Hey guys. I just wanted to drop by and mention some new things going on across Wikia. Wikia is currently updating the way Main Pages look and how the pagetitle appears. For Main Pages, we are aiming more towards using images to direct users to categories. For example, see the Main Pages of Last Remnant Wiki and Pokemon Wiki, and note how images are used that take visitors to categories. Also, we are trying to reduce the links on Main Pages as according to Google, Main Pages with less than 100 links perform really good in search results.
Another thing is the pagetitle. Both MediaWiki:Pagetitle-view-mainpage and MediaWiki:Pagetitle should be updated so that they contain "Article - Wiki Name - 3 key words". For example, the Pokemon Wiki's pagetitle is "Article - The Pokemon Wiki - Pokemon, characters, games, and more". The RuneScape Wiki's could be "Article - The RuneScape Wiki - RuneScape characters, quests, skills, and more". The current pagetitle is not really helping search engine optimization due to the lack of keywords.
So that's basically it. I know the Main Page would be lots of work, so it is up to you, the community, if you want to go through with changing it, though it will probably help drive more traffic to the wiki. You can learn more at The Magic Bullet and by reading Advice:Raising your wiki's Google ranking.--Richardtalk 16:34, 8 May 2009 (UTC)
Discuss
Comment - I think we have enough traffic already (^.^). Doing quick Google searches of "Runescape" and "Runescape fansite," the wiki appeared on the first page both times. I do suppose we could bump the wiki up a bit, and it won't hurt to have even more visitors here. Tien 17:04, 8 May 2009 (UTC)
Comment - I agree with Tienjt0. 
Lvl 3 skils3 
Talk~ Holiday Signup ~Hiscores 18:31, 8 May 2009 (UTC)
Pending - Want to see what others think...
18:41, 8 May 2009 (UTC)
Comment - A possible move would be to streamline the right-hand side's list of popular articles and ensure they are all necessarily on their. It's quite a long list. That said, I'm not sure we're short on visitors :). --King Runite1 19:38, 8 May 2009 (UTC)
Comment As stated in this, the wikia shows up multiple times on the first page. Keywords sound like an excellent idea, butting us above other fansites perhaps. Template:Chaos Monk 20:41, 8 May 2009 (UTC)
Comment - Well, im a bit confused. What would it look like? Maybe a background as seen on Narutopedia (sorry bout no link). And logo...I will put up an idea....There already is a thread about that but nothing changed and what richard is saying is that it needs to updated with the wordage. 
I'm now Armadyl Bunny
01:23, 9 May 2009 (UTC) it changed recently but it was all orange (except for page) and had leaf logo all over repeated. Maybe put up an in-game screebshot that might look good in the background? I'm now Armadyl Bunny 01:27, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
Comment - When I searched "RuneScape" in Google, I find that this Wiki is near the bottom of the page, on Live, we are nonexistent, and on Ask, we are on the Second page after some less reputable sites... (gold sellers -.-) So I do think we need to improve our front page and make it less complicated for new users/players, although there may be other reasons to us being in such places, sadly on all those sites, it tries to autofill the search bar with moronic ideas with how RuneScape actually works... Template:Signatures/Bluesonic43 02:01, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
Comment - For keybowrds, I suggest we use "Items, Quests and guides". 
Doucher4000******r4000
03:41, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
Comment
Google - Runescape - 8th (behind 5 RWT sites, Main Page)
Google - Runescape Fansite - 5th (MP)
Google - Runescape Help - 14th (MP)
Google - Runescape Guides - 90th (Money making guide)
Google - Runescape Forums - 24th (forums)
Yahoo - Runescape - 8th (MP)
Yahoo - Runescape Fansite - 7th (MP)
Yahoo - Runescape Help - 5th (MP)
Yahoo - Runescape Guides - 8th (Guides)
Yahoo - Runescape Forums - 24th (forums)
Live - Runescape - 76th (MP)
Live - Runescape Fansite - 5th (MP)
Live - Runescape Help - 22nd (Help:Editing)
Live - Runescape Guides - 46th (Guides)
Live - Runescape Forums - 7th (forums)
To be completed 
4ndrepd TalkContribs
Jump to the God Wars II! 17:30, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
Completed. Huanghe63talk 03:04, 10 May 2009 (UTC)
- Try Alltheweb too 19:32, 9 May 2009 (UTC)~
Support - Change is good. I'd like to see some examples if someone can put them together, but we can handle becoming more modern.
19:32, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
Support - We do need to do some search engine optimization, but I hate to lose our motto "The RuneScape fansite that anyone can edit!" may be we can somehow save it or include part of it. - TehKittyCat (talk) 19:58, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
Support - I'll work on a new logo i guess. I agree with cat so i'll include that. it'll be up shortly I'm now Armadyl Bunny 20:14, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
- Comment - We already had quite a lengthy discussion, and decided to keep out old logo. So, it stays.
Doucher4000******r4000 22:05, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
Support Per everyone, and its just common sense if you ask me lol 
Hess36talk 
04:17, 10 May 2009 (UTC)
Slight support - We can try it, and if it works out then great. What I am supporting is having a new mainpage proposed and then we have a discussion on it. The appearance and functionality of the main page is more important than how many hits it brings up on google IMO. †
Blade
#† 15:28, 10 May 2009 (UTC)
Support The first impressions are essential. One important thing is to move up the list of popular pages, and get it more synthetized. 4ndrepd TalkContribsJump to the God Wars II! 16:42, 10 May 2009 (UTC)
Comment - I did see that, D4K, but it states above that we need a new logo. I am trying to make a new logo and it will be up shortly. I'm now Armadyl Bunny 17:10, 10 May 2009 (UTC) (woah that sucks about the places were in!)
