TF Views

Well, I reckon I could guarantee us some viewers on my end (I have plenty of friends that'd gladly listen to me talking about robots, but would rather take a slap in the face than sign up to a TF forum).

Of course, the real issue is whether I could keep up with a conversation about anything even remotely modern. I'd feel like someone's meshugganah grandpa, sat in the background waving Marvel G1 #100 and a Backstreet missing all his stickers, talking about what a great concept Pretenders were.

Gomess wrote:Well, I reckon I could guarantee us some viewers on my end (I have plenty of friends that'd gladly listen to me talking about robots, but would rather take a slap in the face than sign up to a TF forum).

Of course, the real issue is whether I could keep up with a conversation about anything even remotely modern. I'd feel like someone's meshugganah grandpa, sat in the background waving Marvel G1 #100 and a Backstreet missing all his stickers, talking about what a great concept Pretenders were.

The best thing to do is get aquainted visually with the new product, maybe check out the bios, then use your arcane knowledge of the oldschool lines to riff off of. The good thing about a podcast like this is that we can pre-structure it so everybody can do a few minutes of prep work, then it can follow that loose structure but still be open enough to go in new directions.

Cool, I'm sure as heck not in a place where I could comfortably do an improvised chit-chat, but brainstorming a skeleton 'script' with anyone else who wants to get involved would be boss.

Only other problem... Time difference.It's 20:15 as I'm posting this message, and the way things are, I'm pretty much hitting the hay right now. This'd be something to deal with later though, right?

JediTricks wrote:News is always a draw, unfortunately. I say unfortunately because I am too worn out to do the photograph thing lately, and I'm not deep on the pulse of TF to get sources and such. You and O6 have been doing good with news, if we had a little more constant news I would be able to redesign the front end a little, but that's a lot of work on all our parts and nobody else is supporting.

D'aww, thanks. Trying hard!

I know next to nothing about podcasts, I don't understand their appeal because I prefer the written word to the spoken one. I could host it off-site through a podcasting hosting site, so it wouldn't impact our traffic needs (or I could host it here, it shouldn't be a problem for now). And I have a golden, velvety voice with a toy focus to add to the conversation. But basically, I wouldn't be the one holding the reins on it, you guys would have to create a format, a timeframe that fits your needs, something that is interesting, and a way to stretch it in the lean times. Perhaps we could set it up to record on Skype.

Yeah, was thinking off-site would be best, especially since that has the advantage of someone searching for vague "Transformers podcasts" perhaps stumbling upon it. I think part of my desire to do so is because I haven't really found a TF-related one that fits what 'I'm' concerned with when it comes to TF--and you know what they say. If you can't find what you want--create it. (I don't think anybody says that. But they should!)

It has the nature of being free, though participants will need to get a headset - skype is free, but you have to have a quality mic for recording. If we used Skype, we could have o86!

As said, I've got recording equipment out my ass, comes with the territory of being a musician. A basic headset is something like $25, half-decent USB mics alone run like $10. Not looking for, like, CD-quality audio, y'know--some podcasts sound like they're done over the literal phone. 86's timezone is waaay screwy to coincide with a good recording, though, unless we do it on a weekend. He seems to be around then.

G2 is easily ignorable. Almost no entertainment or product line support, and a short toy line whose foundation was garish repaints.

Of course. (Much as I love the comic.)

because IMO we all mix it up, we're past the "trukk not munky" phase to where we can be fans of Beast Wars and G1 and Cybertron and Animated or whatever else.

Well, some of us. But we even welcome those who aren't over that kind of thing! (Until they get frustrated and leave. )

I think it's not about that, but about WHEN it's getting released.

No, Hasbro said, no Voyagers/Ultras/etc. in Generations, and on top of that, Generations is slated for the same time as him.

They're called podcasts because people...sometimes listen to them on their iPods, I guess?

That is correct.

I actually don't like the term all that much to begin with, but it's kind of a standard thing now, so whatever.

EXACTLY how I feel!

I'm only familiar with a couple podcasts, mostly because, like I said, the few I've tried to listen to are either too dry for my tastes or way too WAAACKY (I really dislike TFW's, for example).

Gomess wrote:Only other problem... Time difference.It's 20:15 as I'm posting this message, and the way things are, I'm pretty much hitting the hay right now. This'd be something to deal with later though, right?

Yeah, that's something that'll need to be hammered out later. Like I said, weekends are likely to work for 86, if he wants to join in. (Definitely needs a headset, though, he keeps saying he intends to get one...)

Gomess wrote:Only other problem... Time difference.It's 20:15 as I'm posting this message, and the way things are, I'm pretty much hitting the hay right now. This'd be something to deal with later though, right?

Yeah, that's something that can be worked out when we're a little closer. We'd all post our available time schedules and then compare times until we find something that works.

Onslaught Six wrote:D'aww, thanks. Trying hard!

Yeah, was thinking off-site would be best, especially since that has the advantage of someone searching for vague "Transformers podcasts" perhaps stumbling upon it. I think part of my desire to do so is because I haven't really found a TF-related one that fits what 'I'm' concerned with when it comes to TF--and you know what they say. If you can't find what you want--create it. (I don't think anybody says that. But they should!)

