Sunday, 27 May 2012
The Iconic Meat Loaf: Annual Review
Month By Month Summary of Events
May 2011: With the intention of promoting Everything Louder and to waste time, a grapic was created which was intended as an alternative for fans to use in place of the iTunes artwork for the song Stand In The Storm and the image was shared across several groups. Feedback was good and on the website's first anniversary the artwork was noticed by Meat Loaf himself who liked it and asked if he could use it in the CD cover booklet. To accomodate his request, a version of the artwork was shared without the website branding.
June 2011: Everything Louder was named 'Celebrity Website of The Day' on 8th June. Following this a revamp took place and saw the site move on to the Wordpress platform.
July 2011: Much of July was spend on creating content for Everything Louder. 'Los Angeloser' was screencapped for the galleries, 'In Search of Paradise' was reviewed and the site recieved a new theme.
August 2011: At the beginning of August the question of the Stand In The Storm artwork was raised again by Meat Loaf and it was remade from scratch to be able to provide him with a higher resolution that could be used for print. This delayed the planned screencapping of the MSO DVD and most of these were launched later in the month.
September 2011:The screencaps were finished for the MSO DVD and a new desktop was launched based on a popular screencap from this DVD. In addition to this the 'Stand In The Storm' was used in an edited form in the lyric booklet for Hell In A Handbasket.
October 2011: It was decided to broaden the reviews section of the site to ask other fans to submit reviews but unfortunately things for the site were slowing down and its future was looking doubtful. Despite this Everything Louder welcomed Sue to the team as co-owner.
November 2011: The site had slowed right down and early November saw the lowest hits the site had had since it's launch. Thoughts began to turn to the reasoning for this and one of the things that arose was the site name. Jenna felt that not only did the Everything Louder name not suit a website dedicated to images, it also didn't take advantasge of the fact that it was easier to find a website about Meat Loaf if it had his name in the title of the site. Sue suggested The Iconic Meat Loaf and it was thought about for a few days before being decided upon. On the 29th November 2011 Everything Louder became The Iconic Meat Loaf. The themes and branding were changed to match and a new photograph of Meat Loaf was chosen to bring uniformity to any new branding.
December 2011: Screencaps were the primary focus of December although a new desktop was launched. On 8th December the site once again recieved the honour of being named as 'Celebrity Website of The Day'.
Jan 2012: In response to a study of the website hits it was decided that desktops should be offered in both widescreen and a standard size to take into account the increasing popularity of widescreen monitors. Some of the older desktops were remade but the majority of future desktops were make in two sizes. The site underwent a design tweak using the skulls from the Hell In A Handbasket as a base for the theme.
Feb 2012: February was a quiet month with relatively little activity on the site. Jenna attended the London album signing and got the Stand In The Storm artwork signed by Meat Loaf. The artwork itself had to undo further changes by someone else to reflect the fact that John Rich had been replaced by Trace Adkins on the UK and US releases of the album.
March 2012: March was a more eventful month with the site hitting 2000 hits during the month, timeline banners being launched and a forum being added. The forum was added in response to requests and was relatively active for the first two weeks but activity dropped off just as quickly as it arrived and it currently stands as being pretty much unused.
April 2012: Once again April was about screencaps although a new theme was launched on the site as the official site started using skulls as a theme. The new theme was white but it didn't last long, being temporarily replaced by the old skulls theme whilst a new theme was being worked on. The Iconic Meat Loaf was pleased to welcome Deena to the team as a Resident Reviewer.
Mission Statement
The Iconic Meat Loaf is a website that focuses primarily on screencaps and graphics and we aim to provide Meat Loaf fans with the largest archive of screencaps and graphics anywhere on the web. Our gallery currently has more than 850 images and we’re always adding more. In addition to our vast galleries we aim to provide up to date news on Meat Loaf as well as reviews of his projects.
