Later this month TrekMovie.com will reach its 6 month anniversary. In its short life TrekMovie.com has quickly become the leading site for news and information for the world Star Trek. It has also attracted an active community of dedicated fans who can discuss their favorite franchise in an open minded and thoughtful way. The success of the site is due to a focus on exclusive content and the diversity and quality of our writer contributors. As we move towards the second half of our first year it is now time to start thinking about where to go from here. Below is some of the current thinking presented as both a ‘heads up’ as well as an opportunity for feedback. I know some Trekkies are often resistant to change, but there is always room for improvement.
Content…keeping the focus, but room for expansion
Probably the greatest distinction this site has is the focus on what is going on in Trek now. This means we pretty much ignore what Trek personalities of the past are doing (except Shatner…because he is The Shat). In addition we try and get more scoops and more context on the news of the day to ensure visitors learn more and learn it first here. All that being said, there is more to Star Trek today than Trek Remastered and Star Trek XI. Therefore this site will mostly likely start adding coverage of other ‘current’ Trek products (books, comics, toys, and collectibles). This will be done mostly with the help of additional contributors who are experts in these areas. Also under consideration is additional coverage of Fanfilms. I would also like to see more editorials and interviews (hopefully one of each per week). Additional coverage would not take away from the focus on Trek Remastered and Star Trek XI so don’t worry, and if you aren’t interested in these areas…you don’t have to read them. Hopefully the site will also be redesigned in such a way to make it easier to see articles and information you are most interested in, leading to…
Technology & Design…time for an upgrade?
The original site design and infrastructure was put together rather quickly. The idea was to have a simple design and let content be king. The focus on content precluded a lot of time and effort spent on bells and whistles. However now the sheer volume of content on the site make it hard to navigate, especially for new users or periodic users. Plus the platform being used (WordPress) is simple to use, but has limitations. The growth of the site has shown that the system is just not enough. Areas that are being considered
- redesigning the home page (and/or entire site) to allow easier access to dif. areas of interest (Trek XI, TOSR, etc)
- adding forums (limited to Trek related topics)
- migrating to more robust CMS (probably Xoops or Joomla)
- streaming video
- adding podcasts
- add a ‘store’ for DVD, posters, merchandise, etc
…one thing that I will not change is having a simple design and a lighter background. If I never see another Star Trek site with a convoluted starflield background with difficult to read Borg-green text I will be happy.
The name…does TrekMovie.com still fit?
When the idea for this site first came up, it was conceived as a site for just the new Star Trek film (Abrams Trek XI). The goal was to provide a single source to keep Trekkies informed and help dispel rumors and myths about the film. This site has done that, but it has also expanded greatly…especially with the Star Trek Remastered project (we also own TrekRemastered.com). On the one had we have built a brand around TrekMovie.com, on the other hand it does not accurately describe where the site is today and where it is going. Other sites have faced thisdilemma in the past (TrekWeb used to be called STFCweb and focused on Star Trek First Contact).Unfortunately most of the good names have been taken by Paramount or Trek fans (or mountain climbing and Trek bicycle related sites). For weeks I have been trying to find the Star Trek equivalent of TheForce.net. So far the leading candidate is TrekHQ.com (which is now owned by TrekMovie.com). It is short and more generic and easy to spell!
You can help
Volunteers: In order to enact many of the changes outlined above, we are going to need help. This site has been blessed to have the help of my assistant editor Matt and a number of amazing writer contributors, but now we need to add some amazing web jockeys. We need volunteer help in design, coding (HTML, MySQL, PHP, possibly PERL), WordPress, Joomla, vBulletin (and/or other BBS systems) Podcasts, etc. If you are interested please click the contact link at the bottom of the page.
Promotion: Believe it or not, not every Trek fan (or potential Trek fan) has heard of this site. So whenever you see people talking about Star Trek on other sites and you see they can use more info…send them here. Either to specific articles related to topics, or to some one of our static info sections (our Trek XI Guide or our Trek Remastered Guide). Other good links are some of the category tabs (right column). Another way to help is to join Digg and ‘Digg’ interesting stories (just click the 
icon).
