Announcements

[Mike 51]

Welcome the our reimagining of fan forums. I'll be using this thread for ongoing announcements throughout the beta.

[worm 27]

I found the forum looking for active communities, a reddit post got me here. I thought it was a new forum but there are posts from 2006, so what's the story?

[Mike 51]

11 hours ago, worm said:

I found the forum looking for active communities, a reddit post got me here. I thought it was a new forum but there are posts from 2006, so what's the story?

Hey @worm. Thanks so much for joining! I'll do my best to give the cliff-notes version.

• I've been working on building a community for fans since 2013, which started under the name Deadicated Fans. It was blog-focused to start, with the goal to be a community for Die Hard fans. If you hang around, you'll probably see it referenced here and there.
• A multi-community forum has always been something I tried to make a reality, but I've never been able to get much traction. Forums aren't really booming at the moment and many of them have been killed off by social media. Having an empty forum with one registered user and no content didn't really bode well for me.
• In 2020, I came across an inactive forum for sale that was a decent fit for my target audience. I was able to work something out with the owner and began merging it with Deadicated Fans. With the existing content, I've been working on cleaning up the structure and building some of the existing sub-communities that had enough existing content to fill it in a bit.
• The name Deadicated Fans is close to me since it's been with me from the start, but it's not very brandable or easy to explain to people. I finally was able to get a domain that ties everything together with FanClubs.org, rolled out a new platform site-wide, and I'm just continuing to push forward.

That's the best I can do to summarize the last 10 years working on the site. I'm hoping you decide to stick around for a while. It'll take some time, but new posts are what's going to help this community come together.

Roadmap:

I still have more in the pipeline that I'm working on getting into place. Once I figure out the requirements, I'll allow members to create their own Fan Clubs. They can set their own community leaders and moderators, have their own blog, events, etc. Along with these features, I will eventually open up monetization options for Fan Club owners, as well.

Thanks again for taking the time to sign up and hope to see you around!

[worm 27]

16 minutes ago, Motorcycle Nerd said:

In 2020, I came across an inactive forum for sale that was a decent fit for my target audience. I was able to work something out with the owner and began merging it with Deadicated Fans. With the existing content, I've been working on cleaning up the structure and building some of the existing sub-communities that had enough existing content to fill it in a bit.

Oh I see, now it makes sense to me, because I saw all these old posts and I could not connect the lines, now it makes sense.

 

18 minutes ago, Motorcycle Nerd said:

The name Deadicated Fans is close to me since it's been with me from the start, but it's not very brandable or easy to explain to people. I finally was able to get a domain that ties everything together with FanClubs.org, rolled out a new platform site-wide, and I'm just continuing to push forward.

I think I get the name but I understand it being difficult to explain to everyone. Although I think FanClubs does a great job of explaining the intention of the forum.

 

19 minutes ago, Motorcycle Nerd said:

That's the best I can do to summarize the last 10 years working on the site. I'm hoping you decide to stick around for a while. It'll take some time, but new posts are what's going to help this community come together.

I'm a fan of forums, I don't get the same feeling in sites like Reddit. I browse them, yes, but I rather participate in this style of community.

I've been looking for a good active forum for a while now, and I found some but they die out after a few attempts at reaching the golden years. If you've been working in this site for 10 years, if you are that passionate, that makes me wanna stick around. You might not reach the golden years of forums but I'm sure this place can become a great community, at least I like what I see so far.

Thanks for your answer, and for your 10-years-hard-work!

[Mike 51]

1 hour ago, worm said:

I'm a fan of forums, I don't get the same feeling in sites like Reddit. I browse them, yes, but I rather participate in this style of community.

I've been looking for a good active forum for a while now, and I found some but they die out after a few attempts at reaching the golden years. If you've been working in this site for 10 years, if you are that passionate, that makes me wanna stick around. You might not reach the golden years of forums but I'm sure this place can become a great community, at least I like what I see so far.

Thanks for your answer, and for your 10-years-hard-work!

Thank you! I was lucky enough to be a part of the golden years of forums and nothing has come around to recapture that sense of community. Online communities can be more than just a place to read and post on the topics you love. For starters, a profile photo helps give people their own individual personality and you start to get recognized as part of the community. People should be able to easily find a community that fits them and join in the discussion (looking at you, Discord). It should be easy to set up gaming sessions, join a clan and have tournaments, set up watch parties, tailgate for games, concerts, etc.

