Forum:SH:Request for comments: CVI brochure

Forums > Senate Hall archive > SH:Request for comments: CVI brochure

This page is an archive of a community-wide discussion. This page is no longer live. Further comments or questions on this topic should be made in a new Senate Hall page rather than here so that this page is preserved as a historic record. —MJ— Holocomm 19:16, November 13, 2012 (UTC)

I'm bringing this to a separate thread because the main CVI thread isn't getting much input from the community at large, and I'm looking for comments from everyone, whether they're going to the convention or not. I've created a rough draft of the brochure that will be passed out at the table, you can find it at File:CVI-BrochureRoughDraft.pdf. Keep in mind that:

  • This is just a rough draft, and I'm open to any changes.
  • The "Fun Facts" section is meant to fill the whole column; I need suggestions to fill it.
  • The copies will be made in black and white to save money, so keep that in mind if you suggest images.

Any and all comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism are welcome. —MJ— Training Room Monday, June 4, 2012, 16:34 UTC

  • "A vibrant community help ensure the quality of the articles" Don't you mean "helps"? Oh, and maybe a URL for the Featured Articles page somewhere, to show off the peer-review process and peer-reviewed articles. Cade Calrayn GalacticRepublicEmblem-Traced-TORkit 17:10, June 4, 2012 (UTC)
    • The typo is fixed, and I've added the shortcuts for the FA/GA/CA pages under "Our Articles".
  • Anywhere the URL is featured, it should be listed as "http://wookieepedia.com (http://starwars.wikia.com)", with wookieepedia.com big and wikia small and parenthetical, since that's where we'll be when Wikia inevitably self-destructs. -- Darth Culator (Talk) 17:34, June 4, 2012 (UTC)
    • Done. I've uploaded a new version with these fixes over the old one. See what you guys think. —MJ— War Room Monday, June 4, 2012, 23:36 UTC
  • What Trak Could Track: Niggly copy-edits!
    • Fun Facts column: Nix the exclamation point from Ludo Kressh's pedicure set. In comics and sometimes in novels, it's fine. In promotional material, unless a direct translation from another language (Dr. Wily no Saigo?!), it's best not to use a "?!" combination. Slot an "of" between "planet" and "Melida/Daan" for grammar and better word flow.
    • Main cover column: Comma after "Darth Vader."
    • History: "Other users joined, and Wookieepedia grew quickly,[...]" Switch "grew quickly" to "quickly grew."
    • Quality Control: "If anyone can edit Wookieepedia without registering, you might think that our articles would riddled with vandalism, false facts, and poor writing." Replace "you" with "one" just for this instance, so as not to insult the reader.
      • "There is no such thing as a completed article, though, and over time standards may be toughened or articles may need updating from new sources." Slot a comma between "over time" and "standards."
      • "If an article no longer meets the criteria for any reason, it will be placed on probation, and if the issues are not fixed, stripped of its status, helping to make sure that the only articles with the stamp of approval are those of the highest quality." Suggestion for different punctuation: "[...]it will be laced on probation and—if the issues are not fixed—stripped of its status [...]"
    • Our Articles: “All Stars Burn As One”: The official anthem of the Galactic Republic, not much is known about it other than it was used to greet Obi-Wan upon his arrival on Ord Cestus during the Clone Wars." Slot "Kenobi" in there. As his name is being mentioned for the first time, it should be the entire name.
  • Aside from niggly copy-edits that I would have done myself, all I can think of is perhaps use some of the insignia for graphics. Slot in a roundel here and there to break up the wording. Those will print nicely in black and white. Trak Nar Ramble on 02:49, June 5, 2012 (UTC)
    • Oooh, yeah! Don't use boring bullet points. For the articles you want to highlight and the fun facts you want to feature, use little logos for their era or alignment or whatever. Things like the Rebel emblem BlackRebelStarbird and the Imperial emblem Imperial Emblem, etc., should come across really well in monochrome. -- Darth Culator (Talk) 03:01, June 5, 2012 (UTC)
      • I vote for GalacticRepublicEmblem-Traced-TORkit and SithEmblem-Traced-TORkit!! Cade Calrayn GalacticRepublicEmblem-Traced-TORkit 03:13, June 5, 2012 (UTC)
  • Trak, all are done on my end except adding Obi-Wan's last name, because that would cause the text box to overflow. I think for this purpose, we can safely assume that any casual fan knows who "Obi-Wan" refers to. Shorthand is sometimes necessary in promotional stuff where you have limited space like we have here. Culator, that's definitely a good idea, and I'll use that for the Fun Facts, but like I just said, we're out of space right now under Our Articles. I may experiment with reducing the font size later, but I don't want it too small (the text is 11-point Calibri right now, with 12-point on the cover). If I can comfortably reduce the font size somewhat, that will make more room for images. —MJ— Holocomm Tuesday, June 5, 2012, 04:07 UTC
    • You can also adjust kerning and leading. This will give you greater control over the placement and look. What are you using to make this brochure? Trak Nar Ramble on 04:16, June 5, 2012 (UTC)
      • Microsoft Office Publisher 2007, which I'm not very familiar with (I haven't used any version of Publisher since a computer class in high school over seven years ago). I know what kerning is, but what is "leading"? —MJ— Council Chambers Tuesday, June 5, 2012, 17:46 UTC
        • Leading refers to the space between lines of type. These can be adjusted manually, and they don't need to be consistent for the entire brochure, as some sections could have smaller leading, while others could have taller leading. Back in the day, I used Quark for brochures, and after using Publisher recently, the interface seemed more or less the same as with Quark. I think Publisher will allow you to manually adjust the leading, even if it's the ass-backwards way of moving the text segments around. This will allow you to either make more room for more text, or take up more room with less text, without making the font size bigger or having unnecessary white space. Trak Nar Ramble on 02:23, June 6, 2012 (UTC)
          • Ah, line spacing is what I know it as. I deal with that all the time in Word. I'll play around with that later. Thanks. —MJ— Holocomm Wednesday, June 6, 2012, 03:12 UTC
  • As for more fun facts and such... I can't think of any off-hand, except for this Did You Know...
  • …that WOOKIEEPEDIA appeared as an answer in the July 16, 2010 crossword puzzle of the New York Times, under the clue "54A: Online reference for all things 'Star Wars'"?
For more such fun facts, scouring the DYK may be your best bet, but I would definitely add that one to the brochure, as it promotes us. Trak Nar Ramble on 06:27, June 6, 2012 (UTC)
I disagree. As the top of that section says, the "fun facts" are meant to be taken from status articles, the idea being that people who take the brochure home and look this stuff up should be presented with well-written articles. Wookieepedia is not an FA. Also, it's meant to encourage people to search Wookieepedia to get the story behind each one, and the NYT thing doesn't do that. I did stick that fact into the cover column, though. —MJ— Comlink Wednesday, June 6, 2012, 22:18 UTC
Oh but one day, MJ. One day, Wookieepedia will be status ready. ;) As for what I see on this, has the closing quotation marks needed at the end of the third quote been noted, and what is the source for that? Also should these be applied in chronological order? I would also note that Abel's and Dan's classic quotes would be helpful, but if we have enough, then we have enough. Otherwise the back side looks great! -- Riffsyphon1024 00:43, June 7, 2012 (UTC)
No quote marks are needed. The last two paragraphs form a single two-paragraph quote, not two separate quotes (quotes are separated by the row of five asterisks). The punctuation is therefore correct as is. As for order, I like the layout of the two larger mainstream media quotes bookending the shorter VIP quote. I think we have enough right now (the text box is full at the current font settings), but I would be open to replacing quotes, and there may be room for more if I adjust font size, kerning, etc. Can you point me to these quotes from Abel and Dan? I'm interested to look at them, but I would like to keep the majority of the column for mainstream media. I might be able to replace Bonnie's quote, though. —MJ— Council Chambers Thursday, June 7, 2012, 01:20 UTC
Pardon the delay. Here is Abel's quote: "Wookieepedia is a lavish and stunning homage to the Star Wars pop cultural phenomenon. Thanks to its professional appearance, the scope of its content, the quality of its writers and diligence of its administrators, Wookieepedia has become a valuable resource to fans both casual and obsessive, as well as to Star Wars authors. It's becoming the new nexus for everyone who wants to know as much as Yoda about that galaxy far, far away." ―Abel G. Peña, Wookieepedia's First Media Release; and Dan's quote: "Wookieepedia is the best fan wiki and an amazing example of what smart people with simple tools can create by working together. Ten years ago, there was no Wookieepedia. Ten years ago, I was one of several 'walking Wookieepedias.' But information works best when it's not concentrated in the hands of a few experts, and you no longer have to be an expert to contribute to the whole. By harnessing the knowledge of thousands, Wookieepedia has strengthened Star Wars immeasurably." ―Daniel Wallace, March 1, 2008, http://blogs.starwars.com/danwallace/102 and Wookieepedia's Third Media Release. Hope this helps. -- Riffsyphon1024 01:10, June 21, 2012 (UTC)
  • idk if you've changed this yet, but I didn't see it above. In the first sentence of "Quality Control," there should be a "be" between "would" and "riddled." MasterFredCommerce Guild(Whatever) 20:49, June 14, 2012 (UTC)
    • Got it. I need to sit down sometime within the next week and really do some tweaking. Any suggestions for "Fun Facts" are appreciated, keeping in mind that they need to come from status articles. —MJ— Jedi Council Chambers Friday, June 15, 2012, 01:50 UTC
      • If obscure facts for status articles are fine, there's always the old DYK of Gands being afflicted with asthma, with "Gand" as the status article. And since it's been mentioned in Insider, may as well point to Zuckuss and his schizophrenia. I'll go through the DYK later and see what else there is... Trak Nar Ramble on 03:31, June 15, 2012 (UTC)
        • I'm primarily aiming for stuff that would make the reader go, "Wait, what?", but any and all suggestions will be helpful. —MJ— Council Chambers Friday, June 15, 2012, 18:26 UTC