Jenna’s Comments
The first year of The Iconic Meat Loaf was really about deciding which direction the site was going in and as a consequence there was a bit of experimentation with the content. By the first anniversary it was clear that as no other fansite was primarily an image site that it was what we had to keep our focus on. Other sections of the site were added during 2011 but the intention was to build on what we had rather than replace it.
I am the sort of person who likes any website or creation I put my name to to be the best it can be and that is why The Iconic Meat Loaf will always be evolving for the rest of its duration online. New ideas and themes will continue to be experimented with and the feedback of those people who are kind enough to give it will always be appreciated.
I can't predict where this site will be this time next year but for as long as there is still some demand for what we offer then long may it continue. Lastly I would like to say a big thank you to every single one of you who have shown your support for the website.
Sue's Comments
May 2011: With the intention of promoting Everything Louder and to waste time, a grapic was created which was intended as an alternative for fans to use in place of the iTunes artwork for the song Stand In The Storm and the image was shared across several groups. Feedback was good and on the website's first anniversary the artwork was noticed by Meat Loaf himself who liked it and asked if he could use it in the CD cover booklet. To accomodate his request, a version of the artwork was shared without the website branding.
June 2011: Everything Louder was named 'Celebrity Website of The Day' on 8th June. Following this a revamp took place and saw the site move on to the Wordpress platform.
July 2011: Much of July was spend on creating content for Everything Louder. 'Los Angeloser' was screencapped for the galleries, 'In Search of Paradise' was reviewed and the site recieved a new theme.
August 2011: At the beginning of August the question of the Stand In The Storm artwork was raised again by Meat Loaf and it was remade from scratch to be able to provide him with a higher resolution that could be used for print. This delayed the planned screencapping of the MSO DVD and most of these were launched later in the month.
September 2011:The screencaps were finished for the MSO DVD and a new desktop was launched based on a popular screencap from this DVD. In addition to this the 'Stand In The Storm' was used in an edited form in the lyric booklet for Hell In A Handbasket.
October 2011: It was decided to broaden the reviews section of the site to ask other fans to submit reviews but unfortunately things for the site were slowing down and its future was looking doubtful. Despite this Everything Louder welcomed Sue to the team as co-owner.
November 2011: The site had slowed right down and early November saw the lowest hits the site had had since it's launch. Thoughts began to turn to the reasoning for this and one of the things that arose was the site name. Jenna felt that not only did the Everything Louder name not suit a website dedicated to images, it also didn't take advantasge of the fact that it was easier to find a website about Meat Loaf if it had his name in the title of the site. Sue suggested The Iconic Meat Loaf and it was thought about for a few days before being decided upon. On the 29th November 2011 Everything Louder became The Iconic Meat Loaf. The themes and branding were changed to match and a new photograph of Meat Loaf was chosen to bring uniformity to any new branding.
December 2011: Screencaps were the primary focus of December although a new desktop was launched. On 8th December the site once again recieved the honour of being named as 'Celebrity Website of The Day'.
Jan 2012: In response to a study of the website hits it was decided that desktops should be offered in both widescreen and a standard size to take into account the increasing popularity of widescreen monitors. Some of the older desktops were remade but the majority of future desktops were make in two sizes. The site underwent a design tweak using the skulls from the Hell In A Handbasket as a base for the theme.
Feb 2012: February was a quiet month with relatively little activity on the site. Jenna attended the London album signing and got the Stand In The Storm artwork signed by Meat Loaf. The artwork itself had to undo further changes by someone else to reflect the fact that John Rich had been replaced by Trace Adkins on the UK and US releases of the album.
March 2012: March was a more eventful month with the site hitting 2000 hits during the month, timeline banners being launched and a forum being added. The forum was added in response to requests and was relatively active for the first two weeks but activity dropped off just as quickly as it arrived and it currently stands as being pretty much unused.
April 2012: Once again April was about screencaps although a new theme was launched on the site as the official site started using skulls as a theme. The new theme was white but it didn't last long, being temporarily replaced by the old skulls theme whilst a new theme was being worked on. The Iconic Meat Loaf was pleased to welcome Deena to the team as a Resident Reviewer.
