Hello everyone,
as everyone knows we have recently begun to speak about 3dgladiators, our little corner on the web. I have previously added to the discussion concerning this dear matter - but now I wish to say something slightly more sophisticated.
The things I wish to say will not be pleasurable to anyone, but I feel the need to say them, as I have felt the need to say other things concerning other matters before. I hope you will bear with me here and give the things I wish to contribute to our discussion a little thought as unpleasent as they might be.
Over the last year - I daresay over the last two years - the general interest in the 3DGladiators has practically ceased to exist. After we left scifi-art.com this place was one of general concern from all sides. We were hated, cheered, loved, and at the very least talked about. This presence in every-day gossip allowed for a temporary period of fame and attraction. We enjoyed Andy Warhol's much renowned 15 minutes of fame. Unfortunately, and we can hardly disguise this fact, hide it or talk it away, we have failed to build up something that would endure for longer than those 15 minutes. This is a tough thing to swallow for all of us, but it is, in my eyes, the very truth. I had my share in this as well, being guilty myself, I wish not to point the finger at anyone, neither here nor in the following.
If you had me guess the current number of active users, I'd have to say 15, perhaps only 10. This is my personal impression and not neccessarily a correct one. However, individual opinions on member-counts usually lay far above that. Usually one thinks a forum has more active users than there actualy are. Here it might be the other way around, but does that speak for us? I doubt it.
From the lack of members, the lack of fresh material to fill the various sub-forums can easily be deduced. I don't have to be Sherlock to see that nothing can come forth if nothing is there to start from.
The idea has been aired to host contests here at 3DG. I like the idea, but let me honestly tell you, I believe the attempt will fail. There are several reasons for this. A very apparent reason is that there is noone to take part in such a contest due to the lack of an active member-base. A second also obvious reason for the idea (as good as it might sound) to fail, in my opinion, is that no company I can think of will sponsor a site that they have never heard of, let alone one that is almost dead. Why would they? You are decieved, if you think that companies will dish out sponsored prizes like nothing. Maybe it has been like that, I don't know, but it isn't like that now. As some of you mgiht know, I'm working for 3dtotal, the owner and webmaster of which is a friend. From what I know from him 3dtotal has more traffic on one day than 3dgladiators have in a year's quarter. Maybe I am decieved there, but I fear i am not. One could honestly unbiasedly say that 3dtotal is a 3d-related site with alot of attention and respect among the community. Do you think we get prizes by the dozens? Not at all. Prizes that attract many competitors are hard to come by, escpecially for a site with little ackowledgement among the community. Hard words, I know, but I beleive them to be true, else I wouldn't write them. I'm afraid I will be more harsh in the continuation of this artcile.
A site has now been put online and much hope is put into it. I have little hope myself - as if you hadn't noticed that by now...
Now, why don't I have faith? Simple, yet painful, reason: the site will not attract many (if any) users because it isn't up to current standards at all. I wish not to hurt the feelings of who worked on the site and put effort into it, free of charge, just for the passion. I'm afraid, however, that we must agree that - compared to other sites - the 3dg main site looks old-fashioned and out-dated. Take a look at the screenshots I gathered for you. They come from some of the places with more public attention.
Even on the small thumbnails, I believe it is obvious how 3dg looks different from the others. The design and layout seem to come from the late 2001. That might not sound like much but we all know that it is. The site should have looked like that when we first moved away from scifi-art. I'm sorry to be so rude, but the way the site is made now won't do us much good. A user who strolls by will leave without much of a remaining impression. He is a passionated 3D artist or wants to become one but the only thing 3d he sees on the site is the text "3d" in the header - the header which is also 2d. Well, you get the point, and i don't want to make everyone hate me by saying much more. I know I must be hurting your feelings and I honestly regret it. Graham, I believe you made the site? I'm sorry, mate.
A less sophisticated - flashy, attractive, you name it - design can be amended by great content, content that stands out of the mass like a lighthouse, attracting ppl like a lamp flies. Some of the most well-known sites on the web have awful designs and still work fine. Take eBay as an example.
What content do we have to offer? Not much, I'm afraid.
Great galleries, daily updated with top-notch content, can attract many visitors.
I know from my work at 3dtotal that tutorials are a big thing - everyone wants them they can attract masses!
Reviews can make ppl come. But book-reviews will only be possible when the printers have acknoledged and apreciate 3dg. Unfortunately I cannot write any for 3dg, even though I do so for 3dtotal (i get the books fro free as well, that's perhaps the only thing you really get these days). Better said, I can't because of 3dtotal. It'd be like cheating, as you will understand.
Daily updated news can make ppl return...
Face it, we don't have much of any of that. These are the things we have to work on first.
So, my conclusion to this ill-sounding writing is that the first thing we need is a functional website with interesting content. Only after that should we think of introducing us to companies, holding contests and so on.
To all who I have offended now, I did so because I felt because it is in order to say the truth about our current situation, not because I wanted to hurt any of you. I hope you understand that and don't hate me (just now).
Many thanks for your time and effort in reading this. Perhaps something good comes from it.
Yours,
Christian
