The Energon Pub

i know transtopia is merging with seibertron.com however in my short time here i feel we need our own site or forum so i made this "mock up"(might become real) see what you think.

http://www.runboard.com/believetranstopia

we could make another website and link it to a free forum.

Nice idea, but I think free forums have certain limits as to the traffic that can run through them, and I can well imagine TT oversteps it somewhat, otherwise we'd probably still be on free boards now (and I'm pretty sure we aren't).
Also, as TFM and Ryan have explained, the Seibertron merger is beneficial to TT. Ryan has an experienced staff to help maintain the site, and he can easily incorporate the TT boards onto his own server with little extra hassle. Creating this new site really shouldn't be necessary, unless you personally have issues with Seibertron.

Ramrider wrote:Creating this new site really shouldn't be necessary, unless you personally have issues with Seibertron.

I disagree.

I like large stores. I also like small stores.
Each offers something unique.
The nature of the two are different and cannot emulate the other, no matter how hard they may try.

TT will retain a lot of things from the merger, it will gain some things too.
But it will also lose something unique to TT.

I'm not saying it's all doom and gloom, I'm not saying it definitely will wind up sucking due to exposure to certain aspects of the fandom (that all large sites suffer with).

But I am saying that a part of what made TT for some is no longer going to be there, and all the hopes and good intentions in the world won't change that.

That's not having something against Seibertron.

It's good that some still talk of a seperate site, as the TT/Seibertron merger is going to leave a gap, and one of these guys may be responsible for the Transtopia of tomorrow.

Okay, maybe I didn't explain myself correctly or something.

The impression I got from Phiz's post is that as far as he's concerned Transtopia needs to remain independent.

I'm not saying that Phiz's theoretical independent site is worthless - far from it; variety is the spice of life and all that, and every board out there has its own USPs, which may be pluses or minuses depending on the visitor.
I'm just suggesting that unless you have a real, practical reason that TT needs to remain independent, then surely it's worth giving the merger a go. If you try it and still don't like it - fair play, you gave it a crack, let's try it this way.

I was also pointing out that use of a free forum would probably only work as a temporary measure, since if the volume of traffic even approaches that of TT, then most board providers will start charging for their use.

Ramrider wrote:Okay, maybe Me didn't explain myself correctly or something.

The impression Me got from Phiz's post is that as far as he's concerned Transtopia [Me]needs[/Me] to remain independent.

Yes, that's the impression I got, and I agree with him.

I know it's not going to happen, but I do believe it is an important part of this site.

For example, posting a G1 coloured Alt Smokescreen here will see the figure get appreciated for what it is; the effort is understood, the customisation to the artists preference is appreciated.
Yet in the past I have seen that exact sample figure posted on other sites and watched it descend into arguments between forum regulars about G1 being dead, I've seen artists get told to move on or attacked for "ruining" a realistic toy and so on.
It's not always specific to that, but you get the idea I hope.

People like that are comfortable where they are. They're not going to sign up here just to get into that, but if you're absorbed into their forum, their domain, they'll start sooner or later.

There are people like that in every large forum, Seibertron is no exception.
There is no guarantee that the negativivty will slip into TT as part of Seibertron, but if it doesn't it'll be a first in the entire fandom.
Mass exposure and access is never without a price.

I agree that this suggestion is impractical.
TFM's mind is already made up, a free site would never be able to handle the traffic or help TFM with the other things that weigh him down, and so on.

But I think that those who don't want to give up on TT being as it has been are the best chance of building the type of community we're about to lose as this place evolves into something else.

Its already stated though that Transtopia will have seperate forums over at Siebertron. We aren't going to be posting our kitbashs in the general discussion threads or something. Transtopia will be its own entity with easy access from the rest of Siebertron. We'll be tied into the Seibertron network, but the people that will be predominately reading and posting in the Transtopia sections will be kitbashers, those that aren't interested in Kitbashing won't find it that interesting, and we will have mods to keep things civil should a jackass get bored and decide to harass jsut for the fun of it.

Honestly this is a necessary change in my mind. The site has been stagnating for awhile do to TFmaster's problems, a very small overworked staff, and a rapidly growing population. If the site didn't do something like this soon it would have ended up collasping under its own weight which is what was happening.

A small site is a great thing, but they never stay that way. They either grow into the large sites you apparently aren't a fan of, or they die. Transtopia has grown alot in the last few years, and now its taking a big leap. But in the end it will still be Transtopia, as long as the people who make it great now continue on with it then it will stay great.

i agree with almost every thing you all said, it was just a thought, hopefully it will work out for everybody

try to keep da new forum open till after da change, it wont effect everyone but there are some who want 0A kitbash only forum, if it merges with seibertron and its just 0A kitbash section it wont have much differant then da one at tfw or tfans

tentagil wrote:We'll be tied into *Hick-up* Seibertron network, but *Hick-up* people that will be predominately reading and posting in *Hick-up* Transtopia sections will be kitbashers, those that aren't interested in Kitbashing won't find it that interesting

If you look at any large TF site with a kitbash section you'll find that a lot of bored posters who spend huge amounts of time on the board drift in and comment.

It will happen.

That doesn't mean it will be negative. In fact at first it will be all smiles as people will be happy to welcome everyone on board, but it may not stay that way.

There are people who visit this site and then attack and criticise on thier regular sites.
They don't sign up here because they're lazy and their regular site offers a comfort zone.

If TT is accessible to them, if they can comment knowing they're surrounded by their friends, people who agree with them, they're going to be vocal.

And if even one negative comment comes in as a result of a merger, if any kitbash results in a non basher commenting solely to say that they don't like a bash because they don't like the fiction era or whatever, then the merger just killed a huge part of what made Transtopia Transtopia.