Tips: We do try and have news first, but that isn’t always possible. See something that we should cover…click the tip link (right column) and send us the story.
Visit Advertisers: Advertising on the web is mostly paid by the click, so if you see something interesting…click it. We will also be reintroducing Amazon links into the site…any purchases provide little tiny commissions.
Feedback: Lastly you can help by giving feedback (here in the comments section) on the above areas or any other areas about the site. Plus are there sites you particularly like the design and/or functionality of…tell us about it.
- What do you think about a name change….and TrekHQ.com?
- What do you think about more coverage of non STXI and TOSR stories?
- Do you want podcasts?
- How do you feel about a weekly/monthly email newsletter?
- What do you think of adding forums?
Hopefully together we can make this site the bestest Star Trek site ever.
Fine the way it is. Don’t remaster it.
Man, I would love to make some pithy joke about how you need to upgrade the deflector dish colors… but, really, the only thing to say is THANKS and keep up the good work! This site makes it fun to be a Trekkie again, and I was really afraid that starship had sailed.
I agree a website should evolve as more and more people start to visit the site regularly. One of the things that I like about trekmovie.com is that its simple and easy to navigate throughout. No reason to really change anything.
Take it from me who is a creative director/graphic designer. I’ve seen many sites that have been such a pain to navigate.
DREW
http://www.eyeonthedesign.com
trekreport.com is not registered by anyone, that is the best name to use, and it would be the most logical ‘rebranding’ – the site is currently ‘The Trek movie report’ and your simply taking emphasis off the ‘movie’ part because it aint limited to just the movie anymore.
Just a thought ;)
well I am actually concerned about how easy it is to get to information. I often see questions that are answered in the info sections (top of the page) a lot of people dont even notice them…and there is a lot of good info in there.
also one thing to bear in mind is the difference between a daily visitor and one less frequent. For example, this site is listed as the \’unoficial site\’ on the Yahoo Movies page for Star Trek XI (and I think in IMDB too). if you showed up here and saw a bunch of stuff about TOSR and some stuff on a comic book you may not realise the sheer volume of trek xi stuff.
and Drew…feel free to contact if you are willing to maybe help with some design….that simple banner at the top can be it forever
anyway…constructive critiques are welcome. This site is far from perfect!
Well I don’t know if startrekkie.com fits or not. That’s my domain. You’re free to use it if you like. I stopped actively maintaining it a while back.
Avoid visual clutter.Your current format is well laid out compared to the “honky tonk” fan sites.Avoid being a fan-boy site, occasional fans are put off by geeks,there’s plenty of sites available for nerdy trekkie types to squabble.Keep info current have a forward leaning vision.
RE: TrekReport.com
it is registered. That was the first idea for a name for this site before trekmovie.com, but the guy who owns it wont give it up even though he isnt using it…I tried. I do own thetrekreport.com
StarTrekkie.com
I will mull that over. My concern is that i want a name that implies a professional site about the franchise, and not something that might indicate it is more of a \’fan site\’…not that there is anything wrong with fan sites.
RE: clean design
I ammended the article. this site will never turn into one of those complicated dark hard to understand scifi sites…i hate that. but that doesnt mean it is perfect.
thetrekreport.com sounds pretty good to me. And I agree, I think you should definitely keep the site clean and functional as best as possible.
How about “StarTrekker”.com? :-)
How about TrekNewsToday.com?
Star trek news.net
Anthony, as others have said, I’m sure there are a few tweaks you can do, but everything is so unclutered and to-the-point already that I wouldn’t want much to change. I especially like:
1) the site’s up-front news on the front page — this has always worked well on TheDigitalBits.com, and I like that approach here too. I’ve never liked having to search through a site to find out what’s the latest news.
2) the way you can comment on a story’s talkback (like this one) without the need to register or login. It really encourages spontaneous response, although I do realize it needs some policing — we wouldn’t want it to get like the spiraling abuse-fest on AICN.
Anyway, good work.
How about StarTrekReport.com?
Fantastic work on the information on the site. Way to keep snarky opinion out and to differentiate between facts, rumors and truthiness.
thetrekreport.com is good; startrekreport.com is reserved but not active.
