State of the Cellar Address 2016

Undertoad · 01-08-2016, 06:54 AM

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dwellars and Lurkers, the state of The Cellar is strong.

During 2015, The Cellar’s total post traffic was about one third higher than what it was in 2014. In addition, much of this stronger traffic is in recent months. In particular, number of posts during the month of October 2015 was higher than any previous month since November 2013.

Strengths

Community: The Cellar community continues to be its own strongest asset. The strength of the community means that it has a certain amount of momentum which can carry it through changes and smaller problems.

Unthreatened by most social media: in fact we believe that some of the Cellar’s higher statistics are due to Facebook’s readership issues. We further believe that The Cellar can co-exist alongside other social media because it is unique.

Moderation: Our general approach will prove to have led the way for future generations. We can speak here to the founding documents, but as one Dwellar put it long ago, “Don’t be a dick.” This basic notion has always carried us, and will carry us well into the future.

History: A single community that still has its posts from fifteen years ago (in active threads!) is becoming a unique item on the Internets. This eventually may spark interest, but we aren’t sure how or even why to leverage that in any way. But a history is always a strength. Nobody roots for the expansion teams.

Hosting infrastructure: With the cloud move, the Cellar is now hosted on an appropriately-leveled platform and ready for growth. Its costs have come down, leading to the end of the Tip Mug program and an optimistic future.

Challenges

New software: The version of software that The Cellar runs is many versions behind current. The move to newer, better-supported software is ongoing and we hope to complete it 1Q16. We are hopeful that users will see it as a positive and put in the necessary brain-time to adapt to the changes that will have to be a part of this.

New Users: At this time there are still too few new users registering. We need new blood to feast upon. Perhaps the still-beating carcass of Facebook can be fed upon.

Facebook et al: We believe that the effect of Facebook stealing attention is now waning. Facebook is slowly being replaced by other forms of social media - not generally by Internet forums, but by other platforms.

Ideas for 2016

>> Reviving Image of the Day with a new interface that allows auto-posting, easier submission of entries, voting on prospective entries, and a Facebook hook. Pro: This would answer a lot of things at the same time, some things that should have gone in years ago, and would be a way to prod Facebookers to become Dwellars, instead of the other way ‘round. Con: it’s a LOT of work and hence this entry is identical from 2015. We hope that maybe the new software will make this task easier.

>> Image hosting: Alongside IotD comes a need to actually host images. We have actually done this on an amateur basis for IotD, for many years. With new software it may become more possible to offer image hosting to all Dwellars for Cellar posts.

>> What else ya got?

01-08-2016, 06:54 AM	#1
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	State of the Cellar Address 2016 Ladies and Gentlemen, Dwellars and Lurkers, the state of The Cellar is strong. During 2015, The Cellar’s total post traffic was about one third higher than what it was in 2014. In addition, much of this stronger traffic is in recent months. In particular, number of posts during the month of October 2015 was higher than any previous month since November 2013. Strengths Community: The Cellar community continues to be its own strongest asset. The strength of the community means that it has a certain amount of momentum which can carry it through changes and smaller problems. Unthreatened by most social media: in fact we believe that some of the Cellar’s higher statistics are due to Facebook’s readership issues. We further believe that The Cellar can co-exist alongside other social media because it is unique. Moderation: Our general approach will prove to have led the way for future generations. We can speak here to the founding documents, but as one Dwellar put it long ago, “Don’t be a dick.” This basic notion has always carried us, and will carry us well into the future. History: A single community that still has its posts from fifteen years ago (in active threads!) is becoming a unique item on the Internets. This eventually may spark interest, but we aren’t sure how or even why to leverage that in any way. But a history is always a strength. Nobody roots for the expansion teams. Hosting infrastructure: With the cloud move, the Cellar is now hosted on an appropriately-leveled platform and ready for growth. Its costs have come down, leading to the end of the Tip Mug program and an optimistic future. Challenges New software: The version of software that The Cellar runs is many versions behind current. The move to newer, better-supported software is ongoing and we hope to complete it 1Q16. We are hopeful that users will see it as a positive and put in the necessary brain-time to adapt to the changes that will have to be a part of this. New Users: At this time there are still too few new users registering. We need new blood to feast upon. Perhaps the still-beating carcass of Facebook can be fed upon. Facebook et al: We believe that the effect of Facebook stealing attention is now waning. Facebook is slowly being replaced by other forms of social media - not generally by Internet forums, but by other platforms. Ideas for 2016 >> Reviving Image of the Day with a new interface that allows auto-posting, easier submission of entries, voting on prospective entries, and a Facebook hook. Pro: This would answer a lot of things at the same time, some things that should have gone in years ago, and would be a way to prod Facebookers to become Dwellars, instead of the other way ‘round. Con: it’s a LOT of work and hence this entry is identical from 2015. We hope that maybe the new software will make this task easier. >> Image hosting: Alongside IotD comes a need to actually host images. We have actually done this on an amateur basis for IotD, for many years. With new software it may become more possible to offer image hosting to all Dwellars for Cellar posts. >> What else ya got?

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