Quoted from Jaykur22 ...this may be a solution for those hoping for an "adult site"...

Oh, look -- I think I see Shelton racing over here now haha -- I knew the title would bring him running soon enough...

Members who have been around a while can navigate the site and find what they want easily enough, Jaykur.

And Wesley is absolutely right about the social aspects.  Don's bold experiment a few months back proved this beyond a doubt.

I just wish the content of this site could be more "condensed" for the uninitiated -- or for those fishing for good scripts.

I think a handful of new moderators -- with a "license to delete" in terms of nonsensical posts -- would make a nice "trial basis" experiment.  And it's not too hard to figure out who should do it, either.

And I think we should be allowed to vote scripts "off the island".

I agree with a lot of people here, on different matters.  The immature/humorous bantering is something that will never go away on any message board.  I belong to a couple of them and this always shows up.  As James said, if you don't like the thread, ignore it and let it die out.

A big problem here is that sign up with different expectations of the board (their own agenda).  They think that simplyscripts is here so everyone can read their script.  They drop it off and think everyone is going to rush to read it.  This board is a two way read.  I am not obligated to read anyone's scripts and no one is obligated to read mine.  The fact that we get dozens of scripts here a week makes it impossible to read all of them.

I, personally, don't read slasher scripts, or zombie scripts, or anime.  For the most part, I don't read series, either.  They're just not my thing.  So, these ones are already off my list.

After this, I read the synopses.  A lot of these synopses just don't grab me and that's what they're supposed to do.  If one that I've read sounds like one I've read the other day, then this is off my list.

I also consider the authors.  I'm weary about reading scripts from people I don't know.  I've read enough from those who do not contribute at all to the boards.  A couple of times, I even posted in the script thread "let me know you're here so I can review it."  Most of the time, I get no response.  Other times, the member actually says they're here to get read, not to read others.  Some people here, although active on the boards, get argumentative when you comment on their scripts.  I don't read them after that.  And then there's those people with the reputation of cranking out bad script after bad script.

My primary reason, here, is to get my work produced.  I've never denied or hid that little fact.  But in order for me to get the help I need for that, I have to help others.  If I want people to read my scripts, I have to read theirs.  And, in order for me to read your script, you have to make me want to read it.  First draft scripts with numerous misspellings, bad formatting and a dull synopsis and story will not get you read.

Whining won't to do it.


Phil

I'm fairly new to this site, especially the discussion board section (I only just discovered it actually).  My own feelings are that what makes this site unique is that it is for everyone.  If it were restricted or exlusive somehow then I don't think it would have the same appeal for me.   We need to encourage new blood, don't we?  Anyways, I know I never would have stuck around long enough to appreciate it if it were restricted.

To Breanne I would say that without a doubt your voice and the others like you are coming through so don't feel too discouraged.

Quoted from Old Time Wesley I have been here since early 2003 and it has always been like this, maybe worse at times but a consistent flow…. All you can do is avoid the general discussions and stick to the writing threads…

Hey Wesley,

Thanks for your insights. In regards to the WIP thread: yeah, I used the word overwhelmed because I know it’s not feasible for you to completely control it. That seems to be a particularly favorite stomping ground for some of the more inane posters. I think you handle it as well as can be expected.

I don’t think there should be an age limit either. I agree that there are some talented young writers here (most of whom are also surprisingly mature for their ages) and I wouldn’t want to see them cut off from the resources here.

But maybe Bert has a point when he speaks about having higher expectations of the writers. The serious young writers here would certainly rise to any heightened expectations and be fully accepted. A membership requirement to post a script is definitely a good idea as far as I can see. And quite reasonable.

And why not at least an adult section? I don’t know, just an idea.

One of my concerns is for the site’s reputation. As a writer (and a particularly serious one), I’m concerned that if this site is considered by outsiders to be without merit, then I may have to leave even though I don’t want to. I have to consider things from a business standpoint as well. I want to be pleased to say my work is posted here. I think I have a legitimate concern.

Quoted from MacDuff This topic seems to come up every 6 or so months, dies down, then comes up again.

MacDuff, thanks for your insights as well. This issue keeps popping up because it needs to be dealt with. These problems are not growing pains. They’re unresolved issues.

Quoted from Zombie Sean Are you talking about how the person's idea soon turns into a thread about jokes, aliens, or some random thing that doesn't have to do with the person who started the thread's work in progress?

Dead, no, I’m referring to the fact that the WIP thread isn’t used for its intended purpose. Many of the threads started there are not works-in-progress but just kids hanging out and posting random ideas. They need to get their scripts into a workable form to be considered a “work”-in-progress. Many are not works. They’re just random ideas and musings.

