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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Should the fanfic forum be split up?

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by JediGaladriel, Feb 1, 2003.

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Should the fanfic forum be split up?

Poll closed Mar 1, 2003.
  1. Yes--there's too much traffic for one board and stories are being overlooked.

    425 vote(s)
    78.7%
  2. No--I prefer the fanfic forum to be unified, so all stories get the same chance.

    115 vote(s)
    21.3%
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  1. TheFallen

    TheFallen Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2001
    Many, many stories are definitely being overlooked. New members who just start posting don't know to put links in the indexes, and they're easily plowed back to the 5th page. It's very discouraging for an author.

    I've noticed that since Julie stopped doing the daily new fan fiction pages, I haven't read as much - I'd like to believe it's because I just can't find them through stories that I don't read.

    I'm all for this.
     
  2. Niobiie-of-Belfalas

    Niobiie-of-Belfalas Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Oct 15, 2002
    That's a toughy. My first reaction was absolutely 100% NO WAY!! But I do think I miss stuff... I vote yes, but leave it to smarter people than me to decide how. I think most people's first reactions are going to be "No way, I love this just the way it is." You're going to have some pretty strong 'against' and 'for's' and then a ton of well-I-don't-know-sounds-kinda-okay-but-I'm-not-sure-is-this-a-good-idea-do-I-have-to-have-a-real-opinion-anyway?? type people, like me.
    -Nio
     
  3. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    Well, I don't want to split along OT/PT lines, because I'm thinking in the long term, and after Ep3 comes out, we're going to get flooded with intertrilogy stories covering those twenty years, and it would be a significant segment that simply wouldn't fit in either category and depends equally on both. So those years would be covered in a "Saga" forum, which would also include anything that takes place in the course of any of the movies.

    (Also, of course, I'm philosophically opposed to separating them since they're one story, but that's just personal preference, not a question of what would cause a problem.)

    (And please... let's leave the "how" until later, after we've decided the "if.")
     
  4. obi_ew

    obi_ew Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 14, 2002
    I like the idea.For people like me who tend to only read either Prequel or JA stories it sometimes becomes almost a chore to have to wade through so many fics that I don't read.It would also in my opinion be of help to newer or lesser known authors who's fics may be getting lost in the avalanche of fics that are currently on going.This way it would be easier for readers to discover them.
     
  5. Melyanna

    Melyanna Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 2001
    Yeah, you're right, JG - I hadn't thought about that. (And I'll keep my mouth shut about logistics until the time comes, I promise. ;) )
     
  6. Emperor_Joe

    Emperor_Joe Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 7, 2002
    I think it should be split up by if it is Humor, Romance, ect. Becase what if a story has charecters from two or more eras? Or if it is a crossover story? or a talkshow?
     
  7. Obi the Kid

    Obi the Kid Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2000

    I like the idea of splitting it up into era categories. I post mainly JA and TPM stories, and it would be a easier to keep track of those stories on just a board dedicted to that era. And then an era to cover the other parts of the SW timeline as well. The 'saga' idea is a great idea for stories that spand more than just one time period.

    Obi
     
  8. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    Being a mod:

    If this passes, we will discuss the "how" later. Right now, please vote and comment based on whether or not you would like to see the forum split at all. I can start a "theoretical" thread about it, but I'd rather not. I think that until we have the basic answer of whether or not people want to split the forum, it will only cause hurt feelings if we spend a lot of time arguing about specifics only to have the whole idea go down in the vote.
     
  9. The_Standmaiden

    The_Standmaiden Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 28, 2002
    I wouldn't mind splitting the forums somehow, just because there are so many stories in a few genres, that sometimes amazing stories get lost in the shuffle. Although if there's just one big post-ROTJ section, anything else will still be drowned out by J/Js. :p

    Take a look at the first page of fanfic right now.

    ? Black Hope K/J/J Angst, and Insanity.

    ? First Impressions (a Saché story)

    ? FIC: Birthdays for Dummies ( JA humor)

    ? Call it Destiny- A JA Alternate Universe

    ? Fatherhood (jango fett stories, humor)

    ? Tales of the Galactic Empire: Survivor - (A Gen. Veers Fic)

    ? "I didn't know playdoh was explosive." a JA humor fic

    ? In Love and War - ROTJ-AU - H/L, L/V

    ? The Face Inside - AU-Xani/Ani/Obi

    ? Together - a J/J fic

    ? The Eye Of The Storm: Anja's fate revealed!!