I also like the present clean design. Looks like a “real” site and not some attempt at whatever.
I wouldn’t mind a “registered user” ability to edit and search posts for all those nuggets buried here.
Anthony I just sent you an email about a possible name for the site.
I agree with most of the above comments.
Keep the design clean & simple.
More coverage of non STXI and TOSR stories?
Fine. I like the direction current coverage is going. I personally don’t want it to be too fanboyish
Adding forums?
See the fanboy answer above. There are Lots of forums…
I like the site as is but I’m not opposed to change, But it is the simplicity of getting the very latest info with one click. As long as the latest greatest news stays on the front page I’m happy.
I’m also open to expanding coverage on collectibles as I like to know when something knew is on the horizon. Podcasts are also welcome…for instance, I would love to hear someone interview the team who designed and brought the new Master Replics 1701 to life. It truly is magnificent.
As far as names go, Trek HQ.com is good. All I could think of was TrekPort.com (as in a ship’s port..the ultimate destination for Trek news…plus it’s easy to remember and sounds kind of snappy lol)
I see a lot of worry about our site becoming muddled, about how you like the clean look.
We like it too, so that we want to keep, no worries :-)
Honestly the changes beside the broadened content are more behind the scenes, such as migrating to proper forums and a new content managment system. You guys wouldn’t know it but WordPress sort of runs out of steam for larger sites with a variety of content. WordPress really is blogging software that grew to include more then that. What we are looking at is rebuilding the site in a proper content management system that has more then just blogging in mind. This is pretty much behind the scenes, but it could allow us to have special portals set up for people who come to trekmovie.com really only for specific kinds of news. As Anthony mentioned we would like to set things up so that people who are here for TOS Remastered news have a proper portal entry to the site and they can choose to only see news, articles, etc. that pertain to that. Likewise, our other major strength is Trek XI news, so we want to have a portal for that, and so on.
I used to use Joomla for my website, and have seen a handful of other sites use the CMS, and personally I would advise not to migrate to it. For one, the RSS system has issues (even on Joomla’s homepage those issues are evident). Although in the 1.5 beta the single template system has been expanded to include overrides, the system is still beta… and personally I can barely understand the template system… not to mention the defaults are still table-based. Plugins (extensions, modules…etc) can make the whole thing bloated and slower. It’s a promising piece of software that’s always getting better, but I would consider it a first-timer for newbies.
Sticking with WordPress has a great number of benefits and is perfect for what you guys do. In general there is a plugin for just about anything you wish to do. Adjusting the organization of the site, as well as template design, specifically modifications to the other templates (categories, archives, single posts…etc) changes might provide better organization.
Personally I am a huge Expression Engine fan even though I only use the free version. It provides overwhelming flexibility with template designs, custom fields and very efficient code design. The downsize is the forum, photo and several other modules are only in the $100 license.
I love the site, shocked it had only been around for 6 months, and would gladly offer more assistance with both Expression Engine and WordPress (and Joomla if you guys went there) I have worked with all three.
Good Luck!
Keep the name. Love it the way it is.
We’re open to sticking with WordPress of course, that means a lot less pain, since we don’t have to migrate stuff. Never used Expression Engine before, but I have used Joomla for two other sites. I guess the real question is can WordPress be extended to fit our expanded content and vision of portals? and possibly forum integration.
I hope the site doesn’t lose its focus, and trade quality for quantity. It would lose its distinctiveness by taking on too much. And like most others here, I appreciate the simplicity, too.
thank you all for your comments…and keep them coming, it is helpful
So what do folks think about TrekHQ.com?
thanks for the url suggestions. unfortunately many domains are taken, even if there is no site. a good way to see if a url is taken is check http://www.domaintools.com/bulk-check/
(you dont need to type .com, etc )
RE: simplicity
i am glad people like the simple design…but the front page of this site only shows the last weeks articles. For other stuff and static pages that info is somewhat hidden from view…making it less friendly to newbies. Plus few people check out the info pages on Trek XI and TOSR…lots of good stuff there but often new visitors dont notice them. lets say you came to this site and all you were interested in to start was who was cast in the movie…it should be easier to get to that info.
