Avatar’s Update #244: More News with a Fresh Title!

Avatars!

As we transition from being a developer to also becoming a full-fledged publisher, including working with partners like Travian Games and Black Sun Game Publishing, we are reviewing all our public announcements and how better to bring them to you.

One of the adjustments we’ve identified is a need to shorten the titles of the previously titled “Update of the Avatar #244: 08/09/2017 – All the title additions here that wrap for four lines” to a single lined titled “Avatar’s Update #244: One Single Line Here…”

We will be making this change immediately with this weekly update. Let us know what you think of the new format!

 

Its... ok? Except for being a shorter title, it really doesn't provide any information that would be useful. At least the old one gave us the date it was released. A single line isn't enough to give us an idea of what's in it, so why have it?

"Avatar's Update #244 for 8 September 2017" would be just as good.

 

We definitely wanted to remove the date, as anyone can figure that out just by knowing it was posted on said Friday. The date was the first thing to go. It doesn't help with anything within the update itself.

Information is definitely something we want in the title, but it has to have high impact without being gaudy or overloading the reader. One single "why should I click this link" kind of title. Unfortunately "information" comes with baggage on this front, so we'll always have to pick and choose .

 

Title is changed however you still refer to it as the old title in the body.

"...this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:"

 

If you are reading it from your email or looking at the All Updates page (that is horrible to navigate), yes. However, the actual POST doesn't show the date anywhere. Its not until someone comments on it that a date appears. So in that regard, this fails. Could we at least get the date at the top of the page, just like on the All Updates list?

Thats the problem, tho. Say this wasn't the first time you use it, so "More News with a Fresh Title" isn't valid. How would you prioritize the content within? Six words to convey three revamped scenes, a new Trial starting, the Telethon results, and all the community news? None of those would fit.

Frankly, the only way a short title like this works is if its either A) generic enough that it conveys no information, or B) you come up with a "big" news item that renders everything else secondary. Maybe consolidate the three scene revamps together into a "Scene Revamps Continue for R46!"

 

So, let me give my feedback. I looked at my email before coming to this post. When I saw this update I didn't think it was the weekly update from the title of the email among all my emails. You saw the title and it looked like an offer for s free trial. This might be good for those without an account or others looking for the free trial to show friends the game. But if I didn't open the email, I would have skipped it and wouldn't think it's the weekly Friday update.

I know you need to make changes for various reasons, but I think starting the email title with Update #..... instead of A new free trial begins... might be better. All I see in my mobile device email was Shroud of The Avatar: A New Free Trial Begins.. I really don't like it.

 

Always have a hook in your titles, drop everything else.

 

And actually, as I say that, you should have news updates every day on social media in particular. Perhaps breaking your big 1 week thing into daily reveals is the way to go?

 

meanwhile, i have a different request: please give women their own names rather than referring to them only in relation to the men in their lives. i never wanna see "x and his wife" unless she's specifically told you she prefers it.

 

It might also be that they didn't have her name prior to putting out the update. Though I also agree, it's definitely better to mention everyone by name.

 

When I first read this, I thought you were changing the title Shroud of the Avatar to something else!

 

I think you should change it to "Avatar’s Update #244... You won't believe what happens"