Fuwanovel Thoughts - Quarter 3

[monkeysrumble]

Isn't that one of the points in Ren's post? Instead of people sticking to their little groups, they actively participate in the community as a whole?

[babiker]

I say the reality is that people are focusing into groups. This is especially true for anyone who comes to FSG (the Fuwa Skype Group), where you then go to smaller groups for specific games and activities. The Hearthstone group over there is probably more active than this entire forum.

 

And I'm not really sure if that's a bad thing of a good thing. Why talk on the forum when I can talk on Skype with the same people for direct replies? If I feel like talking about VNs, I talk to the main group, if I feel like singing I go to the Karaoke group, and if I feel like listening to people talk Japanese for some reason I go to the Japanese group. This means the forums ends up kinda ded, but I don't think there's anything to do about it.

 

People want convenience, and if the most convenient way for me to talk is on Skype or the TS or whatever small chat group you belong to, then that's that.

[Eclipsed]

Here's basically all I've been using Fuwanovel for in the past few months:

 

Front site / FuwaReviews / FuwaZette:

1. Visit maybe... once. A month. 

 

Forum:

1. Log in
2. Check PMs -> reply if have something to say
3. Update my progress in What are you reading/playing/watching threads
4. Check 'Fessions thread
5. Check Intro threads -> hii welcome
6. Check general threads -> merge double posts / move topic if needed -> report change(s) to Moderation Logs -> reply in thread if something to say
7. Check FuwaChat -> reply if I have something to say
8. Mark all as read
9. Log off

Back in Spring would probably add a "Think of how2bootlick Tay so he can buff BoardMods some more"

We were supposed to have a revamp of some sorts over the summer, but

[LiquidShu]

I say the reality is that people are focusing into groups. This is especially true for anyone who comes to FSG (the Fuwa Skype Group), where you then go to smaller groups for specific games and activities. The Hearthstone group over there is probably more active than this entire forum.

 

And I'm not really sure if that's a bad thing of a good thing. Why talk on the forum when I can talk on Skype with the same people for direct replies? If I feel like talking about VNs, I talk to the main group, if I feel like singing I go to the Karaoke group, and if I feel like listening to people talk Japanese for some reason I go to the Japanese group. This means the forums ends up kinda ded, but I don't think there's anything to do about it.

 

People want convenience, and if the most convenient way for me to talk is on Skype or the TS or whatever small chat group you belong to, then that's that.

 

A large appeal of Fuwanovel used to be the community. When members rather choose convenience over actively participating and are OK with it ending up "ded", then what's the point in being in the community? There are things that can be done about it, but that lies on whether people are willing to work towards a certain goal. If you truly just want convenience then what the hell is the point of being a member?

 

Why talk on the forum? Because when people talk on the forum it brings a sense of unity, it allows people to get to know each other and work together. All of which I believe are important things and cherish. This doesn't mean members like Ryechu, who don't post on the main forum much, shouldn't be on the site. Rather, like he said, he does what he can in the background. He may not post actively on the main forums but he does care about Fuwanovel, at least it seems. When you break off into groups like FSG, that tend to regard the actual forums as something that can just be "ded" and don't really care about Fuwanovel as a whole, are detrimental. Of coarse I can't speak for every member who participate in these sub-groups but that is just the feel I get from it.

[Chronopolis]

What would the front page look like? I'm not up-to-date on the proposed changes.

 

On increasing community forum activity:

 

"Am I the only person who actually cares about this community being together anymore? I have my TeamSpeak and group of friends, but even I try to desperately unite old and new members with a variety of activities and events."

I think why there hasn't been that much participation in your forum games or livestreams, is the forum games requires commitment/learning, while livestream events require interest in what's being shown + showing up at a specific time). We could hold a big ideas + vote thread about what events / "do/make things together" people would want. The global forum activity dropping is a result of people percieving that there's not much interesting outside the cliche they hang out in (nothing inherently bad with that, from an individual perspective).

 

In the VN sub-forum, groups such as the visual novel group or "what are you reading" are good for mantaining a group of community. Discussion threads like /visualsnovels/ has would further liven up the place.

 

In general, give things for people to check out (stuff where interest > reluctance to commit). If there's a project that fuwa members have done, people will check that out because we are curious. Give places for people to say their opinion and let us get to know each other. Maybe there are lots of interesting/broad discussion topics we could have (e.g Favourite place in japan / what's your plan on going to japan / thoughts on japan, how much anime/ln/vn have you played in the last year and comments). Notice the barrier to entry is low, but interest garnered can be high.

[Rose]

I also want to expand on this comment. This is exactly the kind of attitude that plagues the site and why I made this thread in the 1st place. Remember when people were excited to see changes happening? Remember when people were on board and doing a lot and being active on the site? I do. Now, this is the kind of question that everyone asks.