At the development stages many of them are in, there is the high likelihood the “project” will be abandoned. And they usually are. People will spend days asking for titles and plot ideas and then say, “okay, I’m going to work on three other projects I’m in the middle of and then maybe I’ll get back to this one.”

They’re not working on projects. Their full of cr*p and too naïve to know it. The reason they’re “project-jumping” is because they’re in the beginning brainstorming phase of project development. Nothing more. It’s an infant stage and they don’t know it because they’re naïve and because they have this forum that allows them to make instant nuisances of themselves. That’s what I was referring to. The WIP thread is often improperly used from the get-go.

Quoted from James McClung I see where you're coming from, Breanne, and to some extent, I agree with you but don't think it's any good to post these kinds of threads either since they don't really change anything.

James, saying nothing is what won’t change anything. I think the fact that some of the adults feel like their enjoyment of the site is diminished is worth discussing. I’m sorry you feel this issue is without merit but I humbly disagree.

I also think the reputation of the site is something worthwhile to consider.

Quoted from Breanne Mattson I also think the reputation of the site is something worthwhile to consider.

This is worth boxing up so it doesn't get missed.

Like grandma says, "you are judged by the company you keep,"

Right now, we are getting judged by "The Cabin" and the latest idiotic post from [go ahead and insert your name of choice here] -- and that's a shame.

I'm glad Brea started this thread.  I haven't posted this much in weeks.

Quoted from mgj I'm fairly new to this site, especially the discussion board section (I only just discovered it actually).  My own feelings are that what makes this site unique is that it is for everyone.  If it were restricted or exlusive somehow then I don't think it would have the same appeal for me.   We need to encourage new blood, don't we?  Anyways, I know I never would have stuck around long enough to appreciate it if it were restricted. To Breanne I would say that without a doubt your voice and the others like you are coming through so don't feel too discouraged.

Hey M,

Thanks for the encouraging words. Yes, you’re right. I certainly wouldn’t want a serious new writer to feel discouraged from participation.

It’s a pickle. No doubt about it.

I think the problem here is the growing number of writers who just aren’t really serious. How can we be open and embrace new writers and eliminate the writers who don’t really have a passion for the craft? I don’t want to see this place become an exclusive club either.

I’m just speaking generally now - this is a site about screenwriting, isn’t it? If it’s open to absolutely anything, without any criteria whatsoever, then it’s not a screenwriting site. It’s an open board to discuss whatever. If it’s a screenwriting site, then why is too much to ask for members who take screenwriting seriously?

And if screenwriting is expected to be taken seriously, then how can it be determined who is serious and who is not?

I’m asking. I’m not telling. I’m just asking.

I have a bad feeling that I may be one of the accused here.(I did turn one thread into one about sex with dead people), so I guess I'm guilty, sometimes I say or do things without thinking.  But I am proud to say I have not got into one fight or argument here, if I start to get pissed off I just leave it alone (I wish I could say the same for me in the "offline" world).  So I guess this is an apology, I will TRY from now one to stay on topic in threads instead of turning it into some kinda pointless discussion.

Quoted from bert Oh, look -- I think I see Shelton racing over here now haha -- I knew the title would bring him running soon enough...

You got that right, Bert.  I knew what this thread was about before I clicked on it.  I was hoping to finally see some names as to who are the "experienced" writers and who are the "jackasses", but no dice.

Quoted from bert I think a handful of new moderators -- with a "license to delete" in terms of nonsensical posts -- would make a nice "trial basis" experiment.  And it's not too hard to figure out who should do it, either.

Yeah, the people who justifiably have access to the site all day long.  Basically the people I see online while I'm online all day long.

I'm really trying to understand the breakdown here.  Is the problem now with inactive "members" posting scripts and never coming back to check on them unless it's for a review, the arguments that go on in certain threads, or the "comical" posts that attempt to get a quick laugh?

If it's the latter, we're all guilty, but if we're gonna draw a line in the sand, let's draw a line in the sand.  Adults on one side, kids on the other, and age has nothing to do with it.  Once that's decided, the "children" can decide whether or not they wanna take their head out of their can and contribute in a more adult fashion or go elsewhere.

I'd be curious to see that breakdown as I have no idea which group I'd be lumped into .

Quoted from bert Oh, look -- I think I see Shelton racing over here now haha -- I knew the title would bring him running soon enough...

All right, oh my God, I didn’t realize about the thread title -- haha. Sorry about that.

Quoted from Breanne Mattson And why not at least an adult section?

I guess this is even worse. Sorry.

I had an idea. Instead of just a WIP Board, how about an 'Idea' board. Maybe something like the Script Review Exchange. Maybe this board could be split - An 'Ideas' and 'My Idea - what do you think?'.

