Hm. As any project in life :
- identify purpose
- identify means
- get done.
So. To me, newcomer, the Asylum HAS a purpose (yes I was lurking for some time, and yes many people do : ever noticed how the Asylum
ranks in search engines?). I mean, a productive purpose as well : it is a place where some knowledge unique to the web is explored daily.
..Nowadays, although I understand the original purpose of the gurusnetwork, what has it become? Where does it stand?
Is it an Asylum "adult" alter ego? Is there still the same guru's network? Is it a commemoration?
I recommend you/we figure out what that place stands for (btw, it contains some mind boggling tuts, namely the ones about Photoshop or
Illustrator) first and foremost.
Can't we just move all those tutorials and stuff into the FAQ? Or maybe have an entire section in the FAQ for content moved from Guru's Network?
When I first joined Guru's Network, I didn't understand why it was created when we had the Ozone Asylum... I still don't understand why it exists.
Tyberius Prime
Maniac (V) Mad Scientist with Finglongers
From: Germany Insane since: Sep 2001
posted 10-23-2007 16:47
zavaboy:
parts of it are historical reasons.
The faq were established later than the GN,
and the two places had a different focus
and a very different feel, even though they shared
a lot of members.
The faq currently does not support even half the features the gn tutorials have,
and honestly, what's the need?
Not to mention that the GN only has licensed it's content for gurusnetwork.com.
Both sites lack leadership, and while the asylum is still a mumbling madhouse
of like- and different- minded individuals*,
the GN was a place of twenty one associates in no particular order,
of which I haven't seen at least two thirds around...
So long,
->Tyberius Prime
* - last six months show 401 threads, 3506 posts, 195 seperate posters.
Would you mind pointing out where I said both communities were dead? I clearly stated that both communities have died down over the years. If you want to tell yourself that it's not the case and the Easter Bunny actually exists, that's your business. Not mine.
Jestah, fwiw, I read your comment to mean dying down not dead, and I also thought it was a positive comment to end with.
quote: Jestah said:
I hope things pick back up soon, this was such a great community.
I would also like to see more activity here and the the Guru's Network. I know I'll be posting here a lot more as the winter approaches and my time working outdoors is curtailed.
I realise that the times and tides of any entity like a public forum, change as do the seasons, but I also understand that it is not quite as simple as that. A forum like ours is only as good as the members make it. I also take Tyberius Prime's comment as true:
quote: Tyberius Prime said:
Both sites lack leadership, and while the asylum is still a mumbling madhouse
of like- and different- minded individuals*,
the GN was a place of twenty one associates in no particular order,
of which I haven't seen at least two thirds around...
A revamp of sorts has been suggested in the past perhaps now is the time to consider building on our strengths and cutting our weak points. There are some who have thought (for instance) that the BIG SIG forum is unnecessary. It is true that the participation levels have dropped a lot there and I can understand that. Although I have to say that I would miss it a lot if it were to go. There are other forums here that hardly get used too.
Having said ^all that^ I don't really know what can be done to increase the participation levels. Has the traffic to and from the Asylum dropped also?
I know I came here initially to learn more about Photoshop and to make my first faltering steps in making a website and understanding HTML and CSS. I have stayed because my steps are still wobbly and I've grown to love the place in its orange and blue magnificence and the people are pretty good too.
hmmm i think one reason of communities like the asylum and the GN are dying is the fakt that the Web has changed a lot in the last few years. Its all web2.0 and stuff. It has never been so easy to create your own websites upload your photos ect....
I think the avareage user(who would have stumbled in to this place the way we did it years ago) sees no need in learning these things(and learning is all it's about).
And the rest of us is moving along there ways, some stay here others fall out but hardly anyone new comes in.
I think it's the social networking sites such as Orkut and Myspace that have killed GN and are killing our dear asylum. People spend way too much time staring at their own pictures. And of course Youtube with all it's clones where people can easily access user generated entertainment. This just doesn't leave any time for creativity and forums.