I agree that every site has to grow, I just don't agree that being absorbed or connected to something larger is growth.
In fact, it seems to me to be a step back in many ways.

I'm not fighting the change, I think alleviating the stresses the site gives TFM is more important than this site's direction.

But as TFM said himself, it's something he'd been toying with anyway, it was this site's next step, and that step will bring cons that may be membership breakers for some.
It is wrong to decide it will happen and not give it a chance, but it is right to talk about it, express concerns and look for alternatives.

Not for the name Transtopia, that is TFM's baby, but for the aspects of the community that went beyond any one member.

beings I am a computer retard I have a few questions. Will there be a new web address we will have to go to to get to the new Seib/TT site?
Also will all of our Information (sigs, post, control panel stuff)be transfered to the new boards? I don't jack about how all this works so please forgive me is these questions seem stupid.

just gonna have to wait and see what its like after the move, no point worrying about things now,
to be honest i cant see why its worth all of ryans work if we are only moving minor mods , it would have been easyer just to make it into pages and stick them on a feature of the site, then all we would have to do is re register over there

I've read through all of the concerns here ... I have some things planned that will help build the Transtopia community while trying my best to protect it/you from some of the concerns that have been expressed about being mixed in with a larger community. None of the sites that I visit and especially none of the Transformers websites will have a forum structure like I have planned with my own custom forum code that I'm going to write.

we will all have to wait and see but with seibertron here to talk to us and find what we like and do not like i believe they have are best intrestes in mind and will not lets us down. (i hope not atleast)

Phiz: theres many Web sites out there from tfans to seibertron so making one such as this on a small scale will not really affect alot of the issues i have a forum myself and a few members from transtopia are on my forum http://www.erbd.co.nr Which is Slowly Growing and from what i can see you are limited on Free boards to the amount of Areas in Which you can open such as a Gallery would not be a Open Feature instead you would have listing after listing of Images within Topics Rather then a Post Section such as Transtopia.

Why i have that "Narf" or "Poit" stuff?

Some ones Screwing about with the word censors again

lycanthropictendencies wrote:

tentagil wrote:We'll be tied into *Hick-up* Seibertron network, but *Hick-up* people that will be predominately reading and posting in *Hick-up* Transtopia sections will be kitbashers, those that aren't interested in Kitbashing won't find it that interesting

If you look at any large TF site with a kitbash section you'll find that a lot of bored posters who spend huge amounts of time on the board drift in and comment.

It will happen.

That doesn't mean it will be negative. In fact at first it will be all smiles as people will be happy to welcome everyone on board, but it may not stay that way.

There are people who visit this site and then attack and criticise on thier regular sites.
They don't sign up here because they're lazy and their regular site offers a comfort zone.

If TT is accessible to them, if they can comment knowing they're surrounded by their friends, people who agree with them, they're going to be vocal.

And if even one negative comment comes in as a result of a merger, if any kitbash results in a non basher commenting solely to say that they don't like a bash because they don't like the fiction era or whatever, then the merger just killed a huge part of what made Transtopia Transtopia.

I guess I just have a more optimistic view of people in general then you. I'm a memebr of Siebertron, Tfans, TFW2005, and a few other smaller sites, and for the most part those that have kitbash sections get little traffic that isn't kitbashers, and those that jsut come to bash the work tend to get drowned out and buried rather quickly.

And to be honest we've had people bash Kitbashes here in Transtopia based on the same reasons you mentioned, they are few and far between, and those people don't stay around long. But it has happened. Even if Transtopia didn't merge with Siebertron the bigger it gets the more assholes would eventually migrate over. Its the nature of the beast, the bigger the population the bigger the ration of jerks. luckily we've had fairly low number here. But any site you build is going to get them eventually unless you strictly control the membership, and thats not the kind of community I'd want to be involved in. Its life.

I understand your though process that a merger opens us up to a larger number of such people, but it also opens us up to more ideas. And though heckling for the most part is annoying on occasion it can inspire new ideas and concepts to emerge. I personally see most small sites like the one Phizer is starting to have very short life spans, either then collapse from under use or they end up merging their memberships with others over time to create larger sites. Kitbashing is a niche, and to be honest other then Transtopia no other site of any real size or resource covers it, thats what has allowed this place to get to this point. It was the only place for many to come to get the information and advice they needed.

Over time Its grown from just being the display place for TFmasters work to being the gallery for the best Kitbashers out there. (and amateurs like me:)) To grow from here it really has to break out of the niche, and a solid link with a site like Siebertron gives us all those other outside resources. And we fill that gap in Siebertron's own offerings by giving him Artists, Kitbashers, and an abundance of content which will bring more visitors to his site as well as to Transtopia.

Thing is we are not becoming Siebertron, we are simply filling a whole in Siebertron and through that we are gaining so much. I honestly don't see a down side to this thing assuming that he manages all the things he has said he wants to do. On the other hand seeing this community splinter into a bunch of smaller sites because people are afraid that they'll loose the "community" feel of Transtopia will without a doubt kill it. But thats jsut my personal opinion on this. We won't know how its going to end till Sibertron has everything moved and made live, until then I'm very optimistic that this is not only the best thing for this site, its the best thing for Siebertron and both communities as a whole.

All that needed to be said has been and any alternatives were issued and made.

Other then that I feel this thread no longer needs to be open or debated.

No more threads like these will be allowed to be posted from this point on because we don't need to see resolutions for something that is already resolved.

TT is moving to seibertron.com. Period.

Thanks, those that don't want to move you are free to go and start up whatever. That's your choice.

But we're done with that here.

TFM