News & Views - June 18, 2006

[dude]

Hi Gang?

Guess you didn?t expect to see another ?News and Views? from me. Neither did I. But since the two people who volunteered to step in and share the duties from me are nowhere to be found? guess I?ll go ahead with it. Sorry for the delay. No new stories this week but plenty of new chapters of ongoing stories here at AD? many of them either debuting on our site or in exclusive serialization here.

Heart of The Tree by Graeme is now in Chapter Three of it?s serialization. This is a new major project by Graeme who is always trying something different. If you haven?t read the first three chapters yet, please do so and offer Graeme your feedback. He?ll appreciate it. There?s a thread going right now in Readers Rule.

Sealing Our Fate by Josh ? Chapter 6 has now been posted. This is a neat little story that Josh insists is NOT autobiographic. Heh heh? go to the SOF thread in Readers Rule and press him further?

Someday Out Of The Blue by LittleBuddhaTW is now in Chapter 7. The author of this story is also active and seeking your comments in Readers Rule!

Professional Courtesy by Jack Scribe ? Chapter 9 has now been posted. Jack has completed this story but he welcomes your comments and feedback on his writing also in Readers Rule. As this fine story runs it?s course? another is waiting in the wings.

Love and Death in Venice by Jerry Miller ? Chapter 6 is up and waiting for you. Jerry?s stories often have movie house themes? something that?s close to his heart. But check out his Born To Be A Missionary? the first two parts of which have been posted? and perhaps encourage him to post more.

The Garden by Nevius ? Chapter 7 is now online. Please check it out and give your feedback to Nevius (rhymes with devious?) in Readers Rule.

That?s about it. I am going to have to make some hard decisions about AwesomeDude.com in the next week or so. I am getting precious little help in producing it every week but I owe too much to both my authors and readers to let it go. A new regime may be in the offing? or I can quit a couple of my paying jobs! Duh.. don?t think so. I had hoped to spend more time in site development but for the time being I?ll have to just keep up the routine of getting it posted every month.

[DesDownunder]

That?s about it. I am going to have to make some hard decisions about AwesomeDude.com in the next week or so.

Awww Dude that is not good.

I really enjoy this site and wish I could help but I too am working and dealing with the fascist boss from hell.

I'm also trying to write a story and have little enough time for that.

I hope to submit it one day for inclusion at AD.

The forums are really great and I think they deserve better participation from net users. I find it difficult to understand how a site of this quality only attracts around 240 registered members. Surely there must be more than 240 gay people on the net.

Perhaps you could have a competition for registered user activity.

First prize could be a night with Dude. :D

Hope it works out

Des

[blue]

:: waves hand :: Um, I'm still here and willing to help.

[Codey]

desdownunder wrote > Perhaps you could have a competition for registered user activity.

First prize could be a night with Dude. <

Sounds like Dude would be the winner in that contest.

Codey

[dude]

Des...

The number of people who are registered members of the AwesomeDude Forums is miniscule compared to the number who visit AwesomeDude.com and AwesomeDude Forums and who never register.

Every month so far this year we have had 35-thousand +/- unique visitors to the site/forums. The total number (including repeat visits) is closer to 50-thousand. We are using bandwidth... we are getting readers to our stories, our poems and our forum posts. For a fairly small 'boutique' type site, we are pretty popular. And our numbers are consistent. It is hard to estimate... but let me take a shot at it.. that only one in a hundred visitors visit the Forums.

Now that we'd like to improve upon. Primarily people are here for the high quality stories and poems on the main site and some have joined the AD Forums so they can 'speak out'... but there are lots of people out there who eschew joining forums or mail lists or groups... all because they are afraid somebody will be able to trace them.

Once they know nobody is out to get them -or worse 'out' them- they often join up after a period of lurking.

One of our most outspoken family members here at AD - and I'll refrain from mentioning his name if he promises to finish that short story of his - had never been on IM or a message board - much less had his own blog before joiningg up with the great folks here. Now, there's no holding him back! He has lots of neat friends and is loved by many who would have never even known he existed. I am sure he knows that I am talking about him... heh heh

All this has come to my knowldege over the slightly over two years I have been doing AwesomeDude, which was primarily an effort to connect readers and writers... and to promote the writing of good stories.

I really enjoy developing and expanding the site... the nuts and bolts of running forums... bridging info about the site to the Forum members/readers I have been trying to pass along to a small group of AD old timers... most of them writers themselves.

I like to pop in like this and make comments but hope I can pass off the mantle of the News & Views column for a while while I learn new web techniques... catch up our authors and stories pages... search for new authors and stories.. etc.

I have been assured that TR and Gabe will be on the scene next Sunday to take over the N & V column and let me spend more time doing what I need to do. Although I am now living in a. tropical paradise and b. 3rd world, I still spend most of my days working basically 6:30 am to 8:30 pm with a couple of power naps in between on weekdays...

Long rambling post... yeah I hope our members can build a bit of a fire under the AD Forums and I'll give them lots of latitude to do that. Meantime, I'll be working at least a couple hours a day on improving the main AwesomeDude.com.

[TalonRider]

What Dude says about people lurking before joining is true for most sites. I get some traffic at The Talon House. The House will soon be 2 years old and there are a whopping 59 members now. 4 out or the past 5 to join have done so because of the story discussion forum I started. The main story to be discussed is TSOI.

I have noticed, i have one vistitor that cames daily but has never joined or posted anything.

[DesDownunder]

Thanks Dude for your informative, "rambling" but reassuring reply.

I am particularly relieved to know the overall number of visitors is so high.

I guess I too, lurked a couple of times before I decicded to join in the forums. (I always was however a bit of a lurker. )

I understand the trepidation of making oneself known, but in any case it seems that AwesomeDude offers really good anonymity for those in need of that reassurance.

Of course being a "would be" story-writer I was pleased to receive some helpful thoughts from the forums, and All I had to do was read them.

Joining in a couple of times was great fun and very instructive.

The forums are also a great place to let author's know about your reactions to their stories. There is no doubt about AwesomeDude having some of the best stories on the net.

Well back to my poetry writing, the story will have to wait. :D

[DesDownunder]

desdownunder wrote > Perhaps you could have a competition for registered user activity.

First prize could be a night with Dude. <

Sounds like Dude would be the winner in that contest.

Codey

Not if he gets me Codey. lol :p

[JamesSavik]

Once they know nobody is out to get them -or worse 'out' them- they often join up after a period of lurking.

One of our most outspoken family members here at AD - and I'll refrain from mentioning his name if he promises to finish that short story of his - had never been on IM or a message board - much less had his own blog before joiningg up with the great folks here. Now, there's no holding him back! He has lots of neat friends and is loved by many who would have never even known he existed. I am sure he knows that I am talking about him... heh heh

:roll: I resemble that remark.

Yup- for the longest time I was too shy too say a word. :oops:

Now they can't get me to shut up. :blah5:

:geek: