We're back online!

We had a problem with our host - mostly due to a communication hitch. They're revamping their site and I think it caused some problems. They were very nice and helpful, so I'm not going to complain.

Now... I have a question for you all. We've bought an Adobe package (Captain Lime is intending to study web design and go on to get a career in web design; she needs it!) so we're able to revamp on a grand scale. She plans to make the quarters interactive (using Flash) at some point, for example. The question is, should we keep the site name that we've had for almost ten years (Captain Scarlet Spectrum) or change it? I'm designing the site in Dreamweaver and Fireworks, so anything (pretty much) is possible now.


EDIT:
By the way, if we do change the name, the URL will stay the same. I don't want to mess everyone about once they've bookmarked the site.

All that will change is the logo and the name at the top of the web pages. I also want to create our own embedded forum if possible, so long as I can download and save the data on this one (posts, accounts, etc.).


SECOND EDIT:
Gosh! So much to explain that I keep having to press the "edit" button the moment I think I have everything explained!

OK, I'll explain the idea about Spectrum Headquarters, Bristol. I actually live in the West Country (England) and Bristol is the largest city in that region. That isn't why we chose Bristol though; it's just the reason that it entered my head before any other city and why I think Spectrum would have an HQ in Bristol. My reason for going with it is that there are a lot of places with the same name outside of the UK, so we could have a location similar to Springfield from the Simpsons - a place made up of many places with the same name. That way, the site isn't based in the UK - IT'S GLOBAL!

The idea is that the picture on the homepage is of the office building and surrounding area, made up of buildings and landmarks taken from as many different Bristols as possible.

What are your thoughts on this one?

OK, let me show you what I had in mind. I went on and knocked together a version of "Bristol" to show you all.



I am considering having a page somewhere with some information on what the buildings actually are and which Bristol they're from, as that would be quite interesting. I might well make some of the items in that picture clickable - the building on the far left says "Knight" on it (you'd be able to see that had the forum not automatically scaled it upon insertion, but never mind) because it was my intention to make this the SK. The SPC(s) could direct you to "Cloudbase" while the Cheetah could take you to Skybase. Perhaps Spectrum Bristol could take you to the character profiles, craft information and the like.

Having said all this, I have not made my mind up that this is what the site will end up being like. This is just my way of making the site more interactive and engaging because I felt rather limited when I was working with HTML alone. By revamping the site in some way I'll learn new skills and (hopefully) create a site that is much more original. It's still possible to achieve that without changing the name; which is why I've asked for everyone's opinion.

I'm sorry about the long post, but I really want to make my ideas, reasoning and thoughts clear. Please feel free to tell me what you think.

OK, I am going with the "Bristolian Springfield" idea in a way, at least. My character is going to be based at Spectrum HQ Bristol for a time and as a result I'm creating a rough map so that I know where things are. I have decided to give Bristol a castle (Bristol UK's Castle was destroyed long ago; Bristolians don't seem to value their history very much), by the river (so far unnamed - suggestions welcome).

Please reply to this thread with suggests regarding what it could/would have - particularly if it wasn't a British city. I don't want it to be overly British, that's the whole point.

So far, Bristol has...

1. The Scarlet Knight
   
2. The Mayor's residence
   
3. Spectrum HQ
   
4. Ferry and rail links
   
5. A river
   
6. A mall
   
7. A cathedral
   
8. A castle

Suggestions are more than welcome!

Rather than the Mayor's Residence, perhaps it might be better to have a City (Town?) Hall with a Mayor's Office instead. That way if there is any need to contact any of the city services (e.g. the fire department) it could be done there, unless you just want the mayor to do everything (like the police commissioner in Batman).

Also, some of the older fanfics on the "other" site mentioned a church near London with a vicar who was a friend of Colonel White's. I had suggested maybe this could be Spectrum's unofficial "parish church," a possible off-base site for weddings, funerals, christenings etc. I also suggested it could be dedicated to St. Michael, the patron saint of elite soldiers, mariners and policemen, or St. George, the patron saint of soldiers, and be available for all types of non-denominational services. As these suggestions have probably been long forgotten, I now offer them up for consideration here.

Thank you! Both suggestions are very helpful.

In response to what you said about the Mayor's residence, thanks very much - I wasn't quite sure what to call it or what it would be for; I just thought it a good idea as that's something that British cities have in common with American ones (and cities from other countries as well). I may have decided that it's in Britain, but I don't want it to be entirely British, if you know what I mean. On saying that, Britain has been invaded, inspired and influenced by a great many cultures, races and countries, so perhaps it's not "entirely" British in the first place...

I also like your idea about the church. I couldn't imagine one of the ground-based branches having its own private chapel on-site, so this is also a good suggestion.

Captain Lime has also said she'd like to go with St George, Paul; so I think we'll be going with that.


Captain Lime and I have started to put together a new home page. It still needs a lot of work (most of the links are dead) but here's what we have so far - http://www.captainscarletspectrum.com/index.html (That's right; the changes have been made)

EDIT: Apologies to those who find the green a bit much, but there's a reason for our choice. As time goes on it will make sense - I promise.