The forums are dead, and we gotta fix this!


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QUOTE (warita200 @ Aug 20 2010, 08:48 AM) As for the blog vs. forum issue..... I noticed people love to comment on the streaming sites. Mostly the conributions are one liners such as: "Wonderful episode, LOVE IT, cant wait for next week" or people flaming and insulting each other. Why this is more popular than a forum where you can meaningfully discuss anime with others and read their responses to your own post is beyond me. It may well be that most anime fans are young people who arent interested in a proper discussion.
For the simple reason that its quick and easier. If you just do the blog you dont need to read or even think about your reply, you just need to go 'WWOWOWOWOOW AWESOME EPISODE' and be done with it, probably wont even visit that blog entry again.

Where as forums you have to think about your reply, and cant just get away with single 1 liners, also if you choose to enter the ongoing discussion you have to also read peoples thoughts, think about them in relation to your own views etc etc. As sad as it is people nowadays seem to prefer the quick and easy option.

Although if im honest i do fail to see the appeal since surely if your watching/reading it and clearly enjoying it, you are clearly going to want other peoples opinions on the subject.
 
it seems to me that while I agree with you in principle about wanting to have a meaningful discussion about a given anime, there is that growing trend (or perhaps just lack of attention span) where people just want to speak their peace then move on. Also seems like a mass ADD. The generation of anime fans that grew up in the 90s and early parts of 2000 still seem to enjoy group discussion about various anime series and forming opinionated views while this last generation seems more inclined to watch it, either rant or acknowledge they saw it, then quickly move onto the next thing.

Perhaps I'm just old and am out of touch with this generation, it seems that constructive conversation has more or less given way to people wanting places like chan sites and blogs so they can flame bait, carpet LOLOMGWOW! posts, and generally avoid any actual thinking in their posts. Kinda reminds me of facebook in a way... people spend hours of their lives looking at meaningless posts of people saying stuff like "I just ate at McDs" or "OMG my teacher for my last class is so stupid" and the can quickly respond of click a "like" button.

Given if all of this is true, I think the question can safely be asked if there is a fix which can only benefit the forums instead of dissecting it in favor of the trends. Do we here really want to usher in something that would further distract from posting just for more interaction, do people feel things are fine as they are now, or is there someone who can get a spark of brilliance to rejuvenate the forums into something more active. Judging by the number or respondents from the last league we did here, there are plenty of people who checked that and did reply; so those people are there and do notice when you do something to the main page. I think it's important to look at it and see what can be done to continue attracting others through that main spot on the main page.

I will say this though; more people means more work for the crew here.
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On the first part of your post. Meh, even activity from the older guys is lessening. Most probably due to IRL butting in. That, we can simply do nothing about. The only thing the team can do is something that would attract new users, even the herd of ADD goats, and try to herd them.

Of course, with the forum moderation being as strict as it is [Well I don't find it particularly strict but ADD goats will] they'll probably just turn to chan sites or sites where you can easily give your comment without having to go through the ultimately tedious process of registration which would waste like a couple of minutes of their lives.

It's practically convenience/quantity over quality. Yes this is also a bash against the mushrooming of convenience stores with "good quality as much as grovel quality" food.

EDIT: I'm particularly sad about the thoughtful section. Plus I miss Dalraida. Haven't been particularly thoughtful lately, aside from local news.
 
QUOTE (khael @ Aug 20 2010, 07:44 AM) EDIT: I'm particularly sad about the thoughtful section. Plus I miss Dalraida. Haven't been particularly thoughtful lately, aside from local news.
LOL, Khael dono, hahaha OK.

I kindo miss the thoughful section as well although I must say that it always felt kind strange to have that in an anime forum. I mean, this is anime we are discussing here
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Anyways, would somebody be so kind and explain a member from the older anime generation (---> me) what "ADD" is?
 
Just a guess, ADD = Attention Defacit Disorder ? lol

I dont think the reason for less posting is quite as complex as that, I agree that registration is sometimes a barrier, and I often skip places because I can't be bothered to register. The worst are those where you cant even view things as a guest - I never join those sites, but if you can see its good community and it has a good amount of activity on a subject you like, I think registering is still worth it.

But I am a registered user on here, yet my level of posting is almost nothing. If you take off my posts regarding the webzine then my posts are probably maybe 1 a month. I used to love the Animes section, but to be honest I stopped posting in there because I feel I have to write some long, meaningful, analytical post in order for it to be considered on-topic or even not get ignored or deleted. Now I have no problem with people getting really into the show and wanting to phyco analyse the plot, characters or events, but sometimes an anime is just a bit of fun entertainment, and sometimes I do want to want to say something like "lol that scene where XXX did YYY was really funny, and I really liked how ZZZ reacted" But such comments are frowned upon and are often considered spam.