Moving forward

I've uploaded my current working copy of the brochure. I've added a few images (I still need to test how well these images will come across on black-and-white copies), adjusted the kerning, and made a few other layout changes. I would like to have a final copy ready to send to Mary for approval within the next two weeks. One thing of note: I still need TONS of ideas for the "fun facts" column. Any and all ideas are welcome, keeping in mind that they need to come from status articles. Images will be added to that column once I have enough facts listed that I can play with the layout. What do you guys think so far? —MJ— Comlink Friday, July 13, 2012, 21:40 UTC

  • The additional images help break up the text quite nicely. As for random fun facts... I'll get the IRC on it posthaste. I offered up one for Gand and one for Zuckuss already, but I'll look for some that have things to do with not-quite-as-minor characters. Trak Nar Ramble on 02:55, July 14, 2012 (UTC)
  • Here, got a few while trawling the DYK:
…that Han Solo owned a sky house on Bespin?
…that Obi-Wan Kenobi wrote an article titled "Go Aboard the Bongo‎"?
…that Luke Skywalker once derisively accused Princess Leia Organa of playing spin-the-bottle?
…that Luke Skywalker, Ben Skywalker, and Vestara Khai were all once part of a Dantooinian firing squad?
...that Bossk once threw Zuckuss at Boba Fett in order to distract him?
Hopefully some of them work. Trak Nar Ramble on 03:38, July 14, 2012 (UTC)
  • Jabba the Hutt had a mass of 1,358 kilograms. MasterFredCommerce Guild(Whatever) 04:48, July 14, 2012 (UTC)
  • I would actually prefer a mixture of main characters, and obscure, seeing how expansive we are. The DYK noted above gives me the sense that we are back in Purist Mode. -- Riffsyphon1024 21:55, July 17, 2012 (UTC)
  • Does anyone have any fun, random facts to add to this brochure? Granted, many of you aren't able to go to CVI, but we still need your help with setting up the booth, and finding random fun facts for this brochure is something that you folks at home can help us with! :D Trak Nar Ramble on 08:06, July 25, 2012 (UTC)
…that Luke Skywalker and Biggs Darklighter rediscovered the Lost City of the Ghorfas on Tatooine three years before the Battle of Yavin?
…that Admiral Ackbar's first name was Gial?
…that Grand Moff Tarkin had a niece, Rivoche Tarkin, who spied for the Rebellion?
…that the giant, spacegoing Oswaft species could exceed a kilometer in size?
…that Leia Organa was once killed and resurrected by the incorporeal entity Tilotny?
…that General Jan Dodonna defected to the Rebellion after fleeing Imperial assassins in his nightclothes?
…that Derek "Hobbie" Klivian survived his airspeeder collision with General Veers's AT-AT?
…that Luke Skywalker learned to speak Yuzz from a Yuzzem slave named Pok?
…that between the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic, there was the Alliance of Free Planets?
    • Hope those are fun and random enough. jSarek (talk) 10:43, July 25, 2012 (UTC)

