The Future of GateWorld (Community Discussion)

[DigiFluid]

There are also some glaring omissions from the General Sci-fi and Fantasy section such as The Walking Dead - when its clear a science fiction show is a hit there should be a section made about it right away, unless GW is not interested in providing a place for discussion about popular shows.

That's a whoooooole other can of worms

[DigiFluid]

maybe, in Sue Jackson's idea, instead of different threads for non-scifi shows (we do have a deadliest catch thread) threads can be made for the networks those shows air on. for example a discovery channel thread, a history channel thread, etc

I guess my point is, individual threads for shows can get lost, but network threads covering any shows on that network could be a bit more active to not get lost

I have to voice a bit of dissent on this one too. What about networks that play a lot of series? Take HBO for instance....are Entourage, Sopranos, Band of Brothers, Curb Your Enthusiasm and (etc etc) fans just supposed to talk over one another to carry on a dialogue about the show they want to talk about?

It'd be messy, very messy. Like the Stargate episode general discussion threads; a real pain in the behind to try to read or participate in.

[Skydiver]

i can appreciate that. maybe a 'all for one' approach doesn't work well. Have a network that has a lot of shows, each show can have its own thread, but have another one that has only 1 popular show and a couple of mediocrely popular shows, they might be lumped

or maybe each show gets its own

I think my point is, it will come down to forum members ot keep things going and active. which means they may likely be the ones to make a thread, but it also means they'll be the ones keeping things going. Let's say that Darren wants to add a non-scifi section full of shows....I would imagine that he'd leave it to fans to make threads - like they do now. Well you guys want them to stay alive and active, you're going to have to do the work to keep them going.

Just a point to think about, the life of a forum comes from its members.

[DigiFluid]

I don't know that I'd even want to see a whole non-SF section with subforums and all, but a single non-SF forum may not be a bad idea. We could just run individual show threads within (a thread for Deadliest Catch, a thread for Mad Men, etc).

[LoneStar1836]

I don't know that I'd even want to see a whole non-SF section with subforums and all, but a single non-SF forum may not be a bad idea. We could just run individual show threads within (a thread for Deadliest Catch, a thread for Mad Men, etc).

I've been wanting this for years.

I've voiced this want several times in the Suggestions thread. But I thought this thread was only about the discussion of the main page content so I didn't comment about the forum itself.

Anyway, yes a single folder that could be counted as OT (as I could care less about post count) would be great for shows that don't fall into the General S/F folder. Threads for those shows get bumped down by all the other randomness in OT. Stick all those threads in one folder and they'd be easier to find and would hopefully likely generate more discussion in them.

[planet_tv]

Something else I thought of what about this: When you click on the General Sci-Fi and Fantasy section what about having 3 folders in there called TV shows, Movies, Books. Then maybe something similar in the OT section.

I think for the General Sci-Fi and Fantasy section it would help determine what new TV shows are popular and if said show is popular enough to get its own section under SciFi Stream.

One other suggestion I thought of for the future of GateWorld is this: what about once or twice a mouth release a word puzzle (crossword, word search, etc.) on the main page with a title like Here's the Gateworld word puzzle for the month.

What made me thing of that is that I have program where you can create word puzzles like crosswords, word searches and some other word puzzles.

I figure newspapers and some magazines, outside of word puzzle books, have word puzzles why not GateWorld.

I don't know if this is good idea but if it did turn out to be one then I would gladly help out with it.

[DigiFluid]

Something else I thought of what about this: When you click on the General Sci-Fi and Fantasy section what about having 3 folders in there called TV shows, Movies, Books. Then maybe something similar in the OT section.

I think for the General Sci-Fi and Fantasy section it would help determine what new TV shows are popular and if said show is popular enough to get its own section under SciFi Stream.

I see what you're getting at. Personally I'd have to disagree with that....I think what the community needs in a period of downtime is to be pushed together, rather than split apart.

[Spimman]

I don't know that I'd even want to see a whole non-SF section with subforums and all, but a single non-SF forum may not be a bad idea. We could just run individual show threads within (a thread for Deadliest Catch, a thread for Mad Men, etc).

I think most of us come to GW for Science Fiction an I'm not sure branching out into non-sci-fi (other than the OT area) is a good use of the limited GW resources.

That being said, if something like this is done I think having a good Demi-Mod or Mod to manage the area would be important. Have a place for a single thread about each show, with no random threads allowed (similar to the Season by Season areas of other shows), makes those go in General OT.

[RDAfan61]

First off, I'd like to say thanks very much to Darren and anyone else who works to keep this site going. I was coming to Gateworld even before it became the incarnation it is now, I think it was the Delphi Forums? Anyway, it is a home away from home for me and lots of others.

