
This page is about the creation of Nancy Drew Mania as well as behind-the-scenes with the webmasters.
Who is involved?
Nancy Drew Mania was created by two teens with a Nancy Drew games obsession: Kellie and Mary Ann. The site was launched in July of 2004.
Mary Ann
Mary Ann, once known as Retarded Walrus (Click here to see her old avatar), is 17. She spends her time reading, playing the flute and on the computer, playing softball, and skiing. She does most of the technical behind-the-scenes activities, like HTML, CSS, and Javascripts, and some of the walkthroughs. She also does a lot of the graphic design. Her favorite Nancy Drew game is a tie between The Final Scene and Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake.Mary Ann no longer works for NDM, but the whole site idea was hers. We'll miss you, Mary Ann!
-NDM Staff
Other contact info
-retardedwalrus on Nancy Drew Fans
-retardedwalrus on NDDP
-retardedwalrus on Nancy Drew Games
CaseSolver
CaseSolver is a well-known Nancy Drew guru with an excellent reputation as webmaster, game expert, and friend. She is the latest addition to the "NDM braintrust" (Fans of SSH will know this quote from Joanna) and does her share of the behind-the-scenes work. She loves writing walkthroughs, reviews, and quizzes.CaseSolver is no longer a team member here but she was a fantastic admin! It was her idea to use staff avatars! Woot woot!
-NDM Staff
Other contact info
-CaseSolver on Nancy Drew Fans
-CaseSolver on Nancy Drew Heaven
-CaseSolver on Nancy Drew Games
Kellie
Kellie, once known as Confuzzled One (Click here to see her old icon), now known as Starr, enjoys reading, writing, playing on the computer, horseback riding and skateboarding. She loves to play with her dog, Hershey, but loves cats too. Kellie was the inspiration for the site and does much of the idea-making as well as some of the walkthroughs. Her favorite Nancy Drew Game? The Final Scene. Kellie is no longer working on staff at NDM but helped shape its identity. Shoutout to our buddy!
-NDM Staff
Chase
Chase, is 15, and loves volleybal, and obviously Nancy Drew! Chase does some of the graphic work on NDM, such as Signatures, Avatars, Backgrounds… etc. etc. He is has also been the only administrator on NDM for a long time. . . Chase's favorite Nancy Drew game? Once again… The Final Scene!
Other contact info:
-Nancy Drew on Her Interactive forums
Nancy Drew Mania Contact Info
-nd_mania on the Her Interactive forums
Why was it created?
Nancy Drew Mania was created for two solid purposes: To help others with the Nancy Drew game series, and to provide some fun to those that have beaten the games and just want to hang out and share experiences.
How did you do this?
We have been asked many times how we made the site. Unfortunately, we are not able to answer all e-mails in depth, so we will try to give as good of an explanation as we can.
- A basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and Javascript are essentials for building any webpage. Some good HTML/CSS courses can be found at Draac schools, Annabella.net, Dave Ragget's HTML, and CSShelp. I haven't come across any nice JavaScript tutorials, but JavaScript Kit has some wonderful cut and paste javascripts that you can use.
- Two programs have been very valuable to us: Paint Shop Pro and Animation Shop 3. Paint Shop Pro is used for making fun images, like the one we use for a background. Animation Shop 3 is used for animated images. You can download a trial version of each (30 days) here.
- Wanna know where we got our cool fonts, like the one we use for a title? 1001 fonts and Larabie fonts are the font sites we used; I'm sure there are many more, but you will find really awesome fonts at these two sites.
- Our tag board is from MyShout Box. They provide free tag boards with lots of bonuses: you can choose the color, how big it is, how much each guest gets to write, etc. There is even a word filter. The tag board has been a hit with every guest that comes to our site.
- We got our free counter from Freelogs. They have a huge variety of styles for you to choose from. We highly recommend this counter to you.
- We get some of our scripts from Dynamic Drive. They have wonderful resources for webmasters!
- Here are our little tips: you have to have an organized menu, so your guests don't get lost. You have to plan. Planning is vital. And everyone could use a little luck! :D So here it is: good luck!
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