Put simply, everyone gets enjoyment from an anime in their own way, why then should the discussion be regulated to only a certain type? Doing so limits people's enjoyment of the discussion. People want better discussion, then go have it. If theres a short comment after your master piece, then use the scroll bar or ignore it, you dont have to ban/delete it.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Not sure which of the team members supposedly edits/deletes posts like that. If your post is simply "That episode was great!" then yeah, it'd be frowned upon; but if you actually bring up a specific scene, give details or a reason, then it's all cool. Big difference between:
"That episode was funny!"
and
"That episode was funny! Loved the scene where xxx totally made a fool of himself when he asked yyy that question. I'd have probably ran and jumped out the nearest window from embarrassment xD"

One post is a one liner that leaves no room for discussion. The other gives details and invites others to give input too - whether that be agreement, bringing up a different scene, or even arguing that they saw the scene differently.
 
Indeed the forums here have been slowly regaining some kind of life. Although I don't really blame the issue of now able to download episodes here. Although for some series it's kind of a letdown due to the fact that a series has either been licensed or only have Crunchy ripped subs only.

Aside from that the J-Zine does bring some life to the place along with the FTV League. (Only setback is that monsta-san's laptop dying on him there.)

Besides I think the blog bit is because people want to say what they want even if it means offending the the person I guess. That's the downside of how scociety is going though.
 
Here's something I noticed this season. Every major new show with the exception of Digimon Xros Wars, Amagami SS, and Seitokai Yakuidomo has been acquired by either Crunchyroll or some US licensing group and is being simulcasted. Although we still host the shows shown on Crunchyroll, some shows are only being subbed or rather ripped by HorribleSubs, Crunchysubs, and the like. Animesuki does not pick up titles from such groups and only host "real" fansubs. Taking all this into account, this dramatically makes it less appealing for people to visit this site since not only is it often slower for us to add the file to the server for direct download (compared to say lolipower, animetake, and the like) but also we currently host such a limited library with all the recent acquisitions.

Before starting with getting people back on the forums, we need to get people back on to the main site. I know there were some users creating a library for all the anime music we had at one point (don't know how that project is coming along), but I think we should create a compilation of the stuff from the Request thread as well and make an organized list somewhere. I've been meaning to do this at some point, but have been busy with stuff in real life lately and unable to really sit down and deal with this. Anyone who wants to help me with this is free to do so.
 
QUOTE (Kit-Tsukasa @ Aug 20 2010, 12:13 PM) Here's something I noticed this season. Every major new show with the exception of Digimon Xros Wars, Amagami SS, and Seitokai Yakuidomo has been acquired by either Crunchyroll or some US licensing group and is being simulcasted. Although we still host the shows shown on Crunchyroll, some shows are only being subbed or rather ripped by HorribleSubs, Crunchysubs, and the like. Animesuki does not pick up titles from such groups and only host "real" fansubs. Taking all this into account, this dramatically makes it less appealing for people to visit this site since not only is it often slower for us to add the file to the server for direct download (compared to say lolipower, animetake, and the like) but also we currently host such a limited library with all the recent acquisitions.

Before starting with getting people back on the forums, we need to get people back on to the main site. I know there were some users creating a library for all the anime music we had at one point (don't know how that project is coming along), but I think we should create a compilation of the stuff from the Request thread as well and make an organized list somewhere. I've been meaning to do this at some point, but have been busy with stuff in real life lately and unable to really sit down and deal with this. Anyone who wants to help me with this is free to do so.
I think Kit hit it right on the head. (I tend to ramble at times when I can't think of how to make a point
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)

The main page is the gateway into the forums and the rest of the site. Looking at that first will open things up for here; at least for those who do wish to join and post.

Perhaps another idea to consider might be for series which are simulcast on places like FUNimation or crunchyroll, instead of completely ignoring it due to being licensed, when the new episode comes out add a screen capture and link to the site so they can watch it streamed from the source?

At least that way, it would encourage the visitor to click on the release to get to the link and they can see the discussion.
 
QUOTE (obsan @ Aug 21 2010, 12:47 AM)I think Kit hit it right on the head.
^agreed.

A further problem is that Animesuki is not listing shows that are similcast, recently things like Kaicho wa Maid-sama, and Ichiban no Daimaou were not listed at all on AS, also some of their license DB is getting a bit unreliable. I had them anyway, but it makes things harder without the AS feed.


QUOTE (obsan @ Aug 21 2010, 12:47 AM)Perhaps another idea to consider might be for series which are simulcast on places like FUNimation or crunchyroll, instead of completely ignoring it due to being licensed, when the new episode comes out add a screen capture and link to the site so they can watch it streamed from the source?

