TSM Writers very own StarSmucks Coffee House Discussion Room!

[Guest]

I thought Rando's stories were a good idea and I told him so, so I'll take the blame for that. Sorry.

 

I also told him that we needed to get more wrestling stuff up before doing anything like that.

[Adam 0]

Who the fuck said I was the head writer?

 

If anyone's the head writer, Rando is the head writer. Guy puts in more effort than anyone. I've done one article and two radio shows.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

Hey now, keep me out of this. I moved my one idea off TSM, and am currently looking around for something of wrestling-relation to throw into the pile, though with my current work schedule that'll be at least a week from now if not longer.

[The Man in Blak 0]

This site reminds me of the Apple Boutique disaster. Everybody has tons of ideas and ambitions behind what they want to put on the site, but there's no quality control to be seen anywhere, nobody to edit the "ideas" as much as the output itself.

 

Somebody has got to manage this thing.

 

Yes, I'll take responsibility for what's out there because I did volunteer to help; the current state of the website reflects badly on everybody. However, I didn't sign up to write articles or to lead this ship into the iceberg. I signed on board to help program for the site and, shortly after I jumped on board, the layout was changed without much of a discussion at all...which should be a pretty big hint of how well this operation has been organized.

 

I understand that you have to have low expectations - you've got internet writers working for nothing on a free website - but this is ridiculous. There's no real structure or staging ground for articles, and there's no real venue to edit these articles that are going out on the site. There have been no expectations whatsoever communicated to the staff from the leadership. How can somebody be motivated to write anything for the website when you have little or no feedback coming your way?

 

I think that if admin or somebody - anybody - becomes more involved in the process and imposes some structure onto what we're doing here, then things could improve dramatically. We don't need to establish hard deadlines or anything like that, but I think we really need to re-evaluate how we get the articles onto the website. More feedback and collaboration from the writers wouldn't hurt either.

[Guest]

Speaking for myself, I get my articles edited. I think quality control is a problem that will only get worse as more people post articles. Everyone that has the TSM Writers tag should either be putting articles up on a somewhat consistent basis, editing, or programming. If you have the title, use it. That's the bottom line.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Edwin is right. It's not worth it. I tried, I really did. I volunteered to be an editor, and I feel I did a decent job helping 909 get his articles to market, but the wild west structure of the content system made it near impossible for me to do my chosen task unless people went to me and said "why, hey there, The Czech Republic, rumor has it you're pretty smart compared to most of the mouth-breathers in this joint. Would you mind proofreading my column for me?", but I think 909 was the only one who came to me, and that was after I came to him first.

 

Spoon is a talented writer; his Raw review IT WAS GOOD. (inside joke) I doubt anyone bothered to notice, but Leena's Sports article was well-written.

[Guest Princess Leena]

Hey now, I got a lot of views. Just not from the dolts who post at this board.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

You have a lot to be ashamed of, Curry. Don't front.

 

Exactly. I need to learn how to swim better before I can tread into deep water.

[MrRant 0]

It would be fine if everything were wrestling/MMA related. It isn't, so it seems weird like Edwin said. Either stop writing about other things or rename the site and condense the wrestling folders.

[Cherry Blossom Viscount 0]

The new site is an absymal failure, by the way. Terrible writing all around, and Rando's storytime is ridiculous. I wouldn't submit most of it to a high school newspaper. Get an editor who knows what's up, or stop wasting your time, guys.

 

Wow, now that made Hitler blush.

 

But seriously, I have not even read the articles on the new site, but I feel it's a failure just because of how it looks. The old TSM format was much better (that's not saying much, BTW) than what we have now which looks to be something a first week Web Mastery student put together in between sneaking naps and flirting with the girl next to him.

 

This is a forum first and foremost so improving this portion of TSM would do more to attract new quality posters than some third rate site that is going to garner more laughter than new registrations. However, if you do wish to continue with this endeavor I highly implore you to make it look as sleek and professional as the forum (not the posts or posters, just the skin really) and ensure you have quality writers who are stable and not liable to throw tantrums, ignore criticism, or delete articles and sites. The fact that you have someone who has committed such offenses on board because she is slightly (and I'm being generous here) competent shows how seriously you all really take this project.

 

Really, you can't have it two ways; a serious wrestling/pop culture site, but a horrible and cliched wrestling forum and barely adequate movies and music forums. So the forum needs serious reorganization first if you wish to have a serious main site. Right now, however, in my opinion, the main site and the forum go hand in hand, and really, that's not a bad thing. It's laid back, so why all of a sudden are we trying to be 411wrestling or whatever it's called now?

[Art Sandusky 0]

I dunno, we've had some weird fixation with writing about everything for some reason. I still don't get it.

