The mass Exodus of 2007 continues over at 9rules. Chris J. Davis is the most recent member to take leave. Wow. As a former member of 9rules (Round #3 alum), I can’t help but to feel bad for the state of things over there currently. Once upon a time, not so long ago, 9rules was the place to be. Now, it’s not so clear. The new design (Ali2) is awesome, but I guess we will have to wait and see if it is enough to carry them through this current state of affairs. I want to say it can, I think it might, but the future is a bit murky.
Right on, Scrivs. I wish you well as you push towards the vision. I’m cheering for you guys, and we’ll see what happens.
It is Friday night so let me keep this short. Last I checked the leaf still means the same thing that it did at the beginning: you can find some good content on this person’s site. Some people left because they didn’t like us including Notes on the site and outsiders got to participate in 9rules. Some people left when we asked them to participate in the Community they were a part of.
The purpose of the leaf has never changed. That has remained consistent since the beginning and it should mean a lot to people because it means a hell of a lot to us. Trust me, we know how special it is to have a brand that people actually have feelings about. It is rare to find that on the web, but if someone’s connection is to one particular site in the Community and that site leaves or gets removed that person will more than likely be pissed no matter what.
You might recall that during Round 3, Round 1-2 people weren’t always accepting of the fact that we were bringing in more sites. They wanted it to be just them, but the purpose of the leaf was never to have X amount of members, but to have the people who have the leaf to represent quality. So what did we do? We pushed on and let people in that we felt were deserving and some Round 1 people left because of it. Why? 9rules meant something different to them than the direction we were taking it.
We still have people waiting around to get in and maybe because we haven’t tossed in a round people overlook that. We talk to Members about the changes we think we will make and if they agree with them (which the majority do) then we go along with it.
Trust me when you deal with hundreds of members and thousands of readers, the leaf and 9rules isn’t going to be the same for all of them.
Scrivs, you wrote: “I think you and a couple others are stuck in the old school 9rules mentality of it being just a network with sites and that is understandable. On the web, if you aren’t talked about on the sites you read then you must be forgotten. 9rules is much bigger now than it was then in every sense of the word, but yet people say we must be falling apart.”
I think you are seriously underestimating the value people put in your brand (leafy). Why? Because it (this whole conversation) is not a matter of being celebrated via an RSS feed on 9rules. Seriously. I don’t think anyone would feel “forgotten” or less of a “presence” if they are not aggregated on 9rules. After all, you know as well as I do that the traffic and attention a site gets from 9rules is not huge.
I think people are more upset because of the leaf. Bro, it actually meant something to a lot of people. It was more important than a feed aggregate. I remember waiting for a week for an e-mail from you inviting me into the fold. People sat around like 7 year olds at Christmas waiting to get that special e-mail. then, the value of that emotive experience (which is like gold for a company/business) was simply run over by evolution rather than incorporated.
Yes, it (the leaf) still means a lot to a lot of people, but to those early members it meant something different … and the value wasn’t invested into the fact that they were being talked about … it was more that they were part of something special. Yes, change must happen, but you have to appreciate the personal value people invested in your own earlier incarnations.
I think that by saying “people who want the 2005 version because they were talked about on the site” actually minimizes the value of your own creation and its evolutionary stages. I think your work may just be a bit more profound than you even realize, Scrivs. I’ll say this: it’s never boring.
You see, now right there you said something that really resonates, Scrivs. It digs down into the emotive feelings driving much of the negative expressions we see popping up. Every submission round introduced something different to 9rules. Everyone who was accepted/membered in those rounds attached themselves to that special, unique thing. I guess it really is hard for people who proudly attached themselves to these differences watch them disappear. I think that says something really profound about 9rules, bro. It was/is beyond special to people who divided along what made each submission round uniquely special.
People were so invested in the special thing you facilitated, that they now get angry and react when it succumbs to evolution. I agree, things change, but maybe if you spoke more directly towards those feelings felt by those who thought they were losing something special, then maybe everyone would stay! Think about it …
It’s a shame to see this - even if it is small aspect of what the much bigger picture currently is - go down in this particular community. I can’t help but to think that if more finesse and understanding was directed at the special, unique aspects inherent to each round of members everyone would be there pushing the community towards your vision. Ah, but I realize too that hindsite is 20/20. We are all human.
