Should we be actively trying to find new members?

[Archangel]

The whole gotwoot subs thing was kind of a bust, if we had few members then we have even fewer now.

Should we be looking for other ways to increase the member pool or is everyone pretty much ok with the forum eventually dying on its own?

[Animeniax]

The only way we'd get new members is to diversify our subject matter or offer something illegal such as downloads. I think the off-topic section gets as much action as the anime section.

[UChessmaster]

The only way we'd get new members is to diversify our subject matter or offer something illegal such as downloads. I think the off-topic section gets as much action as the anime section.

You mean like the illegal anime and manga we post here every week?

[shinta|hikari]

How many visits does the site get? Maybe there are quite a few people lurking but just never register? If so, they are probably just afraid of getting bullied around when they try to post.

[Animeniax]

You mean like the illegal anime and manga we post here every week?

Unless it's changed, we post links, not the actual material. You can get links anywhere, so it's no incentive to visit here.

[Buffalobiian]

Unless it's changed, we post links, not the actual material. You can get links anywhere, so it's no incentive to visit here.

We're also not the fastest nor the most consistent when it comes to posting links.

I wouldn't be so quick to say that GW-subs lost members. BoC was declining in his activities anyway. I can't think of anyone else who's left, and if anything the group would have gotten us more exposure and members signing up. The number of those who stayed wouldn't be any different than if GW-subs never happened.

While gaining members may have been the initial trigger for starting that group running, I think the primary goal was to produce subs for people to enjoy. We can look at the effect of the group and what it had on the forums, but if we were to judge them by that then it'd be unfair.

I'd like more members and fresh blood, but I wouldn't know how to do it.

[UChessmaster]

Unless it's changed, we post links, not the actual material. You can get links anywhere, so it's no incentive to visit here.

Are links to download copyrighted material not illegal?

[Animeniax]

Are links to download copyrighted material not illegal?

Not sure, though I doubt it. As long as you're not hosting the material then I can't see that posting links to it is illegal. Either way, people won't visit and stay for links like I was saying.

[UChessmaster]

Not sure, though I doubt it. As long as you're not hosting the material then I can't see that posting links to it is illegal. Either way, people won't visit and stay for links like I was saying.

Yeah I agree, I`m personally comfortable with the amount of members we have, new members will always join in because of those early Naruto dubs.

[Sapphire]

I like how he didn't mention GotWoot Scans at all.

[Kraco]

I was honestly surprised GotWoot subs didn't bring us a bunch of new regulars. I guess only then I finally admitted the anime world wasn't anymore the same. Perhaps anime watchers don't anymore care to frequent forums as much as they did back during the heydays of fansubbing, instead sticking to shit like Facebook and whatnot like the usual masses or perhaps they all flock around Crunchyroll and the few bigger database sites like MAL, ANN, AniDB, etc.

In short, I think it would be nigh impossible to get new posters here. Time has simply passed sites like Gotwoot. But then again, I think most of us have seen the slow death of once popular sites before. It's natural development.

[UChessmaster]

I like how he didn't mention GotWoot Scans at all.

What GotWoot scans?

[Carnage]

I think its possible if Gotwoot subbed a popular anime or something. The question is, if more people signed up on Gotwoot, would you be okay with 90%+ of them being either young-mid teenagers or people with little and less to say?

[Buffalobiian]

I think its possible if Gotwoot subbed a popular anime or something. The question is, if more people signed up on Gotwoot, would you be okay with 90%+ of them being either young-mid teenagers or people with little and less to say?

We'd need more moderators, that's for sure.

With the emergence of HorribleSubs and Crunchyroll, I feel that decent, speedily-subbed anime is readily available now. You'd have to be consistently better and still fast to attract people. Subbing niche anime that no one else subs was an option, but with niche anime comes a small market.

Maybe hosting adult material would work, but I already know of at least one good site and see no way of beating it.

[UChessmaster]

Would give a whole new meaning to "Gotwoot?"

[Sapphire]

I don't think fansubbing is a good way to go to bring in forumers, unless a few people are willing to make it an unpaid fulltime job to be faster/better than everyone else for at least 2-3 cours. In fact, bringing people to GW was never the primary motivation of the creation of the group (that would obviously be unsustainable, especially for three years), but more a hopeful side effect.

The most successful site/forum combos I've seen that don't create their own content have some unique systemic advantage over the other sites - Like Manga Traders or Haruhi Chan (or MAL, ANN, etc).

GW had the niche on a few popular/mainstreamly hyped anime like Mirai Nikki and Sword Art Online (with UTW), but yeah. Discussing these shows in a centralized hubbub trumps a place like this unless you put in some hardcore work, I think. Also, at this point none of the staff in the group were actual forum members except me, so getting everyone to market the forum as much as possible other than a link in the navigation would have been troublesome. It would also take some sort of hyper motivation on the forumers part to join a place where they're likely to get bullied or hazed by someone retarded (like Arch).

Or, someone could animate an original anime! Or create a manga~

-


What GotWoot scans?

Some failed attempt at creating a scanlation group by Arch .

