GateWorld 2.0

[Agent_Dark]

I could really do without the Battlestar Galactica stuff. I understand it has to be mixed in with ratings reports or mixed announcments from scifi. However I would like to see the site remain focused on Stargate news and items, which is what I come here for. Maybe since BSG will no longer be a part of the scifriday lineup and has gone a few successful seasons now, it warrants its own website for fans of the show.

Just an idea.

Nah, I like the BSG stuff here. It's one of my favourite shows along with Stargate, but I really couldn't be bothered going elsewhere to discuss it. Keeps things easier for me with it being in the same place

[ShadowMaat]

Not to reiterate or anything, but...

NOTE: NO FORUM-RELATED SUGGESTIONS, PLEASE

By the by, what we are looking for is suggestions and wish lists for the main site, not the forum. Thanks!

This is for the WEBSITE, not the forum. Although a separate thread for forum suggestions probably wouldn't hurt.

To be perfectly honest, I don't pay much attention to the website. I cruise by to check the headlines on my way to the blogs and that's about it. Although I will say that while I understand the need to "diversify" the site to have all kinds of non-Stargate stuff and to include other sites in the so-called Gateworld network, I think it's a bit overdone. The BSG section at least has BSG headlines, but the rest of them are just place-holders for the barest minimum of ep summaries. If I want detailed info about those shows, I'll go to sites dedicated to them, 'cause those TV Guide-esque summaries are useless.

And while the headlines for the BSG section are nice, I'd kinda like the rest of it to be fleshed out. How about detailed ep descriptions and guest cast listings and whatnot?

Yes, I know that's all probably "coming soon" and I know there's school and work and a baby and all of that and the first person who says "Some of us have real lives away from the site" is going to get smacked in the mouth, but what I'm saying is... what's the point of having all these sections if you don't do anything with them? And if it's SO hard to get things done and there's SO much more work to do, then maybe you should be consolidating rather than expanding.

I know you guys are trying to plan for the future when Stargate isn't around anymore (blasphemy!), but frankly, I don't think it's going to work. When I want to find out something about Stargate, I come to Gateworld. When I want to find out something about BSG or Lost or whatever... I go somewhere else. Even your name- Gateworld- implies Stargate. You're globally famous for being a Stargate resource; not BSG, not Lost, and certainly not Smallville.

Also, from what I understand, you- like most big sites- usually have a backlog of (Stargate-related) stuff that hasn't made it onto the site yet with tons more on the way after the convention, I'm sure. Given that and given the fact that you all have "real lives" and that even the main portion of the site is so time-consuming, why bother with the rest of it? Stick with Stargate. It's the main reason that 99.9% of your audience reads the site.

[Seastallion]

This may NOT be a good idea at all, but it's a thought. Have you ever considered adding a live chatroom to the site, rather than just the forum? Pegasusgalaxy has one, that I visit occaisionly, but it would be very cool to be able to chat in realtime with some of the folks here in gateworld. On the other hand, maybe you HAVE considered it and decided not to for some reason I'm not aware of. In any case, it is just a thought.

edit: mispelling...

[Darren]

We have done some work on a live chat room. It hasn't gone forward yet primarily because it's been bumped down on the priority list. But it is hanging around down there somewhere ...

[Darren]

We definitely intend to remain a Stargate site. I once made the mistake of trying to single-handedly run a multi-brand genre site (SciFiGuide.net), and it didn't work. What you see on the GateWorld home page is the result of consolidation.

The sub-sections for other shows are intended to be static episode guides (with the exception of BSG). We don't ever plan to expand on, say, Smallville, and try to make a kick-### Smallville site. But those episode guides get a decent amount of traffic, so I'm happier with them being there and being small and static than just taking them offline and letting them sit on my hard drive.

Our BSG sub-site is ten times more popular (traffic-wise) than every other sub-site on that list, and we may well continue to expand it. Eventually, though, it may reach maximum velocity and have to become its own site. But GW itself will always be Stargate -- though we do push the occasional special feature from BSG or another show on the home page, we know that to make GW a general sci-fi site at this point in its life would be to dilute what it really is.

[SGalisa]

I'm not familiar with what to change for the main website, beyond already seeing it change several times, since I began visiting here...

And tho BSG seems to be a strong area, with Smallville not quite up there... somehow I think DOCTOR WHO just might grow over time -especially, if the other Whovians and newbies to the entire series via the Sci-Fi channel, start flocking to GateWorld because the original DrWho site is hard to find or too big to get involved in, at the moment.

It was just a thought. I saw it happen with BSG. And believe it might also happen with gateworld's Dr.Who (forum) section. I am glad that gateworld is mostly SG oriented... with splashes and dashes of the other programs within its midst.

There already seems to be some overlapping of SG with Dr.Who in some discussions... (specifically, the confusion of the SG hyperspace vs. Tom Baker era time travelling vortex wormhole...)

PS: I think it was because of the versatility of Dr.Who that I've been able to appreciate Stargate that much more, too.

[ShadowMaat]

There is no Doctor Who section on the Gateworld main site, just a folder on the forum. And I'm not sure I see a need for a section on the main site. It's crowded enough as it is and if all they're going to do is have some TV Guide synopses of the eps, I'd rather go elsewhere and get REAL details from a REAL Who site.

[SGalisa]

after thoughts related to my previous above one... (how to expand, enhance gateworld's main site?)... but first and foremost, thank you Darren for the reassurance - and please don't ever give up on Stargate... I was getting (deeply) worried there for a few months with the "competition" (obviously BSG) pushing SG off the map.

now for the rest...

BTW, if DOCTOR WHO does begin to regain its former *international* popularity, how will that affect the main gateworld website for eps, reviews, pictures, and potential interviews? Isn't there a copyright permission for that, or will Sci-Fi and the BBC grant permission for photos and items already shown elsewhere - for the sake of promoting the entire series?

I think that's part of the main questions I had regarding anything forum to main website related. And I do think it will grow over time; and probably depending on who likes campy (British) humor, etc.

there may be a lot of closet *whovians* who've kept quiet, until the new Doctor # 9 (now old) showed up in the USA. Gateworld has sort of become my own up-to-date link to wherever the official Dr.Who site is (don't know which one is more reliable or the best one to look at, so I've never gotten involved in those). Personally, I'd rather keep updated via here (seems very helpful in addition to some personal inside BBC help-mates, who are dedicated DrWho viewers, and merely drop trinkets of info here and there).

ps: ShadowMaat, sorry -I thought there was (wishful thinking?). don't know. I do think it's rather eerie that we both posted about this nearly about the same time, except you beat me to it...

[Pharaoh Atem]

back on topic one thing you probably can get rid of the ask Sen'il thing unless someone wants to explain it to me i don't understand what that has to do with Stargate.

also make epsiode transcirpts more accable to users by having a link to all of them on the main site instead of having to dig into the episode guides

[ShadowMaat]

back on topic one thing you can get rid of in my opinion as long as i don't get a red rep is you probably can get rid of the ask Sen'il thing unless someone wants to explain it to me i don't understand what that has to do with Stargate.

Yes. And can we get rid of Horizon, too, while we're at it? The first is too cheesy and the second is too fannish. I know you, Darren, made a deal with the Horizon folks, but it's always bothered me. What makes that series better than all the others and why does it deserve equal coverage with REAL news articles and why does it get treated as a REAL series? I've seen a number of confused fans on the forum ask what it is and if it's a real show and that's because the wording on GW rarely/never says that it's strictly a fic series. You have to go to the site for that.

Or if you have to keep it, why not drop all the little announcements thingies and just have it as a subsection... and include all the other virtual spinoffs with it?

[Pharaoh Atem]

personaly you can keep horizon i think it's a good idea to have fanfic series on gateworld. also expand the features section thats on the left of the home page i've always liked that

[ShadowMaat]

personaly you can keep horizon i think it's a good idea to have fanfic series on gateworld. also expand the features section thats on the left of the home page i've always liked that

Yeah, but make it clear that it's a fic series and not a real one. The little graphic on the main page, for instance, could clarify that it's fanfic.

[duffarama]

This is an GateWorld exclusives idea:
I am very disappointed regarding the lack of comments recieved on the forums for the interviews. When you update the website, there should be a more intuative way of attracting discussion for GateWorld exclusives. It could be a simple as creating a reply script integrated with the forums.
I have my enjoyed listening/watching the interviews, but not enough from GateWorld's members have given them reward and justice. The main site needs to be a 'compliment' as persae with the forums.

[David]

Well I've always looked at it this way: If you feel moved enough to say something about one of our pieces, then do. If you don't, then don't worry about it. On our end the traffic reports speak for themselves. And let's just say that Darren and I are quite pleased.

I will be discussing this matter with him when we meet in person this week.

[Trialia]

How about Gateworld banners for folks to use in their sigs or to put onto their websites? Sure, we can just snurch the ones from the top of the pages, but something a little more geared towards actual promotion might be nice.

You know, you could always make your own. Photoshop's a lovely thing. I have a link to GW on my own website, though my forum links are text-only.