RE: forums
I do not want to compete with TrekBBS…whereI particpate. But here you guys can only chat about what we put up…seems a bit restrictive.
RE: quantity v quality
dont worry…I know why this site has grown to where it is
While I love the site and it\’s clean look, could you PLEASE use a darker or bolder font in the talkback area? After a long day it\’s a bit hard on the eyes!
I like it the way it is…
It’s the best there is.
TTM
I’m not sure portals are the way to go. They can cause a site to get complicated pretty quickly. I would keep the straight-up blog format, simplify the categories, and use those to segment the site. I don’t think you need separate categories for STXI Plot and STXI Status, for example. Just keep STXI. Other cats would be TOS, Books, Collectibles, Fan Films, etc. Then change your tabs at the top. News becomes All and then map the other major categories to their own tabs.
Each tab/category should have its own RSS feed for fans who are interested only in that category. Email newsletters are a bit 90’s, but you could automate them as a list of titles/blurbs for each post (either all or in a particular category) for those who don’t do RSS.
Forums have been done to death and I prefer the comments on posts format. It keeps people more focused. But if you are going to do them, have a look at televisionwithoutpity.com’s forums. No blinking, moving sig files and other annoying graphics. Keep it clean.
TrekHQ.com sounds fine to me. I don’t think it’s quite that important though.
PS- Thanks for not doing a black background.
Thanks for asking for our feedback. TrekHQ doesn’t do it for me, HQ sounds like a term from another franchise but not Star Trek. How about something to the point, like Treknews.com?
Anyway, great site. It is THE Star Trek site. Thank you.
Keep it the way it is. Straight forward without clutter or useless fluff. This has become my #1 site for staying up to date on Trek XI.
As for new names, even though you don’t really need one: (please forgive the tongue-in-cheek humor on some of these)
TrekInfo
ModernTrek
LightMinuteNews
Trek40+
ToReallyEvolveKindness
FacinatingTrek
BeamItUp
TheTrekker
GlobeTrekker
TrekJournal
TrekTimes
TrekHerald
EnterpriseNews
As for new features: How about a Wikapedia for all things Trek: TREKAPEDIA. All fans of Trek creating their own massive reference library that includes every comic book, book, video, DVD and fan movie ever written!!!!
Ok…sorry… little over the top there. :-)
Peace!
As many others do, I like the site the way it is. But I also understand that while it’s fine for those of us who visit and participate regularly, it might not be well organized for larger volume, particularly if you’re looking to grow.
I’m torn about forums. It would allow more discussion, and more freedom in discussion. Being able to thread topics would be an efficient way to organize information and discussion. But I also like the feel of the discussions that develop in these comments sections, in part because they’re not so compartmentalized — it feels more like a big, freewheeling conversation with large but not unwieldy group of people. More easygoing and friendly in tone, I guess (some specific moments excepted, of course).
TrekHQ is good. Short, memorable, to the point, and means exactly what it says.
See no reason to change. Far as I am concerned, STXI is what I’m here for. The rest is cool too but definitely secondary priorities.
Do what makes you happy–we will follow along.
One of the clever names for a Trek site is The Agony Booth. I like the play on words. Or Memory Alpha, the Wikipedia site, another name that plays with what it’s about and what the contents are.
So a thought for a name could be Trek Journal. Has a news feel and comes from Scotty’s Technical Journal.
I like the idea of sections for the Trek Remastered and Trek XI, etc. A forum is a good addtion, easier to post comments not related to the news story, but can become a big pain with muliple threads about the same topic. I frequent the Home Theater Forum. They have a great rule, you don’t post a topic when there’s already a thread on that topic. The movies section got out of hand when The Star Wars DVD’s were discussed and the moderators had to pull multible thread postings and converge them, so the rule came to being.
Anthony, I’m glad you are moving the site forward while keeping those things that work firmly in place. This has been my favorite Trek site since your first week up and a daily visit is a must part of my routine. I have laughed often when I look at the name and see how much more this site has become since it’s inception.
You are right…every single site name I can think of (short and simple) has been taken and you really need to stick with .com if possible. That said, TrekHQ is probably as good as it’s gonna get…and it’s a great name. Go for it. Congrats and I’ll put pointers on all of my sites to this one. I’ll even volunteer to pony up some sight banners if it will help. Let me know and keep up the good work!
I have to agree with #24.
I work in print media advertising and one thing I learned early on is good layout. Clean and easy to use is important, but readability is key. Contrast helps… especially with smaller type. Please consider changing all your story and comment body copy to black and maybe up it a point or two. It won’t be snazzy, but it will be easier on the eyes.
Additionally…you are correct to stay away from “reverse” type (white type on black background). It should only be reserved for short headlines and never, ever body copy. Very tough to read.
I have no concerns about a name change.. as long as it reflects the content of the site. I’ve not check availability… but is trekportal.com open? Shorter names are easier to use if memorable.
And lastly…for now, thank you for the site, I visit nearly daily, find out the news of the (Trek) universe and generally growl and smile at my fellow posters inane and brilliant comments.
Anthony, Matt and all… thanks.
X
I say don’t do a thing. The site is fine. It’s easy to use, very organized, and most important, the content scoops everyone, which is saying a lot.
I was thinking the design was probably getting stale…needs a more advanced one, though still clean.
I also think the trekmovie name needs an overhaul. Regardles of that, for those of us in the know, its the best site of its kind!
RAMA
The thing I like about this site is how easy it is to get information.
And I feel like a lot of people here are a similar type of fan as myself, ( not obsessed but love TOS and Enjoy TNG). I love the humor here too.
Nice Job Mr. Pascale
TrekHQ.com is fine! It’s important to be short and sweet in the Internet world. It encompasses all the areas you wish to add (books and such). Trekmovie.com was intended to cover the next movie – – so much more has happened since then. Plus, it’s true that when a Trek incident or question arises in the media – – we all run here to find out what’s going on. This is Headquarters. I’m all for the name change.
Anthony,
I’m glad to see you are considering the near future of the site. I can tell you, as a consultant for media and web development, that there are lots and lots of old trekkies excited about the upcoming TOS era film – which is good news for you. The old school trekkie group are pushing into their 50’s and 60’s, well educated, and in the upper income brackets which can translate to increased popularity for you and potential non-ad revenue in the way of a store.
However, keep in mind that some of these same trekkies may also become your competition. I’ve actually talked to a few trekkies who are looking to build a TOS era community site, though these folks are up here in the Bay Area and do not have the behind the scenes access you have down there, though they do want to provide forums, content and merchandise. But – it’s a big Trek universe and you have brand recognition, so I think you are in a good position.
What do you think about a name change….and TrekHQ.com?
Not bad. I have treklives.com – drop me a line if you want it.
What do you think about more coverage of non STXI and TOSR stories?
Keep it focused on the TOS era – TOS(R), Animated Series, STXI etc..
Do you want podcasts?
I’d like to see interviews with the TOSR staff etc. Some behind the scenes stuff would be great!
How do you feel about a weekly/monthly email newsletter?
OK – requires additional editorial resources and possibly a 3rd party email company that is whitelisted
What do you think of adding forums?
Essential for a community site, but requires more editorial resources (usually can be covered by volunteers)
Hopefully together we can make this site the bestest Star Trek site ever.
Let’s do it!!
trekmovie.com is just fine as the name for the website; movie refers to moving pictures, not necessarily feature length films.
Layout and design is user friendly and well put together as it is.
Yeah, no need for CGI upgrades here.
Ensign Jeff ( in ink-stained tunic)
I think you all should model the new site after http://www.nightly.net
keep the ideas coming
I do want to address what seangh said about a focus on TOS.
Right now TOS is hot with TOS-R and Trek XI. However that does not mean that this is a \’TOS site\’ and it certainly not a \’anti TNG\’ \’anti VOY\’ etc site. I am very happy to have TOS fans here. But this site welcomes all Trek fans. I am a Trek Omnivore…I like it all.
seangh as to your other points, thanks and tell your friends to contact me and maybe we can work together. Treklives is pretty good too, something to mull over
TrekHQ is fine. The only thing I really care about is keeping the site as streamlined and BS free as it is now. Or as close as possible. Over the last few months I’ve grown to check this site first when it comes to Trek stuff, *then* Trekweb and TrekBBS. So keep up the good….no….ass kicking work guys!
What I believe are the advantages of your site as it is today:
1. The simple design and ease of use. It is similar to designs used by other blogs (news, politics, sports) that receive much more traffic. It is a familiar and efficient interface. I believe that your site design is your strongest point.
Unfortunately, AP has a point about other Trek sites. They are usually the older style forums that are difficult to navigate, have a lot of clutter, require an onerous login/registration process, and have really slow load times.
2. Your second strongest point is your news flow. While I have seen many of the same stories posted here at a few other sites, this site seems to have the stories earlier and it never seems those other sites ever have anything your site doesn’t eventually have. That is an advantage that has kept me returning.
From a techincal point of view, your present amount of inclusion of multimedia is a good mix. If you want to change your name to something more generic, that wouldn’t be a problem with me and I believe it wouldn’t hurt your site traffic.
Now to my input about the content…
My first request I’m sure would be popular amongst commenters: I’d like to see interviews with people that have influence at CBS, Paramount, Abrams staff, or Abrams himself. Even if they can’t talk about the film, it would be interesting to hear their general perception of what Star Trek is today and should be in the future. I’m not really getting any impression of that from Star Trek.com. Coverage of novels/fiction would be welcome, especially since it seems the amount of it on the shelves has declined lately.
Regarding the general focus of the site:
I have to say that I have disliked the tone of some threads, many commenters, and the frequent lack of interest in anything Trek that happened between TOS and Trek XI. I have searched high and low for a site that has your site’s strongest points (1) & (2) along with a following that enjoys, covers, and discusses news about what’s happening with alumni from other versions of Star Trek as well the stories themselves. Unfortunately, the few sites that have that type of community do not have (1) and/or (2) — most notably and annoyingly Star Trek.com.
This is your site and I respect that. You asked what we’d like to see and I have now given you my opinion.
Anthony and Matt:
Here are three .com’s that are available and seem, at least, interesting.
trektimes.com
trekupdate.com
thebeamup.com
How about a more eclectic name?
http://www.toboldlygo.com
I don’t even know if it’s available, but i kinda like it.
Regardless of what moniker this site ultimately has, I’m sure it will continue to be the informative, professional site we’ve come to know and love…
Someone before said it best when they said: “This site makes it fun to be a Star Trek fan again!”
Awesome! I’d love to see sections on what’s going on in Star Trek Books, Comics, and other media! Hell, I’d love to be a contributor to those sections! Where do I sign up????
Seriously.
Anyway, aside from my pending possibility of being a contributor, I have to say this site rock the socks off trek. It’s so simplistic in it’s layout, and has a plethora of info, that I like it the way it is, but agree it needs a little something.
And if you change the name, make sure to tell us where you’ve all disappeared to!
Thanks Again and I look forward to hearing from you, TrekMovie.Com!
~Jay Hash
eclectic names are actually prefere
if you look at TheForce.net, muggle.net, theonering.com, none have the names of their respective franchi ses in them…i would prefer that. Memory Alpha and the Agony Booth are great examples. toboldlygo.com is owned by Paramount. TrekHQ.com is good and short, but subspace.com would be better (it is taken…as is subspace.net). So are all variations of federation, thefederation, thebridge, mindmeld, captainslog, neutralzone, starfleet, starbase, sarship, finalfrontier, communicator, primedirective, and many many others.
anyway keep the ideas coming.
http://www.startreknews.com
http://www.treknews.com
http://www.startrekupdate.com
http://www.trekreport.com (drudgereport.com style)
http://www.finalfrontiernews.com
http://www.finalfrontier.com
http://www.briefingroom.com
http://www.10forward.com
http://www.tenforward.com
AP, BIG DAWG:
dude I don’t know much about the Technorati™
Your site ASS IS™, is terra firma.
The beauty of it is the simplicity of it. WHY perfect perfection when perfection is understood and need not be discussed?
Make it load a bit faster, but if not, who cares?
You don’t effing care what I say analway so whatever. It’s hard to love you, when you hate me.
best!!
=h=
beammeup.com is available