I think you might be surprised at how attended a forum for old shows might be. I have attended one that is rather prolific for fic for a Western from the 60s. I'm thinking people interested in these shows may want a comfortable place like Gateworld to discuss them and find others who enjoy them as well. It wasn't until Gateworld that I realized I wasn't the only one who enjoyed whump of my fav characters in a show. ;-)

Anyway, I enjoy the site a lot and feel just do what you have to do to bring people in and keep it alive. I look forward to having this place around for many more years.

Happy Holidays Darren and everyone at Gateworld.

[Snowman37]

Archive Mode. We don't update the site as much with new content, but focus all our efforts on catching up on those static portions of the site that are unfinished or out of date (the episode guides for past shows, the Omnipedia, etc.). The site as it exists now is all here (yes, including the forum), when you want to visit and look up something -- but we don't do much in the way of new content.

This option seems best. What news will there to be to cover if there's nothing in production? I come here for Stargate news and to discuss the show. If I want to read about another show or discuss that show, I'll go to a website dedicated to that show. I do use some of the non-Stargate forums, but that's purely out of convenience. If they weren't there, I wouldn't care. In regards to expanding... if you're going to expand to cover a whole range of science-fiction shows, why call the website GateWorld? How about SciFiWorld? Why stop at science-fiction? There are plenty of good shows outside the genre worthy of attention and discussion.

I say keep it simple, focus on Stargate and go into archive mode until news of a new production comes this way.

[Myth]

First, I want to preface this by saying that I've been a fan of Stargate since the beginning and a fan of Gateworld since it's beginning. That said, I've watched far larger, far more advanced sites and concepts become ghost towns and fade away. My advice is, after the end of SGU, if there's no immediate news of anything more Stargate-related to come in the near-term, lock down the site and let it die. Really, websites of this type are already a dying breed and any work you would do on it other than strictly textual content enhancement would serve only to hasten the path to a point of diminishing returns. What made Gateworld a success wasn't that it was the shiniest bauble in the display but rather it's dedication to the cause. Without the cause, it would become just another item on the shelf. I mean, really, much of the site doesn't even work particularly well in more modern browsers. And as Neil Young said, it's better to burn out than to fade away.

I'd suggest finding a new hobby and starting from scratch.

[sgc]

Clear-cut answer: Archive mode **with a twist**

The twist:
Keep GW oriented on all venues of Stargate, including video games and old episodes. Also, orient it more on what the next step for Stargate will be, including shows, movies, etc. We should focus on continuing Stargate in these forms, and how we can get there, etc.

I am really happy that GW will not be going anywhere, because although I am new, it has become a home to me. I love it here. Everyone is friendly and welcoming, and we engage in great discussions relating to SG. I hope that GW will live on forever, just like Stargate.

[Snowman37]

Myth makes some very valid points. When Star Trek ended in 2005, a lot of fan sites closed. I used to follow Roswell (1999-02), and all the fan sites basically dried up within a year. I'm not saying close GateWorld, but you should expect a decreased interest from fandom as new, exciting shows crop up.

[Captain Lazlo]

Myth makes some very valid points. When Star Trek ended in 2005, a lot of fan sites closed. I used to follow Roswell (1999-02), and all the fan sites basically dried up within a year. I'm not saying close GateWorld, but you should expect a decreased interest from fandom as new, exciting shows crop up.

This is why survival could be improved by expanding into new sci fi and drawing some new fans in.

[Snowman37]

Which is fine. I suggested changing the site's name to reflect this.

[Pharaoh Atem]

Which is fine. I suggested changing the site's name to reflect this.

merge scifi stream and GW?

[sgc]

merge scifi stream and GW?

Eh... I don't like that idea. This is a Stargate forum, and I think it should remain that way. I'm not against having the SciFi stream in any way, but it should remain in its own little corner. I want to come to a forum that is dedicated to Stargate where most of the attention is towards Stargate, and I am fairly sure that other fans will agree. If it's a general sci-fi forum, then the people that are here for Stargate probably won't come here anymore, or at least as often.

[jelgate]

Eh... I don't like that idea. This is a Stargate forum, and I think it should remain that way. I'm not against having the SciFi stream in any way, but it should remain in its own little corner. I want to come to a forum that is dedicated to Stargate where most of the attention is towards Stargate, and I am fairly sure that other fans will agree. If it's a general sci-fi forum, then the people that are here for Stargate probably won't come here anymore, or at least as often.

The Scifi stream forum is already at the same place as the GW Forum

[sgc]

The Scifi stream forum is already at the same place as the GW Forum

I believe what Pharaoh Atem meant was merge it into the same forum, where Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, and SGU were just in that same list of shows in the Sci-Fi stream.

[Pharaoh Atem]

triple fail

http://www.gateworld.net/

http://www.scifistream.com/

i meant merge both of darren's babies into one big site. that way scifi stream bring in new content and we would still have the forum and gateworld's stargate libaray