 

"Why does it matter? Will it really change anything?"

 

This is the new Fuwanovel, and people refuse to admit it's long gone. We gave up on it, and now people say "fuck it" and make excuses for pushing forward. Without an admin or somebody to keep reminding people why this is worth it and why this site has an amazing community, people lose hope and interest. I am trying hard to keep the sense of community afloat, and others are as well, but it's all empty and slowly people are being picked off.

 

I do think that something needs to happen for us to move forward, I just don't believe the front site changes will be that thing. I still believe we can keep moving forward, just not because of the new front site.

[Eclipsed]

What would the front page look like? I'm not up-to-date on the proposed changes.

It's pretty sexy(?)

http://beta.fuwanovel.net/?theme=summer-sky

[sanahtlig]

I don't really think anything has changed.  In the end this is a VN forum, and people are still creating threads and talking about VNs.  The people I'm interested in are still around, and VN discussion is still happening.  What more is needed?

 

As for loligeddon, I've been moderated several times for posting SFW content.  Merely referencing lolis appears to be a censorable offense.  I had a private discussion about this with Tay, who said in July that he would make an announcement on the subject in August.  Welp, it never happened.  You've seen me become more distanced from the site, and that's the main instigating factor.  At one point I considered myself a community leader of sorts here.  Now I just hang out and talk to people and make no particular effort to contribute.  Has loligeddon contributed to the current situation?  Not sure.  But well, if people lose faith in the direction of the site, they're not going to want to contribute (even if they stick around).  That's only natural.

 

As for the OP, I get the sense that there's a misconception regarding the donation system.  The donation system is for paying the server bills.  It's not for paying people who are currently volunteers to work on the site.  The existence of a donation system does NOT obligate Nayleen--or anyone else--to do anything.

[Flutterz]

As for the OP, I get the sense that there's a misconception regarding the donation system.  The donation system is for paying the server bills.  It's not for paying people who are currently volunteers to work on the site.  The existence of a donation system does NOT obligate Nayleen--or anyone else--to do anything.

This is something I forgot to mention. Whether or not Tay or Nay do any work at all that money is going exactly where it's supposed to (hopefully). If someone is uncomfortable with that they are in no way obliged to donate.

[babiker]

Why talk on the forum? Because when people talk on the forum it brings a sense of unity, which I do cherish. It allows people to get to know each other and work together.

And that's what I do, I just don't do it on the forums. It's like talking with your friends outside of school. If that's all you went to school for, then why go there if you can hang out with them in a cafe? It just feels unnecessary 

[LiquidShu]

And that's what I do, I just don't do it on the forums. It's like talking with your friends outside of school. If that's all you went to school for, then why go there if you can hang out with them in a cafe? It just feels unnecessary 

 

Since this isn't school you don't have to come here in the first place to talk to your friends. There isn't any reason to be a member if all you care about is a certain group of people and not the whole community for what it is. 

 

Continuing on the school analogy, the students that do come to class just to socialize with classmates tend to be the ones that have a negative affect on the schools environment. Instead of participating and contributing in class and in extra curricular activities to help the school, they instead tend to talk during class and dismiss others that do not concern them. If a school is filled with a bunch of students who do not care for the overall well being of everyone there and the school itself, then it will suffer.

 

Also, as you stated "If that's all you went to school for, then why go there... It just feels unnecessary", why come to Fuwanovel in the first place if it is "unnecessary"? You're not being forced.

[sarayne]

It's pretty sexy(?)

http://beta.fuwanovel.net/?theme=summer-sky

That looks so so so much better.

[Eclipsed]

Disregarding whether it'll be possible to unite this community as a whole instead of having the many apparent cliques that we do,

 

As LC Community Liaison, what changes/improvements would you guys like to see regarding the site itself? Outside of the revamped front site, of course..

 

Currently Fuwanovel, a site with the proud slogan of "Make VNs popular in the west" offers:

• VN database of English translated VNs
• VN translation updates via VNTL
• VN related news via Fuwazette
• VN reviews via FuwaReviews
• A niche community for a niche hobby via Forums, FuwaChat, Blogs, etc..
  • A dedicated subforum for Translation Projects and OELVN Projects
  • VN Walkthroughs 

[Darklord Rooke]

Aaaaaand… who else wants that school metaphor to be swiftly kicked in the vulnerables? Anyone? Anyone at all? It can’t just be me.

[LiquidShu]

Aaaaaand… who else wants that school metaphor to be swiftly kicked in the vulnerables? Anyone? Anyone at all? It can’t just be me.

