Changes to the Home page

Website and forum announcements!

Moderators: justTripn, Elessar, dark_rain

User avatar
Alelou
Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Posts: 7894
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 11:05 pm
Twitter username: @sheerhubris
Show On Map: No
Location: Upstate New York
Contact:

Re: Changes to the Home page

Postby Alelou » Sat Sep 05, 2009 1:51 pm

Dinah wrote:That sounds workable. I guess I just question whether each category needs to have 10 stories or poems listed at all times. Perhaps 5 or 6 postings on the home page for those ancillary sections makes more sense. If poetry, for example, suddenly becomes a hot section with lots of submissions, you have room to expand to ten works with a 30 days turnover. Contintuing to feature works from January 2008 seems only to accentuate the inactivity in that section.


I think this is an excellent suggestion.
OMG, ANOTHER new chapter! NORTH STAR Chapter 28
Image.Image
Read opening chapters free at Amazon (US): The Awful Mess: A Love Story
Blog: Sheer Hubris Press / Twitter: @sheerhubris / Facebook: Sandra Hutchison

User avatar
Asso
Site Donor
Posts: 6336
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 11:13 am
Show On Map: No
Location: Italy
Contact:

Re: Changes to the Home page

Postby Asso » Sat Sep 05, 2009 4:51 pm

I'm in agreement with those who think the old way was better. Personally I think that every section has equal dignity, but is a fact that the first section (and, for some aspects, the Decon Section) are the "clou". It's also true that not infrequently people doesn't have time to read everything and, above all, that the "occasional" guests don't try to go to the archive (this is my own thought), so they would lose the opportunity to read a good story, and, at same time, the writer would lose the opportunity that some people who would have enjoyed his/her story read it.
Well yes. I continue to write. And on Fanfiction.Net, for those who want, it is possible to cast a glance at my latest efforts. We arrived to
The Ears of the Elves, chapter Forty-four


And here is the beginning of the whole story.
Image

But, I must say, you could also find something else on Fanfiction.net written by me. If you want.

User avatar
Aquarius
Site Admin
Posts: 4079
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:23 am
Location: B.F.E.
Contact:

Re: Changes to the Home page

Postby Aquarius » Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:47 am

Great point, Asso.

As for trying to inspire more ancillary works, it's a nice idea, but we need to keep the site's primary mission in focus: the promotion and preservation of TnT fandom. Yes, that means by extension we're fans of the show and may enjoy stories that belong in other areas, but in the years I've been doing this, I've noticed that sites tend to lose momentum and people lose interest if that focus isn't kept--ie, we start getting significantly fewer TnT stories because the Soval fans showed up and got vocal and prolific. This is not to say that I dislike Soval or that I think this would happen, it's just a for-instance. I just think we're better off staying centered the way we are and continue to have room for the related things that naturally materialize, without making any special effort to drive the interest that way.
Eian built my avatar! Banner by Misplaced!

Image

User avatar
WarpGirl
Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Posts: 9885
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 6:02 pm
Location: In A State Of Constant Confusion

Re: Changes to the Home page

Postby WarpGirl » Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:50 am

I sometimes just wish the other characters like Hoshi, Malcolm, Shran, and Soval got more attention in any stories. Ancillary or not.
Some of these people haven't taken their medication. Let's see what happens now...
Donna Moss: The West Wing


And by people WG had herself in mind, but then the quote would have been ruined.
Fics
May We Together Become Greater Than The Sum Of Us
*Rights,* Wrongs, and Choices

User avatar
Aquarius
Site Admin
Posts: 4079
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:23 am
Location: B.F.E.
Contact:

Re: Changes to the Home page

Postby Aquarius » Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:07 am

Unfortunately that's the nature of the beast when you have a site devoted to a specific character or pairing. There are also people on the other end of the spectrum who don't want to see much of Hoshi, etc. because they feel it takes too much time and attention from the characters they came to see and read about. Then there are people in the middle.

Personally I'm just as happy with a longer story that's rounded out by the rest of the cast (as long as TnT are front and center) as I am a vignette where TnT are the only characters to be seen. At the end of the day, though, TnT is what we do here, and the other stuff gets real estate more or less as a convenience/courtesy thing.
Eian built my avatar! Banner by Misplaced!

Image

User avatar
WarpGirl
Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Posts: 9885
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 6:02 pm
Location: In A State Of Constant Confusion

Re: Changes to the Home page

Postby WarpGirl » Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:22 am

Aquarius wrote:Unfortunately that's the nature of the beast when you have a site devoted to a specific character or pairing. There are also people on the other end of the spectrum who don't want to see much of Hoshi, etc. because they feel it takes too much time and attention from the characters they came to see and read about. Then there are people in the middle.

Personally I'm just as happy with a longer story that's rounded out by the rest of the cast (as long as TnT are front and center) as I am a vignette where TnT are the only characters to be seen. At the end of the day, though, TnT is what we do here, and the other stuff gets real estate more or less as a convenience/courtesy thing.


Well I've said it before, but I don't see ST as something that should be about 1 character, or pairing. Not to say stories shouldn't be centered around a character or pairing. Otherwise why would I be here? But when so many stories have similar themes, adding more character interaction shakes things up.
Some of these people haven't taken their medication. Let's see what happens now...
Donna Moss: The West Wing


And by people WG had herself in mind, but then the quote would have been ruined.
Fics
May We Together Become Greater Than The Sum Of Us
*Rights,* Wrongs, and Choices

User avatar
Aquarius
Site Admin
Posts: 4079
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:23 am
Location: B.F.E.
Contact:

Re: Changes to the Home page

Postby Aquarius » Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:37 am

WarpGirl wrote:
Aquarius wrote:Unfortunately that's the nature of the beast when you have a site devoted to a specific character or pairing. There are also people on the other end of the spectrum who don't want to see much of Hoshi, etc. because they feel it takes too much time and attention from the characters they came to see and read about. Then there are people in the middle.

