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.
Yes--there's too much traffic for one board and stories are being overlooked. 425 vote(s) 78.7%
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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Moderators: Briannakin, mavjade
  1. Kit' Manager Emeritus

    Member Since:
    Oct 30, 1999
    star 5
    I think it would be almost impossible to stop people from talking about this. This is going to be, if it happens, a major event and it will in the short term effect many, many people. Asking people for a yes/no answer in a situation such as this is a request that just simply won't be adhered to because everyone who votes has an opinion on the matter and wants to (plus has every right to) share it.

    That's why the original suggestion of Herman and I was for a thread on the subject to canvas the reaction from the people about how it could possibly work before a vote was taken. It's hard to vote in favour of something to then find out that what you voted for was unfeasible in the first place. That's why I thought that thrashing out the details in the first place and then having something for people to vote for that we knew would work would be the best way to go.

    Kithera
  2. Melyanna Jedi Padawan

    Member Since:
    Jul 19, 2001
    star 4
    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.


    Did you read the rest of my post? I may not like the idea, but I also don't see another reasonable solution. I resent the implication that I wouldn't want the board split up just because I happen to have written a few popular stories, because that's not a fair assessment on why I didn't want the board split up. For your information, I voted yes on this.

    As for JG not wanting suggestions, the mere fact that she's letting us vote on this should say that she's not just going to make an arbitrary decision. What she's basing her suggested categories (which, if you read earlier posts, she doesn't want to discuss in detail now, but will later) is a thread from some time ago in which the divisions for the new stories indices were discussed. I'll go dig up a link and edit this post for anyone who wants to read the discussion.

    Mel

    EDIT: [link=http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=9211329&page=1]Here's[/link] the thread in question. It discusses the divisions for the sticky threads pretty exhaustively, and I think the same reasoning carries over to this.
  3. Ellcrys3 Jedi Youngling

    Member Since:
    Jul 29, 2002
    star 1
    I think it should be split up for organizational purposes, if nothing else.
    It's too hard to keep up with things now, I think having some references would be helpful.
  4. Kitt327 Jedi Master

    Member Since:
    Dec 23, 2000
    star 4
    If people object to dividing it by genre or time-period, you could always simply have two, and leave it up to random distribution ;)

    Other ways could be by author name, or story title 'authors 'a-m' titles 'a-m' etc.

    'saga', 'EU' and 'misc' could work, or maybe 'romance' and 'other'.
  5. JoeSolo1 Jedi Youngling

    Member Since:
    Jul 20, 2002
    star 1
    I say yes they should split up by their time frames: Prequel, OT, Post-OT, and NJO
  6. obaona Jedi Master

    Member Since:
    Jun 18, 2002
    star 4
    I don't know about saying yes or no (hasn't voted yet), and that's mostly because my answer would depend on how its done.

    The thing I mostly concerned with is the suggestion of splitting it by timeframe - yes, I know that's pretty much the only way it could be done, but what about those fics that don't fit anywhere?

    Should those go into a Miscellaneous fanfic thingie? :confused: 8-}

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


    I think I've gotten a back-handed compliment. [face_blush] :p
  7. Moff_D Jedi Knight

    Member Since:
    Aug 3, 2002
    star 5
    Yes, there are so many posts in one day it's hard to keep track. We don't need a lot of split though. Three sounds good to me, something along the lines of AU, EU and movie era.
  8. Zara_Rose Jedi Padawan

    Member Since:
    Jun 23, 2002
    star 4
    I like the idea of breaking the fanfic section up by chronology. I also like the idea to have it broken up as follows: vignettes, completed stories, WIPs.
  9. obaona Jedi Master

    Member Since:
    Jun 18, 2002
    star 4
    And what would be done with a thread once a story was completed in the WIP forum/board whatever the thing is called? I don't see that as being very . . . workable. :p I mean, I think it could be moved . . . somehow . . . but you see what I mean?
  10. Rose_Skywalker Jedi Padawan

    Member Since:
    Nov 17, 2002
    star 4


    I'm all for the FanFic forum being split up. I can never find the stories i'm reading because there so many other stories cluttering the board. On occasion i've had to go 5-7 pages into the boards to find one story i'm reading. Its just getting to complicated. And certain member only read certain stories eras, and it would svae all of us the time and trouble

    ~*Rose*~
  11. Amidala_Skywalker Manager Emeritus

    Member Since:
    Jul 4, 2001
    star 5
    At first, when we started discussing this, I was against it. I thought it would become too confusing for new members to our boards, mods would have a difficult time organising everything, and fanfiction would get mixed up and perhaps receive less feedback.

    I now agree to the idea of splitting the boards if it is done thoughtfully and reasonably. As JG stated, it should only be divided into a small amount of separate forums. I think three forums would be a good number ? and I?m not even going to suggest as to how it would be done, because this thread is just a vote not a full-blown discussion. I?m likely to protest if the forums are divided using stupidity, not sensibility (example: Prequel, Vignette, EU, AU, etc).