[Archangel]

I don't think fansubbing is a good way to go to bring in forumers

http://www.gotwoot-subs.net/

Especially when you don't even link to the forums on the website. And lets not even mention that lulzy attempt to try to make your own forum.

[Sapphire]

Discuss button.

The staff forum (admin button) has locked registration only for staff, idiot.

[Archangel]

HAHAHA YOU LITERALLY CHANGED IT TO HERE JUST NOW!

You are so fucking sad girl, holy shit.

[Sapphire]

Also, at this point none of the staff in the group were actual forum members except me, so getting everyone to market the forum as much as possible other than a link in the navigation

http://puu.sh/4lycJ/ec79e3b812.png


...........

[Ryllharu]

@Saph

Arch is referring to the time you deleted the link to this forum off of the fansub site, and had a beta forum running in its place.

It's been restored since at least September 1st of this year according to the bing and google caches, but all of us on IRC remember when you deleted the link.

[Sapphire]

@Ryll: Yeah, I was considering dissociating the group for a bit (for reasons I won't get into now, or maybe we could, since it's relevant). But the new link was still just a staff forum with locked registration. Think about it. If old GW wasn't exploding with new forum members, nor would new.

If he really was attempting to refer to then, he didn't do a very good job, considering he couldn't read 3 paragraphs into the post he quoted or scan the website he linked properly.

I haven't changed anything on the front page (and wouldn't have any reason to) since at least June. (see retirement post that's stickied).

Aside from that, I think retaining new members would be a lot easier if they weren't immediately bullied *by certain posters, ahem* into never posting again. It's kinda contradictory to start a thread about getting new members but be the same member to chase them all off.

[Archangel]

So yeah, moving on. Should we maybe make a poll of this? People who wants more members on one pick and people who don't on the other.

[Kraco]

It's kinda contradictory to start a thread about getting new members but be the same member to chase them all off.

Not at all! If one's hobby is to chase off new members, then one needs new members for that hobby to survive. It's perfectly logical.

[Sapphire]

Not at all! If one's hobby is to chase off new members, then one needs new members for that hobby to survive. It's perfectly logical.

Touché!!!!

[Carnage]

I second Arch's idea, no point in arguing how if we don't even know we want the rascals.

[Ryllharu]

The only thing chasing off new members is the shit quality posts from certain members who shall remain unnamed (and no, it isn't who you think of first when I'm the one making the accusation).

[Animeniax]

The quality of a post is debatable, but the negativity and a-hole responses are what drive people away or keep them from posting. Looking at you and ds, ryll.

[Alhuin]

In addition to the reasons already mentioned, I feel that we don't get (m)any new members because it's just too daunting of a task! It may be difficult to admit, but Gotwoot is a family. A very dysfunctional one, with knives to the throats of several members, but a family nonetheless. You have your different cliques of anime watchers, manga readers, gamers, etc., as well as people that come and go as they please like myself. But for better or worse, everyone here is family. It's taken years for us to become like this... in fact, I'm fairly certain that all consistent posters have been here for 5+ years now. For someone new to come along is just... well, speaking from an objective standpoint, it would just be too much work to try and fit in.

Couple that with the fact that most internet users these days are Facebook-dependent imbeciles, and I'm gonna have to say that we're better off the way we are.

Though I'm never opposed to certain areas of the forum becoming more active... *cough*Fanart*cough*

[shinta|hikari]

Couple that with the fact that most internet users these days are Facebook-dependent imbeciles, and I'm gonna have to say that we're better off the way we are.

This.

It would be great to have new members, but only if they don't shit up the forum. Most of the people, including myself, had an adjustment period when we first joined, and had disagreements or whatnot, but eventually it works out. Unfortunately, some people will never get out of this period simply because they are incapable of doing so, either because of a lack of intellect or receptiveness.

[Buffalobiian]

The only thing chasing off new members is the shit quality posts from certain members who shall remain unnamed (and no, it isn't who you think of first when I'm the one making the accusation).

Names came to mind when I read that.. and mine was one of them.:confused:

[Kraco]

Couple that with the fact that most internet users these days are Facebook-dependent imbeciles, and I'm gonna have to say that we're better off the way we are.

Unfortunately I don't agree. Well, of course I do agree on not needing Facebook dependent morons, but we would greatly benefit from more active members. When I occasionally browse old threads in General anime, I always miss the old times when I see posts from four times more posters than today (and they varied between threads). We have so few posters today that the discussions are always the same. That's also one reason why we are slowly but surely lacking threads even for good anime: There's little incentive to make them when you know only a couple of people, if you are lucky, will post every now and then.

I rarely visit some other forums, by accident after googling for example, and it's kind of shocking to see the level of activity that generates multi-page threads for every episode of something like Upotte, for example. But then I remember years ago that would have happened here as well.

[Carnage]

Hosting online manga scans is probably the quickest way to getting traffic. Shinta is probably right that many new users would eventually settle in and make posts more similar to ours.

[Sapphire]

Hosting online manga scans is probably the quickest way to getting traffic. Shinta is probably right that many new users would eventually settle in and make posts more similar to ours.