 

I apologize if I didn't proceed with it correctly, I am quite tired and was/am having trouble wording it. 

[Chronopolis]

13 user(s) are reading this topic

See how much activity this thread is getting? Have threads (discussion/sharing, etc.) which topics people feel interest towards reading or adding their genuine or candid thought to. I'm happy to interact with members of the community, the opportunity just needs to be made more enticing/available/convenient.

[OriginalRen]

I don't really think anything has changed.  In the end this is a VN forum, and people are still creating threads and talking about VNs.  The people I'm interested in are still around, and VN discussion is still happening.  What more is needed?

 

As for loligeddon, I've been moderated several times for posting SFW content.  Merely referencing lolis appears to be a censorable offense.  I had a private discussion about this and Tay said in July that he would make an announcement on the subject in August.  Welp, it never happened.  You've seen me become more distanced from the site, and that's the main instigating factor.  At one point I considered myself a community leader of sorts here.  Now I just hang out and talk to people and make no particular effort to contribute.  Has loligeddon contributed to the current situation?  Not sure.  But well, if people lose faith in the direction of the site, they're not going to want to contribute (even if they stick around).  That's only natural.

 

As for the OP, I get the sense that there's a misconception regarding the donation system.  The donation system is for paying the server bills.  It's not for paying people who are currently volunteers to work on the site.  The existence of a donation system does NOT obligate Nayleen--or anyone else--to do anything.

 

Well that's a load of bullshit. I tried posting VN discussion with old podcast questions, and a total of (maybe) 7 people participated. It wasn't until I forcibly reminded everyone that the thread existed that they finally started posting in it. Nobody wants to talk about VNs it seems, and those that do simply ignore the threads and go about their business like it's nothing.

 

Also regarding the loli content, it hasn't affected anyone because nobody is a Steve and nobody is posting shit. Nobody cared about the site during the time it happened; they only came back to complain that it was a bad move. In the end, nothing changed and the forums were still as dead as ever.

 

What would the front page look like? I'm not up-to-date on the proposed changes.

 

On increasing community forum activity:

 

I think why there hasn't been that much participation in your forum games or livestreams, is the forum games requires commitment/learning, while livestream events require interest in what's being shown + showing up at a specific time). We could hold a big ideas + vote thread about what events / "do/make things together" people would want. The global forum activity dropping is a result of people percieving that there's not much interesting outside the cliche they hang out in (nothing inherently bad with that, from an individual perspective).

 

In the VN sub-forum, groups such as the visual novel group or "what are you reading" are good for mantaining a group of community. Discussion threads like /visualsnovels/ has would further liven up the place.

 

In general, give things for people to check out (stuff where interest > reluctance to commit). If there's a project that fuwa members have done, people will check that out because we are curious. Give places for people to say their opinion and let us get to know each other. Maybe there are lots of interesting/broad discussion topics we could have (e.g Favourite place in japan / what's your plan on going to japan / thoughts on japan, how much anime/ln/vn have you played in the last year and comments). Notice the barrier to entry is low, but interest garnered can be high.

 

I'd believe you, if people didn't used to participate in streams and actively come on the site like in the past.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am fine with groups, but if the only reason this website actually exists is to talk about torrent removal, Okami's stupidity, and the loli ban, then fuck this site. Jokes have a place (being a person who loves posting jokes on the forum all the time), but there is a time when being a community matters too. I mean, thank you posts and heartfelt messages don't even feel like people give a fuck anymore, and that's sad.

See how much activity this thread is getting? Have threads (discussion/sharing, etc.) which topics people feel interest towards reading or adding their genuine or candid thought to. I'm happy to interact with members of the community, the opportunity just needs to be made more enticing/available/convenient.

 

It's active because it's a "change in the norm." People still exist, but only when edgy shit happens (loli ban, torrent removal, etc.). I even stated this in the OP. Everything else is thrown to the wayside, and nobody even actively cares about the changes anymore or the future of this site.

 

I am going to be completely serious here and say that if this site were get shut down right now, I doubt anyone would try to revive it.

[Yuuko]

#RenForAdmin lol

[Eclipsed]

Well that's a load of bullshit. I tried posting VN discussion with old podcast questions, and a total of (maybe) 7 people participated. It wasn't until I forcibly reminded everyone that the thread existed that they finally started posting in it. Nobody wants to talk about VNs it seems, and those that do simply ignore the threads and go about their business like it's nothing.

Your podcast aside, with its recent translation completion the Koisuru Natsu no Last Resort discussion thread naturally has people who are going through the VN and posting there (hiFlutterz) thoughts in there.

And there's always threads being created about upcoming releases, kickstarters, etc.

 

People are even talking about Rewrite and had to slap me hard across the face to make me remember them G-Ws.

[Kaguya]

Says the stream advertising machine who sits on teamspeak all day and only shows up for that and some random games- you are not fuwanovel, Ren.

Meh. I'm still moderating, you know. It's just that there's nothing to moderate currently. I am spending less time in the site, but I still check it 20+ times a day and whenever there's a report or discussion related to moderation going on I do jump on it.

I do have my pm group, yeah. I post there because it has almost everyone I like + it's a free talk thingy, so I can just talk about what I'm currently hyping. Easier than making a new thread, will get more views than if I try to revive an old one. This account existed for the sake of roleplaying in the past, and while I still do it sometimes, I don't have the drive to anymore, which makes posting weird.

What exactly you want from me other than moderation? I can't be at the site 24/7 to do it. I can't suddenly think of an awesome idea that'll make the site super active.

All I can is make the same stuff I did in the past- bad daibanchou mods and virtual trading cards of our members. That and updating my list, which I do whenever good enough game is translated.

The trading cards and the mod were pretty popular (no need to mention my list), so so tell me if you have any interest in it, anyone. Also, I've been looking for a hacker for a project of a larger scale, but I couldn't find anyone so /rip.

[OriginalRen]

Final Note:

 

If some of you think what I am saying is bullshit itself and you disagree with my opinion, then do something about it and make me eat my words. Find ways to revive the site instead of just listening to me complain about it. Take the initiative and band together as a community once again and do something about it. Remember when the award's system was something everyone actively had awesome ideas for? Remember when we all had fun as a group and tried new things for the site even if they fell through the cracks and failed miserably? Remember when people had ideas for the site changes and looked forward to those changes? Be a community and care. Social cliques can still exist as they always have, but band together as a community and do something as a community. In the words of Shia, stop making shitty excuses and just do it. If you don't want to, then at least admit you care less about this damn site and move on, because Fuwanovel doesn't even need to exist the way people use it now. It takes a single fucking post people to get the fire started, so if you have an idea, post it, be you an old member or new.

 

Prove me wrong people, because I'm fine with being wrong. I make mistakes as well, but hearing people complain like me isn't the right thing to do, and sitting on your ass is never going to solve anything. If you have time to post your opinion in this thread, you have time to post an idea and think of things to do.

 

Tay is not the only person who should love this site. As members, we should show him we care and love it just as much.

[babiker]

Since this isn't school you don't have to come here in the first place to talk to your friends. There isn't any reason to be a member if all you care about is a certain group of people and not the whole community for what it is. 

 

Continuing on the school analogy, the students that do come to class just to socialize with classmates tend to be the ones that have a negative affect on the schools environment. Instead of participating and contributing in class and in extra curricular activities to help the school, they instead tend to talk during class and dismiss others that do not concern them. If a school is filled with a bunch of students who do not care for the overall well being of everyone there and the school itself, then it will suffer.

 

Also, as you stated "If that's all you went to school for, then why go there... It just feels unnecessary", why come to Fuwanovel in the first place if it is "unnecessary"? You're not being forced.

I'm just stating what I think the real problem is, I'm not complaining at all. I do check here from time to time, I don't come here because I'm forced to or anything. You seem to be upset Shu, but all I'm saying is what I think is the truth. Can you think of a solution?

[OriginalRen]

Says the stream advertising machine who sits on teamspeak all day and only shows up for that and some random games- you are not fuwanovel, Ren.

 

Mystery month and the massive amounts of discussion I created mean nothing I suppose. The fact people stopped following the thread makes me laugh even more. Funny how it requires little to absolutely no effort to be a part of, yet people still sit on their ass and don't care. There is a VN discussion thread, recommendations, an anime thread, and a game. You see people actively taking 10 minutes of their day to care? Ha.

[LiquidShu]

I'm just stating what I think the real problem is, I'm not complaining at all. I do check here from time to time, I don't come here because I'm forced to or anything. You seem to be upset Shu, but all I'm saying is what I think is the truth. Can you think of a solution?

 

If your truth/problem is people prefer convenience then I would have to agree. I wouldn't go so far as to say upset, rather voicing my opinion on this one. Tired, thoughts are quite jumbled, and attempting to be as straight forward as possible.

 

In all honesty I can't think of a concrete solution. As said before admins, front site, etc., would help but they wouldn't fix anything by themselves. As of this moment I believe the only thing that would really serve as a solution is for people to want to "revive" the forums. To achieve this, I am unfortunately at a loss. Taking the steps mentioned would at least be a stepping stone though.

[Darklord Rooke]

As of this moment I believe the only thing that would really serve as a solution is for people to want to "revive" the forums. To achieve this, I am unfortunately at a loss.