Personally I'm just as happy with a longer story that's rounded out by the rest of the cast (as long as TnT are front and center) as I am a vignette where TnT are the only characters to be seen. At the end of the day, though, TnT is what we do here, and the other stuff gets real estate more or less as a convenience/courtesy thing.


Well I've said it before, but I don't see ST as something that should be about 1 character, or pairing. Not to say stories shouldn't be centered around a character or pairing. Otherwise why would I be here? But when so many stories have similar themes, adding more character interaction shakes things up.


And there are plenty of fans who share that view. Nothing wrong with that at all.

But, this is a TnT site, which means that the one aspect of the show we all have in common is TnT, to varying degrees. There are sites out there who focus more on general Enterprise and Trek stuff, sites that focus on other characters, etc. If this site's mission were more general, you'd see a picture of everybody in our banner, not just TnT. So it's a safe bet that the people who come here do so for TnT first, the rest of the stuff second. Sure sometimes there are exceptions, but as I've pointed out, this is a TnT site, so by default most of what we have here is going to center around TnT, and we are going to cater to the TnT fan.

In the meantime, write what you like. There will be an audience for it, and it will go in the appropriate section when posted. I just don't think you're going to see a TnT site sacrifice real estate for TnT fics in favor of "other" stuff. That would be counter to our identity as a TnT site.
Eian built my avatar! Banner by Misplaced!

Image

Dinah
Commander
Commander
Posts: 449
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 2:32 pm
Show On Map: No
Location: Indiana

Re: Changes to the Home page

Postby Dinah » Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:41 am

I agree with you, Aquarius. But if the status quo is maintained on the home page TnT isn't really what's being promoted. Yes, they're top on the list. But if I write a TnT story, it might stay on the home page for a month, if I'm lucky. If I write a poem, it stands a good chance of being on the home page for a couple of years. I think all 6 categories should have stories on the home page, but if two categories (TnT & Decon) get the vast majority of activity shouldn't they get more than 33% of the space on the home page?

User avatar
WarpGirl
Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Posts: 9885
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 6:02 pm
Location: In A State Of Constant Confusion

Re: Changes to the Home page

Postby WarpGirl » Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:43 am

OK one question how is it "sacrificing real estate" for TnT when there are already 3 sections to focus on other things. The real estate has already been sacrificed, without destroying TnT. So adding ancillary stories wouldn't be detracting anything from the focus of this site. Because if I remember right when I first came here, Main Engineering, and Library At P'Jem was already here.
Some of these people haven't taken their medication. Let's see what happens now...
Donna Moss: The West Wing


And by people WG had herself in mind, but then the quote would have been ruined.
Fics
May We Together Become Greater Than The Sum Of Us
*Rights,* Wrongs, and Choices

Dinah
Commander
Commander
Posts: 449
Joined: Sat Dec 23, 2006 2:32 pm
Show On Map: No
Location: Indiana

Re: Changes to the Home page

Postby Dinah » Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:56 am

I'm not advocating the elimination of any of the six categories. I think they're all great. Some just get more attention than others. That's just the way it goes. I'm just saying that I don't see the need to keep 10 entries in each category at all times. If we have a spurt in stories like we've for the past month or so, why can't we be a little flexible? Why couldn't we have 15 or even 20 stories on the home page in the TnT section if that section is very active? Why couldn't the number of entries in the ancillary sections be reduced to 5 or 6, especially if they've been on the home page for six months, a year or even longer?

User avatar
Aquarius
Site Admin
Posts: 4079
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:23 am
Location: B.F.E.
Contact:

Re: Changes to the Home page

Postby Aquarius » Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:58 am

Precisely, Dinah.

WarpGirl wrote:OK one question how is it "sacrificing real estate" for TnT when there are already 3 sections to focus on other things. The real estate has already been sacrificed, without destroying TnT. So adding ancillary stories wouldn't be detracting anything from the focus of this site. Because if I remember right when I first came here, Main Engineering, and Library At P'Jem was already here.


WG, it IS sacrificing real estate if we stick with the "new" way and limit the amount of TnT stuff we showcase on the front page and give "equal" space to the ancillary stuff. My position is that the ancillary stuff doesn't deserve equal space, that TnT is what we're all here to see, do, read and talk about (because, frankly, if it isn't, then we're at the wrong site) so it should continue to get the majority of the listings, even at the expense of being really, really long. Pretty straightforward, really. Shippy TnT stories are, as the forum calls it, "the bread and butter," and our front page should reflect that.
Eian built my avatar! Banner by Misplaced!

Image

User avatar
WarpGirl
Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Posts: 9885
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 6:02 pm
Location: In A State Of Constant Confusion

Re: Changes to the Home page

Postby WarpGirl » Mon Sep 07, 2009 3:02 am

Woah that time I wasn't even being snarky. I was just curious. I don't like the new way either, I said it somewhere.
Some of these people haven't taken their medication. Let's see what happens now...
Donna Moss: The West Wing


And by people WG had herself in mind, but then the quote would have been ruined.
Fics
May We Together Become Greater Than The Sum Of Us
*Rights,* Wrongs, and Choices

User avatar
Aquarius
Site Admin
Posts: 4079
Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:23 am
Location: B.F.E.
Contact:

Re: Changes to the Home page

Postby Aquarius » Mon Sep 07, 2009 3:11 am

Nobody said you were being snarky. If they did I missed it. You asked a question and I answered it. :dunno:
Eian built my avatar! Banner by Misplaced!

Image


Return to “Announcements”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests