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Tear
Sep 14th, 2010, 06:39:20 PM
I had this idea the other day when I pretty much stumbled across a thread I previously had no interest in reading (Please don't take offense). I had read the opening post when it was first created and the corresponding explanation in it's OOC thread (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=21213). It looked fun for those involved but I didn't have any interest in reading any further.

I tend to read threads like I watch movies. I gravitate toward movies that have actors I enjoy watching or have an intriguing story I want to watch unravel. Now where is the issue in that conceptual comparison to reading threads on this board. It means I usually restrict myself to:

1. Characters I enjoy reading about or
2. Story lines that effect my characters (since those are the stories I know about. Plus I'm selfish;))

In the case of Bargain hunters I stumbled back into it after checking the OOC thread about a few people confused about it's current story. So I checked back and found I was missing out on a great portion of writing that I found really fun.

Now this was a fluke (Not the fun writing but the checking back on the thread:lol). It's very likely that if no one had mentioned anything in that OOC thread I would have continued to overlook it and miss out.

So I came up with an idea. Thread Trailers! A short description of the thread, its plot, characters involved and a teaser. The purpose is twofold:

It gives people who may otherwise not bother with a thread the chance to read something that they might enjoy. Plus it gives people a better idea of what to expect because, lets be honest, the first few posts in a thread generally don't represent the goodies that can unfold.

It also lets people know what is going on in our Swfans universe. The planets involved. The factions. The characters. Whats happening. Etc.

So for Example:
Thread Title and Link:
The Devils in the Details: Violence and Variation, Part 3 (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=19876)

Details:
Writers: Hera, Tear
Characters: Hera, Tear, Mephis, Naberius, The Gemellae, Ani'la Akaan
Planets: Thule, Mandalore, Korriban
Regions: Outer Rim
Factions: The Independents, The Empire, Mandalorians,
Thread Activity: Active, Dead, Complete

Description: Brief plot synopsis for the thread.

The fourth and final installment of the "Devils in the Details" series. Hera and Tear work to define their relationship in the aftermath of Diado (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=19876). Hera is then sent to Korriban to establish an Independent presence while investigating the ancient tome world's secrets. Tear launches his attack on the Empire with the announcement of a new faction: The Independents.

Teaser: A bit of the story or dialogue that might catch a readers interest and give them a general taste for what to expect from the thread.


"You made a promise to me" she said softly, her fingers affectionately tracing the line of his jaw. "On Diado, remember?" She saw, by the contraction of his pupils into small pinpricks of black, that he remembered well enough. "I'll have that promise made good before I leave, dear Tear" she continued fluidly and he could hear the in and out of his own labored breath loud in his ears, he could feel the pressure of her solid form pressing alarmingly against his own. She kissed him then, her lips a silky tenderness underscored by an imposing will. She drew slowly away from him and smiled cat-like, leaning up to whisper her assurance of obedience in his ear, "I will go to Korriban and do all you say, Tear - once you've made good on your word."
People would then just edit their posts to continue adding the threads they're involved in. So if anyone ever wanted to know other threads Tear was involved in they would just check this thread, and under my original post I would have a list of the threads I'm involved in and a trailer for each. So they know what it's about, who's involved, etc.

My only worry is that with adding teaser bits the posts themselves might end up growing really long. I know some sites of those expanding spoiler button like tags. Do we have anything like that? Might help on managing space.

Thoughts?

Lilaena De'Ville
Sep 14th, 2010, 06:54:54 PM
That was sort of the idea behind this SW Opening Crawl (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=21207) thread that no one saw. But its a good idea and I like it. :)

Tear
Sep 14th, 2010, 09:18:37 PM
That was sort of the idea behind this SW Opening Crawl (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=21207) thread that no one saw. But its a good idea and I like it. :)

Exactly, except the crawl would be more of the description part. While the rest of the information is more comprehensive and can be gathered at a quick glance. Sort of like the IMDB of Swfans.

Tear
Sep 18th, 2010, 04:38:11 PM
I've gone ahead and created the thread here (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?p=352008#post352008). I made a new one so that thread stay strictly information and doesn't get cluttered with questions or discussions.

If anyone wants to add their own threads to it feel free. Just continue to edit one post per writer. Any questions or discussions or suggested edits should happen here and not the other thread.

Atreyu
Sep 19th, 2010, 06:28:28 AM
Don't wish to rag on your idea Tear, but after having a read through your trailer thread I found myself tuning out by your 3rd (or was it 4th - I forget already) 'thread trailer'. The problem I think is that by listing them all one after the other and continually just adding to it the whole thing gets too cumbersome to read and turns into a wall of text. Sorry, maybe I'm too dense for it. :twak

Maybe this idea would work better if you simply had a 'trailer' as an intro to each of your roleplay threads instead, rather than listing all these trailers in one post?

Tear
Sep 19th, 2010, 11:21:59 AM
Don't wish to rag on your idea Tear, but after having a read through your trailer thread I found myself tuning out by your 3rd (or was it 4th - I forget already) 'thread trailer'. The problem I think is that by listing them all one after the other and continually just adding to it the whole thing gets too cumbersome to read and turns into a wall of text. Sorry, maybe I'm too dense for it. :twak

Maybe this idea would work better if you simply had a 'trailer' as an intro to each of your roleplay threads instead, rather than listing all these trailers in one post?

Hmm, you know what? That is actually a really good idea. That way people get the jist of what the thread is about while beating the block of text thing as well!

I was just hoping to have a place where people could go to and easily zip through a 'table of contents' type page. But it does turn into a big mess.

Lilaena De'Ville
Sep 19th, 2010, 12:07:20 PM
Technically in the Timeline in the wiki there is supposed to be little 'blurbs' on what the threads are about, too.

Atreyu
Sep 19th, 2010, 04:17:13 PM
I was just hoping to have a place where people could go to and easily zip through a 'table of contents' type page. But it does turn into a big mess.

Technically in the Timeline in the wiki there is supposed to be little 'blurbs' on what the threads are about, too.
Just to add further, the wiki default character page templates have a section to list your own roleplays, so you could easily put them all there with a description as well. :)

(the only downside being that the wiki probably gets less hits than the forum so people might not necessarily see them)