Now we're beginning to get somewhere. Please remember that these need to be from status articles so that the reader can be presented with a well-written article if they look for more information. Some of the ones above aren't from any status article that I can find. It would also be helpful to link the status article, so I can list the article name along with the hook (enabling the reader to easily search for it). Thanks for your help. —MJ— War Room Thursday, July 26, 2012, 01:17 UTC

  • Since they are from status articles, I'm gonna once again offer these up...
...that Gands can be afflicted with asthma?
...that Zuckuss suffers from both schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder?
...that it was a Wookiee who ordered and installed the exhaust port that led to the first Death Star's destruction?
  • Yes, they're three of my status articles. At least "Gand," "Zuckuss," and "Hahrynyar" are... Trak Nar Ramble on 02:57, July 26, 2012 (UTC)
    • Oh, right, only status articles. Well, phooey. :-p jSarek (talk) 09:43, July 28, 2012 (UTC)

Wikia assistance

OK, looks like we just got some help here, both with the brochures and the banner. Eric Moro, Director of Programming (Entertainment) at Wikia, has offered me the assistance of his design department, as well as offering to help pay for printing. This is a huge help. I'll keep you guys posted as to what develops from this. —MJ— Comlink Thursday, August 2, 2012, 02:02 UTC

  • Oh, lord. This is Wikia we're talking about here. I bet their help paying for printing is contingent on accepting their "help" with design. -- Darth Culator (Talk) 02:25, August 2, 2012 (UTC)
    • I'm currently replying to the latest e-mail from Moro, concerning the brochure. I've pointed out that I have some graphic design experience and while I would like to further pad my portfolio with a banner design, I'm willing to leave it to the professionals. Depending on the dimensions, my computer may simply be unable to handle it anyway. I'll point Moro to this thread, though. Trak Nar Ramble on 02:32, August 2, 2012 (UTC)
      • Trak: I already pointed him to this thread. :) Culator: I've been trying to do this with no knowledge of design, so any professional help is welcome at this point. Anything they create will come to me and Trak for approval first, so we can reject anything that smacks of social networking doesn't work. And at this point, I'm almost willing to make a deal with the devil to get the money for printing (more seriously, I saw nothing in the email suggesting that one was contingent on the other). —MJ— Training Room Thursday, August 2, 2012, 02:40 UTC
        • MJ: And of course, I see your reply after I finished and sent mine. Oh well. :P But yes, I'm willing to make a deal with the devil as well, if it means taking the costs off our hands and having a great-looking booth. I also made sure to mention that I'm a designer as well and am thus extremely picky. Trak Nar Ramble on 02:53, August 2, 2012 (UTC)
          • I wouldn't mind if they want to help, as we had them on the poster last time, however this should ultimately be in our hands. -- Riffsyphon1024 07:32, August 13, 2012 (UTC)
            • I'm still looking for some way to take more of the responsibility for this, such as searching for an alternative to the ridiculous Internet costs. However, seeing as how there's only four of us going, and two of us are scrambling to get everything ready, and our budgets are meager, at best... Really, if Wikia is offering to help, then honestly... I wouldn't turn them down. The way I see it is such; it's a lucrative PR deal for the both of us. Wookieepedia gets represented, and Wikia gets more exposure through us. And if that exposure comes from making us look good, and thus they look good, then so be it. It's telling the public, "Hey, here's one of our best wikis! Come look at how awesome Wookieepedia is! You know you want to host your wiki with us, because we have Wookieepedia and they're awesome, and we're awesome, and you'll be awesome if you're with us!" Shallow, yes, but that's how marketing works. And if we are a part of that marketing stunt, then so be it. At least we were given a big helping hand throughout the whole thing. Trak Nar Ramble on 04:29, August 15, 2012 (UTC)
  • OK, here's the finished product. Wikia essentially just took the text I gave them and applied their design skills. They are paying to print 2,000 of them for us. Now the only thing left to do is come up with the money for internet service. —MJ— Council Chambers Thursday, August 16, 2012, 01:00 UTC
    • Sniff... sniff... it's beautiful. -- Riffsyphon1024 05:16, August 19, 2012 (UTC)
      • They're even folding them for us! It's... it's so beautiful... Trak Nar Ramble on 06:31, August 19, 2012 (UTC)