Overhauling GabrielGadfly.com -- I need your input!
So, the current design for this website is about 2 years old, and it’s time for a revamp. It’ll be a redesign of the layout, but also include a wide range of new features that should bring some additional functionality to the site.
Here’s some of the things that are already on the list:
- If you’re logged in, the site will keep track of which poems you’ve read. You’ll be able to mark poems as Favorites so you can easily refer to them later.
- Better navigation for poems. With 340+ poems on the site, flipping through them all is a bit of a chore, so you’ll be able to explore poems in new ways — for example, through a layout element that displays links to poems similar to the one you’re already reading.
- Direct sales — you’ll be able to purchase copies of my books directly from me. Free shipping to anywhere in the US, and no dealing with an intermediary like Amazon.
- The ability to download a PDF of any poem on the site, so you can read it offline or plug it into any eReader that supports PDFs.
- Kindle blog support; if you have a Kindle, you’ll be able to subscribe to the site, and anytime I post a new poem, your Kindle will automatically download it. There’s a small fee, but you basically get poetry book that will constantly grow over time.
- The new design will probably include a sidebar that will contain a user dashboard and navigation links, but the site will also include an Easy Reading mode that will hide the sidebar and other extraneous content, so you’ll be able to read the poems without interruption.
- Possibly the ability to login using your Facebook, Google, or Twitter account.
So what are your thoughts? What sort of features would you like to see on gabrielgadfly.com?
Posted Oct 29, 2011 by Gabriel


