Let me begin by saying I love popchix and hope she stays here for a long, long time. Kudos to the admin for maintaining such a great site! But I would also like to submit suggestion for improvement - please don't take it as me hatin' on the site. I am honestly trying to give helpful feedback.
I feel popchix would benefit some forum reorganization and the addition of a newsfeed view of the forums.
REORGANIZATION: Right now, when I log into popchix I see the following list of forums:
New to popchix
general community chatter
games
music
movies & tv
books & comics
fashion & beauty
lifestyle
visitor stats
I understand that these areas are collapsible (ie, I can hide and show what I want). But first time in, they look like a huge wall o' text. I can see why new users might not want to stick around because it's a bit overwhelming, in comparison to two forum options in the gamerchix treehouse.
I suggest regrouping some of these forums into 3 major groups: Games, Other Entertainment, Lifestyle & Girltalk. I say Games should be the priority because most people here are gamers and that's what they predominately want to talk about.
Games
Other Entertainment
- music
- movies and tv
- books & comics
Lifestyle & Girltalk
-General community
-Life style
-fashion & beauty
You could reorg this any way you want, but I would suggest keeping it simple (4 or 5 main areas as max, with drill down for the other forum topics).
NEWSFEED - This would be separate from the current Popchix forum list. It would be almost a dashboard view for the user. With the new defined groupings, have a list of the last 5 - 10 threads that were updated so people can see what's currently active. Right now, the current view lists the last thread updated - and some of those have been inactive for quite a while. I only suggest this to encourage more active discussion and less lurking.
Again, just some suggestions. Definitely not handing out the haterade or anything...
sounds like some good suggestions... i also think admin should be around more. i've seen things on here that haven't been updated in a while. I know we all have lives outside of gaming, but maybe adding a few more admin or moderators would be a good suggestion.
I personally like how it's organized right now, but that is because in my opinion it's very clean and very, well... Organized. When I have run my own forums in the past, I have had them broken down very similar to how PopChiX is right now.
I am happy though, that we're all talking about how much we love PopChiX and how to make it better, because it's a site where we all should feel happy and comfortable. ^_^
View New Posts · View Today's Active Topics · View Pending Posts
Duh - probably start using those more. Thanks, admin!
They've been there ever since I can remember... If I'm not mistaken, from the beginning... View New Posts is what I use the most... I guess not many notice it... >_<
View New Posts · View Today's Active Topics · View Pending Posts
Duh - probably start using those more. Thanks, admin!
They've been there ever since I can remember... If I'm not mistaken, from the beginning... View New Posts is what I use the most... I guess not many notice it... >_<
Yeah, that link doesn't jump out at ya at all. The link colors for those website functions ("View New Posts · View Today's Active Topics · View Pending Posts · Mark All Posts as Read ") match the link colors for the thread links which is why I (and probably alot of others) overlooked it (most people using forums don't read everything presented before them. They just glance over everything to find what they're looking for.). Seems like a toss up - have them match the current look and feel (which is what's going on) or risk going ugly to have them pop out more. I probably would have gone the same route.
I wanted to reiterate - I am not posting any of my feedback to attack popchix. I build web applications for a living - and I always appreciate any feedback my users give me for improving usability for the site because let's face it - if the site isn't usable for them, people will move on to a different website. Also, it really gets me down when I go over to the treehouse and other chix won't even give popchix a chance.
"I've signed up, but I haven't posted yet. I guess for me, xbox.com has become a happy place for me. I don't post in many forums and I like the layout and lack of clutter of xbox.com. Other sites always feel like an eyesore because people are always trying to out do eachother with more creative avatars and signatures (which I don't see happening and I'm not sure if the site even allows that Wink [;)]).
I kind of feel like popchix is a new treehouse which will cause people to leave here. That makes me kind of sad. I also have a feeling of cheating on xbox.com for some reason. Stick out tongue [:P] It is new, and with most new things, I'm fighting change. I just know that every site (other than xbox.com) that I've joined, I start strong and then I end up back here."
"It's nothing against the site itself - it's that I also have a history of signing up on other sites and not sticking around. I love the xbox.com forums and I always end up back here."
"TBH, I have no desire to even visit this new website. I have a couple particular reasons. But one big one is that I just don't care. I belong to three different gaming forums and countless other social sites, gaming sites and etc. All of the sites that I visit suit my needs. I don't feel like anything is lacking, so why go to a new one? I don't have time to get some what invested into a new forum. Plus, the name of the site is kind of meh."
"I actually like this (xbox.com) forum because it isn't cluttered up with a bunch of different sections. It's simple. Gametalk in one section and everything else in Girltalk. Also, I don't have the time to spend on another forum."
"i dont want to have to go to 2 forums to post something"
"its way to big"
"As much as I love the new site, I probably won't spend much time there. I have always loved Xbox's forum layout and I can't stand forums looking like the one on popchix (no offense). I'll probably drop in to read the articles, so far they have all been very interesting."
"i think i'll stick around here, i come to the xbox forums to read xbox related items and then talk to the girls while i am not on the games part of the forum. "
"I worry that the idea of two forums might break some of the bonding that I've grown to love here. I read more than post for the most part but the people who I've met through Gamerchix are dear to me. I'm not saying I'm nixing the Popchix site, just that you'll see me on XBL more than anything. "
I think part of the problem is that there are Gamerchix who don't know about popchix. But you also have those who do know about it, but won't hang out here because they don't like change. When I find game news/deals/etc, I exclusively post on popchix now. Sometimes, I will post it over at the gamerchix treehouse but I won't post the actual content. I'll post a link to the same name thread over on the popchix site.
I don't have access to the treehouse so i don't know what goes on in there... but i think popchix is a pretty cool site! I come to this site everyday and i find it awesome that i can talk about anything and everything with awesome girls!
I do feel like some Gamerchix look down on us... sometimes when i see girls asking for help or friends in the xbox forums i reply and tell them about popchix... and i have gotten many nasty replies from other gamer girls saying that popchix sucks because all we do is talk about make-up! WTF!!!! I have seen "Popchix are wannabes" "Popchix girls don't know about headshots" and a lot more nasty sh**!
Also i agree with X1up about the colors of the links (View New Posts, etc.)... when i started on this site i used to go one by one section looking for new posts, cuz i never noticed the links at the top! I have been using them for some time now and it's so much easier!!!! Maybe the color used for those links don't have to be one that doesn't match with the site... for example they can use orange or a darker purple.
I do feel like some Gamerchix look down on us... sometimes when i see girls asking for help or friends in the xbox forums i reply and tell them about popchix... and i have gotten many nasty replies from other gamer girls saying that popchix sucks because all we do is talk about make-up! WTF!!!! I have seen "Popchix are wannabes" "Popchix girls don't know about headshots" and a lot more nasty sh**!
First time I've heard of anything like this happening. XgX shouldn't be acting like that. We have a manifesta for a reason. I think they can have their XgX status removed for stuff like this.
Yes it surprised me too! I never replied back thou... and now when i see girls posting for help/friends i send them a PM so i don't have to deal with stupid comments...
WOW, how do I miss this stuff?! Seriously, sometimes I feel like I'm living in a bubble or something, lol! Those reasons seem sort of lame to me, but whatever...to each his own I guess. I don't understand the need to be rude though, or say something like popchix is beneath them? That doesn't even make any sense to me. And to be honest the XGX forums have been super dead lately, very little posting...I stopped hanging around because either there was a fight going on, or NOTHING going on! I don't see anything wrong with visiting both sites. I still pop in there every so often.
I think it's nice that since they aren't able to add anymore gamerchix with Trixie moving on to other things, the admins here were nice enough to create Popchix. It still all feels the same to me.
Edit - Forgot to add I have been attacked for having XGX in my bio though by other girls/women who aren't part of XGX or Popchix. Really kind of surprised me.
Wow I can't believe the GamerChiX Treehouse is like that, really disappointed they can't behave with respect. I guess maybe since Trixi isn't there adding new members they can't be removed either so now they're functioning unchecked? Still gave me a laugh the comment about makeup and not knowing what a headshot is.
View New Posts · View Today's Active Topics · View Pending Posts
Duh - probably start using those more. Thanks, admin!
They've been there ever since I can remember... If I'm not mistaken, from the beginning... View New Posts is what I use the most... I guess not many notice it... >_<
No, XGX Treehouse is NOT going unchecked... We have moderators on there (which is a big responsibility and part of the reason why some don't want to or can't do forum jumping)... Most XGX members have already "migrated" here... As I am one of them... But I still check in on there too, when I get the chance... Being that no new ChiX can be added to the XGX forums, we have been pointing them to PopChiX... Since this IS the conjuction site and run by the same founders... Most of the XGX have been already attached to the forums since that's where they've been comfortable at and met awesome people from the start... Some people just don't like and/or want change... They are entitled to their opinions and have their own reasons... We need to respect that...
I will send everyone a cookie if we can agree not to get into a heated conversation here (no cookie for you IceTkitty - I know you'd just crumble it on your vanquished enemies right before you teabag them LMAO)
I just wanted to say a few things:
1) Kudos to everyone for telling others about popchix. Popchix registered membership currently stands at 666 members. There are around 10,077 gamerchix out there (according to the master list). That's just the xbox fan girls - this community has potential for even greater growth once the ps3 & wii fan boys/girls start migrating here. The more we spread the word, the more our community will grow.
2) I would like to apologize to Fifi on behalf of the XgX that were rude to her in the general xbox forums. Their behavior is inexcusable, and definitely not representative of what XgX is about. If you were XgX and this happened in the treehouse forums, the mods would have caught it (it's heavily moderated like kitty said). I don't think they have much control over what happens in the general forums though.
3) I posted XgX feedback here with the best intentions (not to attack anyone). I was trying to submit constructive criticism to include some of their concerns, plus some things I like from other gaming websites I enjoy. I would like to note that tons of positive feedback for popchix has been posted as well.
What? Aww... *sniffle* But, they were shooting at me and downed you... I was just trying to revive you... - referring to Hunter mode on SC: Conviction... You know what, I'm taking that cookie... *snatch*... Ohm nom nom... LOL!
(no cookie for you IceTkitty - I know you'd just crumble it on your vanquished enemies right before you teabag them LMAO)