    ? Insurrectors

    ? Breath of Night (Obi, Qui)

    ? Evasion - NJO - Cheriss, Kyp, Inyri, Rhysati, Mirax (J/J)

    ? Blurred Visions - Obi/Qui/Ani AU

    ? The Book of Paths: The Chosen Path (AU/Tagged)

    ? Shadows (post-AOTC) in collaboration with Jedi Princess Solo

    ? Trials of the Force: Episode 3- Destiny's Knights

    ? -Ripples in the Force- (Jaina/Obi Wan/Jag)

    ? Author Wars Book 2: Move Along Home

    ? Lost-Found Padawan- (Round Robin) (JA- Obi and Qui Angst)

    ? Protest (pre-JA, OC & Mace Windu)

    ? Defying Death - One post, Ep. III,
    A/A , AU

    ? A Long Road Home (Qui/Obi - sequel to Whence the Pendulum Swung)

    ? Blue Obsession:
    A/A 10 yrs after TPM, AU,

    ? Shards of a Broken Past: Kineris (Book One -- Imperial fic, 8 yrs. before ANH)


    See how much of it is either J/J or JA? Perhaps some sort of split could help people who write other things.

    EDIT: Bolded J/J, de-italicised A/A, and underlined JA, to prove a point. :p
     
  10. PadmeLeiaJaina

    PadmeLeiaJaina Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    May 23, 2002
    Hummmm.... I haven't voted. I think it might be a good idea- I do prefer if it would be done to do it along the indexes lines for breaking the stories apart.

    I also think it might be a good idea to have a section for all vignettes and songfics. They get buried REALLY fast and usually aren't posted on the stickies. Sometimes I'm just in the mood and like to crank through a bunch of Viggies in one sitting- it would be nice to have a place where that's all you had available to peruse.

    Just a thought.
     
  11. Casper_Knightshade

    Casper_Knightshade Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 18, 2000
    Yeah, division by time frame is best because there are more stories here dealing with created characters than established characters in my humble opinion.

    And no, generes shouldn't be banned to make these new boards.
     
  12. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    Please keep it to yes or no, and why you either want to or don't want to split the forums. Discussion of how the forums might be split will go elsewhere and will occur after the decision to split has been made (if it is; we're only on day one of a 28 day poll).
     
  13. Master_Ari

    Master_Ari Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jun 30, 2002
    I think they should be spilt into sections. Like before prequals, prequals, OT, after OT, and crossovers(like if it takes place in multiple time periods.)
     
  14. Casper_Knightshade

    Casper_Knightshade Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 18, 2000
    Well, I voted no.
     
  15. Sarah_K

    Sarah_K Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 2001
    'Yes' for me, and I'll refrain from suggestions of 'how'. ;)

    I've seen too many really cool fics get totally overlooked to resist a change, even if it might take a great deal of adjustment on the part of myself and other regulars.

    Sarah >^,,^<
     
  16. Bria

    Bria Manager Emeritus, -MNFF Council star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 15, 1999
    I don't think fanfic should be split up. There are indexes to help users find particular stories after all. :)
     
  17. Kit'

    Kit' Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Oct 30, 1999
    I'm in favour of the split.

    This is the post I originally had planned for a thread discussing it when I brought the matter up to Jedi Galadriel a couple of days ago. You'll have to excuse the fact that it sounds like an opener - I was expecting a thread on this matter rather then a poll.

    Kithera

    ****

    Recently there has been a lot of questions and concerns raised by many people on the fanfiction and writer?s resource about how fast new posts and stories are disappearing from the first two pages of the board. There has also been concerns that due to the high traffic levels within the forum new authors cannot showcase their works and are having a harder time in finding readers. Being concerned about the fact that newer authors are becoming quickly discouraged and that older writers are having stories disappear into the back pages of the board, Herman Snerd and I have been discussing an idea that has been put forward many times before but now seems more pertinent then ever. These are just our ideas on a matter that has been discussed many times before.

    In order to solve or alleviate the problems that the fanfiction board has been having in terms of the large amount of traffic that it receives daily, we propose splitting the fanfiction board into two distinct boards. The board would be split on a time-line idea in the sense that one board would deal with the stories that happened before Episode Four and would include JA fiction and ?ancient history/founding of the republic? type stories. The other board would deal with everything from the fall of Anakin or the end of Episode Three onwards therefore including the original trilogy and New Republic stories. Hopefully splitting the boards like this would mean that both boards would share and equal amount of traffic and although the overall amount of traffic to fanfiction wouldn?t slow ? stories would, at least, move more slowly from the first two pages.

    Splitting the boards would not also benefit in terms of newer stories getting more ?air-time? so to speak, but it might also cut down on the needless ?upping? as due to the slower traffic fans, readers and authors would not feel the need to up their story in order for the newer post to be seen.

    The problems and concerns that we can see being raised in terms of splitting the fanfiction board are as follows.

    The forum would lose that family feeling that it currently has.
    Many people would be confused by the new system
    Epic stories would have no place to go
    Stories that are being currently written or posted would have to be moved
    What if I like both time periods? That means more work for me!


    The Forum would lose that family feeling

    Much the same argument was raised when the Writer?s resource was first proposed and then put into place. Many people felt that by taking the informational threads out of the boards as well as the many social threads that were around, then the board would lose its friendly feeling. This didn?t happen. Instead the threads that people were looking for were easier to find. Stories were not moved down by threads asking people for advice and what not. The forum never lost the friendliness that people said it would and more importantly, to me anyway, became a closer and more tight-knit community.

    Many people would be confused by the new system

    Again, the same thing was put forward as an idea when the Writer?s resource board was put forward. People, however, seem to catch on quickly to new rules and any threads that were started in the wrong place were quickly redirected. Although even now there are occasional threads started in the fanfic forum that are really appropriate in the WR - they are so few and far between and so quickly redirected that no-one really notices them.

    Epic stories would have no place to go

    Epic stories as well as the cross-over fics would be really up to the author?s discretion. If your fic dealt mainly with the NJO, but incorporated a young Obi-wan and a baby Yoda then it would be up to
     
  18. CalaisKenobi

    CalaisKenobi Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2002
    Definitely! There is so much traffic on the boards, and it is impossible to keep track of stories (if you hate having multiple emails from ATN :p ) when they are falling to the bottom of page 5 after only a few hours!

    I hope that this is seriously considered, as I think any and all of the issues brought up can be solved. As far as the "family atmosphere" being broken up, or a divide being created... how many of the cliques that are out there consist of multi-era or multi-genre (if you will) people? Usually it seems to be the JA people in one group, the NJO in another, and the rest in their own sections. How would breaking up the boards adversely affect this in the least? :confused:
     
  19. Queen_Sara

    Queen_Sara Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 8, 2002
    I think it should be split into categories, such as TPM, AOTC, Ep 3, and so on. That way, you can choose your favourite time and read stories from there. The forum is getting too crowded, and writers aren't getting the recognition they deserve. Also, there should be Locked fics. And for the multi-era fics, a seperate category.


    :) ~*^SARA^*~ :)
     
  20. Sache8

    Sache8 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 19, 2000
    I voted yes. I noticed that most people tend to favor certain time periods over others anyway.


    Also, since new stories tend to follow patterns of what's released in canon... for example, there's usually a lot of new NJO stories after every new NJO book comes out, which overwhelms things for awhile. This way, for the prequel or OT-era readers, they won't have to fish through all that stuff.


    But that's all generalizations anyhow. As you say, the how could be finalized later.
     
  21. Scruffy-looking

    Scruffy-looking Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 26, 2002
    Although it would be a difficult transition, I think splitting up the fanfic stories forum would be a good idea. The sticky indexes were created as an alternative to splitting up the forum, which was discussed last fall. They're useful as an announcement for new stories, but it is a partial solution at best to the fundamental problem: so much traffic causes all stories, and especially new ones and short/vignettes, to disappear too fast for them to pick up readership.

    JediGaladriel, I know we're not to discuss the 'how' at the moment, but I would like to add this thought: if a decision is made to split the forum, it needs to be done in a way which helps alleviate the problem, otherwise there's no point in doing it. To that end, I think we would need more than just 3 subforums -- with only 3, I don't think it will really alleviate the problem, especially if one forum had a relatively small percentage of the stories. So by timeline, how about pre-PT, PT, Intertrilogy, OT, post-OT, NJO and beyond?

    Your suggestion of the 'Response Only' change makes lots of sense -- the transition is likely to be very rocky! :eek:

    A word of thanks for taking on this task! :)

     
  22. Crimson_Sabre

    Crimson_Sabre Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 20, 2002
    Melyanna, it is quite easy for people like yourself to say that you don't like the idea since you have many, MANY readers upping your stories constantly. If my stories dominated the boards, I'd vote against splitting too.

    However, since most of us don't have the screen names Melyanna, Mira_Terrik, or Obaona, it should be an easy choice to make.

    Vote Yes, I want to see the fan fiction boards split up since that way, it will be easier for YOUR story to be seen on page 1 or 2.

    How should they be split up?

    1) Prequel trilogy (Everything before and up to Episodes 1-3)

    2) Original trilogy (Everything from slightly after Episode 3 and up to Episode 6)

    3) YJK/NJO era (Everything after the original trilogy that involves EU characters)

    4) Alternate Universe (All crossovers, different timeline stories, far future, and far past stories. i.e., a story that takes place over 1,000 years after ROTJ)
     
  23. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    I give up. Talk about how all you want. Obviously, we're not going to stay on topic here.

    So:

    I would not, under any circumstance, favor splitting fics that related to the timeframe of the Eps 1-6 (I won't refuse to do it if there is an overwhelming majority--like 80% or more--but I will put up a heck of a catfight). That would be too confusing for too many fics, and it will be a mess. For the same reason, I don't think we should splinter too much. Three sounds about right.

    I like genre in the library, but it's too hard to sort fics in the process of being written into what sorts of stories they are.

    I don't want to use EU-related titles because they imply EU compliance, which we do not require here. Post-RotJ should be fine if we go by timeline.
     
  24. Crimson_Sabre

    Crimson_Sabre Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 20, 2002
    That's nice. In other words, you don't want suggestions so you can make the decision yourself? I believe this is the people's forum, and there wouldn't be any mods if it weren't for the fans.
     
  25. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    I forget what I even wrote before. Ninety percent of what I just said is as a user.
     
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