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Thoughts on webjournals

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I. Inayat

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Apr 3, 2004, 3:50:00 AM4/3/04
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Hm.

Okay. Before I get started, I'm aware there're some of us who either can't or
won't read 'web-only' material, which means that the following would have little
or no utility for them.

It'd also cut them out of the loop of any webjournal - which would mean they
wouldn't have a full picture of what was happening, and the webjournal users
would be without their full input.

Taking that into consideration, a few thoughts.

I'm thinking over possible webjournal options that might be available for adwc.

The options I've thought about include:

- ye bogstandard adwc webjournal, where we post stories and comments on said
stories (which basically duplicates adwc's function, so seems a bit pointless).

- webjournal story. Telling a character's story in the form of their webjournal.

- round-robins. Kind of like the round-robins we do here - start a webjournal as
ourselves, join a webcommunity, and post to the community to continue whatever
story was being told (or perhaps write the story on one webjournal account).

- roleplaying. Basically, what it'd involve would be taking on the role of a
character, starting up a webjournal for that character - and then joining a
webcommunity with the other roleplayers to interact 'in-character'. Could be one
story, multiple stories, or perhaps a setting.

There're almost certainly options I haven't considered for this.

The question in the end is 'Would using webjournals for adwc, for whatever
purpose, be useful, and if so, why?'

Thoughts?

Imran

Obfusticator

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Apr 3, 2004, 7:28:39 AM4/3/04
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Imran wrote:

> The question in the end is 'Would using webjournals for adwc, for whatever
> purpose, be useful, and if so, why?'
>
> Thoughts?

In my opinion, the best use for an adwc blog would be chatter and
commentary. I'd hate for the blog-hating demographic to get cut out of the
loop on actual fic.

Best,

Joe

PAUL GADZIKOWSKI

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Apr 3, 2004, 10:15:24 AM4/3/04
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I. Inayat <nar...@misterman00.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
: The question in the end is 'Would using webjournals for adwc, for whatever

: purpose, be useful, and if so, why?'
:
: Thoughts?

I suspect it would be quite useful for many, and I encourage them to try
it, but it wouldn't be my cup of tea.


Paul Gadzikowski, scar...@iglou.com since 1995
http://www.sff.net/people/scarfman/new.htm New cartoons most days

A bar and a deep breath

Molly Schlemmer

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Apr 3, 2004, 3:02:39 PM4/3/04
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This could be a rather interesting venture, but I'm having trouble
seeing an ADWC webjournal as anything beyond duplicating the purpose
of ADWC. Perhaps if it served as a home for the drabble challenges
and responses (like dw100 on LiveJournal), or as a place for posting
TTR stories or something similar, it would be different.

Maybe I'm just having trouble visualizing it. There's no reason you
couldn't go ahead and set such a webjournal up and see how it goes
from there.

David S. Rubin

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Apr 4, 2004, 12:59:12 AM4/4/04
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Personally, I don't really have the patience to go reading multiple
blogs on a regular basis, and I would hate to miss out on fiction
because of it. On another finger (of the same hand) if it was just an
online version of TTR, I'd love to drop by on occaision and buy drinks
all around :)

cheers,
DSR
~


William December Starr

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Apr 4, 2004, 10:24:44 PM4/4/04
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In article <c4lts4$2jilfb$1...@ID-199578.news.uni-berlin.de>,
"I. Inayat" <nar...@misterman00.freeserve.co.uk> said:

> The question in the end is 'Would using webjournals for adwc, for
> whatever purpose, be useful, and if so, why?'

Not for me.

--
William December Starr <wds...@panix.com>

That Certain Third Doctor Fan

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Apr 5, 2004, 6:47:47 AM4/5/04
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I keep a web log. From time to time I post episodes (or pieces of
episodes) in the web log. But I also post other things. In fact,
most of the stuff in my blog is NOT adwc stuff. But the log is a
useful place to post unfinished work before I get it ready for posting
to the news group and to my ALWAYS THE THIRD DOCTOR web site.

jeriwho

PAUL GADZIKOWSKI

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Apr 5, 2004, 4:35:33 PM4/5/04
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Actually, the more I think about it, the more I believe that creating a
different forum than adwc which supposedly performs the same function for
the same people would be a wounding, perhaps a fatal one, to the existing
adwc community. You'd end up with a different new community, at best
similar but not the same; at the possible cost of the old one.

