BigCloset Spinoff -- Please Read and Respond

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There are problems with BigCloset and how it is structured and what kind of content it has.

There are a lot of bells and whistles here and lots of people love them. There are also all kinds of stories and some people love that and some don't.

Here's a thought -- Bob and I have come up with the idea of splitting TopShelf into two sites.

One would be BigCloset/Topshelf pretty much as it is with all the bells and whistles intact.

The spinoff second site would be simpler no blogs, no images, no voting but with the best search functions we can come up with. Lean and mean, so to speak. It would inherit some version of the stories already on BCTS as a starter and initially, the same user list. After that the two sites would go their own way.

We could encourage different sorts of story postings on each site, each different from the other. It seems obvious that there is a market for a TG-X-oriented site and a TG site that doesn't have X-rated stories. We're thinking that the new site would be more X-oriented and BCTS authors whose stories would be inherited by the site could login and remove them if they desired. Or if the feedback indicates it is a good idea, we can remove them before the spin-off.

Of course, it could work the other way with BCTS and we could make a restriction that you have to request access for X-oriented material here on BCTS. That can be done with the software as is.

Or we could do both things.

It's also possible to make new stories on the new website be uploads rather than being stored in the database file. This would allow some images without overloading the server.

Comments and discussion please?

Thanks,
-- Bob and Erin

What is X-rated, anyway?

littlerocksilver's picture

Those are a lot of possibilities. One of the things I like about this site is I don't have to hunt around. A good description of story content is adequate for me. There are some things I just don't care to read.

The trouble with rating systems is that they are too subjective and somebody else is always deciding for me what the rating is when my standards may differ considerably from the author and/or rater. Maybe there should be a check list. Accurately displaying the content should give the reader fair warning (e.g. WS, Anal, BDSM, forced, etc.)

In the long run, I am not sure what the value of a spin off site would be except to cause additional headaches for those who have to make sure it is working. KISS

Portia

Portia

X-Ratings

erin's picture

We have ratings on this site and seldom have discussions about their accuracy. There is a page somewhere that explains what the ratings mean, maybe I should make that more prominent.

As for KISS, it's too late for that on BCTS. :) This is a complex site which requires a lot of maintenance. The idea of a second site is to offload some traffic to a site that would be simpler and require less attention.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

My preference

Frank's picture

Would be keep BC as it is, the site is already great and have a mirror server to balance the load in busy times, and serve as a backup should anything happen (ala FM) there would be no downtime.

Hugs

Frank

Hugs

Frank

That's not excluded

erin's picture

We would keep BC pretty much the way it is unless there is a consensus to remove the x-rated stories to the new site. And a mirror is also in the future plans for BC. :)

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

From What I Can Tell

You are trying to address the following:
1. Comments (on other sites from non or casual users) that BCTS has a poor layout and that it's too hard to find stories.
2. A feeling of a loss of community at BCTS because of the influx of new readers and authors that has caused some of the existing members to withdraw.
3. Balance the server load by providing a stripped down site for the person that only wants to find and read stories.

Given that we don't really know when (or if) FM will return, what you propose could be good thing provided you're not just taking on even more headaches. Even when FM returns and Crystal completes her overhaul, you will have a big advantage with self posting of stories.

As littlerocksilver said, I believe I can choose what I read. I think parallel sites could work very well with the original as is and a BCTS lite with the same story content, but with only stories and very strong search for non-registered users (as you described).

After the spinoff...

erin's picture

...the new site Bob and I are suggesting would go its own way and not be updated from BC archives after the initial startup.

The intent is also to have a mirror site of BC that would use a mirrored BC database and take the load of searching off the main site. But that's a separate idea from spinning off a different site with a different philosophy of organization.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

I dunno...

So ... you're implying that when the two proposed sites go their respective ways, we'd have two BC sites that require our browsing to get the same as we currently do with the one site?

Question is, do we even get that many self-admitted X-rated stories in relation to the total number of stories that get posted to justify a second site, no matter how stripped-down it is?

I think I agree with another commentator. If the real goal is to lessen the maintenance load, the solution might be better served if BCTS was really examined to see what currently could be considered 'excessive' bells n' whistles then trim accordingly, given that BCTS already has a mirror site.

Speaking as a programmer, it would be a trade-off ... you of course, knowing just what the work load would be with two sites vs a trimmed BCTS and the value offered the community by the each of the two options.

