 9:08:59 pm EDT |
| Amber (Brisbane, Queensland AU) | Age: 22 |
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If I ran the Witches Voice the site would probably only consist of a few pages of rehashed information, be rarely updated and be covered in gaudy freeware graphics, with the hit counter reading 510. I am continually impressed by the time and dedication you guys devote to creating a great community website of originality and integrity. Overall I think the site is excellent with the rants, Wren's Nest and Trad Profiles being my favourites. Although like most people I do have a couple of suggestions:) Apart from TWV's great Global Networking system a majority of the site's information tends to be US-centric, I know this is bacause you're US based and so are a majority of your contributors but it would be good to see some articles about Pagans in the Southern Hemisphere or Europe. Also, apart from the Trad Profiles TWV's information tends to be mostly Wiccan orientated. It would be nice to see information of a broader scope eg. articles on Hermetics, Shamanism in the modern world, Druidism or Vodoun. Anyway, keep up the good work, you are doing a great community service and it's deeply appreciated. PS. I actually quite like the black background and navigation layout. |
| Hmmm - Okay.... What Would I Do? Maybe... A Little Better Organized, It... | Sep 1st. at 8:21:51 pm EDT |
| Artemis KnightStorm (Wellington, New Zealand) | Age: 13 - Email |
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Hmmm - okay.... what would I do? Maybe... a little better organized, It is kind of fun searching for stuff like a maze but sometimes when I'm in a hurry it would be eaisier if I could find what I want faster - actually now that I think of it, instead of doing a massive reorganisation, why don't you guys just set up a site map? Okay - um I thought the cat photo page was an excelent Idea, I love it - If you're so backlogged with photo's wouldn't it be a good idea to make a photo page for all those other photo's that you're bogged down with. hmmm what else? I'd love to learn about other people's traditions - like one of the other posts said, it would be really nice if we could get some FAQ's up. Several people have said Chatrooms - And I compleatly agree, chatrooms and/or a message board would be great, expecially if you had scheduled chats. (and if you do have scheduled chats, remember to say what timezone your talking about and if possible put up what the time is in that zone so us world-wide witches can work out when they are for us - I've just had the experience so many times when mericans or people from the UK somehow expect the rest of the world to fit in with their timing.) what else? *racks her brains for a few moments* um.... oh I know, some pages where people could feature their pagan artwork/writings would be great - seeing as you've already got the whole Pagan music thing going - Which I LOVE by the way. Someone said to take Wrens nest out! Oh my! NEVER EVER DO THAT! The rants are inspiring - and besides - I realise this is a community site and all but wren does put a heck of a lot of her time into it - shouldn't she be allowed to rant on her own page? Leave them right where they are. Or else....grrrr Um anything else? hmmm well it would be really cool if we could get some stuff about how other pagans manage with their careers and some discussions about pagan parenting. (Not that I really need the parenting thing just yet seeing as I'm only 13!) I'm sure people would be willing to write about how they've managed in the big wide world. Okay I really can't think of much else...I love this site to bits! All the articles and essays are great. Oh I know maybe the layout could be changed a little so you don't have to scroll down quite so much - maybe with a side bar like you have in most of the other sections. Thats really all I can think of! |
| Thanks For All Your Work! Here Are My Suggestions. 1. I Think... | Aug 31st. at 10:56:33 pm EDT |
| Nicole (SF Bay Area, California US) | Age: 26 |
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Thanks for all your work! Here are my suggestions. 1. I think the site needs some reorganization. You have so much info that it can be hard to locate things. Maybe how Yahoo or Google have it set up? 2. I agree with the white on black scheme not being eye friendly. White backgrounds can be kind of harsh, so I think beige would be great! 3. Wren, leave your nest and rants alone! I love them! 4. I would actually like to see MORE articles, essays and editorials. I like what Utne Reader does--they compile articles around a theme from a variety of magazines. I don't have the money or time to keep up on all the pagan media, so something central would be nice. 5. Please archive the photos. I love seeing pics of the community. Actually, something like the cat pages for community pics would be wonderful. 6. More trad info please! FAQs on lots of trads/paths would be useful. 7. I'd use a chatroom. Especially if meeting times were set up around specific issues, holidays, trads, etc. Again, thanks for all that you do! |
| Well, First I'd Definatly Get Rid Of The Black Background. White With... | Aug 31st. at 9:41:38 pm EDT |
| L.G (OKC, Oklahoma US) | Age: 26 - Email |
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Well, first I'd definatly get rid of the black background. White with black text is easiest to read. The week's features page could be broken down, for me it is a hassle to scoll down to find things of interest. Wren's Nest would be nixed or at least moved to her own page. I know some people enjoy it, but the way she writes, refering to herself in the third person is annoying. It's very Bob Dole. Better navigation, and a more constistant look on all the pages. Links with underlines under them. Obits, yes, those people will be missed, but I think they belong on a seperate page. I didn't know those people have never heard of them, but obviously you did. This makes me wonder who you have to know to get your picture/name on the pages. The page hits, page counts, raw counts, I have no idea what those are and don't care, can you say 'hit slut' I also don't care how about how many emails were sent out, how many returned or how many removal requests were done. Yes, you do a wonderful job keeping the place free of dead links and it isn't a small job but when I clean my house, I don't point out every little nook and crannie that I dusted to everyone who walks in the door. Why just cats? It's like you're encouaging the stereotype that witches have cats. I don't, my landlord says no. I don't like cats even. How about a general pets page broken down into dogs, cats, birds, snakes and exotics? Traditions have to be 'established' to be featured on the traditions pages. I'm a solitary and would like to read about other solitaries experiences. Maybe recipes they use for Beltaine or a simple ritual of thanksgiving. Or child's craft that is enjoyed at Yule. Just some fresh ideas. Nothing long and involved but don't exclude someone because their tradition is just a group of friends under the full moon or they don't have one at all. I get enough exclusion in the real world, thank you very much. Rereading this I realize I may sound mean and nasty, but a few days before you posted this question I was looking at my pagan bookmarks and seriously considered removing The Witches Voice from it because of the things I listed above. I get the impression that Fritz and Wren have almost a loathing to turn over other parts of the site to other people. As a result I see a stagnation within these pages. Yes, it's a huge site but it won't implode if someone else takes over a bit of it. Again, I don't mean to be nasty or unconstrucive. |
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