So I propose we advertise this site a little :PWhat if we all included www.ozoneasylum.com where ever it is possible to list your favorite websites and in our signatures on other forums? :P
I don't know if the last comment was meant to be a joke, I could guess from the slimeys, but..
Well. For one, I've seen an "ol friends gathering" right here the other day.
Then, the comment about "web 2.0 and 0wn1ng our web" is quite accurate I guess, but..
In the end, who gives a damn?
Do you like coming here? I do. Do a few hundred nutcases share the feeling? Obviously yes.
As for uniqueness, it's "easy" to make CRAPPY web 2.0. It's easy to apply styles in Photoshop.
Granted. Does that "touch" the extremes reached by maniacs like Poi, Shingebis, the Photoshop masters with speed painting, some
amazing print or photo work, the sigs..
Does that "know how" come built in in web 2.0 "frameworks" and Photoshop filters? NO it does not, and will never, ever, period.
And does the "scarcity" of famous posters in the halls, or the lack of dozens of newcomers hinder the quality of posts and discussions?
Don't know for sure, but I don't think.
@Jestah, I think reisio did indeed react out of a habit of "this is the death of the Asylum" complaints, no judgement meant on anyone here,
it's just that fact.. that old fact to old drivers.. that one tends to drive to the area they're looking at.
I think the underlying concept of "now is worse than yesterday" brought up a "what about tomorrow as a better day"? Kind of qualm.
And I tend to live in the now, and try to rejoice about the future while keeping an eye on potential difficulties.
So I'd avocate an "enjoy" kind of attitude.
(and I'd advocate an attempt at reaching the 21 Monkeys and trying to get to know what they want it to be or become).
I second Arthurio's proposal. But I would use the word "promote" over "advertise." If we truly love this community for what it is--or what it was, we will take those extra steps to show it.
I also agree with Tao about seasonal activity, but we can't deny that this place has been losing activity the past few years. I also agree with him that the forums are only as good as the members make it. So if we want this place to survive, we ourselves must survive and keep this train going full speed.
The Asylum has always had a place in my heart, because we are essentially family here.
BUT (advocate as in THE DEVIL'S advocate, it's a fun game to play) :
>> but we can't deny
As far as I am concerned, I cannot PROVE that there has been a drop in activity
(this takes measures, stats and maths, there are plenty of areas I just never watch so I can't tell what's going on there).
>> we will take those extra steps to show it.
It's the word extra, in advertizing, which disturbs me.
...Do cool people roam around saying "I am kewl"? Do cool people call for attention?
We are not SELLING anything here.
Technically, it's Doc O's "nuthouse", inherited by others, which we are talking about here.
I think this place is, in essence, the opposite of a commercial product : industry makes reasonable quality for masses.
Art is about quality for no reason, quality in expression.
Maybe we can start by refreshing the ways of thinking, "upgrading" to web 2.0 (although I'd like to point out that the concepts behind
web 2.0, Ajax, and such monstruous names were BORN in places like this, well, mostly this and www.ozones.com - and a few others).
...So, "upgrading" to web 2.0 could be a FAQ refresh, and mostly, some extreme skill demonstrations based on "exploring web 2.0".
(essentially, the idea is to upgrade -ways of thinking- in all areas, Flash, server side, client side, and maybe some other kind of "tip exchange" in the
outpatient counselling).
I don't think that web 2.0 is something that this asylum needs. It's crazy enough already. A forum in my opinion doesn't need to be an application. But a separate forum section for web 2.0/ajax? Maybe not too bad an idea but we already have separate sections for server side and client side scripting, html and whatnot.
Anyway we probably shouldn't concentrate on how cool we look. I think that the area where ozoneasylum has always shone the most is the expertise, knowledge and philosophy that is rich and cool but not in a show-off or commercial way (I'm wagging my finger at you conceptart.org and deviantart.com) and of course the tight community. I remember lurking around here since maybe 2001 or so, accountless and humbled. Been away on several occasions and briefly forgotten about asylum ... the shame ... but I have always returned with enthusiasm and usually with questions seeking answers, that I know - this community has.
