Our update model. Opinions, please.

[Dejana]

Since the very beginning, I've always been married to the weekly update model. I thought it made it easier to keep track of what you had and hadn't seen, and what was new. With the decline in submissions, however, and the increase in members who don't visit every week, I've had a few requests to show more than one week's worth of submissions on the New pages. That got me thinking maybe it's time to switch to the more popular rolling updates model, in which stories and art approved by the moderators would be available on the New pages immediately and would stay there for a number of weeks. Perhaps a month, if that sounds good to everyone. What do you guys think? Gimme your votes in the poll above.

While I'm at it, I'm also considering removing the Elite Library altogether and extending the Top pages to include 50 or even 100 items. Any objections?

[Jose and the Contrarians]

I, for one, fully endorse the idea of rolling updates, probably because it is the model I'm more familiar with from my own experiences in fanfiction sites.

While I love the idea of the Elite Library, it's not something we've really promoted enough to make it truly successful. It's not something we remember when we're reading a really enjoyable story that's very well written. Extending the top stories on the site will be a good way to showcase the most loved stories.

[Yumeko]

I like the weekly updates. Granted, now that I'm a story moderater, I don't really check the New Stories page much since I already know what's going to be on it, but when the board first opened, I was happy to see weekly updates because I didn't really like it much when ASMR switched to rolling updates. There was just something fun and nostalgic about waiting for the updates to be posted, and I do think it's easier to keep up with stories like that. However, I agree that it might be nice for the stories to stay on the page for a month or so under a "Previous Updates" section or something.

No objections to removing the Elite Library from me, and I'd like to see the Top pages to include a hundred items.

- Yumeko -

[Jason: A Modern Man]

I'm all for extending the Top Stories. As for the Elite Library, as great as the idea sounds, I never really saw a need for it. People would just look to the Top Stories for what's good. After all, if so many people are reading it....

[Dejana]

However, I agree that it might be nice for the stories to stay on the page for a month or so under a "Previous Updates" section or something.

Unfortunately it's all or nothing. I might be able to figure out a way to make a "Previous Updates" page display a range of dates without messing up the New pages, but off the top of my head I don't think the database is set up to allow that.

I preferred the weekly update model on ASMR too, but the way we're going here, it's only a matter of time until we hit a week where there's nothing new. Traffic has really declined since our early days.

[kelleh]

This sounds good to me. It's at least worth a try, and if it ends up not being all that favorable or traffic picks up again, you could always go back to the old model.

[Yumeko]

Unfortunately it's all or nothing. I might be able to figure out a way to make a "Previous Updates" page display a range of dates without messing up the New pages, but off the top of my head I don't think the database is set up to allow that.

Ah, that's a shame. It was a nice compromise between the two models. Well, I'm still in favor of keeping the weekly updates even without that function -- apparently the lone wolf, it seems...

- Yumeko -

[Onyx]

Simplicity, that is the buzz word these days, for better or worse, but innovation has a place and I feel we should not re-invent the wheel necessarily, but pace set, start new things and be more experimental.


I like the idea of writers within the last 12 months having their own list, because, the future of fandom doesn't get anywhere near the focus and attention it deserves. Glory days are fine to reflect on and celebrate, but if we do not nurture the current talent, and give them a chance to shine and to grow, and be recognized and build their own fanbase and such, then it bodes not well for fanfiction into the medium to long term. I really feel very strongly about this and cannot understand why anyone might find such a noble goal objectionable.

Most people who are current writers I talk to are discouraged, and including myself, for hardly anyone reviews, and or comments, and it is the readers culture we we're in, sadly, but that doesn't mean we can't find ways to change that culture.

Maybe its just a phase reflecting the uncertain times we are in, for a few sites, blogs, journals and others also have this problem with declining content and creativity, and above all, encouragement in general.

I have seen this coming, and it still worries me.