PB

I Was Suggesting an Alternative

I understood that you planned to separate the sites after the split. My suggestion was to have a lite version of BCTS (maintaining the same story content retaining your original room for everything concept). A way for it to work would be to have the lite site be the default and require registration and login to access the rich content version.

Do we have that many X rated stories

Angharad's picture

and are they that popular? I wouldn't like this site to change too much although obviously you're the boss and we have to adapt to any changes you feel are necessary. However, I 'm also aware how much effort you put into the site and if that could be lessened without detriment to the site, I would support it, especially as you aren't paid for the privilege.

Maybe we should ask, what would you like to do (apart from occasionally want to run away)?

Angharad

Angharad

Not sure.

I only have 2 stories posted here now and both have some 'adult' scenes but in the context of the story as a whole. They've both had several thousand accesses and the count steadily increases even though they're both quite old - so old they pre-date the voting system. They get almost zero votes and comments but they're moderately popular. 10 accesses to episode 1 today; I've just checked out of curiosity. I would in all likelihood transfer my stories there as well as a couple that aren't here now.

I think people here are shy of being seen to like anything that's not sweet and sentimental. Whilst I enjoy many of the s&s stories, I also like darker more 'robust' stuff too, which might fit better on the site Erin's proposing. I do like many aspects of BC - particularly the community feel - but I can understand what many don't like. It is more confusing to use than (say) FM. I would prefer a more limited structure to the story listings with simple text-based announcements devoid of fancy fonts and illustration but I'm probably in a minority.

I would counsel caution before embarking on any fundamental changes. By all accounts FM is on the verge of returning from the dead and Story Site will eventually start posting again (Crystal still seems as enthusiastic as before). It might be better to see what happens once the load on the site is eased. In the end it's what Erin and Bob find to be best for them. Readers will follow whatever they choose.

Geoff

Mirror yes, split, no...

I can honestly say I like this site just the way it is. I'm a big boy, I can pick and choose which stories I'll read, and if I don't like a story, I don't have to read it. Setting up a mirror to handle higher than normal loads or server failure would be my choice.

Some days you're the pigeon, some days you're the statue

Glad this is not my job.

Some here at this site can be a bit sanctimonious, but one thing I am seeing as a T woman, is that thick skin is good. In looking at my own goals for writing, I want to write some stories that are adventures without explicit content, but then again, I have read and written a few stories that were pretty explicit.

My muse is so moody. One day she is Belle ("Beauty and the Beast"), and the next she is a hot wet slut. Go figure.

I'd tend to say go with just identifying the stories adequately or restricting access to X stories on this site. But then again, who is going to be the Cop? I worry about potential access by the growing number of youngsters who are T. Many parents are obviously clueless about what their children access.

Were I the Mom of our British miss, I just don't know what I would do. Even if all the "smut" were shunted over to another site, who would want to take the responsibility for either site's content? Certainly not I.

When I think about the journey my writing has chronicled, I can see huge changes in my state of mind over the years that I have written. Looking back, I can see that my purpose for writing was to explore and develop my newly wakened personality.

"MS Frankenstein" was intended to portray a nearly hysterical and badly frightened woman. "Natural Slave", was simply a cry for love and security from an extremely lonely T woman. "Hala's Snow Day" was a young T woman working out her own insecurities. So, my writing is about me working out my own stuff out of selfish self interest.

Others here, just have a lot of artistic talent and the skill to back it up. You can not compare my work to theirs. They "Got it" and I am mediocre.

None of my work is intended to meet the needs of those hunting for Masturbatory Fantasies. Those are in abundance over on ASSTR. Which perhaps is where the X writer folks here should go?

Gosh I have just dug up the flower beds and not said a thing.

Gwen

A ( faint ) mirror of BCTS

slimmed down you say. Hmm. No images. No blogs. No votes. It's tempting, I am ashamed to admit that I often forget to vote. I comment some <g> but aside from that I wouldn't miss the features you mentioned to be stripped.

But I wouldn't like two different lines of stories, rated this or that. So it'd mean a big shiny diner with the posh interior, valet parking, and able to chat with the punters and cooks in front, and in the back a quick take-out counter, but in general the same menu.

Wouldn't it be sad for the authors to 'miss' votes and blogging about the fruits of their labour? Other interaction I didn't think off right now?

