What to do with Think Write?

Question

Thanks to everyone who has participated on this site. We really appreciate the contributions both from those who came from Think Draw and the new users.

As a lot of the original community has moved to a new writing forum, we were wondering wether Think Write has run its course on this site.

Please let us know what you think. We can leave things as they are, close the site, or some of the top contributors could become moderators and run it as they feel best.

Thanks again,

Rachel

Comments

Thanks for all your answers. We will keep the site going, and have now got two users able to moderate the forums and remove anything that has no place on Think Write. Please let us know if there are any other improvements you would like to make this a better creative writing forum.

midnightpoet - it should be possible to set up general areas for writing discussion. For example your own thread about the site itself worked very well http://www.thinkwrites.com/42/this-is-not-a-challenge as does the general thread for people's writing http://www.thinkwrites.com/1280/the-poetry-and-verse-repository

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i love think write even though ive only just oppened a account!

Answer 1

Don't get rid of it! Think Write is a good site, even if some of the original people have moved or aren't using it as much.

Answer 2

I think it should be left here to evolve on its own.  Just as ThinkDraw doesn't teach anyone how to paint in oils or be a graphic designer, ThinkWrite is a step in a creative process worth keeping.

Comments

giraffe (and doug) as you are 'Experts' on this site, you can hide any content that has no place on Think Write.

Answer 3

Wow!  That kind of came out of left field...end ThinkWrite?  Leave it and hopefully it will reinvent itself back into the forum it was meant to be.  Just like on ThinkDraw where we had the sudden influx of "newbies" and some of us "old farts" got lost in the shuffle,  I think that it will go back to the way it was...a good forum for writers to flesh out new stories, ideas, and share.  The holidays got me into a different mode and I just didn't have the time to participate.

 

Doug

Comments

doug (and giraffe) as you are 'Experts' on this site, you can hide any content that has no place on Think Write.

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Thanks Rachel!

Answer 4

Rachel,

I love Think Write - I've been posting in it since the very first challenge back on Think Draw. I was very excited when you started this site, and I do like what it is, though not what it's become.

I feel responsible in a way for your consideration of ending it, because I started the other forum. I'm sorry for that - I don't think Think Write should go away. I started the other forum not to replace or destroy Think Write, but as an alternative. It is the same basic concept, but offers a different set up, different rules, and different moderation, as well as just a different atmosphere. I don't see anything wrong with this site - what drove me crazy was kids coming in and flooding the place. Also, there seemed to be a set of "rules" that were not known - I remember someone having a post hidden for possibly violating the unknown rules. The site I started is more strictly moderated, with specific rules, and an age limit so no one has to censor themselves. As I said - it was intended to be all together different, not to drag everyone away from here. This site, with it's lack of moderation, drove me crazy because there was nothing to stop it from being flooded with stuff that I, personally, found useless.

I think that what this site has become is more a place for kids and weaker writers where everyone gets a pat on the back. This is good - it encourages writing rather than discouraging with critique. What I wanted was something more serious - still amateur writing, but with more serious critique, and there seemed to be no place for that left here. I also didn't like the set up. It's very clean and simple, but offers little. To post you have only three options: start a challenge, respond to a challenge, or leave a comment on a response or challenge. This is great, this is simple, but there's no forum setting to simply talk about writing.

I'm sorry if you feel I've dragged away original members to my new site. Right now, there are only 8 members on that site, and most aren't terribly active. My goal with that site is to drag in people from places other than TW, and I only posted it here for those who, like me, are interested in more serious writing and critique.

I'd hate to see Think Write go away. It still is something beautiful and very much has a place. Of the three options you gave, I think the best would be to appoint moderators to keep things from getting out of hand with the challenges being flooded.

Good luck - and thank you for what you've set up here.

Answer 5

Rachel,

I haven't been writing much lately, because I simply haven't had the time. It is likely that I won't be writing much in the near future either. I only checked in today by accident and saw this topic.

I think this site is great and I really enjoyed all the challenges I participated. It inspired me so much that I made a similar site for drawing challenges (I was all excited about ThinkDraw, but when I saw it, it had a very different concept than the one I had in mind).

Anyway, what Poet said is probably completely true, I can't see this site being much help to those that want to write professionally. I see it as more of a place where you can refine your writing skills in a fun and interesting way. It promotes creativity. And, whereas I completely appreciate the need for a place where there is a minimum quality standard, I would personally prefer a place where everyone is welcome, because I had the opportunity to see people develop very quickly, just by being motivated by others around them. In that light, I do hope you decide to keep the site going.

I do, however, understand that maintaining a site costs both time and money. If moderation would work, that would, indeed, be the best option. Should you choose to end it, I still want to thank you for giving me (and others) this wonderful experience.

Kind regards,

Spots

 

P.S. If you're all gone by the time I come back here, leave a trail of breadcrumbs so that I can find you. ;-)

Answer 6

commented 4 minutes ago by giraffe (630 points)  

Comments

Rachel,

As midnight said, some people want a more structured site and some want a forum to play with creative ideas.  They can both thrive here.

As spots said,  it takes time and money to maintain a site like this.  I'm curious about where the funding comes from here - since there is no advertising.

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No, G...they cannot both thrive here. Which is why I've left, and I'm officially not coming back - good luck with everything.

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Thanks and right back at you.  Trust your decisions and you'll never regret them.