Lack of activity in op exchanges...

[seasons]

The biggest change is really centered around the redesign. Once that is completed we'll be able to add new features, open new doors, etc. Until then, I think the biggest reason a lot of the suggestions are shot down is because we honestly can't do them. I'm not a programmer myself but from what I've been told the main website is broken as all hell. Believe me, I want to see amazing things happen but until then the best we can do is try and keep people active and involved in the small part that does work, the forum.

As far as the long-prophesized redesign goes... is this something that's in the works? Or has ever been in the works? I hear a lot of people talk about the redesign but I don't know if any of them actually know anything about it.

Is it a matter of money? Would we need programmers that we don't have? Is there someone who could make a decision about this today/this month/this year who needs something first? What would they need?

Or is it a matter of the users desiring something that the webmaster(s) are not currently invested or interested in?

I don't know if this is the thread to talk about this or not but if not now, when? If not here, where?

[Radical_Yue]

The redesign is like a unicorn to most people nowadays. But basically, this is the last ditch effort to make it happen.

Here is a brief history....

Mid 2000s a couple admins wanted to see a redesign done but couldn't get it approved so they left.
Then a redesign was being worked on "behind the scenes" for a very long period of time but nothing massive was ever accomplished due to those in charge having busy home-lives and such.
Flash forward to a couple years ago, Trythil had taken over the redesign and had some really cool basic betas worked out + major plans. Due to other interests, personal disagreements, and a certain level of backlash he received over various different topics, he stopped.
At the beginning of this year we got a team together with a lead (whip cracker), a front end designer and two programmers. It's moving slowly since it's a TON to do with a small number of people but they're accomplishing things slowly but surely. This group of people (who again, I won't name but they can name themselves if they want) are basically our last bet at getting this shit done.
If there is anyone with any skills they'd like to try lending to the effort, let me know via PM and I will let the lead get in contact with you.


It's not a matter of money, even though donations have declined quite a bit in the last few years due to lack of activity. And it has nothing to do with the webmaster considering he's not even in the picture (I've never even personally talked with Phade). It's more about having a force of people who are able to get it done. These guys are working their asses off and trying their best.


There has been a lot of drama and endless headaches involved in the redesign process. Even discussions of putting the Org out to pasture. But for me this is it. I've wanted to see the Org back up and awesome for a long time now, a very long time. If this doesn't happen then I'm basically done.

As you can see, I've got no problem discussing it

[trythil]

I still get Gemnasium security updates for the .org codebase I started, which is pretty funny because it no longer publicly exists.

Flash forward to a couple years ago, Trythil had taken over the redesign and had some really cool basic betas worked out + major plans. Due to other interests, personal disagreements, and a certain level of backlash he received over various different topics, he stopped.

"trythil's personality was a bad fit and he lost interest" might be a more accurate way of stating that.

The reason why I started doing other things is that working on fixing the .org felt thankless. It's not something that I could maintain long-term interest in, and trying to convince people of some crazy new idea always hit resistance. (This probably had a lot to do with the way I broached the subject.)

I think the best thing you (the general "you') can do to get this redesign really done is not to just keep asking about it, but to cheerlead it on. The people working on it right now might have some nutty new ideas. If they do, I'd say that you shouldn't trash it immediately (this is hard to do; I know, because I struggle to stop myself from doing it, and I rarely succeed) but to just support it. (At this point? Yes, unconditionally.) They're building it because they think it's what the .org really needs, and there is always time later to tweak and perhaps even redesign again if it turns out that it really doesn't work.

Nobody has ever been paid to work on the .org, so demonstrating that sort of want -- I'd say that it's really a "I need you to finish this" dependency -- is very important.

Yue has always been that way, even when I was working on it. To be honest, though, that wasn't enough for me, and I don't know if it's enough for the current group. It definitely couldn't hurt if more people showed that they care.

[seasons]

Go programmers go! I believe in you!

[CrackTheSky]

Go programmers go! I believe in you!

What he said.

[Gene Starwind 21122]

Programers believe in the me that believes in you! Seriously I really do appreciate the org and everything all the admins and everyone has done for it over the years.

[Pwolf]

I think the best thing you (the general "you') can do to get this redesign really done is not to just keep asking about it, but to cheerlead it on. The people working on it right now might have some nutty new ideas. If they do, I'd say that you shouldn't trash it immediately (this is hard to do; I know, because I struggle to stop myself from doing it, and I rarely succeed) but to just support it. (At this point? Yes, unconditionally.) They're building it because they think it's what the .org really needs, and there is always time later to tweak and perhaps even redesign again if it turns out that it really doesn't work.

What David said. It's too late to argue and discuss about what should be done or what everyone wants from a new site. Not only have we done that plenty of times in the past but there's a whole sub forum of it. It's time for action. We are taking action, albeit slow, and the best thing you can do is support us.

[Diegao]

Making a better forum/site is a good idea, maybe people will be more likely to use it and upload their videos here, but that will never fix the community in my opinion. Nowdays there are other ways to share, communicate and give feedbacks (if someone wants them), like the already mentioned Skype. At first I thought that forums were an "old thing", but I found out that forums of other topics (sports, technology, science, anime in general, videogames) are very attended, so I guess that AMVs are the "problem". The only AMV-related forums which are still alive and kicking are the ones of studios/teams, and not all of them.
However, I hope that the situation will be better in the future, even if I wouldn't bet on it.
And about the opinions, I really like giving them and I like the way I can do it in this site, so I guess I will open a free opinions topic to start giving some help.
Oh and I'll do my yearly donation as soon as I can as well.

[Changelling]

I'll just take a moment to say Hell Yesh programmers sans-chans-samas! Keep going!

and a small suggestion. There is this small thing that we do in our ENP forum called "AMVs of the Month" which is basically a thread @ the end of each month that presents the top 5 AMVs that were announced on our forum within that month. The purpose is to show recognition and appreciation to the videos one more time (since videos are mostly forgotten after 2-3 days of being announced if they're not sexeh as hell). So ya I believe that if the org was to make similar threads it would boost up the activity, and editors who drop-and-go are more likely to stay and attend that. Perhaps people will even be interested in watching other announcements to see who is more likely to get a place in the thread.

[CrackTheSky]

I'll just take a moment to say Hell Yesh programmers sans-chans-samas! Keep going!

and a small suggestion. There is this small thing that we do in our ENP forum called "AMVs of the Month" which is basically a thread @ the end of each month that presents the top 5 AMVs that were announced on our forum within that month. The purpose is to show recognition and appreciation to the videos one more time (since videos are mostly forgotten after 2-3 days of being announced if they're not sexeh as hell). So ya I believe that if the org was to make similar threads it would boost up the activity, and editors who drop-and-go are more likely to stay and attend that. Perhaps people will even be interested in watching other announcements to see who is more likely to get a place in the thread.

This actually doesn't seem like a bad idea. I'd be interested to know by what criteria these Top 5 are determined, but I definitely think that would be cool. If it was presented correctly, it could really keep people around, and eventually (hopefully) draw more people in.