 

If we were to concentrate on wrestling only I think we'd become one of the best sites out there with some time, but that'd require effort also. Basic site requirements like a Smackdown review aren't even there. It's obvious that we have enough people here with very, very deep wrestling knowledge to make up a staff that could cover the basics (TNA PPV/iMPACT, WWE PPV/Smackdown/Raw) as well as other odds-and-ends tape reviews or opinion pieces. The people who'd be qualified for this kind of stuff generally know how to write without looking like embarassments too.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

It's obvious that we have enough people here with very, very deep wrestling knowledge to make up a staff that could cover the basics (TNA PPV/iMPACT, WWE PPV/Smackdown/Raw).

Booooring. You guys need to think about this: why should someone come here for reviews and recaps they can get on just about any other wrestling site? You need something that makes the site unique; something that will make someone say, "Hey, I need to go to TSM because they have..."

 

Recaps are boring and a dime a dozen. Maybe I'm alone in that thinking, but I've got no desire to read a fairly in-depth piece on a lousy product. Why not have these people with "very, very deep wrestling knowledge" focus in on writing unique pieces?

[Art Sandusky 0]

Opinion pieces and the like were implied, I thought.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I know they were. I was saying they should take precedence over weekly recaps. As it is, I can see it working out to where we get floods of the weekly recaps with a unique piece thrown in there. It should be the other way around.

[Guest Princess Leena]

Please remove me as a writer. Or, do whatever to remove the TSM initials out of my group name. Thank you.

[Guest]

I volunteered to be an editor, and I feel I did a decent job helping 909 get his articles to market, but the wild west structure of the content system made it near impossible for me to do my chosen task unless people went to me and said "why, hey there, The Czech Republic, rumor has it you're pretty smart compared to most of the mouth-breathers in this joint. Would you mind proofreading my column for me?", but I think 909 was the only one who came to me, and that was after I came to him first.

I don't know if I said so already, but thanks. I really mean it.

[Guest CWMwasmurdered]

Please remove me as a writer. Or, do whatever to remove the TSM initials out of my group name. Thank you.

 

Deja vu.

[Guest Coffey]

It needs a clean slate and so do the forums. Honestly, I think shit like LSD, HD, etc. take away from the forums. It's a wrestling site, so that's what it should be. It's like some attempt to be a second rate pop culture site. A bunch of wrestling fans talking about movies and music? Seriously.

 

The main site still has all the old stuff on it. All the old TNA "Rush reports" and shit are still there. The site is designed poorly. If nothing else, pay someone to make a webpage. Donations have been collected before.

 

I volunteered to write TNA iMPACT! and I haven't wrote one yet. I didn't even notice that I was a "TSM Writer" or that we had our own little folder now until just a while ago. That's because on the forums, I don't scroll down that far most of the time. It's like, I check out the wrestling folders and the video games folder...that's about it. Occasionally I post in music and other shit but it doesn't seem to fit in real well around here.

 

Wrestling opinion pieces are a great idea and a great place to start IMO. I don't even think we need a main page for that though. Just a new subfolder that couldn't be replied to with the articles or something. It's like a bunch of people volunteered to do the writing in an attempt to get themselves over and then no one did. I don't even watch iMPACT! anymore so I can't very well review it.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the forum. The only people who do are the ones who don't have an interest in what their problem is with, hence the problem.

[The Czech Republic 0]

It needs a clean slate and so do the forums. Honestly, I think shit like LSD, HD, etc. take away from the forums. It's a wrestling site, so that's what it should be. It's like some attempt to be a second rate pop culture site. A bunch of wrestling fans talking about movies and music? Seriously.

Coffey, you dumb dick, stop having stupid ideas. It's been "come for the wrestling, stay for the bullshitting" for years now. The basic breakdown of folders has been the same for like five years, barring the mergers of redundant wrestling folders. It's not like suddenly we started talking about movies. LSD is taking away from the great WWE folder? Who are you trying to kid? Dumbass. Anyone who isn't fucking awful views this place as "just a board" now. You're trying to make the people fit the board, when it makes more sense to have the board fit the people. That's why we've gone from like eight wrestling folders to four.

[Red Hot Thumbtack In The Eye 0]

It's like a bunch of people volunteered to do the writing in an attempt to get themselves over and then no one did.

 

Some of us aren't so fucking selfish that ego stroking is needed. Some of us are satisfied with the joy of spreading ideas and thoughts.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

None who write for the site, apparently.

[k thx 0]

I'm still working through my first OVW piece.

 

I wasn't able to do it last weekend, hopefully this one.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I wasted my best writing in the folder, going ballistic on Rando for that music column that said the Eagles were really good.

[MrRant 0]

Clearly you should write a weekly column bashing moronic articles or posts.

 

Create Debate~!

[SuperJerk 0]

I actually like what I've seen on the main page so far...I was just hoping for more of it.

[Art Sandusky 0]

With a name like Smuckers, you know it's good.

[Special K 0]

Only if they serve Top Pot Doughnuts. Otherwise it's a pale image of faggotry. Make yours Top Pot.