However when cool things happen it's unfortunate if there are only so many to pay witness. Don't underestimate the poor sane. There are buds of insanity willing to blossom. I don't think anyone has announced a shortage of pills. Or in other words - the apocalypse.
Ok where's the blue pill. I need to sleep and do some work tomorrow.
Just a little chill pill.
I am a member of quite a few forums, most of which I visit three or four times a week. Some, like the Asylum, I visit daily, or at least every time I am on-line. I know what you mean Blacknight when you say;
quote: Blacknight said:
didn't say it wasnt great roming the halls ..was joust remembering the days when i couldn't keep up with the reading :-P
For me at times, when I visit here and find no new posts it's a lot like waiting at home for the postman to arrive only to see him walk past the gate with no goodies in the mail for me. It feels rather disappointing
Also I don't feel like the Asylum is dead or dying just changing and change is the disciple of life.
From: there...no..there..... Insane since: May 2001
posted 10-24-2007 02:59
There used to be a purpose at GN. If I remember correctly, GN was more geared toward tutorials and the like. The forums were just a section of it. The Asylum was were the forums really took place.
It's funny how every so often someone pops in and is concerned that things are slow here. It's not really. It comes and goes and I've seen it (as well as many others) do the same thing is cycles. Not that big of a deal. As for GN, there never was that much activity there. There *were* however more tutorials popping up now and again and it seems even that has fallen off.
The lack of leadership here surely doesn't seem to bother things. Not like it did a few years ago! WOOO! Crazy times. There was a hell fire fury running through the halls and Doc came in with one swoosh and BBBAAAMMM!! all the Mad Scientists privileges were gone. Poof! No more. That was freaking crazy. Eigh, those were the days. If some of you were not here during 9/11, man did you miss out! WOW! Freaking crazy shit flying around here those few days.
I digress as I reminisce...
So...I guess the "lack of leadership" is not a bad thing. I kind of think of TP is our leader now that Doc has pretty much handed over the reigns to him. And a damn fine job he has done with the forums.
Old things die, new things are born. This is the way of life, be it on the internet or out in meatspace. What is happening now is part of a cycle. Whether that cycle means that the Asylum is in a lull now but will return to greater activity later, or whether it means that the cycle is dying down, ultimately to be replaced by something else, I don't know.
Things have most definitely died down quite a bit here compared to what things used to be like, so I agree with Jestah on that. Where I disagree is the last part of his post: "this was such a great community." Which implies, of course, that it no longer is a great community. True, it's not nearly as active as it used to be, but I still love coming here. I miss some of the old people (Lacuna, Emps... are you still out there?), but I also enjoy the company of some of the newer people. I still consider myself a "new person," to be honest. Things have changed, there is no doubt about that. But I can't argue that they have changed either for better or for worse. They've just changed.
How can we increase participation.? The answer is simple: we can't. But at the same time, we can. We can't really force other people to participate more, but we can participate more ourselves. In the end, that's all we can do. If others decide to follow suit, we have increased participation. If not, we don't. In the end, though, what will happen will happen. Maybe that sounds fatalistic, but I don't think there's any point in worrying about what might happen. The Asylum may not be what it used to be, but I still like what it is.
Guess I got a bit of catching up to do. But first, a dose of clarification :
quote:
Or better yet, "Ajax sports" o)
I was talking about "refreshing ways of thinking." Compared to the pioneering that occured inside the halls,
Maybe there are some new grounds, now, to pioneer differently (as part of the discussions, wasn't suggesting a structure change).
Now, mind my curiosity, but two comments "upset" me somehow :
quote:
There was a hell fire fury running through the halls and Doc came in with one swoosh and BBBAAAMMM!!
all the Mad Scientists privileges were gone.
When was that and what was it about?
And that one...
quote:
On the other hand, maybe Ini left and took all his personalities with him.