- Please quote where it states above that we need a new logo. The only thing being requested of us is to change the mainpage and a few search terms.-- 00:33, 11 May 2009 (UTC)
Here - Here is a logo i put together. I can easily change fonts, colour, etc if wanted if people like it. It's on imageshack for now. Search rswlogo if you want it from the site. http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/9530/proposedlogolightershad.gif i can take away the shadow and resize it if wanted. I'm now Armadyl Bunny Oh sorry i misread the thing above. Sorry I'm now Armadyl Bunny 01:51, 11 May 2009 (UTC)
Comment - Well, for main page appearance we need to change some wordage but what about a background? What if we have an in game screen shot of one player dressed with bronze med, wooden shield and bronze long saying "For new players" and another player standing next to him/her dressed in full void/dragon/barrows or something like that saying "Or for more advanced players"? It may get overwhelming but it may make it look great. It could be like xxphatmagexx's youtube channel background... I'm now Armadyl Bunny 03:04, 11 May 2009 (UTC)
Support -0 The pics would make it less cluttered, and people might click on them rather than going to tip.it.Joe Click Here for Awesomeness18:02, 11 May 2009 (UTC)
How about making the MainPage a bit more Simple. Like taking away one of those List that says the "quests, Items, ect" Because there are two of them. --PCWiener 06:22, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
Comment - I'm putting an example together. Might be ready this weekend. 
Anurin Talk · Sign! . 08:39, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
Don't support - I heard these things use like new flash and stuff. My computer can't cope with that and i'm sure there are at least 10 other users won't be able to use it eitherWhovian39 06:17, 1 June 2009 (UTC)
New pagetitle
I've gone ahead and updated the pagetitle at MediaWiki:Pagetitle and MediaWiki:Pagetitle-view-mainpage so that it includes 3 keywords (skills, quests, guides). I'll work on a draft of a new Main Page soon to give an idea of what can be done to it.--Richardtalk 20:52, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
- What do you mean with working on a draft of a new main page? I posted in the commment above that i'm working on an example, isn't that the same? Anurin Talk · Sign! . 23:03, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
New Mainpage design
I've been reading through the comments on this forum and had to agree that something had to attract more people on the mainpage. Also the lay-out could use some work. I got quite some experience with other popular websites and decided to work on a new lay-out for the RS Wiki mainpage. The finished result can be visited here.
Notes for when there is a consensus to change the mainpage to this design:
- Flag images are able to show the language name when hovered with mouse, only once images are on wiki itself. (Can't show it now because images are hosted on imageshack).
- When this design goes up, I'll edit the mainpage, templates and css (due to all new coding).
- Will be adding up to 5 different buttons/images for Skills, Minigames, Bestiary, Armour and Weapons (they'll change randomly).
So, comment below, tell us what you think, and perhaps this will be the new look of the Mainpage! Anurin Talk · Sign! . 19:40, 30 May 2009 (UTC)
Discussion on new design
Support - Looking great! Except the image for Bestiary. I don't recognize the mainmonster2. Perhaps a more common monster, like the goblin? 
Hapi007 Talk! Sign! . 09:16, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
- \ That's the Angry goblin lol, I could add a normal goblin instead. We'll see, Anurin Talk · Sign! . 09:55, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
- \ That's the Angry goblin lol, I could add a normal goblin instead. We'll see,
Support - I support elfanurin's main page. It looks real nice and added a few new stuff to the front page, which can save us the time of finding/typing in the database. 
Powers38 おはようヾ(´･ω･｀) 09:28, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
Overlap of images in the Main Page.
Oppose for now - The current Main Page layout may not be suitable for browsers with resolution of 1280x1080 (or lower). Even if the majority of users are using large resolution browsers, the number of users using resolution of 1280x1080 (and lower) is significant (532/1538 = 34.6%) based on the recent polls on the Main Page. az talk 14:50, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
- \
Is that monobook skin? Anurin Talk · Sign! . 14:56, 31 May 2009 (UTC) - \ That's with monobook skin (unknown % of users) on a resolution of 1024 x 768 (20% of users). I'll see what I can do. Anurin Talk · Sign! . 15:01, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
- \ I've solved the problem! It took me some hours but I finally managed to. :D Anurin Talk · Sign! . 21:12, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
- \
No more overlapping with Monobook skin, and a resolution of 1024 x 768 or smaller.
Support - It looks amazing, very nice job. 
Texan H B K 15:41, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
Comment - I like it. Perhaps Az, you could help ElfAnurin with the resolution problems so this could work for us. That would be cool.
22:24, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
Weak support - But I will strongly support if the issue that Az arose is fixed. Otherwise, it's a nice layout, I like. 
The1AndOnlyMikeFile:Tribal top (teal).gif 22:25, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
.gif){kind=link}
Problem solved.. Please read the comments that I gave on Az' comment, as I already said that I solved the issue. :) Anurin Talk · Sign! . 22:32, 31 May 2009 (UTC)