Game Reviews 42 RPGs 55 Arcade 34 Puzzle 18 Platform 10 Strategy Sections QB News Site Archives Game Guides Our Projects Entertainment Awards QB Links Interact QB Chatroom Mailing List Submissions Link to Us Job Openings (11/12/2002) The last few days have proven that QB sites can get on a very short fuse. Make sure you're properly equipped when the worst boils down.
Ever since it was first launched, QBasicNews.com has been one of the critical communication points for the QB community. News headlines are sent through QBasicNews.com oftentimes before any other QB site (even QB site giant qb45.com), and the forums of QBasicNews.com remain as one of the most active among QB programmers. The website also boasts a pretty well-rounded, easy-to-access link list that ties many other important QB sites (including V Planet) to an easy to remember .com domain name. This, combined with the stagnancy of some sites and the recent "QB45.com is messed up for the time being" sign that lurks upon Future Software, makes the possibility that sometime down the next few months or years could mark the sharp decline in QB Internet activity that might as well symbolize the end of QB on the Internet. Note that the key word here is "could"... for all we know, the QB community could instead reach a utopian age that will last many years. But either way, it's best to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. With all that in mind, here are some things you can do to prepare just in case all the big QB sites do suddenly go up in smoke. Archive, Archive, Archive While it's impractical to archive entire websites, it is possible to take some of your favorite tutorials and keep at least a text copy of the tutorial in your hard drive. You can also do the same for your favorite articles and game reviews. Keeping a hard copy of all the game reviews for your favorite games could be critical as well. For example, When V Planet's hard drive crashed some time ago and the site was eventually re-launched, Mike Dowling from Typosoft was quite prompt in delivering a copy of the Ped Xing review, which was lost when the site crashed. This made returning Ped Xing to V Planet's download section very, very easy. Watch for Dropping Points Some websites are so big that they become a good place for webmasters to vent psychologically and express their thoughts (take a look at IGN.com's so-called "Insider" service and you'll have a pretty good idea what I'm talking about). This is also a good place to vent frustrations. If it sounds like one of the main people in a website is signalling words like "I'm ready to move on" or "If I stop working on the website", that's a pretty good indication that the webmaster is either overwhelmed by the responsiblity or at least desiring to work on something else. The latter you can't do anything about, but the first case can be resolved not by giving the webmaster praise, but by helping him or her out directly by contributing articles, financial help, or whatever the person needs to get back on his or her feet. Remember the Affiliates While it helps link sites up, there's more than one reason QB sites keep a list of affiliates on their main page. Webmasters are just as hungry to read about their favorite topics as you are, and whenever they find something that's intellectually stimulating, they include a link to that site on the affiliates section. Besides providing extra material to read, these rations can also grow to become the next big thing among QB sites. Make sure to bookmark these even if they show a little promise. Promote Your Own Sites While it's usually discouraged in some forums, promoting your own site aggressively whenever you update helps put you on the map, and in essence keeps other webmasters stimulated (sometimes this helps more so than the QB games themselves!) Even if webmasters don't seem to respond, it's more likely because they're too tired to respond, and they will give your site a visit. Remember that working on a website does take its toll socially as well as mentally or financially, so any way of showing that webmasters are not alone in their cause is a noteworthy one. Vance Velez Editor, V Planet! QuickBasic Magazine |
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When
QBasicNews.com
suddenly popped up with the message that it has "closed indefinitely",
it sent shockwaves throughout the QB community, and with good reason.