Name

[Cordilow]

I'm thinking we should probably change the name of the head forum to make it more identifying.

I mean, as it stands now, if we tell people about this site, they could find twenty other sites with similar names.

We could do some such as Cordilow's Fantasy Forums—or something entirely different. Have any suggestions? People might have trouble pronouncing Cordilow, since it is a made-up name (cord as in the word cord; i as in igloo; low as in the word low; accent on the first syllable).

All the sub-forum names would probably remain the same.

[aquarious]

     I like your idea of changing the name to something very distinctive and unique.  Using the name Cordilow, which is very distinctive, sounds like a good way to go!  What you may want to do, just as a test, is to google the word "Cordilow" and see what comes up in the search results.  I'm sure there can't be much else besides you that comes up since it is a word you created.  But it would be nice to make sure that there isn't someone else, of far less reputable ways than yourself, using the name.  On that note, you may want to change the name to "Cordilow's Fantasy Writing Forum."  That way, there will not be any ambiguity that it is a writing forum and not a brothel-like web site.  Unfortunately, the word "fantasy" can either have a positive and innocent connotation or a rather sleazy connotation depending on the mind of the person seeing the word.  I much prefer the innocuous version of the word.  :-)   You could even post a particular age range for the site so as people are not tempted to put anything too overtly inappropriate on the site if younger members are engaging in it.  Hope this helps!

                                                    Aquarious

P.S.  I didn't have any trouble pronouncing your name.  :-)  It seems fairly straight-forward.  

[aquarious]

     Oh, and one more thing...  I was looking into creating a Facebook account today and was wondering about the specific link that I should post for the new forum site.  Is there a specific address that you want me to use?

                                          Aquarious

[Cordilow]

aquarious wrote:

Oh, and one more thing...  I was looking into creating a Facebook account today and was wondering about the specific link that I should post for the new forum site.  Is there a specific address that you want me to use?

Here it is:
http://n2.nabble.com/Fantasy-Forums-f641108.html

Really, you can replace Fantasy-Forums in that URL with anything you want (or leave it out altogether) and it will still load the right page: e.g. http://n2.nabble.com/-f641108.html

When Nabble 2 becomes standard, though, it might be a good idea to update it to whatever it becomes then (probably www instead of n2).

[Cordilow]

aquarious wrote:

P.S.  I didn't have any trouble pronouncing your name.  :-)  It seems fairly straight-forward.

Good to hear :) Some people have put the stress on the second syllable, instead of the first, which is quite unlike what I envisioned. I guess it doesn't matter too much how they pronounce it, but let it be known there is a correct way. :)

aquarious wrote:

What you may want to do, just as a test, is to google the word "Cordilow" and see what comes up in the search results.  I'm sure there can't be much else besides you that comes up since it is a word you created.

I've done that before with this name (on at least Yahoo and/or Google), as I'm in the habit of making names and checking them for how unique they are. Nothing turned up in the past. Anything there now is either from me, or people who have seen my name or posted it up, coincidentally, at a later time.

I just checked again on Google. Everything there is either from me, or the product of some random advertisement software (that probably picked up the name from stuff I posted, as tends to happen when any new word comes on the Internet). Having said that, I don't expect to be the only one to ever use the name (nor would I be mad if someone else did—though it would bother me if they tried to make me seem like I got it from them).

aquarious wrote:

On that note, you may want to change the name to "Cordilow's Fantasy Writing Forum."  That way, there will not be any ambiguity that it is a writing forum and not a brothel-like web site.

Although I am fond of your intentions, I must disagree on the extra word here (at least this extra word). It's not only a forum for writers after all, but there is also a section for readers. (Some fantasy forums are comprised solely of such—you know the kind where people often go off on their feelings about Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time, or, where they ask for reading recommendations, etc.?)

So … There's a lot we could do instead. I know we do want to avoid what you're talking about, if possible. We could add a word that is known to be associated with the genre of which we speak. We don't even have to have the word forums in it (in fact, it might be best if we leave it out). Here are some examples used by other sites:
• Realms of Fantasy
• Speculative Fiction
• Scifi and Fantasy Forum

Is there a word that could mean either reader or writer—or either creator or user?

Here are some ideas, and words that might inspire better ideas (some more serious-sounding than others):
• Fantasy Media Forums
• logs, chronicles, journal, annals
• dragon, wizard, magic
• keep, cove, castle, shrine
• maker, creator, user, author, reader, writer, literature, book, novel, story, stories, fiction (well, we allow for certain non-fiction, too), etc.
• Fantasy Genre (maybe just keep it category-sounding)
• Fantasy Genre Journal
• Fantasy Genre Logs
• Wizard Logs
• Cordilow's Forums for Readers and Writers of Fantasy (long, but informative)
• Cordilow's Fantasy Forums for Readers and Writers
• Readers and Writers of Fantasy
• Fantasy Readers and Writers
• Fantasy Reading and Writing
• Fine Arts of Fantasy
• Creative Fantasy
• Cordilow's Creative Fantasy Forums
…

Anyway, we can think on it. For now, I'll just add Cordilow to the title since there is already another forum called Fantasy Forums on Nabble.