At least that way, it would encourage the visitor to click on the release to get to the link and they can see the discussion.
Can't do that, use of the screenshot is breach of copyright, and Funimation have sent C&Ds for screenshots before. Also, linking to their site will show up in their stats that it came from here, and thus draw their attention to FTV, which is not a good idea.

Also, whys everyone picking on the front page
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Am i the only one who like it as is? lol
 
Then how about promotional images? Those should be able to be used under the "Fair use" law and unless the site is making a profit from it, it should be completely legal. It wouldn't even need to be from the actual episode.

And couldn't we use a link redirect?

Linking to crunchyroll or funimation's main page shouldn't be a bad thing seeing as you're encouraging people to seek out legitimate forms of their product.

I realize there is that fine line FTV and others must walk, which is why I'm trying to offer opinions on how to keep it legit and legal.

Also, I like the main page too, however I think there could be room for improvement seeing as it's the gateway for this site and the possible key to attracting members to post in the forum. Practically the first two things I look at are which anime has been released followed by which threads are active. If there was some way to enhance the front page to increase interest in active topics, it might be a bonus for the forums with new members.
 
QUOTE (obsan @ Aug 20 2010, 07:46 PM) Then how about promotional images? Those should be able to be used under the "Fair use" law and unless the site is making a profit from it, it should be completely legal. It wouldn't even need to be from the actual episode.
Japan is picky on these issues. Just putting up slideshows of images or small clips of anime on Youtube often results in them being taken down by copyright either via request of the animators themselves or a regional licensing company on their behalf. Fan art may be a different issue though.


QUOTE And couldn't we use a link redirect?

Linking to crunchyroll or funimation's main page shouldn't be a bad thing seeing as you're encouraging people to seek out legitimate forms of their product.

I realize there is that fine line FTV and others must walk, which is why I'm trying to offer opinions on how to keep it legit and legal.
The problem is that it doesn't help us considering we're hosting fansubs of series on Crunchyroll. It would actually be looked down upon by Funimation and we would be more of a potential target for C&D. This wouldn't be a bad thing if we were to get the site up on its feet again, but if everything was basically reduced to the forums, our traffic would probably be nearly zero then.


QUOTE Also, I like the main page too, however I think there could be room for improvement seeing as it's the gateway for this site and the possible key to attracting members to post in the forum. Practically the first two things I look at are which anime has been released followed by which threads are active. If there was some way to enhance the front page to increase interest in active topics, it might be a bonus for the forums with new members.

I don't think the problem is a visibility issue but rather that there's nothing to talk about. The anime industry is still down and the quality of anime is still very poor as of late. I'm sure I said this before, but if not, I'm only enjoying 2-3 shows at best nowadays compared to the usual 6 or 7. I'm pretty sure many others are in the same boat I am of seeing a large dip in what's good to watch. People don't really go to anime sites to talk for the most part. 70-80% are usually leechers. The remaining 20-30% are on the forums because there's something to do there. For example, animesuki have image, signatures, avatars, gif, fanart threads, etc... dedicated for popular series for people to share content they find from other places as well as people to request them. If I recall correctly, the ecchi pics thread were a big hit when they were originally viewable to all guests and users and generated a lot of traffic.
Of course, it doesn't help either if we just turn this into another animesuki for direct downloads.
 
Why not try that database project you told me about on the main site? All you need for that is manpower and time. All the information you'd want on fansubbers is available in various sites.

QUOTE The remaining 20-30% are on the forums because there's something to do there.

I'm here because this has become my home in the internet. My old forums with my old buddies died years ago. QQ
 
Well i dont do much meaningful discussion in the anime forums but still when i like a episode and have time to comment ( ...
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) i always comment on episode and scenes. But definitely the numbers of comments about series have come down a lot compared to 1 or 2 years ago. In most of the series, i c mainly 2 3 peoples commenting about episodes like kit_tsukasa, killerosu, kidwolf etc. Further in last 2 weeks i can hardly c any activity in forum other than this topic
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.... hopefully i can more people writing and discussing about episodes ...

Licensing has become a serious issue over time and its getting more and more strict day by day. Few nice sites are coming down because of that like onemanga.com which was my first choice for reading manga had to remove their whole database because of licensing and stuffs. Good series are getting licensed is another reason for less discussion too.

People here are talking about animesuki a lot..... i dont use torrents for download so i never visited their site but their site looks so boring from the main page. I feel fansub looks more lively. If u have links directly on main page you would never bother to go inside. I like the flow here. There are screen shots for episodes on main page have to go to next page with discussion before you download. You feel like reading the discussion and comment on it. I read the discussion of most the series i download although i comment rarely
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and furthur i like that i get direct download links here.
 