Ok, we have bipolars, neurotics, but what's with the schizophrenia?
Namely (no the guy does not go unnoticed) what's with Ini and the "personalities" (and who are those personalities)?
From: there...no..there..... Insane since: May 2001
posted 10-24-2007 14:18
quote: argo navis said:
When was that and what was it about?
It was right around when I first joined I think. So about 5 - 6 years ago or so. There was a big argument between a few inmates that really went too far. A few old MS's got a bit of a control thing going and Doc was lurking around I guess and came in and said "You know what? No one runs this place but me. If that's the way you are going to act...BBBAAAMMM!!"
Then there was a bad scene during the whole 9/11 thing. One inmate ( that was a good contributor to the group ) said something and a few inmates really bashed him and started threatening him off site. Crazy. So...he contacted the Doc and wanted all records of his posts deleted. Doc made a big post about how he has never done that before and that he respected the wishes. So...all posts went away.
Anyway, just a bit of the Asylum history I guess. Might be able to find something in the Archives. Dunno though.
Ok, thank you. Stuff happens and I guess it is part of life : everybody is some other person's "moron", as long as clashes
are "negotiated" and resolved purposefully, life goes on.
This doesn't answer the bit about schizophrenia though : I have seen the posts with Ini. Google links to a bunch of them
but they, sadly, feel incomplete (especially some about javascript optimization).
The replacement message also feels awkward this said, it does give a feel of the tension surrounding that event, and that is sad in
and of itself.
..Yet nemesis mentionned multiple personalities : is that a "joke" or are there other "personas" he used that I could
"dig" from the vaults?
Back to the main thread track, the Asylum has been having a life of it's own for a while - long before the Doc left actually,
your accounts "show" this to a degree.
The "absence" of a leader
does not feel good but hey, if I was living in California and doing God knows what with my professional, independent life, had a family,
etc. I may not respond to any single thing or email I receive. And I probably receive a lot less than he does, so
to wrap it all up, "stuff still does happen".
Tyberius Prime
Maniac (V) Mad Scientist with Finglongers
From: Germany Insane since: Sep 2001
posted 10-24-2007 15:02
the MS debacle was before my time - but it's one of the things where I'm sure you'll find something in the archives.
InI... threw a dozen tandrums, ended up demanding all his posts deleted (see the archives), came back under a different name,
threw another tandrum, left, again....
The 'delete my posts less I sue thee'-tandrum made a lot of discussions in the archives one sided.
But hey, just contact him, I'm sure his demons made him take a copy of every post he ever made.
Personally, I've just about carved a living out of what I learned at the OZONE Asylum...
That's exactly my point here. I don't know the guy, I was asking for this :
>> under a different name
Anybody remembers that (or those) different names? Archives and the sink are just huge, I don't want to backtrack it all.
Back to "exactly my point", why do you sound that agressive to me about the topic? ("But hey, just contact him" may be perceived as rude,
sounds a bit like the next thing in your mind was a "screw you" when I am genuinely asking what to look at).
And the form of the "bye bye" message, as much as I don't give a rat's behind since I AM here, reflects exactly
THIS tension - you're basically telling me someone I don't know "threw a tantrum and left and threw a tantrum and left".
..I just wanted to check the valuable contributions, if any remains, rather than the tantrums, and I still know 0.23 about the person,
but now, I know that you like to depict people in a negative light - sad for someone who, indeed, "praises" this place and
contributes all he can to it.
,) Devil's advocate trying to "prove a concept" that will not impact ME much, after all, so no offense inside.
Tyberius Prime
Maniac (V) Mad Scientist with Finglongers
From: Germany Insane since: Sep 2001
posted 10-24-2007 17:09
Argo, please look at the post times, there's a reason your 'exact point' wasn't answered by my post.
I suggest you do own research, lest anyone takes you on a wrong track.
Googling for 'ini came back ozoneasylum' gives at least one more handle InI used to use.
So long,
->Tyberius Prime
Ps:
Other inmates, please excuse this diversion from the topic at hand.
How do revive the GN, and should we do so in the first place?
why do you sound that agressive to me about the topic? ("But hey, just contact him" may be perceived as rude,
sounds a bit like the next thing in your mind was a "screw you" when I am genuinely asking what to look at).
Keep in mind that Tyberius Prime was the direct receiver of a lot (if not most) of Ini's wrath and if he sounds a little upset about this situation, it's directed at the situation with Ini, not at you.
I inferred that CPrompt's post was made, at least, partly in jest. He's referring to incidents that happened in the past that seemed traumatic to those of us that were here at the time and that we look back on with some fondness now. It was an inside joke, and probably not worht the trouble to dig up what happened, but if you feel you must find out about them, go digging through the archive and you can find what happened there.
Yes there have been some problems here, but that are also a lot of good times to look back on and as a community, we have all learned a lot about each other, and I think because of how well we have gotten to know each other the good times will continue.
I personally like the quiet here. I'm not as reluctant to talk with fewer people around as I am when things are happening loud, and fast. Having more people around does help to get more opionons when someone needs help, but sometimes, the din overwhelms those that may be able to help in some situations.
Thank you hyperbole, I understand part of this (well, the looking back with fondness bit is a new information).
So, let me offer back this easy key to understanding me : challenging is something I consider a beautiful compliment -
I don't challenge the not so interesting, wether it is people or situations or (Asylums for instance).
I don't challenge in a rude or impolite way either. Challenging -with respect- other people's thoughts is fun, and tends to bring out the best in them.
I think we can really get back on track now, as pointed out, the issue at hand is : Gurusnetwork present and future?
From: there...no..there..... Insane since: May 2001
posted 10-24-2007 20:01
quote: Tyberius Prime said:
Ps:
Other inmates, please excuse this diversion from the topic at hand.
sorry about that. I was just trying to make a point and went off topic quite a bit. i was just wanting to make a point that things here go in cycles. everyone comes around every once in a while and think the Asylum is dead. It comes back People have lives and can't post like some of us
From: buttcrack of the midwest Insane since: Oct 2000
posted 10-24-2007 23:07
Yea, ok, it`s quieter here than it was once. We still have a core group of extremely talented people, that are still willing to share their knowledge. We`re still willing to welcome new members as the come. That`s the point. That`s what makes this place what it is. The insanity (and treatment) just makes it more fun.
As for the GN, it`s doing what it was built for, as I recall. It`s a repository of information. I still refer people to the tutorials there, as they are some of the best available. It`s hard to add to that because the bar was set high from the start.
The short explanation of the ini deal is that he was a talented young man with the people skills of a cactus. I hope he`s doing well on the path he chose. And IMHO this is a better place now .
Participation..yes, we could all participate more, myself included. Sometimes Life leads us down diffferent paths. The sig forum and the RPs taught me as much about image maniulation and anything else I`ve done. And I very much appreciate all the help I recieved here, and will contiue to return it in any way I can.
From: Rochester, New York, USA Insane since: May 2000
posted 10-25-2007 18:20
When the GN was created finding a good tutorial was difficult. Phong's tutorials were pretty much it. Google did not do what it does now, finding good resources was hard. Now you can find a tutorial on anything and everything web development. At the time the GN filled a need, but that need does not exist anymore.
Now I have made a career out of it. During my 9 to 5 I work with some pretty marginal Java frameworks that hopefully no one else here has had the pain to work with. Any questions that I might have with it would not be solved here, I would have to contact the framework developers. My hobby work is spent hacking around with Ruby on Rails and there are tons of communities out there that are completely dedicated towards that end.
It is an evolution of the medium and of the people. Over the past 8 years I would guess that most of the people have either made a career out of what they have done here, or they have moved on to other things. Web development as a hobby is not what it used to be. Anyone can have a decent looking blog or a personal web page in a few clicks. When I started here that was just not possible, you had to learn HTML and how to use Photoshop before you could think of having a web page of your own.