    At this time, there seems to be a low in feedback. There is also a lot more stories contending for feedback. If the forums are split, there is perhaps the chance your work would get noticed a bit more. But there is also the risk that it won?t.

    I think due to the constant expansion of the forums, we?re being forced into making this decision. I still don?t want to do it, but what other choice is there?

    Am [face_love]


  12. LadyMairead Jedi Padawan

    Member Since:
    May 20, 2002
    star 4
    I think it would be really sad if we split up the forums. :( I read only NJO-era stuff, for the most part, but there have been a few times when I've been struck by a title or randomly clicked on a fic and become really engrossed in something I wouldn't read otherwise.

    Several people who have reviewed my fic have said much the same thing, that they usually don't read the type of fic I'm writing, but they were interested by the title, or they happened to read the first post, or whatever, and now they're hooked. I really like the community atmosphere, and I think we would lose a lot of the mingling that goes on now.

    Yes, it is unfortunate that some fics become lost in the shuffle. But it is my experience from watching new fics appear that if the fic is well written and interesting, then people will eventually review if the author keeps posting. It is intimidating to start a new thread in a forum this size, but I think that risk is part of the fun.

    I also think that logistically, it would be a huge headache to split the forum. I know quite a few fics that span various time periods and genres. Would the fic be posted in each of the forums then? Would that kind of multiple posting be fair to everyone else? I know, JG, that you've said these problems will be worked out after the vote, but I think it's worth considering now whether or not these problems can be worked out.

    I encourage everyone to think hard about whether or not we really want to compartmentalize everything this way. Yes, the forums are a little haphazard, confusing, and massive, but that's why I love them! Too much organization can be a bad thing, and it can suck the fun out of the fanfic forums. Sometimes, bigger is better. ;)
  13. Aunecah_Skywalker Jedi Knight

    Member Since:
    Mar 25, 2002
    star 5
    When this had been first brought up, I had been dead set against it because I thought it would only end up dividing the Fan Fic. On the other hand, I agree that 'fics are dropping faster than lightspeed on the Boards, and we need to find a solution to it.

    I wanted to vote 'yes,' but by mistake ended up clicking the 'no,' option. [face_blush] But as far as how to split the forum goes, like Standmaiden said (I think), most stories are either JA or J/J. Maybe creating a seperate forum for JA (Obi-centered fics) and another one for J/J, and leaving the rest of the stories (A/A, L/M, J/T, etc.) in the Miscellaneous Fanfic forum would work well.

    Aunecah
  14. obaona Jedi Master

    Member Since:
    Jun 18, 2002
    star 4
    I think that idea is not wise, Aunecah. What people write and read changes - some day, J/J will not be so popular, and something else will be. What would happen then? Consider what was popular a year ago, or more.

  15. Wild_Huntress Jedi Padawan

    Member Since:
    Jul 15, 2002
    star 4
    I'm not too sure about this. On the one hand, it's a good idea because a lot of fics do sink very fast because of the sheer volume of stories on the board. On the other hand, I tend to read primarily prequel and specifically JA era stuff. By having the board be splat up into several different parts and divided era, people who read mostly one time period may end up missing out on interesting stories from other periods. Despite that, I'm leaning more towards agreeing that we should split it.
  16. Drunk_on_Tang Jedi Youngling

    Member Since:
    Jul 21, 2002
    star 3
    In my opinion, the boards should not be split. While I do agree that many ppl only read one era, there is a large following of ppl who read more than one era, such as me. I know ppl like me that ignore the era of the story completely. Also, what about ppl searching for new stories? I mean, if u only read one era, that wont be a problem, but if you ignore the eras, then you are seriously messed up...

    Just my two cents...

    ~Dot
  17. Herman Snerd Jedi Master

    Member Since:
    Oct 31, 1999
    star 6
    I've always been somewhat opposed to splitting the fanfic forum in the past, but IMO the time has come.

    Fanfic is now easily the fastest paced forum, and if it is going to keep growing, a split is necessary and inevitable.

    IMO a chronological split is the way to go, but the decision on how to make the split depends on how many forums we would split into.

    When I was trading private messages with Kit' my thought was that the forum would split in two simply because I didn't figure the admins would suddenly go from one forum to three or more.

    But that'll be decided if a split actually takes place.
  18. Sara_Kenobi Jedi Grand Master

    Member Since:
    Sep 21, 2000
    star 7
    I've been for a split all along. The forum has gotten to the point where I think it's time for such a change. Go for it JG! :D
  19. JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus

    Member Since:
    Sep 3, 1999
    star 5
    It's hard to vote in favour of something to then find out that what you voted for was unfeasible in the first place. That's why I thought that thrashing out the details in the first place and then having something for people to vote for that we knew would work would be the best way to go.