Offsite has the disadvantage of giving away some of our traffic though, so it's something that definitely needs to be discussed more to weigh the pros and cons.

As said, I've got recording equipment out my ass, comes with the territory of being a musician. A basic headset is something like $25, half-decent USB mics alone run like $10. Not looking for, like, CD-quality audio, y'know--some podcasts sound like they're done over the literal phone. 86's timezone is waaay screwy to coincide with a good recording, though, unless we do it on a weekend. He seems to be around then.

Skype has a built-in recorder and a plugin to create podcasts right from the conversation, seems a lot easier than whipping out high-quality recording equipment since it has an adjustable quality level based on bandwidth available which even at medium is far above phone quality (which is heavily truncated). The mic I use for when I skype for work is just my Playstation 2 USB mic, it's a logitech and sounds quite decent, very clear. USB headsets are out of vogue so they run around $30, but regular 3.5mm jack input headsets are also available.

Well, some of us. But we even welcome those who aren't over that kind of thing! (Until they get frustrated and leave. )

True enough.


We also need new smilies. I've been thinking of doing TF-themed ones, I'd need to make them though and while I am fully competent in dropping pixels into small spaces, I don't actually know how I'd convey a smilie with a robot face, much less a dozen of them.

G1 fanboys like myself require a hardhat smiley.

Because no matter what job you do in the G1 cartoon, it's never not dangerous enough for a hardhat!

--and you know what they say. If you can't find what you want--create it. (I don't think anybody says that. But they should!)

You just did!

You mean the same DvD who has 5 eras in his header, and one of them reads "RiD - AEC"?

Shut the hell up.

I absolutely don't follow the logic here. Generations is the new name for Classics therefore RID should be the only line in a MISC line? Granted, it's been a while since I took any highschool tests, but I don't think that'd be a valid correlative statement. How does one lead to the next?

I was agreeing with Sparky that RiD could credibly be put into a misc category or in with "Universe", as the lines are similar. My main issue is that RiD has nothing at all to do with the "Unicron Trilogy". The toys are so radically different, and the context is completely unrelated. "Armada" was a shared project between Hasbro and Takara. RiD was based on a purely Takara series.

Except for that whole "Beast Era ended at Beast Machines" thing, and the fact that it wouldn't improve the flow of the forums since it wouldn't be changing The Then's structure.

Like I was also saying, we lose the "then" and "now" headers, and just organize the forums roughly by era. I can send a tweak of the suggestions I emailed you to reflect this.

I haven't posted any advertising to recoup my server costs in the hope that it would bring in folks, there don't seem to be a lot of non-profit TF sites anymore. I have been focusing on search engine quality, but as we're a forum that already takes care of itself largely.

Joking aside, is this a hint of some kind? I cannot afford to cough up anything right now. And, I am not much good at sales. Our search rankings are actually pretty good, right? How would we go about selling the ads?

When the Q&A started, that was a big help in getting traffic, it was newsworthy unto itself, our work spoke for who we are here. But as Hasbro's answers became more pat, and less sites continued participating, folks lost interest and less sites linked to the other answers.

I was having a conversation with Lewis about this very topic the other night. Hasbro is handling the Q and A in the worst way. But, there is nothing we can do about it. I saw we keep it, just to preserve access.

know next to nothing about podcasts, I don't understand their appeal because I prefer the written word to the spoken one.

Most people prefer visual/audio stimuli though. The idea could make us more marketable. I have a *terrible* speaking voice though. I need to work on that I am going to participate in the podcast.

The time zones thing might not be that bad. There is over-lap in enough of our waking hours. And, we could always do a couple of casts. Clever editing of segments, and us reading from scripts could also help. (I am putting too much thought into this right now.)

Well, I reckon I could guarantee us some viewers on my end (I have plenty of friends that'd gladly listen to me talking about robots, but would rather take a slap in the face than sign up to a TF forum).

TFV...strip-tease hour! JT can vouch for me being totally cool with this idea!

Oh, that reminds me, you should try Opera Mobile for your Blackberry, it's a better browser than the one built in - faster and more tools.

Actually, I might not be able to get replacement batteries for my phone much longer. So, I might have to get a whole new phone. It probably has another 2 years of life, assuming I do not stock up on batteries. (I abuse the hell out of my phone and its battery, so the rechargables do not hold charges well.)


Dom
-just wants RID out of UT.

Dominic wrote:Shut the hell up.

Nice comeback. Get an avatar!

I was agreeing with Sparky that RiD could credibly be put into a misc category or in with "Universe", as the lines are similar. My main issue is that RiD has nothing at all to do with the "Unicron Trilogy". The toys are so radically different, and the context is completely unrelated. "Armada" was a shared project between Hasbro and Takara. RiD was based on a purely Takara series.

I don't see any similarity from RID to Classics or Universe 1.0 (if we are mentally separating Universe 1 from Classics 2.0 aka Universe).

Like I was also saying, we lose the "then" and "now" headers, and just organize the forums roughly by era. I can send a tweak of the suggestions I emailed you to reflect this.