There's so much more that can be done to make an online community actually feel like a community. It's ambitious, but it's something that that everyone should have the opportunity to be a part of.

Thanks for joining the ride!

[Mike 51]

Follow this topic to see new feature announcements and notable changes.

Fan Clubs:

A Fan Club is a community of passionate fans created and run by our members. Fan Clubs can be created for multiple different categories such as Entertainment, Gaming, Sports, Celebrities, and Content Creators.

What does a Fan Club include?

• Forums
• Photo Galleries
• Community Events
• Blog
• Club Leaders and Moderators

Social Info in your profile

• [Trial] I added the ability to add Social Info to your profile. Social Info can be seen by hovering over a member's profile on Desktop or by visiting their profile page.
• Social info is only visible to members while logged in.

Feature Roadmap

• Paid Clubs - Fan Club owners will have the option to earn revenue via Club Fees. This is likely most suitable for Content Creators, Musicians, Celebrities, and Journalists who have a following, but it will be an option for all categories. I'm also exploring additional opportunities for Club Owners to make revenue through the site.
• Digital Downloads for Fan Clubs (In Consideration) - This can be in the form of free fan art, original creations, or digital media files you own the rights to distribute or sell.
  • Free and Paid Downloads
• Fan Club creation will be enabled in a future update. Contact @Mike if you're interested in running a Fan Club before then.

[Mike 51]

Just got back from vacation... and I made the most of it . Notable changes are below.

Vacation Updates :

The homepage just received a major facelift

• On desktop, I made it easier to quickly access your Fan Clubs, displaying up to  clubs sorted by their latest update.
• Removed scrolling carousel for Fan Club Categories
• Added a grid for the Primary Fan Club Categories.
• Removed scrolling carousel for General Forum Categories.
• Removed Fan Club Topics from the Forum Updates Block.
• Added a sidebar widget to display recent Fan Club Activity.
• Removed the Most Popular Fan Clubs section
• Put a larger focus on showcasing New Fan Clubs and Recently Active Fan Clubs.
• Removed the 'What Are Fan Clubs" explainer in the sidebar. Condensed it to a brief description near the top of the page.

Fan Clubs get more upgrades!

• [Trial] I added the ability for Club Owners to create two forums within a Fan Club if needed. This will eliminate the need to have multiple Fan Clubs for one property, such as Movies and Games. If more than two forums are needed, reach out to @Mike and I'll get it added.
• Lots of experimental SEO wizardry . Aka, trial and error to figure out how to create the best experience for our members.
• Added Recently Active Topics to our article sidebars for added visibility.
• Added Recently Active Fan Clubs below articles for additional visibility.

Examples of multi-forum Fan Clubs:

• Starfield - General Discussion / Starfield Mods
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - Gaming / Movies
• Xbox - General Discussion / Looking for Group
• The Last of Us - Game Discussion / HBO's The Last of Us
• Rocket League - Discussion / Tournament Play
• Batman - Movies & TV / Games / Comics
• Harry Potter - Movies / Literature / Games
• 2K Games - General Discussion / WWE 2K Forum / + Games if needed
  • If a Fan Club grows to the point where a Forum needs to be moved to a new Fan Club, I'll help get that set up.

Our General Fan Forums are being renamed to General Discussion

• Most forums live within Fan Clubs, which made it a bit odd having a Forums page that excludes most.
• The name General Discussion better fits the intent of the main forums.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can

 

 

[Mike 51]

The forum directory has officially been married to the homepage, putting our selection of forums front and center. You can still access the fluid mode via the toggle near the top of the page to show content across the whole site, by default. Alternatively, clicking the 'General Entertainment' category will show you all the subforums in one filterable location as well. The Lounge works the same way.

[worm 27]

Fluid mode is my go-to! It's easier for me to read the forum that way.

I've been inactive lately because of life-stuff, but looking forward to see this forum grow!

[Mike 51]

50 minutes ago, worm said:

Fluid mode is my go-to! It's easier for me to read the forum that way.

I've been inactive lately because of life-stuff, but looking forward to see this forum grow!

Whatever is going on life-wise, I hope things work out.