I think I prefer (only) a mirror for BCTS, to balance the load. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Jo-Anne

Maybe I'm not explaining this very well

erin's picture

This is a question completely outside the question of continuing BC as is and establishing a mirror of BC. Maybe there isn't much enthusiasm for the concept, all the replies so far seem to be concentrated on opting for a mirror instead and leaving BC alone. Didn't really plan on changing BC. :)

It's going to be more than a month before we can even start planning an effective mirror. This spinoff site could probably be up next week, so that's why I'm trying to talk about whether it is an idea worth doing. :)

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Still not enthusiastic...

If you're talking about tempoarily relieving things for a month or so, until the mirror is available, why bother? You going to end up with 2 moves?

If you envision the more X-rated content at the spin-off site, who's going to monitor the BCTS postings to make the call if a story is posted on the wrong site?

If it's basically going to be 'status quo' on BCTS and the X-rated stuff can still appear here as well as the other site, again... why bother?

PB

Not temporary

erin's picture

One way or another, we are going to end up with multiple moves in the next few months. Moving a Drupal site is no big deal, seriously. You pack up the files, re-install them on the new server and re-point the URL. That last takes most of the time and that's just waiting. FMs problems are WAY to complex to get into here but BCs situation is in no wise parallel.

No one is going to monitor things anymore than is done here. People who rate stories are looking to find their audience, for the most part, that is self-policing. There would be no "wrong site", it's just that most of the people asking for more search capabilities and a leaner site seem to be the fans of the rougher sort of TG ficiton, so the site would naturally tend to attract a different slice of the TG universe of authors, stories and readers.

The reason to bother is that these last four months have been very very hectic and any idea that seems likely to help prevent this from happening again, or even put it off for a bit, seems worth exploring. We got a new server that is much more powerful and somewhat faster and all that has really happened is that we had a sudden nearly 20 percent new jump in traffic. :)

The new server is more stable than the old one and merely staggers under the load instead of falling down and crying like a lost puppy but Bob and I can tell -- there's unmet demand there. Even with the new server, we're not keeping up with the number of people who want to read TG stories. Next week, we'll have an even newer and more powerful server and in a couple weeks after that it will come online. Seriously, unless FM comes up during that three week period, we're figuring we will rapidly max out the new-new server too -- and in any case, that is likely to happen within six months.

It's a little bit like riding an elephant without a mahout, where and when you arrive isn't up to you, entirely. :)

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

BigCloset Spinoff

When I first found BCTS I thought I found a true tg site but now it has change to the same as FM & crystal`s sites. There good and bad stories on both sites.

I would like to see BCTS to be a true tg site where the main character is truly tg and not to be force or degraded. Also the secondary characters help the tg person to transition in a safe style manner.

The secondary BC sould carry the hard core and degrading stories.

I agree, but...

I admit, I'm not a fan of many of the stories you allude to, but to play Devil's Advocate....

Although there are many stories that exhibit the 'forced' or 'humiliated' tags, there's almost as some that in the minds of many, should ... but in the author's opinion, they shouldn't, so they don't.

Again I ask, who's going to police the rating system that so that the right story ends up on the right site? That's the problem with the rating of stories using different standards.

PB

Hate to step into it, but

I hate to step into it, but I find myself agreeing with Joanne. Perhaps the BigCloset Dungeon or PlayRoom? Give RP'ers and others their own area to play? I find myself reluctant to comment after the drubbing I got for daring to speak against the fem/dom issue the last time :( I guess this is the price for BC becoming famous /sigh :P I miss the happy homey feel, but am afraid it is gone forever; you can never really go back...
Whatever you decide to do is what we will go with, because Moms know best, even when we, ourselves, may not.

Hugs,
Diana

Ugliness is a part of life.

Ugliness is a part of life. Although, I agree that some stories should be published elsewhere; that should only be because of explicit sexual content. I am sure many of BCTS's readers know being different from the 'norm' is not always pleasant. Stories also need to be available that show the dark side of a CD/TG's life. Depression, rejection, degradation, fear, and many other situations should be explored. Not all will have a happy ending.

I think this is a temporary thing

The increased traffic on BC is temporary until FM comes back and when Crystal finishes her upgrade. I think both of those are going to happen somewhere near the middle of this year.

But, while I have not seen a problem with X-rated material, I can see that there are times when the interface needs to be thinner. I do like the changes that have happened here lately and I encourage more like them.

I don't think a spin off site needs to happen. I would suggest that if you want to do this, please use Top Site rather than a whole new URL. It already has name brand recognition, and all you would have to do is to tweak it to be a thin client and powerful search.

Sorry, hurting a lot and on pain meds, so I'm a bit loopy.

I believe that while the search engine does need to be overhauled, I don't think a new site is the way to go, in my personal opinion. But I also don't have all the info you do Erin.
----------------------------
May the Stars light your path.
Joy

Fractured Community

Piper's picture

I really don't think this is a temporary issue... I feel that most the people that originally dismissed BCTS due to what they didn't like about the design or other reasons, have grown used to the site because it's still updating frequently. I was hoping this would happen with my site to, but alas, I did gain some good authors, and some good users, but I just don't seem to be pulling enough of the load from the community to help Erin and Bob.

However, on that same note, I feel that you Erin, are at risk of fracturing a very delicate community that you have vultivated over the years. Some may say they don't like this, others that they don't like that, but you have managed to build a nicely balanced site with all the bells and whistles. Essentially you managed to bring forth the goal I had with the Original StoryPortal site and my hat is off to you!

Having a mirror spin off from this site, could cause some users to go there, and others to stay here, while unfortunately, many won't visit both. You go from having stories which generate 50-100 comments in a matter of days, to stories that get 5-10 maybe.. We've seen the mentality when both trying to advertise what most see as "rival" sites. You and I both contend that authors should post to multiple sites and we tend to communicate via email and PM and talk about diff issues affecting both our sites... But for the most part, they (authors) pick one (site), and ONLY that one. If it weren't that way, then we would have a more distributed load of stories/authors among all the new sites that have sprung up.

But that's just my lil opinion.
-P/KAF


"She was like a butterfly, full of color and vibrancy when she chose to open her wings, yet hardly visible when she closed them."
— Geraldine Brooks


Creating a NEW site...

using the same software/hardware and excess bandwidth? That's fine with me.

If you want it to have more explicit content and/or the "harder" flavor of fiction? that's okay. Your choice. I personally don't read the stories (here) that are heavy into the explicit content or hard (brutal) stuff. If it's a minor part of a story, I may well still read the story, but I do skip over that bit of content. That's me. Others may well enjoy the scenes themselves and/or find their inclusion makes for a richer story. My opoinion.

I generally like BCTS - as is - and have had no major issues with it since I started reading here. That said, I'm SURE I've not found a LOT of the VERY GOOD stories that exist here. And, I'm sure quite a few gems have been published while I've been here that I've missed. Maybe with time, I'll find them. :-) (Time being the kicker.)

One thing that surprised me in your description... You say the content is actually stored IN the database? Most professional CMSs actually store the content in a file system and just have the pointer in the database. I was wondering at the rationalle of storing it in the DB as that makes it grow faster and such.

Well, my 2 cents. (All it's worth)
Annette

TGFiction/eFiction/Storage Stuff

Piper's picture

eFiction had the option of either file based storage of stories or db storage. I chose file based but sometimes I wish I had chosen DB storage... But then again, I'd have a large DB load so maybe I chose right :)

-P/KAF


"She was like a butterfly, full of color and vibrancy when she chose to open her wings, yet hardly visible when she closed them."
— Geraldine Brooks


There's the kicker ...

erin's picture

What CMS do you know that stores the data in files instead of database and doesn't cost money to buy or upgrade? Efiction is the only one I know of. Piper has got that working but it would not work for me when I was setting up TopShelf so I went with Drupal.

Some of the stories here are stored in files, that's an option using the upload link doohickey at the bottom of the body field but most are stored in the database.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

For Authors

Frank's picture

Having 2 sites to post to will require more work for them as well. If they want to put their story out to as many people as possible. Assuming there would be BC, Spinoff, FM, Storysite...etc

Hugs

Frank

Hugs

Frank

Separation

I feel to start seperating the site would lead to readers not knowing where their favorite authors are posting. Normally when you start to split thing up both parts go down hill. Also it places a heavier load on yourself and Bob, trying to decide which site gets priority.

Its nice to see all the authors in one place

If readers do not like the X rated material all they have to do is ignore it. Perhaps it would be better just have sepate blogs page which readers can go to if they so wish, leaving the front page a little bit less crouded.

At the end of the day, the old adage of if it's not broken, leave it alone, is a good idea

ELIZA


ELIZA

????

I guess I don't get what the whole root of what is going on is. I have been perusing Erin's sites for many years. I seldom read the comments, unless a topic grabs my attention. When I am at Crystals's, I read a story....thats as far as I go, since you have to go elsewhere to see a comment and I hardly ever go to a hyperboard, especially the one at FM. So I don't follow discussions there either. I KNOW this is considered a COMMUNITY, but I see inflamatory posts right out there for for everyone to read. (maybe they should be separate). This only stirs things up even worse, as people jump to the defense of a favorite author, or a friend, or for just a "right" in general. Many people have been chased away from here and other sites. All for what? Not picking on anyone in particular, but one person here will remain un-named. She is a prolific author, and a decent to good one. I just choose not to read a lot of her works, as they don't particularly interest me. She also is a very verbal person and leaves a lot of comments,(sometimes biting, sometimes teasing, and sometimes sarcastic, often its hard to tell the difference, unless you know her) many of which are misunderstood, and this misunderstanding draws a lot of blood and hard feelings. Some are understood correctly, especially when she fires back at someone that has "dinged" her. Thats the way the human beast is. Criticism, deserved or not is not well accepted by the human animal.
There is another very good prolific author that pops up here and there. I read maybe 1 in 4 of her stories, because her favorite story line just does not appeal to me usually. I do read some, and enjoy those I do. That's also the human beast at work. If we all read everything that was published, then every author out there would be a million seller or more, and every one would be rich. Heck maybe counting sales would not be a good measure of quality if everyone read everything. But then where would the good feeling a popular author has come from? Anyway....
The topics at the headers here do a pretty good job of telling me what I want to read and what not. I will start a story, and if I can't get into it, I skip down and see if it gets better. If not I pass on. This is an adult site, and we are adults, right?
I don't have to go searching for what is available to read as I check in daily and can see what is offered easily. Since I have been here since before the site was conceived, and even its predecessor, I have seen everything posted. What I do is check the old posts to see if something I forgot about pops up. I do the same thing at Crystals history. I can understand a newbie may be kind of lost here, but its not that hard to figure things out. Go author by author if necessary. I have done so at FM and Crystals. I have not read every story posted, but I have at least looked at the synopsis of every story, author by author.
Maybe the answer is to create another site for "public consumption" and let them go at it. Then this could revert to a small community. I don't know. Since I am not familiar with the "insite" operation, and "infighting" (poorly chosen wording I know, but can't think of another), I just don't know what the problem is. I'm sure that applies to a WHOLE bunch of people, and maybe like me sometimes, they are happy reading in their "ignorance" and just keep on keeping on. I have probably wasted most of this, as I am good at thinking things, but poor at organizing or getting them down on paper.

BTW, if I recall Crystals post correctly, she is redesigning her site to make it author posting, instead of her having to code and post every single story. She used to read them all, to do that properly, but she has seldom had time to read, just trying to keep up.

Edits to correct some spelling, and add the bit about Crystal's.

And again by the way....its your site Erin. You have done well so far. Do whatever it takes to make it easy and better for YOU. We will live with it. The human animal is very adaptable.

As to the part of "Another site"...... I check 28 sites daily, often more than once. Thats just for stories or a couple are forums for a site, like Crytal Hall for Whateley. That does NOT count the dozen blogs TG Caps I peruse, and a few favorite comix. Another one would just be gravy. Some authors choose to post on one or two sites. Some sites attract certain types of postings. Some authors throw them out all over the place. And not everyone checks everyplace. I know there are more sites than I check, as I hear about one here and there, I never knew about. The more the merrier, as Piper said.

From Stacy:      BTW,

Piper's picture

From Stacy:
     BTW, if I recall Crystals post correctly, she is redesigning her site to make it author posting, instead of her having to code and post every single story. She used to read them all, to do that properly, but she has seldom had time to read, just trying to keep up.



Actually, what she is doing is coding the site so that she doesn't have to do all the work ALONE. She will employ the help of users like Erin does with Sephrena and allow people to help her post the story queue. It will be more like FM's task force when posting stories, but with a definitive person in charge to manage things.

-P/KAF


"She was like a butterfly, full of color and vibrancy when she chose to open her wings, yet hardly visible when she closed them."
— Geraldine Brooks


And that

can only be a good thing. Thanks for clarifying that Piper.

The FM task force doesn't post the stories

Steffen does and he posts them warts and all.
When Anne Mall was around, She had a cadre of "Fearless Volunteers", I was one of them, who read, did minor proofreading, spell checking, then formatted and posted the stories. Our mission was to "Make the authors look good."

Mr. Ram

Making authors look good ...

... is not the job of someone posting stories. That privilege falls to the author and whomever s/he chooses to edit/proof read the story. If I offer a story to a web site I expect it either to be turned down or posted as I present it. Changes to a story should never be made without the express permission of the writer. I once wrote an article for a magazine which had several changes made before printing which made me look a grammatical ignoramus. That annoyed me too. I know at least one prolific writer who refused to post at FM because of their 'making the author look good' policy.

One of the things I like about BCTS is that I have control over what appears. I'm sure others feel the same.

Geoff

I vos only following oorrderrrs!

I'm going to have to go with the Nuremberg defense on that one. In my defense, I always sent the story back to the author for approval of my changes before posting it. They were always grateful.

Mr. Ram

Why Not Try This,

You already have Second Shelf, why not make it a site for completed stories and X-rated stories as well? But to access the X-Rated stories, you agree not to snipe at the author about the story. And putting the X-rated story in a download is a great idea too.
May Your Light Forever Shine

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

Do what you do best

Erin and Bob, You have a great site here, and I appreciate all that you do. I also understand and admire your wanting to make it better. I see some value in separating out the most graphic and extreme content if it's possible to do that without generating great conflict. And good luck with that. For the most part, though, I'd leave it alone.

Just my 2 cents worth, Rianna

Spinoff

This is a hard choice to make. As an author, I need the site you provide in order to pursue the hobby. As such, I am grateful for all that you have done, and I will be grateful for all that will surely continue to do. If shifting some of the coarser content to a second site will help maintain an atmosphere more like the one that I chose to become a part of when I began posting, then I will be happy for that as well.

I am at odds however, because as an author, I’d like the stories I post to have the widest possible audience on this site. Not on FM or Storysite. I don’t like their setups, and the lack of control I felt when I posted a story only to wait four months for Crystal to get around to it.

So I’m just looking for one site like the big closet. In that I am at odds with your need to relieve some pressure on the site. Splitting the site will split that audience.

I also feel that the coarse content won’t find as much acceptance here, and it will be kept to a minimum through evolutionary pressure. If there is a much more powerful server in transit, then that might solve the inorganic problems with the single move, as has been pointed out. The organic problems usually take their own path anyway, regardless of what we do, but I would say that the need to separate the contents has not
been necessitated by an overly large volume of explicate material as yet.

In the end, I feel that you’ve already made, or are close to making the decision. If any comment would still be helpful, then I would say that I’d not complain given that you are only doing what you think you need to do, and that from a very much better vantage point to make such determinations than I currently enjoy.

Sarah Lynn

Good Reasons for Splitting

terrynaut's picture

I think splitting into two sites is a good idea. The non-X-rated site could get more advertising and the X-rated site could offload some traffic.

I like graphics and blogs and stuff but I can see how they make maintenance more difficult and slow down the site. I'd like graphics and blogs for the non-X-rated site, and I don't need advanced search functions to find things.

I guess I'm for the split, especially if it improves performance and makes your life easier. :)

Hug

- Terry

What about

What about using the second site as sort of a community center. We can move all the poems and drabbles and all old blogs over there. There have been more resipies on here latley, that can be done on the new site to and expanded upon. This new site can be used to inhance the community feelings on this site. Not take away from it like people are worried about. When new stories are posted here, a link and brief description can apear on the new site. Keep the sites working together.

Just a few ideas.

Jessica Marie

We're actually planning another site like this, too

erin's picture

One to enhance the community feel where people can go to get editing and stuff with active chatrooms and yakyak and all that. Sort of a clubhouse for dustbunnies. :) That's a separate project that IS going to go ahead. But the story archive spinoff is a separate thing that we're not sure is worth it. Hence the invitation to talk about it.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Sounds inevitable

I mean, this is kind of what's needed to happen for awhile, with the very near content wars that have happened in the past. Just because I don't like X rated stuff doesn't mean I don't think there's a need for it. It's just not for me.

Edeyn

Twin Sister

Next week I'll have been a member here for four years and I have never felt unwelcome, despite writing stories in which sometimes people engage in sexual activities. So I'm not sure how recent this influx of dirty minds is supposed to have happened. There's always been a sign on the door saying this place was an 18 and older site, and I think it would be a mistake to try to keep out the perverts by catering to the prudes.