There were a lot of efforts that started and stopped quickly a few years ago about consolidating this site, and giving it a focus again, but they were all non-starters.
I currently see this site as a place that was busting at the seams with talent and potential but ultimately it could not contain it all. It would be nice to say it all fluttered away, but a lot of it exploded out of here in a catastrophic ways.
If you want to get this community really thriving again you need to give people a quantitative reason to stay. I think a lot of people left over the post counts being removed, they stopped seeing their contributions quantitatively. I think that this site failed to evolve with the changing climate of the people here and the web. We had lots of ideas but we failed to get the leadership together to really implement them. We pushed a lot of things off into side projects or sister sites when we should have been building this place up.
I think that this place could get back to where it once was but it would take a lot of work, the kind that I no longer have the time or mind for.
quote:
If you want to get this community really thriving again you need to give people a quantitative reason to stay.
I am looking at a half-full glass of fine wine, which you're seeing as a half-empty glass of not enough wine
- points of view and their differences are something that never ceases to amaze me.
(side-note about stats : in the time it took to pop out and back, a couple of dozens new posts have flourished, some I will read in -years, maybe.
Talk about the side effects of having ideas for the hell of it).
AND, last but not least..
We got two sci-fi classics at hands :
quote:
(Yoda lifts Luke's X-Wing out of the swamp.)
Luke: I don't believe it.
Yoda: That is why you fail.
Now think about Morpheus in the same vein... "you're not the one" (etc).
I think that what really matters is ENJOYING : hard work? I guess maintaining a passion
IS the point of having one, and it IS hard work, therefore, but also a lot of FUN.
So I'll append one more quote, from someone even more respected than Yoda
around these parts : "play is important".
Just from reading this thread, i would guess that the Asylum is becoming a victim the changes that have swept through the Web over the past couple of years. My company's forums are seeing some of the same symptoms.
People are just gradually leaving for other forms of social media. I am as guilty as anybody. I use Twitter and Facebook everyday on both my laptop and iPhone. I rarely ever go to forums.
People's views of the web have changed also. When I first joined the Asylum earlier in my career, I was pretty much a noob seeking the advice of people who had been doing this for awhile. As others have said, there wasn't a lot out there. Now there's too many ways to connect with others. Hell, I can barely keep up with my tech friends (Facebook) and my art and tattooing friends (MySpace).
Back then I spent time seeking out connections, now I spend time maintaining sites and data so my connections can find me.
Enough rambling, here's my couple of suggestions:
Upgrade The Asylum and the faq- I'm not faulting the work TP did on the Grail- it was awsome. But times are changing and it may be time for some new features. I always loved the "cells". It would be cool if they became profile pages(with a lot room to decorate). I'm sure with talent here people could come up with a bunch of ideas. More complete RSS would also be nice
"Leadership" is a pretty broad word. From what I can tell(from stopping in from time to time) is the place needs another Emps. With much respect to Doc - during the time I was most active here Emps really was the one who kept this place going. He did all the small tasks and gave all the right encouragement. Someone, who has the time should fill his role.
And a *bump* to WarMage on everything. Still some great talent here guys.
Well, good and bad news : some old timers just popped back.
Wakkos, for one, got back and mentionned he had been off of the web for three years.
So old timers DO come back.
Now, what Tiki says makes sense : ok, it's not only about the people's qualities.
So how do web users use the web today, quoting my own equation of "project management abriged" :
quote:
Hm. As any project in life :
1) identify purpose
2) identify means
3) get done
1) What is the purpose of the GN or the Asylum right now? Social networking, in part, webdesign and graphic design, mostly
(for both) - teaching, discussing, pioneering.
This differs from facebook so, according to Darwin, there is a niche to occupy.
2) Identify means : what makes people tick on community sites nowadays, and what makes or made people tick
about the Asylum? Things like js 20 line scripts, or less, Photoshop pongs, Phot contests, sig contests, black pills... please fill in the blanks.
With the answers to question 1 and 2 in mind (and this needs a lot more discussion), we can move 3) Realistic execution.
That means : no more enslaving one backbone programmer, I suggest dispatching tasks instead.
Both creative and technical. And I suggest that creatives give the "drive and direction", and techies, the possibilities
and make it.
Regarding point 2, also, I was playing with a software of mine the other day, and found out it had amazing possibilities
for a new concept I called "paint pong". But I shall demonstrate, one picture being worth a thousand words.
I still check both sites - Ozone for info, GN to see if anyone is asking a question I should be responsible for responding to.
GN sadly never managed to achieve a critical mass, and when the few deeply involved got diverted by life changes or got burned out or whatever - there weren't enough in the wings to fill the voids left when the principles couldn't continue.
There also sprang up a bunch of really polished, professional info sites: lynda.com and communityMX being two that come to mind in the areas I'm interested in. I couldn't compete with that level of polish or output.
I guess rather than being sorry it ended we should be glad for what it was but... I'd just as soon the dated info be purged. Like Trib, I now and then get mail from someone trying to do something with a Flash tutorial 5 versions of Flash obsolete...
Ah yeah, that. Before getting back to the topic at hands, a couple of words on a paint pong.
Guy comes in, speed paints based on a theme for x minutes (the audience can see the sketch in progress for both players).
Sketch is replicated to opponent's client, and opponent must pick it up, and spice it up during the same x minutes.
The match goes on until decided otherwise by one or both of the players.
1) Steve has a request, above, about the GN : namely, he receives emails from there and keeps treating his duties as serious duties, and
suffers from it.
2) To expand a bit on my "Star Wars" point : the Asylum CAN be improved, but old timers, strangely enough, popped back a few days after the end of this thread,
to say things along the lines of "I am not dead but instead am building a family", and the likes.
My point here is that : fear in life, fear of ANYTHING, is often unfounded. In this case, VERY CLEARLY, it's not the interest in Asylum which decreased for the old timers,
rather the demands of life that increased.
And as Yoda said very wisely, fear of failure often is the thing that hinders success the most : whatever is done to make the Asylum evolve,
and whatever is suggested, sounds perfectly appropriate (as the lives of inmates and cycles of prominent inmates are subject to evolution,
so should the medium that supports the community, I agree 100%), but it should be for a purpose of coziness rather for
a purpose of "affirmation of identity" - let the place and it's content shine PER SE and search engines and lunatics will crowd it automagically.
This place HAS an identity. It HAS a soul, and an attractive one still. Reskinning it and the GN? Sounds FUN! And that's what it should be.
Peace Arkham (off for a wild wild week on my real world legs).
I think you need to find yourself a house to build from the foundations up.
Instead of trying to bask in the glory of sitting amongst the top of a delerict stately home.
[edit, sorry let me expand]
[qoute]
1) Steve has a request, above, about the GN : namely, he receives emails from there and keeps treating his duties as serious duties, and
suffers from it.
[/quote]
Steve makes no request, Steve takes his duties seriously and gets asked questions about obsolete software, The software in which he wrote tutorials to and attributed his contact address.
Highlighting that some of the GN content has nothing but historical worth. Tutorials for Flash 5, Aren't in high demand.
quote:
2) To expand a bit on my "Star Wars" point : the Asylum CAN be improved, but old timers, strangely enough, popped back a few days after the end of this thread,
to say things along the lines of "I am not dead but instead am building a family", and the likes.
Whats strange about the 'old timers' people who've filled the forums and the GN network with content of abundant quality now stepping back and letting go of the reigns to focus on there careers and families?
It's unfortunate there where not a group of enthusiastic and knowledgeable web professionals to take over the reigns. But the Internet changed, times change and the Ozone for the last 2-3 years has been little more than a place for the older members to keep in touch, share memes, post insight, round-up support and inspiration, (The Pat law suit?) etc.
The Asylum is a community in the strongest sense you'll find in the Internet, A small web-forum by all means at 6k Members, with what I'd guess at a 1% active user-base, but everyone comes back and checks whats going on at the Ozone because of the people here, the fun and the support.
I'll point out to some of the older members who had the patience and sense of humor to understand my filling each forum with posts in regards to "Fly Boy Designs" and looking for CSS/HTML/XHTML/JS Developers to build web sites
If the Ozone was to get a new spark of life, To have the doors burst down with new members, looking for advice on the Internet, given the current climate of Internet users looking for entry level knowledge.. I think you'd find alot of the older members would shy away.
The OZONEs a comfort area. It's your ex-forum that you can always come back too when you want something friendly and familiar and slightly quirky.
*ponders Trigger's answer, doesn't understand the differences in point of views, considers the time of night,
and reserves his answer for a better day*.
How do "new ideas" and the core of what this place is now conflict?
And how do my views and yours conflict?
As far as Steve's thing, I am not trying to come across as bossy, trying instead, maybe too hard, to keep the discussion alive out of
constructive enthusiasm - mind you.
*ponders Trigger's answer, doesn't understand the differences in point of views, considers the time of night,and reserves his answer for a better day*.How do "new ideas" and the core of what this place is now conflict?And how do my views and yours conflict?As far as Steve's thing, I am not trying to come across as bossy, trying instead, maybe too hard, to keep the discussion alive out ofconstructive enthusiasm - mind you.Oh well. *yaaaaaawns*. Night night, "ttyt".(Edited by argo navis on 11-15-2007 02:12)
My point is, You're coming here trying to Push the Ozone into the future and the GN. I think if anyone wanted that they would of done it by now
Um. Did I drag the thread away from it's original purpose? I didn't even notice, d'oh.
Actually, it got there because at some point, an old routine, which I have seen popping back again and again,
bothered me : "the Asylum will die, is dead, etc.".
I think this is a self-limiting belief (a fear without roots in reality), hence my mentionning the "return of old timers" - this place
seems well alive for a dead thing, to stick to observable facts.
From there on, enthusiasm creeped in - yet I still would like to see new "group games", as you said,
Arkam inmates have "pushed the limits" in all possible areas of web and graphics, while keeping stuff
for the "basic questions" AND an emphasis on socialization, fun, games, philosophy, politics, ethics, religion - you name it.
"If they wanted to change it".. The Doc had a lobby in the works at some point, but it's a huge huge work to revamp, evolve,
maintain the structure of SUCH a thing as the Asylum. Tyberius Prime, and (who else does the maintenance?)
may have other things to do - simply. This is not a reason to avoid discussing "structure" evolutions - here and at the GN.
As far as my straightjacket allows me, I can contribute "content" evolutions : new group games, why not?
But I am not suggesting changing the core recipe in the slightest.
Then again, as a fresh inmate, I may be babbling too much about the topic, but hey, I am a dreamer, sue me
To quote docilus bobicus above : "Can you feel the love?"
(Nurse, me meds, time for me to take a step back it seems..).
Well it doesnt matter how long i stay away for, i always come back and am always faced with the same individuals milling around. Familiarity is the reason i come back again and again, not the amount of traffic the site gets.
Yeah, this idea seems to pop up once every year or so. Usually, at which time, old inmates will start popping out of the woodwork, posting like mad. Then, they'll slowly fade into the background again to repeat the cycle again.
As for GN, I've got about five tutorials in various stages of editing from the past 5 years that I never got around to finishing, and I guess the same can be said for a lot of us.
However, I applaud your efforts at trying to stir up discussion. Only time will tell.
I really like the initial idea behind the GN - to have a place where just about anyone can submit a tutorial and have it published. With a killer backend, it got off to a good start.
But, as some have mentioned here, people had other facets of life that take precedence. And, others, including myself, got temporarily bitter at the web design realm.
But I think it has its place, if there are some that want to continue on with it.
posted 10-22-2007 21:33
"meatspace" 
