EveMyles.net 2.5

It has been almost a year since we changed the site design from a standard HTML site to one based on database-driven pages and content. There were several reasons for the change, of which include easier navigation, easier maintenance and better search engine optimization. When doing a search for “Eve Myles,” we are now at the #1 position of Google and Yahoo search engines, and we rank at the #2 position on Bing, but sometimes show up in the #1 spot.

Over the past, few months there have been some changes to the look and content of the site. Some were subtle changes while others were much more noticeable.

Here are just a few things that have improved, are still in the works, or have changes forthcoming.

Video Showcase

The Video Showcase page is still in beta, but it is close to being complete. The focus has shifted to cater to casting directors, studio executives, filmmakers, etc, that can watch video clips of some of Eve’s performances. Video is taken from the highest quality sources (where possible) with no copyright infringement intended. There will be at least 25-50 video clips from a variety of Eve’s work shown here.

Video Showcase

While I may not have any expertise in the TV and film industry, this page should reflect some of the better performances by Eve Myles.

Photo Gallery

The photo gallery has gone through a few changes. The recent integration of the gallery and the website has made it a bit better to navigate in and out of. In addition, a mod pack was installed for better visuals on the thumbnails.

A plan to bridge the gallery to the forum is coming, so, if you are a member of the forum you will be able upload images after logging in. The point here is there will be no need to have a different user name and password because you will never have to log in to the gallery itself. In addition, there is a software upgrade coming down the pike, but I am waiting for the bugs to be worked out before taking on the task.

Forums

There is not much to mention here from a technical sense other than the integration of the forum with the website, which added better navigation and visual appeal. I have messed around with different styles, but the current one is the best one I could find that was simple, clean and works well with the integration. Recently installed was a “Thanks” mod in order to give gratitude to other members that have been helpful. Forum members can keep track of their thanks given and thanks received by looking at their profile or by clicking on the “Gratitude’s” link in the top navigation bar (you must be logged in to view it). See this post for more information on this mod.

One thing that would be nice to see is more people joining the forum because the membership is still on the low side. If there is anything to be disappointed about with the site over the past year, it is the low forum membership. A number of factors could be the cause of this, but if I had to guess it would be that Facebook and Twitter have become the preferred outlets to chat with other fans. It is no surprise given their popularity.

I hope that the forum memberships will pick up once we see Eve in something new again. If you haven’t joined the forum, you can register for free here.

Social networking

Adding Twitter and Facebook has really helped drive more traffic to the site and we’re seeing an increasing amount of followers since connecting. Thanks a lot to Gage Hanson and forum member GwenCooperWilliams for their generosity.

Articles

Over the next year, there is a plan to start a series of ‘Torchwood’ articles. These are going to be short articles that will focus on Eve’s role as Gwen Cooper. These articles will include video clips and will feature a brief summary. The idea behind this is to get a look at how far Eve has come since the first episode of Torchwood aired. Her earlier work appears overshadowed by her work on Torchwood, so it only seems fitting to focus on her biggest role to date.

For those that have been waiting for Part 2 of the ‘Belonging’ article, it should be out in the next month or two.

Website contributors

There is always an opening here if you want to post articles or news. You can also re-post news (copy and paste) from other sites as long as a source is given. News posts can be on anything that relates to Eve Myles in some way. If you are from Wales or visited there, it would be great to see some articles about your experiences.

Drop me a line if you are interested.

Contact information

A contact form has been added to the Contact page for your convenience. Use it only for website requests, information, etc. All requests for Eve Myles should be sent to her talent agency.

We’ve come a long way, baby

EveMyles.net launched in December of 2007. The original site design was from another site I did back in 2004. It had a very dark and film noir look to it and was somewhat ugly. Nevertheless, a few graphic changes were made to it and the rest is history (along with the design).

I don’t have a screencap of the original site design, but here’s a heavily modified version of it that dates back to April of 2009.

EveMyles.net (2009)

Toward the end, it was proving to be too much of a hassle to update the main page and archive the older news posts because it was a manual process. It had evolved into a nice looking design, but times have changed and moving to a CMS has made it much easier to work on.

The future

What does the future hold for this website? Well, I have been looking at some new themes, but have no plans to make a change to the look of it right now. Some may find it odd that I went with a Wales look rather than using one of those cookie cutter “movie star” designs. Well, for one, I did not want the site to look generic and cluttered. Secondly, Eve loves her country of origin and is very proud of her Welsh heritage. I wanted to reflect that in the overall design to make it more personal. Admittedly, it could look a little better and maybe a bit more professional, but then it would lose its charm because it would give off more of a bland, corporate look.

I am hoping to get in contact with Eve to do an interview for the site. Impossible? Probably. Nevertheless, it would be great to get the chance to talk to her. I would simply ask for 5-10 minutes of her time, more if she agreed to it. How does one go about setting up an interview? Do you contact her talent agency? I know these places tend to frown on these types of requests from fans, but there might be a slight chance of getting an interview. Heck, if a person from Daily Lounge can do it then it can be done.

Finally, have I thought about quitting? Sure, but eventually I will get out of one of my rotten moods and then get the urge to get back to work, be creative, etc. I really like this stuff, but there are days when you just need to break away from it. If I ever decide to leave then I will probably ask someone else to take it over in order to keep the support for Eve going. However, with the popularity of Facebook and Twitter, there may be no need to.