Mission Statement
The Iconic Meat Loaf is a website that focuses primarily on screencaps and graphics and we aim to provide Meat Loaf fans with the largest archive of screencaps and graphics anywhere on the web. Our gallery currently has more than 850 images and we’re always adding more. In addition to our vast galleries we aim to provide up to date news on Meat Loaf as well as reviews of his projects.
Jenna’s Comments
The first year of The Iconic Meat Loaf was really about deciding which direction the site was going in and as a consequence there was a bit of experimentation with the content. By the first anniversary it was clear that as no other fansite was primarily an image site that it was what we had to keep our focus on. Other sections of the site were added during 2011 but the intention was to build on what we had rather than replace it.
I am the sort of person who likes any website or creation I put my name to to be the best it can be and that is why The Iconic Meat Loaf will always be evolving for the rest of its duration online. New ideas and themes will continue to be experimented with and the feedback of those people who are kind enough to give it will always be appreciated.
I can't predict where this site will be this time next year but for as long as there is still some demand for what we offer then long may it continue. Lastly I would like to say a big thank you to every single one of you who have shown your support for the website.
Sue's Comments
When Jenna asked me if I would like to come on-board The Iconic Meat Loaf in an administrative capacity, I was greatly honored. I was also apprehensive. What could I possibly contribute to what I considered a masterful Jenna Gray creation? Me, Sue Lacina, with nothing more to offer than my own passion for Meat's incredible talents. Oh, and I can type. :)
Jenna and I do collaborate on a number of different issues, but The Iconic Meat Loaf remains Jenna's baby. While the intent of how we thought it best to proceed didn't present itself as Divine Inspiration, once it came together, Jenna ran with it like the pro she is.
The Iconic Meat Loaf provides me personally with more insight and a sense of the man called Meat Loaf than nearly every other site devoted to Meat. Jenna's creativity in her ability to visually capture and present The Icon Meat Loaf, and Meat Loaf the man, is unparalleled in my humble opinion. But, if I had to identify one attribute about the website that impresses me the most is the respect Jenna invariably affords Meat. And if nothing else, Meat has earned and deserves all the respect imaginable. And consequently, I believe The Iconic Meat Loaf has attracted the warmest, most hospitable and respectful supporters on the web. You all ROCK!
Finally, where will The Iconic Meat Loaf be next year? No one can predict anything with certainty, but I envision only continued success for this project bred of love and respect.
Let's enjoy the journey!
Friday, 25 May 2012
A Very Special Date
The Iconic Meat Loaf is approaching a very special date and this date is special for two reasons.
On the 27th May we will celebrate our second anniversary on the web, and although The Iconic Meat Loaf was known as Everything Louder back then, the basic principles of the site remained the same.
On the first anniversary of the site, I recieved an anniversary present which was beyond anything I'd even dreamt of, when Meat Loaf himself said he liked the artwork I'd created for Stand In The Storm and asked to use it in the CD booklet. That was a bizzarre experience and I remember waking up that morning to several emails and messages about it. I was so shocked that it took me about ten minutes to even be able to reply to him.
Upon every anniversary I reflect upon the website and it's future. Will The Iconic Meat Loaf be around for another year?
On the 27th May we will celebrate our second anniversary on the web, and although The Iconic Meat Loaf was known as Everything Louder back then, the basic principles of the site remained the same.
On the first anniversary of the site, I recieved an anniversary present which was beyond anything I'd even dreamt of, when Meat Loaf himself said he liked the artwork I'd created for Stand In The Storm and asked to use it in the CD booklet. That was a bizzarre experience and I remember waking up that morning to several emails and messages about it. I was so shocked that it took me about ten minutes to even be able to reply to him.
Upon every anniversary I reflect upon the website and it's future. Will The Iconic Meat Loaf be around for another year?
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