But I'm glad to see you stop by again. There's a major update planned for early 2024, so keep your eyes peeled when you do get a chance to stop by.

[Mike 51]

On 11/24/2023 at 7:47 AM, worm said:

Fluid mode is my go-to! It's easier for me to read the forum that way.

I've been inactive lately because of life-stuff, but looking forward to see this forum grow!

Hope all is well, @worm. 

Just dropping a message to share that Fluid Mode is once again front-and-center after a bunch of touch-ups. I would love your thoughts on the latest updates to the homepage / fluid mode if you have any.

Thanks as always!

 

[worm 27]

On 12/26/2023 at 12:45 AM, Motorcycle Nerd said:

Hope all is well, @worm. 

Just dropping a message to share that Fluid Mode is once again front-and-center after a bunch of touch-ups. I would love your thoughts on the latest updates to the homepage / fluid mode if you have any.

Thanks as always!

 

Hello there! Everyhing is going well, but I've been a bit inactive in my pc-related stuff for a while now. I'm still getting used to my new job, and when my free time comes I'm in zombie mode. It shall pass!

 

Fluid Mode is great, it lets me see everything that is currently going on with a quick look. But I must say, the Table mode makes me so nostalgic, when I think about forums that's the layout that comes to mind. I don't know if it was available before here, but I like it.

Table mode for a deep dive, Fluid mode for a quick update.

Looking good, Motor!

[Mike 51]

51 minutes ago, worm said:

Hello there! Everyhing is going well, but I've been a bit inactive in my pc-related stuff for a while now. I'm still getting used to my new job, and when my free time comes I'm in zombie mode. It shall pass!

 

Fluid Mode is great, it lets me see everything that is currently going on with a quick look. But I must say, the Table mode makes me so nostalgic, when I think about forums that's the layout that comes to mind. I don't know if it was available before here, but I like it.

Table mode for a deep dive, Fluid mode for a quick update.

Looking good, Motor!

I completely understand the 'zombie mode' feeling, so I appreciate you jumping in to share your thoughts.

Fluid Mode - It's the best way to showcase content from all the communities, but my challenge was finding a way to organize it so it wasn't information overload, while also being easy to navigate. This iteration finally feels 'useful'

Table Mode is a new addition - You have a keen eye! This is a members-only feature that I've been debating on adding for that nostalgia kick. It won't show content from the different Fan Clubs, but it's great for a step back in time and a more focused experience.

-------------------------

What you described about the deep dive and quick update is exactly what I'm hoping to achieve. Great to hear that's how you plan on using them.

Got one more on the way (Coming in 2024) - This option blends Grid Mode with Fluid, and Table views, potentially replacing the current Grid Mode. It's what I would expect most people to use when they want a more focused (deep dive) experience.

Appreciate it as always, thank you!

[worm 27]

I hope this new year brings more people to the forums! Fan Clubs will be ready, as always

[Mike 51]

20 minutes ago, worm said:

I hope this new year brings more people to the forums! Fan Clubs will be ready, as always

Thanks @worm! I'm hoping to kick things into the next gear sometime in the new year

[Mike 51]

Nothing crazy to announce yet, but there's been a lot done behind the scenes. Browse around and share any feedback if you'd like. I'll share a few notes, below.

 Removed the annoying ads for members.
 Lots of maintenance and polishing
 Consolidated the open forums down to three
 Created club pages to make finding the clubs you're interested in even easier

Open Forums:

• General Entertainment
• Off-Topic
• Bulletin Board

Club Pages:

• Entertainment Clubs
• Gaming Clubs
• Sports Clubs

There's still a lot more in store, but we're getting closer every day.

[Mike 51]

And one last thing. Created an album for fans who want to submit photos or fan art representing their clubs. 

 

[Mike 51]

With the site overhaul coming in a few months we'll have a native dark mode that will use your operating system's default settings. In the meantime, I added a Dark Mode Theme that you can manually switch to. Instructions and a small preview are below.

How to switch to Dark Mode

1. Navigate to the footer
2. Click Theme and select Dark Mode

Dark Mode Preview

[worm 27]

Good to see even more work being done on the site! It's appreciated.

[Mike 51]

On 3/8/2024 at 8:53 AM, worm said:

Good to see even more work being done on the site! It's appreciated.

Thanks for the encouragement!