Good idea, but that's... a fuck ton of work. Just ask Yuki.

That isn't to say that you shouldn't do it, just someone would have to be willing to put in all the work (building and maintenance of infrastructure) and possibly put up with lack of flexibility on content if hosted on gotwoot.net.

PS - Actually, chances comp will let anyone change the content on gotwoot.net are basically nil, which is why I had to make a new website in the first place back in 2011 :(. Who knows what kind of traffic the forum could have gotten if the sites were the same and content was better integrated, millions of downloads later? So nix that idea unless you are willing to make gotwoot-manga.net or otherwise convince comp it's worth it (but somehow still maintain creative control).

[Carnage]

Yeah the best way to get users is probably to offer content. So either adding an online reader component to Gotwoot, or spamming other forums/websites with links to Gotwoot threads that might have ddl for weekly animes/tv shows would probably do the trick. Dont look at me though, I'm perfectly content with the current user base.

[woofcat]

You don't need to get new members, you simply need to get the old back.

[Animeniax]

It'd help if some existing members posted more too.

[Sapphire]

You don't need to get new members, you simply need to get the old back.

Whoa, you are one super lurker. You've only made like three posts since 2007?!

[Carnage]

Whoa, you are one super lurker. You've only made like three posts since 2007?!

Woofcat is much more than a super lurker. He is one of the holy ghosts of gotwoot.

[woofcat]

Haha, I don't know about the holy ghost thing. However it's good to stick around to your Internet roots.

Remember where you came from.

[Sapphire]

Reading your posts is like a trip down memory lane. SK, Mut, ChaosKiddo, names I totally forgot existed.

We need to send out a mass email for a reunion thread~~~

[woofcat]

Haha yeah,

Mut = Works at a Phrama company now.
ChaosKiddo = University Student now.
FrogKing = Bio Researcher now.

How the times have change.

[Inazuma]

It's a bit scary when the only active Jounin titled member has been here since 2005.

Get new members, don't get new members, I don't really care. I'm fine with you guys. You might sometime be dicks but that's like whisky, it's an acquired taste.

[Splash!]

It's a bit scary when the only active Jounin titled member has been here since 2005.

Get new members, don't get new members, I don't really care. I'm fine with you guys. You might sometime be dicks but that's like whisky, it's an acquired taste.

You aren't the only one dude.....

[Animeniax]

You are both just a few dozen posts away from being missing nins. Do it, do it!

[Archangel]

Fkin newblords :3

[Splash!]

You are both just a few dozen posts away from being missing nins. Do it, do it!

Pfft, don't rush it. It will happen when it happens...

[Animeniax]

Make a few dozen worthwhile posts that contribute and make missing nin at the same time. Two birds and one stone and all that.

[Alhuin]

It's a bit scary when the only active Jounin titled member has been here since 2005.


You aren't the only one dude.....

If by "active", you mean "still visit the forums", then I second Splash's comment.

By any other means, however, you're not really "active"... otherwise you wouldn't be a Jounin.

[MFauli]

wow, this thread is kinda sad to read :(

as for the "how to get new members" while also keeping it on the low effort-side: why not choose a certain array of running anime, then post links for those on the main page as quickly as the sub is released (unless it´s illegal to post other subgroups´ links on your own website)? Sure, most of the currently popular shows are horrible subs-subs anyway, but that´s not always the case. And i´d love to have some sort of quick overview of whats out, instead of having to go through several threads in the general anime-forum to find a link.
at least that wouldn´t require any big effort like self-subbing anime. just an idea.

on the topic of "too little posters": I think that´s partly the fault of the anime offerings themselves. For a certain time span, there happened to be at least one, most of the time more than one, reaaaaally popular anime. Naruto, for example. Bleach, too. We had Death Note. And a bunch of others (School Days :D ). And then the big moe-wave began, and with it came the lack of "everybody is in on this anime!"-shows. Interest was too scattered. I mean, we can see what happens when such a show returns: The Attack on Titan, and HXH-topics are pretty active week after week.
So I´d say ... anime killed anime-boards.

Personally, I´d like to see some more users, but how? Is Gotwoot on facebook? maybe do some promotion there?


PS: ITT I learned that Sapphire is female. :>

[Ryllharu]

And i´d love to have some sort of quick overview of whats out, instead of having to go through several threads in the general anime-forum to find a link.
at least that wouldn´t require any big effort like self-subbing anime. just an idea.
If only there was a super-popular site (http://tokyotosho.info/), averaging 100 users a minute, entirely devoted to that purpose...

[MFauli]

but that site is super crowded, and there´s raw files and other rubbish you have to dig through to find what you wanted. i thought of a more intimate selection, only giving links to those anime that we discuss in the forum.

oh well ... :(

[Ryllharu]

Try clicking the link that says "Anime".

[Buffalobiian]

Did MFauli just say that links are useful? :3

I agree that anime in general killed anime-boards. Every board got a decrease in interest/traffic I'd imagine. The smaller ones are more noticeable.