I must adimit that I've been with the FTV forums for a while though I might have not posted often. I've seen the forums go from the busiest to a slow grind but still I'm not going to give up on them. There are still a lot of great discussions taking place here and despite the lack of users its still a great site.
 
I have to say I'm finding less and less reason to come here. you guys update anime slowly and you don't host all of them. I know you guys are trying to be legitimate and family friendly, But it's really holding you back.
 
QUOTE (Kit-Tsukasa @ Aug 21 2010, 12:11 AM) Japan is picky on these issues. Just putting up slideshows of images or small clips of anime on Youtube often results in them being taken down by copyright either via request of the animators themselves or a regional licensing company on their behalf. Fan art may be a different issue though.


The problem is that it doesn't help us considering we're hosting fansubs of series on Crunchyroll. It would actually be looked down upon by Funimation and we would be more of a potential target for C&D. This wouldn't be a bad thing if we were to get the site up on its feet again, but if everything was basically reduced to the forums, our traffic would probably be nearly zero then.



I don't think the problem is a visibility issue but rather that there's nothing to talk about. The anime industry is still down and the quality of anime is still very poor as of late. I'm sure I said this before, but if not, I'm only enjoying 2-3 shows at best nowadays compared to the usual 6 or 7. I'm pretty sure many others are in the same boat I am of seeing a large dip in what's good to watch. People don't really go to anime sites to talk for the most part. 70-80% are usually leechers. The remaining 20-30% are on the forums because there's something to do there. For example, animesuki have image, signatures, avatars, gif, fanart threads, etc... dedicated for popular series for people to share content they find from other places as well as people to request them. If I recall correctly, the ecchi pics thread were a big hit when they were originally viewable to all guests and users and generated a lot of traffic.
Of course, it doesn't help either if we just turn this into another animesuki for direct downloads.
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You always seem to find a way to dissect my posts Kit. But that's cool, I can see what you're trying to say.

Well, needless to say my ideas are out of the window; I tried at least.
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*goes back to blogging*
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QUOTE (NeoScott @ Aug 21 2010, 04:38 PM) I have to say I'm finding less and less reason to come here. you guys update anime slowly and you don't host all of them. I know you guys are trying to be legitimate and family friendly, But it's really holding you back.
Please do offer suggestions as to what would help keep you as well as other members of your sort on this site, or rather what would give you a reason to come here. This is the one of the few posts I've seen that state why people lose interests even if it's an obvious fact.

I mean, Daft is the only one who has control of the servers in general so none of us can really deal with that. As for the recent licensing spree that companies have been going on, would it help with providing more anime to this site both old and new that are unlicensed? There are numerous titles from the late 90s to the early 2000s that still remain unlicensed and I'm curious if members would be interested in seeing more of those?

Are there any other things that could help give you or anyone else a reason to become active again? (e.g. restarting the competitions, more art galleries?, etc...)
 
QUOTE (Kit-Tsukasa @ Aug 22 2010, 03:32 AM) There are numerous titles from the late 90s to the early 2000s that still remain unlicensed and I'm curious if members would be interested in seeing more of those?

Well I personally would be interested to see some old titles. In fact even right now i'm going threw several more or less old shows. But looking them up on the net can be quite hard these days, so if we could get some here - it would be wonderful.

QUOTE (Kit-Tsukasa @ Aug 22 2010, 03:32 AM)
Are there any other things that could help give you or anyone else a reason to become active again? (e.g. restarting the competitions, more art galleries?, etc...)

I believe this has already been discussed lol.. and most support... ^^

[Mod's Note: The post below this was deleted because it was off-topic]
 
QUOTE (Kit-Tsukasa @ Aug 21 2010, 07:32 PM) Please do offer suggestions as to what would help keep you as well as other members of your sort on this site, or rather what would give you a reason to come here. This is the one of the few posts I've seen that state why people lose interests even if it's an obvious fact.

I mean, Daft is the only one who has control of the servers in general so none of us can really deal with that. As for the recent licensing spree that companies have been going on, would it help with providing more anime to this site both old and new that are unlicensed? There are numerous titles from the late 90s to the early 2000s that still remain unlicensed and I'm curious if members would be interested in seeing more of those?

Are there any other things that could help give you or anyone else a reason to become active again? (e.g. restarting the competitions, more art galleries?, etc...)
Chat box? I liked the idea of the voice server, but no one was on for the week I camped it. Yeah, add more anime, try to post stuff most people wont have. Rare gems are always to the liking, trying making an anime of the week that only anime made before 2005 can qualify for. Maybe start hosting more news?
 
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