Web team interview
Mon Feb 20, 2012 10:13 pm
Web team interview
With the new site just over a week old, we wanted to find out some of the decisions behind the scenes that ultimately led to what you see as the site design today.
1) What was the time frame for the new website build and how long did it take you to create the vast site?
Well Dan, on "Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:47 pm" the bare bones of the new HonourBound was brought up on a development server so work could begin. The first and one of the most important decisions to be made was the style. Myself and Relentless had to agree on a new style and colour scheme that would be a fresh change for staff and members alike, but also bringing a clean and functional feeling to the board. Once it was decided on what we wanted, I got it coded it into the site and then the serious work could begin.
Relentless started work on the forum sections, user groups and permission settings while I started writing code. From previous forums I have run, I had a fair idea of what I could bring to HonourBound so after this was discussed in great detail between ourselves, I started work on implementation.Without going into a massive amount of details, I will give you a quick overview of the main functionality you see before you.
Xbox Integration.
This was of course a monster task, I think this took me a total of 3 days of solid coding to get it exactly as it is now. That’s not to mention the amount of times Xbox change their website prefixing so it is a mod that constantly needs to be maintained. The thought of bringing the gaming world and online social networking was must for me, so I thought you guys would really appreciate having the ability to bring all your stats and Xbox avatar from your XBL account to your users profile at HnB on a real-time basis. Personally I haven’t seen any other gaming clan that has the ability to do this.
Medals System.
I understand you had this on the previous forum, however this one has a lot more functionality and a whole new user friendly feel. Again this took me another few days of code work, but the end result was beyond my expectations. The option to be able to nominate your fellow members for a medal is something I really like about it. I strongly believe in positive reinforcement and recognition, which is why all members that have been nominated and awarded all display under the medals panel up top and also under the a users profile, so it is there for all to see.
Attendance Points System
Obviously this was a big thing that a lot of people, so I made it a high priority of mine to get this up and running for HonourBound. It was originally taken from a previous forum I worked on, and its original purpose was by means of adding feedback to members for something they may have purchased, sold or traded. So I re wrote the entire code to reflect a fully functioning attendance system that displays board wide.
2) What was your aims in making the new website?
Well as I touched upon earlier, it was mainly my php coding ability and previous forum Administration experience. I had a long discussion with Relentless and gave him a brief summary of what I was able to do for you all here, shortly after I was made an admin of HonourBound and the work began! I was really appreciative of all the help you guys had given me on battlefield so I thought I would return the favour.
The other reason is financial freedom. due to my line of work, I am able to host HonourBound on a dedicated server with no bandwidth or storage space restrictions. All this at a cost of nothing. This relieves a lot of pressure and provides the ability to concentrate your efforts elsewhere. Obviously any donations received are now free to be used in the interest of you the members. Discussions are already underway regarding HnB merchandise and a big meet up.
3) What is your personal view on the new site and what do you think is your favourite thing about it?
Well personally I am very proud of what has been achieved here. Not just the coding and the forums, but the fantastic member base here at HnB. Everyone is very friendly and willing to help in any way they can. Relentless deserves a big hand for this, as if it wasn't for him then we wouldn’t have had the previous HonourBound, the members and solid structure we have in place today, and of course the new HonourBound we have as I would have never found you guys.
Also a big thank you to Ridler for suggesting I join HonourBound via another forum, again none of this would have been possible if you didn’t.
I would also like to say a big thank you to HnB TommyGun for his amazing graphics work on the squad images and the new HonourBound header logo.
Thanks for all your support and kind words on this guys, and I feel very privileged that I was able to make a positive difference in the interest of the clan as you all deserve it.
Lewis.
Thank you guys for building this site and taking the time to answer the questions from your busy schedule!
Interview done by MotorracingDan8
With the new site just over a week old, we wanted to find out some of the decisions behind the scenes that ultimately led to what you see as the site design today.
1) What was the time frame for the new website build and how long did it take you to create the vast site?
Well Dan, on "Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:47 pm" the bare bones of the new HonourBound was brought up on a development server so work could begin. The first and one of the most important decisions to be made was the style. Myself and Relentless had to agree on a new style and colour scheme that would be a fresh change for staff and members alike, but also bringing a clean and functional feeling to the board. Once it was decided on what we wanted, I got it coded it into the site and then the serious work could begin.
Relentless started work on the forum sections, user groups and permission settings while I started writing code. From previous forums I have run, I had a fair idea of what I could bring to HonourBound so after this was discussed in great detail between ourselves, I started work on implementation.Without going into a massive amount of details, I will give you a quick overview of the main functionality you see before you.
Xbox Integration.
This was of course a monster task, I think this took me a total of 3 days of solid coding to get it exactly as it is now. That’s not to mention the amount of times Xbox change their website prefixing so it is a mod that constantly needs to be maintained. The thought of bringing the gaming world and online social networking was must for me, so I thought you guys would really appreciate having the ability to bring all your stats and Xbox avatar from your XBL account to your users profile at HnB on a real-time basis. Personally I haven’t seen any other gaming clan that has the ability to do this.
Medals System.
I understand you had this on the previous forum, however this one has a lot more functionality and a whole new user friendly feel. Again this took me another few days of code work, but the end result was beyond my expectations. The option to be able to nominate your fellow members for a medal is something I really like about it. I strongly believe in positive reinforcement and recognition, which is why all members that have been nominated and awarded all display under the medals panel up top and also under the a users profile, so it is there for all to see.
Attendance Points System
Obviously this was a big thing that a lot of people, so I made it a high priority of mine to get this up and running for HonourBound. It was originally taken from a previous forum I worked on, and its original purpose was by means of adding feedback to members for something they may have purchased, sold or traded. So I re wrote the entire code to reflect a fully functioning attendance system that displays board wide.
2) What was your aims in making the new website?
Well as I touched upon earlier, it was mainly my php coding ability and previous forum Administration experience. I had a long discussion with Relentless and gave him a brief summary of what I was able to do for you all here, shortly after I was made an admin of HonourBound and the work began! I was really appreciative of all the help you guys had given me on battlefield so I thought I would return the favour.
The other reason is financial freedom. due to my line of work, I am able to host HonourBound on a dedicated server with no bandwidth or storage space restrictions. All this at a cost of nothing. This relieves a lot of pressure and provides the ability to concentrate your efforts elsewhere. Obviously any donations received are now free to be used in the interest of you the members. Discussions are already underway regarding HnB merchandise and a big meet up.
3) What is your personal view on the new site and what do you think is your favourite thing about it?
Well personally I am very proud of what has been achieved here. Not just the coding and the forums, but the fantastic member base here at HnB. Everyone is very friendly and willing to help in any way they can. Relentless deserves a big hand for this, as if it wasn't for him then we wouldn’t have had the previous HonourBound, the members and solid structure we have in place today, and of course the new HonourBound we have as I would have never found you guys.
Also a big thank you to Ridler for suggesting I join HonourBound via another forum, again none of this would have been possible if you didn’t.
I would also like to say a big thank you to HnB TommyGun for his amazing graphics work on the squad images and the new HonourBound header logo.
Thanks for all your support and kind words on this guys, and I feel very privileged that I was able to make a positive difference in the interest of the clan as you all deserve it.
Lewis.
Thank you guys for building this site and taking the time to answer the questions from your busy schedule!
Interview done by MotorracingDan8
Re: Web team interview
Fri Feb 24, 2012 12:55 pm
Good reading.