I saw that, and have been thinking on it, but I do still feel like there should be some level of division at this point between the past and the present, so I would need to see a direct explanation/argument for the idea beyond the framework you had given me.

Joking aside, is this a hint of some kind? I cannot afford to cough up anything right now. And, I am not much good at sales. Our search rankings are actually pretty good, right? How would we go about selling the ads?

No, it's not a hint, I don't want your money. I do web for a living, if I wanted to make money off the site, I would be able to. Our search rankings are low because we're low in traffic and lacking outside links to us (even stuff like links in sigs on other sites drive that up, but a lot of sites don't allow it), but we get high marks for being theme-consistent with no misdirects or filler or leaks, and everything on the site is aimed right at the one goal of publishing theme-consistent content.

Selling ads would require more commitment from me to develop a site that looks better and has more active news all funneling eyes into the forums. Since I'd rather use the funneling of eyes into the forums to get more people to participate, they're the same means but wholly divergent goals for now. Ads are not in the immediate future.

I was having a conversation with Lewis about this very topic the other night. Hasbro is handling the Q and A in the worst way. But, there is nothing we can do about it. I saw we keep it, just to preserve access.

Yeah, it's doubly hard for me because I see how the Star Wars Hasbro Q&A is so successful, and then look at the GI Joe and TF Q&As and don't see that same commitment, so it's hard knowing what it could be. But I do intend to stick with it hoping we'll get a recipe that works better.

Most people prefer visual/audio stimuli though. The idea could make us more marketable. I have a *terrible* speaking voice though. I need to work on that I am going to participate in the podcast.

If you did some reporting in the news, I could use the podcast and the news to get you into any convention on the east coast that has any TF connection via a press badge. I met a nice reporter from a Star Wars podcasting site last year at Comic-Con, their group really made a meal out of podcasting from the con.

The time zones thing might not be that bad. There is over-lap in enough of our waking hours. And, we could always do a couple of casts. Clever editing of segments, and us reading from scripts could also help. (I am putting too much thought into this right now.)

That's a good thought, instead of just editing one person into the mix, having multiple threads with multiple people edited together could work much more effectively.

TFV...strip-tease hour! JT can vouch for me being totally cool with this idea!

Nobody wants to hear about your ass, Sipowicz.

Actually, I might not be able to get replacement batteries for my phone much longer. So, I might have to get a whole new phone. It probably has another 2 years of life, assuming I do not stock up on batteries. (I abuse the hell out of my phone and its battery, so the rechargables do not hold charges well.)

1) Blackberry is the most common cellphone in the country, there are tons of parts for it both from RiM and aftermarket.

2) cellphone batteries have 1,000 charges in them, that's it. Call it 3 years' worth. If you want to condition your battery to maximize effectiveness, once every month use your battery all the way down to 0 and then charge it to 100%.

3) That doesn't change the fact that Opera Mobile is muy bueno.

-just wants RID out of UT.

Then come up with a better argument. Well, I mean, you did last time, it's just that you did for MY side of the argument with that DvD thing.

I saw that, and have been thinking on it, but I do still feel like there should be some level of division at this point between the past and the present, so I would need to see a direct explanation/argument for the idea beyond the framework you had given me.

The divisions would be between the lines themselves. The problem with the "then/now" format is that everything from "now" ends up "then".

My biggest problem with RiD being in the UT section is that it simply does not belong there of all places. The engineering and designs are completely different. They are closer to each-other than the movie is to either. But, that is a low bar to set. But, RiD looks right on a shelf with late BW and BM.

Yeah, it's doubly hard for me because I see how the Star Wars Hasbro Q&A is so successful, and then look at the GI Joe and TF Q&As and don't see that same commitment, so it's hard knowing what it could be. But I do intend to stick with it hoping we'll get a recipe that works better.

I really do not think the problem is on our end. We busted ass a few months back to write questions that conformed to their guidelines....and they still screwed us. They are still farming it out to that outside firm, right? That firm might not have the relevant information, and chooses to give non-answers rather than good answers.

Nobody wants to hear about your ass, Sipowicz.

But they could see it!

1) Blackberry is the most common cellphone in the country, there are tons of parts for it both from RiM and aftermarket.

Remember, I actually went with the T-Mobile Dash. It is like a cheaper Blackberry. It has all the funtionality. The problem is that I went with an older model. I am pretty sure it used an old style of battery. For a while, I was charging it wrong, (too often), which may have brought me up to the 1,000 mark. I want to get another battery or two, (already bought one), if only to extend the life of this phone. (I *really* like it, as it works nicely for everything I need it to do, and for things I just think are fun.)

A mobile option for this page might not be a bad idea. I read somewhere that phones either are, or soon will be, the most common tool people use to get online.


Dom
-just made a prank phone call.

This page already works really well in a mobile format. I've been logging on here with my phone for the past few weeks, haven't had a bit of trouble with it. The only thing that ends up missing in the mobile version is you don't get the topics with new responses highlighted.

I'd be on board for a podcasty thing, too, but I don't know how well my voice would work. Depends on your tolerance for midwest cracker accents, I guess.