Big Closet already has a sister site that welcomes tamer stories in Stardust. Maybe the more delicate readers could be directed over there.

ERIN is the Boss

When all said and done Erin and the support team is the boss and they will decide what action to take. More power to ERIN.

The load is the issue?

As I understand the load due to "advanced" searches is the primary problem.

Do you really want to allow all the web crawler bots to search unchecked? My guess is "no".

You do however want to enable searches for unregistered users.

I would suggest keep the main site as is with only the search function outsourced to the mirror. The reponse and performance from user side of things is very good. For "advanced searches" point users (all registered and unregistered) to a mirror server (dedicated primarily to this function) where the searches are carried out. A drop in performance there will be easier tolerated and keep the behaviour of the rest of BCTS consistent and crispy.

As an addition you could make the user enter keyword (e.g. from random graphic or even plain text) prior to start of search session to hinder the crawler bots.

Being able to switch the "x-rating filter" on or off as a registered user preference on either site would be nice.

My feeling is keep it simple, no use fragmenting the collection unless the "thought police" start censoring the site on the grounds of x-rated content.

Georg

If splitting as you have proposed will speed things up ...

if demand stays this high and grows higher, by all means, do it. I know where I will stay, both for reading and posting my own stuff, ( just 2, at the moment), and that is right here.
I like the format, but yes, I do get upset at what some people say.

I do like to read the comments and blogs, as I have found some nice stories and authors I might otherwise have ignored.
When I do see a nasty comment, I either ignore it, or write the sender a private message.

Advanced search, or even any search, I have almost never used, but it sounds as if you are proposing to only have it for the second site, anyway.

Here's a thought. Is there any way to link the sites, so that when posting, the person posting could choose which site to post on, or both sites at once? ( I doubt it, even as I ask, but it would make it easier if one did wish to post both places.

Holly

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

Holly

Spinoff Would have the Same Stories

As a serious author you would be requiring me to post the same story at both sites. I would not be the only one. Therefore you are defeating the purpose of relieving the load on this site. Perhaps the second server would be of better use if it is attached to the first and helps with the memory.

shalimar

One Thing At Once

My advice is to sit down and decide what your priorities are. If it's to split the stories into two groups for two different communities of readers, then do that.

If it's to spread the load across two servers for capacity loading, then do that.

If it's to offer two different user interfaces, then do that.

You can do more than one thing at once, but you're going to confuse people, and likely yourselves.

Ways To Accomplish Some Of These

Capacity load sharing can be achieved by having the front end and menu on one server and (some or all of) the stored stuff on another.

Multiple interfaces can be achieved by having two front ends to the same stories on the same server.

Segregation of softcore and hardcore can be achieved the same way as multiple interfaces. A key value would determine which menu a story/entry/blog would show up on. Users could pick their interface from a main login menu.

One more thought.

If you do decide to differentiate stories that way, I hope you'll lift the age restriction on the "soft" side. I think TG kids deserve a place to hang out, too.

Your last thought ...

erin's picture

... and the ad revenue someone suggested is another reason to separate the two sites. Just part of the equation.

But these questions were what Bob and I have been kicking around and why I decided to open this up for a wider discussion. All this talk is helping clarify things.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

The Spit is Good Idea. The Orientation of each is what's Wrong

Rather than using the "X" rating to define which stories go on each site, might I suggest that you use another criteria. Have one site for fantasy / Sci-fi / and sweet-sentimental stories, which seem to dominate on this site now, and the second site for mature, adult oriented stories that deal with either mysteries, suspense, crime and stories that edgy but believable.

Now I realize that I am probably stepping on toes when I use the term "Believable," but I for one tend to enjoy fiction that at least creates the feeling that it could happen. I think by a simple re-defining of the new site's criteria and selection process, you can ensure its success and keep it from degenerating into a hard core porn site, which your current defining criteria all but guarantees.

And while I do applaud your decision to go easy of the glitz on the new site, I would recommend you allow readers to comment, in private response, to the writers. I for one have learned a great deal from those who corrected my stupid spelling errors as well as pointed out flaws in my stories. Reader comments are too valuable a tool to writers to exclude. Just make them invisible to the general reading population.

Well, you have my one cent. (Sorry, the Federal government has already taken the other penny).

Nancy Cole


~ ~ ~

"You may be what you resolve to be."

T.J. Jackson

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