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According to the main page "Fictionmania will be back June 1st, 2009"
BigCloset TopShelf
TopShelf TG Fiction in the BigCloset!
The Hatbox
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Comments
Hmmm
does this mean that as of June 1st that we will be receiving less traffic? less hits to our stories?
A.A.
I don't think so...
Most of the people who come here seem to like it and take up residence. With FM you go in, hit it for all the new stories read/print save them off...then come back here for community. I think it has been down so long now that people that are new regulars here would stay. I'm going to be using both servers, always have.
Hugs
Frank
I came here following the stories...
...And as I've told a few people, I've stayed because of the community, and because there are people like you and a lot of others here. Sorry, Erin, but if the community moved tomorrow, the site is only a site, but the group of people who've gathered around it is really impressive, and I'd follow them. That said, so long as they're here, I hope to be as well (computer holding out, as always). Part of the reason so many good people have come here is the quality of the work that Erin and the rest do in keeping this site running and friendly (and that last takes a >lot< of work). I really appreciate that. FM may come back online, but the Top Shelf is still a very good place to be. (^__^)
-Liz
Successor to the LToC
Formerly known as "momonoimoto"
FM will cause some loss
RAMI
I think there will be some loss in readership once FM is back. That will show up in total reads. However, there are a strong core of readers, the "Users" who are hard core and dedicated to this site. So stories such as yours and Tiff's "Something Feels Strange" will not see any substanial loss of votes or comments. This site is the cream of TG sites and the cream always floats to the top.
I beleive that once Crystal's Story Site came back on line there was a loss of readership. I am sure that Erin has these figures.
So, those who hit and run, may leave, the hard core decicated readers will turn here first and read many of the stories and comment on them and then will check out Story Site and FM's new listing to see if there is a particular story they like.
RAMI
RAMI
Traffic
We're running at about 11,000+/- per day right now. Last year at this time we ran about 5000 per day. The site peaked at around 13,000 a day the week or so before Storysite started posting again and has slowly gone down since then, the usual late spring and summer slow down with a bit of a glitch right when the new stories went up at SS.
Back in November, we had a 40% increase in traffic when FM went down. It kept growing at 5 or 10% a month right through March when the seasonal doldrums hit. Since then we've been at roughly 200% of last year.
When FM comes back up, I expect an immediate 10 or 20 % drop in traffic. We'll probably coast the rest of the summer at that level and start picking up in late September again like usual. I could be wrong, one year the big jump was in July but usually it's in October-January with the seasonal drop in April-June. But every year has been different. This is only our tenth year and only our fourth since I started keeping good records.
I expect that whatever drop happens when FM starts back up will be more than made up by January and this time next year, we will probably have between 15,000 and 20,000 daily visitors, maybe more. :)
Currently, we're averaging 50+ new stories a week on the site. Neither FM nor SS has ever averaged that many week after week after week. When Crystal's rewrite of her system is done, SS will likely have the capacity to get up that many new stories a week, too. FM has no plans to make it easier to post stories.
Each site has dedicated fans. And the smaller sites like Stardust and TGFiction.net have their fans, too. Bob has twice tried to suspend Stardust as being redundant and been talked out of it by his fans. :)
This is a good situation for all of us. Three big sites and a dozen smaller ones mean the genre is healthy and its visibility is good, attracting even more fans.
Not everyone who comes here to read stories is TG themselves. Some just like to read good stories on themes that are not covered in mainstream fiction.
It's a BigCloset. :)
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.
What, you can't go to more than one site?
Fictionmania, Big Closet, StorySite & TG.Fiction.net are only a click apart. People don't read on just one site. The numbers will change very little, if at all.
It doesn't matter anyway, author's are artists, they're writing for the joy of it, not story hit counts!
Mr. Ram
Spare time
Most TG fiction sites have a slightly different demographic, so people that are into certain types of stories go to different sites. And as long as the sites are all posting new material faster than most people have time to read, the readership will splinter along site lines.
And the way some authors fret about reader counts and feedback/comments then yes some write for the attention. It's human nature to seek approval for your efforts.
They know they can survive
FM is up now ...
... if you access it via the 'Stories posted last 3 days' link rather than the home page. All the stories are available as are the search functions and the stories posted on this date. There just aren't any new stories posted yet.
http://www.fictionmania.tv/searchdisplay/new3.html
It seems to be faster, though that could be because fewer people are trying access the site. There may be one or two glitches but on the whole it all seems to be OK.
Geoff
It has not returned yet.
All placed here links conduct (while) on start page. So here while has changed nothing.
As to whether, how many readers and authors can leave BCTS I think to speak while a little prematurely.
Quite probably, that FM first time can work incorrectly. Whether also it will be not known are accessible (and in what degree) the stories placed before crash of system. So remains much BUT and IF.
Possibly part of authors and readers will leave BCTS. But it - not a doomsday. This site co-existed (and is quite successful) with FM so, in point of fact, will change nothing.
Personally I now will share time and attention between BCTS and FM, on occasion looking on storysite.
Let's hope, that FM will not disappoint our expectations.