Not that that is necessarily bad. Not that one doesn't hear already that
Usenet is dying of competition from webbased discussion forums. But there
you are.

Igenlode Wordsmith

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Apr 5, 2004, 5:03:57 PM4/5/04
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[repost]

On 3 Apr 2004 I. Inayat wrote:

> The options I've thought about include:

[snip]

> The question in the end is 'Would using webjournals for adwc, for whatever
> purpose, be useful, and if so, why?'
>

But what would it do that the newsgroup doesn't already do? (e.g. all
of the above - with the possible exception of a character diary or
epistolary story format, which could be done but hasn't been attempted,
within my memory at least)
--
Igenlode Visit the Ivory Tower http://curry.250x.com/Tower/

We live in a culture in which being well-spoken is considered
proof of insincerity.

Helen Fayle

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Apr 6, 2004, 2:18:37 AM4/6/04
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"PAUL GADZIKOWSKI" <scar...@shell1.iglou.com> wrote in message
news:4071c...@news.iglou.com...

>
> Not that that is necessarily bad. Not that one doesn't hear already that
> Usenet is dying of competition from webbased discussion forums. But there
> you are.

What, exactly, *is* a webjournal? A forum?

And can someone define "blog"?? I've seen the term used, but never been sure
what it means...

Sheesh, you hang around the 'net for six and a bit years, and think you know
your way around... ;-)

But, you're right. Usenet ain't what it used to be. radwm seems pitifully
frail and thin on the ground next to the robust platform that radw used to
be, and this ng isn't exactly teeming with activity... (Outpost Gallifrey
seems to be cornering the mainstream fanfic market, *and* the fanfic
discussion threads.)

Toodles,

H
Who, in case anyone might be awaiting *her* latest contribution to this
group, is currently typing a bit slowly, due to one cracked wrist, and one
sliced one... I got one arm trapped in a door in the ladies' loo at work,
then sliced my other one with a serrated kitchen knife, and now have 8 nasty
(and infected) cuts on it... It's written, but reformatting is a
mouse-intensive task, and it's my mouse hand that's got the cuts. *Just*
where I need to rest my arm on the mouse mat for support!

Gomen. I seem to be breaking my own record for number of accidents and
illnesses in a year, and it's only April!


That Certain Third Doctor Fan

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Apr 6, 2004, 5:26:37 AM4/6/04
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>And can someone define "blog"?? I've seen the term used, but never been sure
>what it means...

Helen, a blog is a "web log". It's an online diary or journal. The
GUI lets you post by date and time, in descending order (so that
today's post is always on top, followed by yesterday's, then the day
before, etc.)

Here is the URL for the newbir FAQ on blogging:
http://www.jacobsen.no/anders/blog/archives/2003/08/07/newbie_faq_101_how_to_make_a_blog.html

You can also go to www.blogger.com to see what they offer. Most free
blog services will step you through setting up a template and getting
started. It took me about 30-45 minutes to set up my blog at the
blogger.com site.

Here is my blog URL:

http://www.pipeline.com/~jeriwho1/blogger.htm

and here is Rebecca J. Anderson's blog URL:

http://rjanderson.blogspot.com/

For a fiction blog, here is the URL to SECRET RADIO, but it's not
Doctor Who fiction or even scence fiction:

http://secret-radio.blogspot.com/


jeriwho

Mags

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Apr 8, 2004, 4:09:18 PM4/8/04
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"I. Inayat" <nar...@misterman00.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:c4lts4$2jilfb$1...@ID-199578.news.uni-berlin.de...

> The question in the end is 'Would using webjournals for adwc, for whatever
> purpose, be useful, and if so, why?'

Personally, I don't tend to read fic blogs, although I know many LJers use
that particular forum for their fic postings. Setting up an adwc fic blog
would, as others say, serve little purpose but allowing html formatted fic.
All the other functions can already be utlised here.

The positive side is that html formatted fiction can seem more friendly to
poor little newbies who don't use usenet. The negative is that it would
become merely one of several web-based archives (e.g. OG, the teaspoon one
etc etc).

Then again, feel free to ignore all that as my DW fanfic reading is very
down on what it was.

If you are considering creating a web-based archive then I *do* suggest you
use blogger, MT or another open blogging tool. LJ is just plain evil. Not
because it is ugly (though it is) but because it encourages insularity in
its users. I've noticed LJers are far more likely to post links to other
LJers than to external links.

(note for Helen: 'blog' = weblog - a means of publishing daily, weekly or
intermittant thoughts, comments, fic, links etc without having to upload to
a server)

Mags
--
"Susan - when a man is wrestling a leopard
in the middle of a pond, he is no position to
run." Bringing Up Baby
http://www.moosiferjonesgrouch.blogspot.com


Mags

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Apr 8, 2004, 4:13:21 PM4/8/04
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"Mags" <moosifer_...@halliday47.freeYADDAserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:c54bj2$f99$1...@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...

> The positive side is that html formatted fiction can seem more friendly to
> poor little newbies who don't use usenet. The negative is that it would
> become merely one of several web-based archives (e.g. OG, the teaspoon one
> etc etc).

Forgot to mention the other, to my mind rather major, negative. Unless you
make it an open subs site (like that teaspoon one), you take away one of the
great things about usenet - the fact anyone can post without requiring
authorisation. All blog based writing sites require you to have been
authorised in some way (e.g. the posts I do on 300 words).

(go to my blog to get a link to 300 words)

Mags
--
"Now I have to live up to this 'reclusive
genius' stuff. What am I going to do
when she finds out I'm a 'reclusive wanker'?"
Bernard Black, Black Books


BKWillis

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Apr 8, 2004, 10:59:49 PM4/8/04
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<Paul Gadzikowski wrote:>

>Actually, the more I think about it, the more I believe that creating a
>different forum than adwc which supposedly performs the same function for
>the same people would be a wounding, perhaps a fatal one, to the existing
>adwc community. You'd end up with a different new community, at best
>similar but not the same; at the possible cost of the old one.
>
>Not that that is necessarily bad. Not that one doesn't hear already that
>Usenet is dying of competition from webbased discussion forums. But there
>you are.
>

While I can't think of any particular reason _not_ to start an adwc blog, I
also can't think of any compelling reasons _to_ do it. It would seems to me
that any function a blog could support could also be supported here on Usenet.
And it's not as if adwc has so much traffic that we need to channel some of it
(Round-Robins or drabbles or whatever) to another forum. Granted, it might
gain readers who lack Usenet access, but might lose readers who lack web
access.

I suppose the main drawback, in my mind at least, is that of tradition. To
wit, we have quite a bit of ongoing history and unique extrapolation here that
aren't going to make a lick of sense to a newbie if they suddenly crop up on
the web, while here it's just a matter of Googling back through the group's
history to get up to speed on anything.

If an adwc blog is created, I'd certainly check it out, though, just to see
what happens with it.

BKWillis

--

"Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet."
--USMC Rules of Combat

Helen Fayle

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Apr 9, 2004, 9:42:10 AM4/9/04
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"Mags" <moosifer_...@halliday47.freeYADDAserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:c54bj2$f99$1...@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk...
> (note for Helen: 'blog' = weblog - a means of publishing daily, weekly or
> intermittant thoughts, comments, fic, links etc without having to upload
to
> a server)

<Marvin> Sounds awful... </Marvin>

Ah... Not doing much on the web these days beyond spending a small fortune
on Ebay, I'd never heard of 'em...!! (Well, I've seen the phrase, and
wondered wtf people were talking about, to be sure, but...) Gomen. My
net-savvy days are a thing of the past.

That reminds me: must update the website...

H

"I'm not being arrogant. It's just that after being barked at by so many
ill-bred dogs, every now and then I take a kick at one for the dog's own
good"
Reinhard von Lohengrim, Legend of the Galactic Heroes


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