    I think exactly the opposite--I think that going through all the process of figuring out how to do something only to find out that the majority of people don't want to do it and it's therefore not going to happen strikes me as more likely to cause hurt feelings. You can see already that people have feelings invested in this; I'd hate to see us argue for a month about the details of a bill that's going to be defeated anyway. It's the same reason I wanted to get permission to do it from the powers-that-be before asking the initial question--asking for a yes/no vote from the forum was meant to be exactly the same thing as asking the site owners whether or not they'd mind opening different fanfic boards. Now we're asking the general membership if they'd mind opening different fanfic boards, and if they don't, then we can talk about how. Sort of a parliamentary procedure thing. "The question has been proposed and seconded, vote to discuss?"

    For myself, I don't have much of a care whether the forum is split and would just like to get a show of hands on yay/nay before the real argument starts: How? If the vote goes "yay," then I have very definite opinions on how. (I am a user; the mod colors and manager title mean that I can do the technical stuff, but please understand that when I make an argument I'm doing so in my capacity as a user.)

    The thing I mostly concerned with is the suggestion of splitting it by timeframe - yes, I know that's pretty much the only way it could be done, but what about those fics that don't fit anywhere?

    Should those go into a Miscellaneous fanfic thingie


    I don't think there's really anything that doesn't fit into a chronology, if not perfectly than at least by strong likelihood. Someone mentioned "talk shows"--you want Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme to appear on Jerry Springer, after Anakin's fall but before the Death Star? Saga forum--that's when those characters fit. Crossovers? Who's crossing over? Ancient history, Sith uprising? Pre-saga. Non-EU compliant alternate universe where Grandpa Anakin teaches one of Luke's children how to fly pod? Post-saga.

    It sorts everything pretty easily.

    The reason to keep the split into a small number boards is partly to maintain something of the community, also to make every category perfectly clear and easy to understand, and avoid any cross-over categories. Fragmenting them too much would make it more and more likely that a story would fit into one or more categories. Chronology would essentially be easy to explain--when does it take place?--and the categories would be mutually exclusive, so it would be almost impossible to have a story that would fit in more than one.
  20. Cam_Mulonus Jedi Master

    Member Since:
    Jul 29, 2002
    star 4
    I believe they should be split up, but into GENRES rather than eras.
    Try this:

    Original Character stories

    Alternate Universe Stories

    AND THEN THE ERAS

    Sith era

    Prequel era

    Intertrilogy

    OT

    NJO

    There's so many EU and OC stories out there I think they need a forum of their own, perhaps a joint one. Just my 2Cents
  21. JediKlea Jedi Youngling

    Member Since:
    Jun 19, 2002
    star 3
    I hate to see it split up...But at the same time it is hard to up a page and have it on page 10 in half an hour.


    I also find it difficult to search for the specifc stories, or even stories in any given catagorie.
  22. MariahJade2 Former Fan Fiction Archive Editor

    VIP
    Member Since:
    Mar 18, 2001
    star 5
    Based on my observations of the forum, I tend to agree that it has grown to the point that we may need to split it up. It has gotten difficult to keep track when things move so fast.
  23. The_Standmaiden Jedi Knight

    Member Since:
    Jul 28, 2002
    star 5
    Okay . .. I posted a super long reply, but it disappeared. :mad: :confused: And it didn't post last time either, so I'm giving it one more shot. Gee, I hope this doen't turn into t triple post! :eek:

    Anyway, the long and short of it was: I am against putting AUs in a seperate forum from their respective eras, as someone interested in the era is more likely to read the story.

    I think giving poems and vignettes with less than a certain number of story posts their own forum, as they do not get the same sort of exposure as an ongoing story.
  24. obaona Jedi Master

    Member Since:
    Jun 18, 2002
    star 4
    I do not believe things sort that easily, JG. What about a story that begins in PT and ends post-ROTJ? I wrote a story that begin intertrilogy and ended OT.

    I'm sure there are other stories just like that.
  25. Sebulba2179 Jedi Master

    Member Since:
    Feb 5, 2002
    star 4
    I'm saying yes. Those of you who think that the forum should stay as it is, let me ask you something (I'm asking an honest question, not making an accusation): Do you get a decent amount of feedback? There are those of us who don't and never have, and as a result, our stories get buried on page ten before we can say antidisestablishmentarianism. The board can grow to as many as ten pages in one 24-hour period, bogging down many stories that are worth a read. I expressed the opinion once before that you can throw a rock and hit upwards of five Jaina/Jag stories hereabouts. So maybe we should split the forum into one for J/J and one for everything else.

    :p Just kidding. If we're going to split it, how many ways are we going to split? Are we going to have two forums, three, four? One for PT, one for OT, one for relationship-driven stories, one for plot-driven stories, one for humour, one for romance, one for angst? I'm all in favour of splitting the forum up, just so long as we can do it practically and have realistic expectations.
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