The Current Status of Hieroglyphics Online
Judging from the amount of questionnaires I received from you all, there are a couple things you would like changed about Hieroglyphics Online. The following is a small run-down of your thoughts on HierOnline, and what we have planned for you all. But first, some background info. on those who filled out the online questionnaire.
Age?:
The majority of people who sent in their online forms were between the ages of 17-22. This would make complete sense due to the fact that most viewers of Hiero Online are using their college's computers.
Favorite Section?:
By far, your favorite part of Hiero Online was the Hiero News Section. hIeRo hOOplA came in at a close second, with Hiero Soundz and Hiero Updates (Something I never even considered a valuable part of Hiero Online) gaining a good helping of votes as well.
Updated Enough?:
I'm glad to hear the majority of you felt the board is updated enough.
I try to work on it as much as I can, but I'm doing my own thing, while Hiero is doing their's, so it's hard to come to a meeting point and get shit done.
Do you ever use our Search Feature?:
Surprisingly, almost NONE of you have ever used our search feature. Needless to say, we'll still keep it in, as it remains a good tool for novice users of Hiero Online, as well as a means to keep my mail light on questions such as "Ever hear of the Hiero/Hobo Battle??" :)
What Do You Think of Our Grafix?:
The majority of those who sent in their form felt the grafix were "Phat as Shit", yet there was still a good amount of people who said "The grafix are phat, but take too long to load."
I am using a 14.4 modem to connect to the Internet. When I judge whether or not the page's grafix load too slow or not, it is through this modem. By 14.4 modem standards, Hiero Online loads very quickly (5-10 seconds), especially compared to other web pages out there. You have to remember, the Web is based around grafix. As time goes on, these grafix and other features of the web will become more and more intricate (we are seeing this already, i.e. Java, Quicktime, etc.) thus taking longer to download.
I was in SHOCK when I found out the majority of users that visit Hiero Online only have a 2400 modem! 14.4 is currently the "standard", with 28.8 gaining fast. I'd advise any die hard web surfer to spend the extra $100-120 and grab a 28.8 modem; it makes life a helluva lot easier! If you're not in charge of your school's modem, BUG THA HELL OUTTA THEM to upgrade!!
Operating System:
I was very surprised to find that many of you have Windows 95 as your operating system, with the MAC in 2nd place. My bewilderment to this fact is in that no one ever wants to set up a chat in our live talk room (Currently, only Windows 95 users can access it). When we held a chat, there were only a hand full of heads there to participate.
How we are making Hiero Online better:
Probably the one thing I am most exited about is the announcement of "hieroglyphics.com"! No longer will you have to type in: www.webcom.com/stinke. . .We will be easily accessible via: www.hieroglyphics.com! Not only will this be easier for novice users of the Internet, but it becomes a lot easier to remember, as well as advertise the site with. Hieroglyphics.com will become active shortly, so be on tha lookout (You will still be able to access the page via Webcom, so don't worry).
Many of you who sent in the questionnaire wanted Hiero to become more active in the web page. This is very understandable, but please take the following into consideration: Hiero is the busiest hip-hop group around! I don't care what ANYONE says otherwise. Having to work with these kids is pure testament to this fact! Everyone is so involved with so many projects (Del's 3rd album, Hiero family album, Pep & Jay album, etc.) it is VERY hard to grab even some of them over to the computer! Rest assured, we are working on it, and are currently planning on having an IRC chat session (Live).
For those who do not know, IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is the chat standard for the Internet. Windows users will have to pick up an IRC app. (mIRC is the best), as well as MAC users who will need a program such as "Homer". To learn more about IRC, visit Yahoo and run a search on it.
Some Other Good Shit:
We have been working on these Hiero portfolios for damn-near 3 months now! When they drop, they'll be phat as shit!
Each portfolio consists of personal info. on every member of Hiero, i.e. what their favorite food is, how'd they get into Hiero, etc., as well as a Hiero Online-exclusive interview with each member. Should be phat, so be on tha lookout!
As some of you may know, the Beta copy of Netscape 3.0 was just released. When I find some time, I will begin to learn some new features available in this new Netscape, in an attempt to make the board even better. For those who are not running the Netscape Web browser, you NEED to get it! The web is a whole different place with it! (And for those who asked: I do not use any web editors! Everything is done through my trusty "Notepad", via hand. I taught myself how to do this; something which I would not suggest to anyone else to do cause it SUCKED! :)
We recently had some problems with a bitch-ass punk posting all kinds of bullshit on our bulletin board. We have installed some new components that will increase the security features of hIerO hOOplA, allowing us to ban certain users. In addition, an updated version of the Bulletin Board is in the making, which will have increased features such as being able to edit your registered profiles, etc. That should be coming up soon.
For those of you still reading, we will also be adding new sounds to our sound section, more items in the Hiero Online Store, as well as possibly adding movie clips from Hiero Videos.
Shit is popping (Or "bubbling" as Hiero states it) with this online shit! Needless to say, I have heard the future of Hieroglyphics, and shit is definitely gonna blow up this year! Hiero appreciates you support of this online thing, as well as their music, and in conjunction with myself, they will be bringing some mad good shit to ya in the future, via this web page! PEACE!
-Benyamin (AKA "StinkE")