[aquarious]

     You have made some interesting suggestions as far as the name of the forum goes!  :-)  I'm glad to hear that you have put your name on it.  Maybe that way people will be far less likely to try and usurp your postition as the leader of this forum.  :-)  I think that whatever the name you choose for the forum, it will attract a certain type of audience.  That is why I think the name itself should be as ambiguous and all-inclusive all that rests in the fantasy genre.  Consider the differing connotations between the names "Creative Fantasy" and "Fine Arts of Fantasy".  If you were to use the latter, it may attract a more serious group of writers and readers as it seems much more professional in nature.  I personally like the latter name the best!  :-)  Although, may I suggest a slight tweaking towards "Cordilow's Fine Arts of Literary Fantasy"?  The word "literary" can suggest participation by both readers and writers.  Let me know what you think.

                                                Aquarious    

[Cordilow]

Those are quite the insights you have there. Thank you for making them known.

aquarious wrote:

… "Fine Arts of Fantasy".  If you were to use the latter, it may attract a more serious group of writers and readers as it seems much more professional in nature.  I personally like the latter name the best!  :-)  Although, may I suggest a slight tweaking towards "Cordilow's Fine Arts of Literary Fantasy"?  The word "literary" can suggest participation by both readers and writers.

My only real reservation about the fine arts thing was that it would probably show up with art-related searches a lot, and then we might get a tons of artists here instead of fantasy writers. However, a lot of artists are writers, too, and this isn't such a bad drawback—especially since I want to include such as visual novels, other video games, comics, graphic novels and movies in the forum discussions.

Actually, the more I think about that, the better it seems. Illustrators, even, are quite useful to have in on the discussion with writers.

I like the name you suggested, although I think maybe it should be switched up a little in the order or such. Either what you suggested, or perhaps the following I think might be best:
• Cordilow's Literary Fine Arts of Fantasy
• Cordilow's Fantasy Fine Arts and Literature
• Cordilow's Literature and Fine Arts of Fantasy
• Cordilow's Fantasy of Fine Arts and Literature (I like this one a lot—this one might attract more readers and artists than writer's though, although this isn't necessarily a bad thing, either)
• Cordilow's Fantasy Fine Arts and Literature
• Cordilow's Fantasy Literature and Fine Arts

I think it might be important to make a distinction between fine arts and literature—this is so as not to require all posts pertaining to fantasy to have 'something' to do with literature, if we want to take this route.

We could trade Fine arts and Literature (or Literary Fine Arts) for humanities, seeing as humanities pretty much encompass them and more—although it probably sounds more aesthetically pleasing with your suggestion:
• Cordilow's Fantasy of the Humanities
• Cordilow's Humanities of Fantasy

I think I'll switch it over to (I just edited my choice here) Cordilow's Literature and Fine Arts of Fantasy for the time being. Let me know if you foresee problems with this one, or if you think something else would be better. We could always change it (at least it has Cordilow and Fantasy in common—so people should still recognize it who have seen the current name). Literature should be able encompass fiction and non-fiction (although it's normally thought of as fiction—that's partly why I thought of adding in humanities).

I've decided against adding something that starts with 'Cordilow's Fantasy', as it makes it sound like I'm making up everything. The name I chose above should be more like a category owned by me, as opposed to something that is of my devising entirely.

[aquarious]

     I really like the name you have suggested.  It sounds so prestigeous and official!  :-)  I also like the idea of attracting not just writers of fantasy, but also people from closely related fields that may also be interested.  This could really be a great networking site!  Perhaps there may be some way of attracting the attention of publishers as well?  Wouldn't that be something?!  That could be such an incredible benefit for the unknown writers who may otherwise go unnoticed who wish to publish their material.
     I had another idea as far as attracting people to the site.  What if you were to install links to reputable writing contests and competitions?  That could also help new talent get noticed, if they would like to be noticed.  
     Perhaps there could be a sub-forum for authors who wish to get noticed and a seperate one for those who are merely looking for peer critique.  That way, if a poster does not want to be considered for publication then they need not worry.
     Well, those are just a few ideas to consider for now.  But I do think that you are on the right track for finding a great name for the forum!  The name you have suggested sounds like a winner to me.  :-)

                                                         Aquarious

[Cordilow]

Thanks for all the feedback. :) I still appreciate it.

aquarious wrote:

This could really be a great networking site!

Interesting insight.

aquarious wrote:

I had another idea as far as attracting people to the site.  What if you were to install links to reputable writing contests and competitions?  That could also help new talent get noticed, if they would like to be noticed.

That sounds good. Well, I might just put links up to the sites that have the contests, and then do posts about the contests (anyone is free to do this, though).

aquarious wrote:

Perhaps there could be a sub-forum for authors who wish to get noticed and a seperate one for those who are merely looking for peer critique.  That way, if a poster does not want to be considered for publication then they need not worry.

Hmm. I think this is one of those things we'll have to worry about if/when it happens (i.e. if/when publishers start to come—there's not always a way to tell if they come, either). From my experience, though, it doesn't seem like most publishers noticeably go out recruiting (at least for novels), and the ones that do should probably be researched heavily, for the most part. However, if we got editors for publishing companies to frequent the forums, they might take notice of things they read—that's not to say they would or would not talk to authors about it, but they might be more likely to pay attention to submissions from them (if they know who they are, at least).

For the time being, though, I think we better stay with the current sub-forums. There are already a fair amount. I don't want to confuse people with too many options, especially while everything is still new.

[aquarious]

     You make some very good points.  I do agree with you...this is a good time to sort of play things by ear to see which ideas are feasible and which are not.  :-)  Oh, did you happen to get that e-mail that I sent you with the two attachments regarding off-line marketing?  I was having some technical difficulties and wanted to make sure that you got them okay.  
     With your permission, I would like to mention this private forum to the staff at Inkwater Press.  They may want to take a gander at it during the down season.  Currently, however, this is their peak season for publishing.  :-)  It couldn't hurt, at least, to just let them know it exists.  And with it being a site targeted towards the more serious writers, they may come to expect a certain level of creativity and talent on the site that they may or may not be getting with the submissions that they receive from their website.  Of course, this would depend entirely upon the quality of the postings presented on the forum...  What do you think?  Maybe this is another play-it-by-ear idea, come to think of it...  Still, I won't say a thing to Inkwater Press without your say-so!  :-)

                                                               Aquarious

[Cordilow]

aquarious wrote:

… With your permission, I would like to mention this private forum to the staff at Inkwater Press. …

You are certainly free to do so. :) I wouldn't mind at all—in fact, the more people you tell, the better, I think. Tell whomever you want whatever you want (as long as it's true—and, I hope, positive). Thank you for asking, by the way—even though it doesn't seem to me like something you had to do.

I'm not sure when the private forum feature will come out, though. Were you going to tell them beforehand, or after? If you're waiting for the prime moment (as first impressions are sometimes the only impressions), I might suggest to try after we get some quality posts and responses. If you're fairly certain they will check back later, if you want them to see the public forum, or if you would remind them again later, it might not hurt to tell them now.

Thank you for all the help, by the way.

aquarious wrote:

Oh, did you happen to get that e-mail that I sent you with the two attachments regarding off-line marketing?  I was having some technical difficulties and wanted to make sure that you got them okay.

I did get them. :) There weren't any problems. I got both the attachments, and the email conversation, of course. There was a lot of useful information there. Thanks for sending it! It's good to know how the major chains like Barnes and Noble work, and to hear about all that other stuff.

[Cordilow]

aquarious wrote:

They may want to take a gander at it during the down season.

When is their down season?

[aquarious]

    I will probably take your advice and not mention anything to Inkwater Press until there are some impressive postings put up on the private forum.  Indeed, it would be wise to wait until such a forum actually exists before inviting some potentially influential professionals to the site!  :-)

     Your welcome!  It is nice to be so appreciated for being helpful.  You would not believe the number of people that I have bent over backwards to help only to get an ungrateful shaft in response.  Most of the time, I am able to clear many obstacles for such people only for them to turn around and decide to quit trying to reach their goals that I have worked so hard to help them attain.  So, it is very refreshing to hear a nice "Thank You"!  In return, thanks to you too!!  :-)

    I am not quite sure when the down season is for Inkwater Press.  Recently, I have been hearing from the staff that it is very busy at the office and that it is their peak season.  Either way, it is very exciting to be involved with such a flourishing company!

    I am glad to here that you have the e-mail that I sent!  If I happen across any othe helpful information, I will be sure to pass it along to you.  :-)

     My e-mail is a little quirky right now, so I will probably respond to your e-mail some time tomorrow.
If you have any other questions regarding Inkwater Press, please do let me know!

                                                    Aquarious

[Cordilow]

aquarious wrote:

Your welcome!  It is nice to be so appreciated for being helpful.  You would not believe the number of people that I have bent over backwards to help only to get an ungrateful shaft in response.  Most of the time, I am able to clear many obstacles for such people only for them to turn around and decide to quit trying to reach their goals that I have worked so hard to help them attain.  So, it is very refreshing to hear a nice "Thank You"!  In return, thanks to you too!!  :-)

You're quite welcome. :)

One thing I really like about Nabble—and one of the reasons I actually use it so much—is that they actually listen to the users, when it comes to feedback. I know I've tried to make suggestions to tons of other places, but Nabble is one of the few that has actually listened to them (or even allowed me to say anything in the first place). I've probably taken advantage of this a little too much on Nabble, but I'll try to stay focused on what's important from now on. Although I still think they should do the ranks thing and that it could help them tremendously (as well as all the users)—and the column colors idea I gave them. However, if only one person requests something, they usually don't implement it—unless they really like it; if more than one does, they listen a lot more.

One thing I look for in a site first is whether it has a way for customers to give feedback. Many don't, and many that do don't respond. I also look for whether or not they have forums (in Nabble's case they're in the same place).

It's hard to get people to listen. I didn't really think about how hard it would be to get people to say thanks. I've always pretty much thought, at least if it's a company, that if they use the idea, that, in a sense, is thanks in and of itself—but then, that might be because I don't tend to expect much response from people with an agenda. But, I know more than that is deserved.