All that said, I really do hope 9rules reaches the vision you have for it. I think the potential is there with Ali2, but we will have to wait and see. I’ll be there posting and participating in notes while simultaneously reminiscing of the round 3 days. Good times …
Okay if you wish to stick with exodus I will go along with it, but hasn’t this happened in 9rules land before? It’s cyclical really. Everyone uses 9rules for their own purposes. You stay if you feel they are being served and you live if they don’t. We don’t always agree with what those purposes are, but when does any large community have 100% agreement throughout?
Anyways every time this happens it becomes a big deal to a small group and the talks of 9rules disappearing occur. We understand how it works, but we don’t focus on it. We’ve grown with the “big” names, many of them before they were even big and if we were still just a place to syndicate content on then yeah it would be in our best interest to continue to go out and find those big names. Instead, we went the route of building a community that didn’t align with what some people wanted. To each their own.
I think you and a couple others are stuck in the old school 9rules mentality of it being just a network with sites and that is understandable. On the web, if you aren’t talked about on the sites you read then you must be forgotten. 9rules is much bigger now than it was then in every sense of the word, but yet people say we must be falling apart. That is where I mention the outsider status. Everyone is welcome to the 9rules Community through my.9r, but for example just because you are my cousin it doesn’t make you an insider on what happens with my parents.
You know as well as I do the fast pace of the web. You can remain stagnant and die or you can push yourself and innovate. Some people wanted us to be the 9rules of 2005, while we are always trying to be the 9rules of the future. We don’t like when people leave because we care about what we have created, but we know the people who are still with us and they help to carry us forward. People are coming and going all the time, but when one person goes and actually writes about it that’s when the focus becomes on us losing people. We remove more people than ones that leave, but nobody notices that kind of stuff.
“9rules was special for a reason. ”
That will always be true, 9rules is special to people for a reason. If it was special to you because Stammy was in it and then he leaves it might not be special to you anymore. If it is special to you because of the people you meet and continue to meet then it will remain special. The beauty of 9rules is that it is a lot of things to a lot of people, but unfortunately some people want it just to be about a couple of blogs in a tiny community occupying a very small chunk of the web. We grew beyond that.
Hey, Scrivs! How are you, man. I knew if anyone would dig that sensationalist title it would be you! only a true sensationalist recognizes a good chunk of sensationalism when he/she see it! Seriously, it’s good to hear from you.
I get what you are saying about the technical definition of the term “exodus.” Usually, it means exactly that: “… usually a large number of people.” Right on. The key word, in this case, is “usually.” We are talking about the web, right? I mean 9rules is relatively sizable, but it’s no Egypt and you are no pharaoh, bro. Well, maybe you are (Ramsees Scrivs III?)! In any case, I think what we are all watching is an exodus, of web proportions. Name recognition and reputation are huge. 9rules was built on it, initially. It’s what made 9rules stand out from the crowd so incredibly well. The names the community was built upon made others wish they were part of it. You know that’s true. Otherwise, it would have just been another B5 or whatever else was going on in those days. 9rules was special for a reason. If the names in the community weren’t the source of this separation from the crowd, then what was it? A lot of these names have just bailed, big time.
So, when we are talking about “exodus,” in this case, I think we are talking about the names that just left en masse. In fact, those names are so recognizable - and thus carry so much “currency” - that it is questionable whether or not gaining 100+ new members will ever make up the difference. A lot of things beyond mere numbers are invested in a brand. You know that, bro.
Therefore, I ask if Ali2 will get you guys through this stage. I honestly hope so, but I can’t help but ask. Believe it or not, I still have a very, very soft spot for the leaf. I was very, very active in the forums and community, if you recall.
I’m not trying to go after you here, bro. Just thinking out loud, like a whole lot of others are doing at the moment. I honestly hope it makes it and clears this present stage of negativity. Heck, I’ll probably jump in and participate.
PS: I thought the whole point of Ali2 was to make everyone an insider? If this is true, than how can I be “an outsider” who is of “the old 9rules camp?” OK, I get the “old 9rules camp” thing; I am that. But what am I not seeing in the current incarnation of 9rules that would help me see things differently? I do have a my.9r page. What am I not seeing and how does it make me miss whatever it is I am obviously missing? Isn’t that a hang up with 9rules? After all, the point, if I understand it correctly, was to make everyone an insider.
Much peace …
exodus: a going out; a departure or emigration, usually of a large number of people
Sorry you got things a bit twisted here Shawn, people left for sure, but way more are staying (100+ and counting) and enjoying themselves. 9rules is doing nothing but growing and with the new version out it seems to be growing even faster. Maybe the future is murky to an outside who is of the old school 9rules camp, but from our point of view and many others the future has never looked so bright.
Thanks for the sensationlist title though, made my smile.