I think that lots of nonsence gets put into the WIP because people just want to show their ideas. Even I've done the same myself. I think there should be seperate idea boards.

Curse. =]

The problem is that an "Adult Thread" implies those who qualify through age rather than actual maturity levels.  There are plenty of young folk--minors technically--who can put together a solid effort of a screenplay and contribute to the boards regularly.  Now, I do see where this whole thing is coming from as well as reading Kevan's post in the other thread.

To address the general issue, there's always gonna be immature posts here and there or goofy one liners inserted for a gag.  Not only on forums, but in real life.  This is a community website, so you're always gonna have those quirks.  It's nothing to be troubled about.  I do notice that there are alot of threads which probably didn't have alot of thought put into them such as 7 out of every 10 WIP things or a thread calling people arrogant and whatnot, but what can ya do?

If someone posts 5 ideas in the WIP thread in the span of a week, is anyone gonna take them seriously?  Probably not.  Will anyone read their script when it's posted?  Probably no one who takes writing seriously.  Then the script falls into oblivion and that's the end of that.

Now I'm also guilty of not being very active the past couple weeks.  I haven't reviewed a script in a while and I'm sure my one liner, which is evidently trying to boost my post count, was taken in haste by some folk.  So, if anyone falls into that category, I am sorry for pissing you off, but again, this is a community forum.  Everyone has posted at one point or another some one liner gag just for kicks.  Sorry, I'm feeling targetted here.

So I plan to get back to reviewing and posting actively once those idiots at the cable company fix our router problem.  I do see where Breanne is coming from and we've had this kind of thing before.  It fluxuates from month to month, but the only way to really "fix" it would be to go with that experiment Don did a few weeks ago by removing all the boards.  I don't necessarily agree with it but it would help.

Just my 2 cents

I was leary of this thread as soon as I saw the title of it, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a worthwhile discussion. In some respects, I've gone through all phases of a bad member to where I am now. I posted a couple of scripts 6 months before I joined the discussion board. I didn't even know there was one for awhile. After I joined, I did what all newbies do: ask for reads on my threads only. This didn't work, so I whined for awhile about it. Finally, I came around to what was really going on and things have been find ever since, but that acclimation period took awhile.

I know that sidebar conversations that people have to both blog and boost their numbers have always gone on and will always go on. I read them now and then for a smile and occasionally post on them to try and get the conversation back on track...yeah, that never works.

There are several suggestions on this thread about how to make things better and the bad news is that few, if any, will work. Requiring membership of people who post scripts is decent, but it was the link off of my script that said "Discuss this script" that led me here. Raising the age limit would knock off some of the good, younger writers who have potential, and we don't want that either. Censoring the poorly formatted scripts won't work, since that puts more work on Don, and sometimes, the writer just doesn't know yet that the standards are actually standards as opposed to suggestions. Maybe they just had a good story and wrote it the best they knew how.

Formatting bias is actually one of our bigest weak points. I've read several poorly formatted scripts that were actually pretty decent. Format is a very, very minor part of the writing process. It's a big part of selling, but the story is what we try to develop at this stage more than the format. I've read multiple reviews where 2/3's of the review was format, followed by a few sentences on the hardest part, the story. I think we need to place a lesser emphasis on format and more on making a good story since a good story can take a long time to develop whereas I can fix the format on something in a couple hours (that's feature length). If we were more encouraging of those budding stories whose format is a little off, we might tap into some good writing instead of assuming that bad format = bad story, which is not always the case. Maybe the person read the screenplays they liked and all of them were poorly rendered; we don't know.

All we have to do is weather the nonsense threads and report them when they get out of hand. Don is good at keeping things reigned in, and if we can point him to problems, we can make his job easier so they can be fixed. For all intents and purposes, this board is here for us, and those of us who do post responsibly will have a lot of pull with him (I would think). I know if I were in his position, I would sooner take a suggestion from Breanne than I would one of the kids with twice her post count.

I don't think we need more rules. What we need is more action from those of us who do care. We may not be able to delete troublesome threads on the spot, but we can send a PM to someone who can.

EDIT: And don't feel bad, Greg. I'm guilty of a few one-liners myself...

Quoted from greg ...or a thread calling people arrogant and whatnot, but what can ya do?

You delete it.  Immediately.  It's trash.

Quoted from Shelton You got that right, Bert.  I knew what this thread was about before I clicked on it.  I was hoping to finally see some names as to who are the "experienced" writers and who are the "jackasses", but no dice.

You're the jackass!  You're just too immature and stupid to realize that....jackass. (insert stupid smiley here).


Phil

Quoted from dogglebe You're the jackass!  You're just too immature and stupid to realize that....jackass. (insert stupid smiley here).

See Greg? Phil's guilty of goofy one-liners too.

Quoted from Alan_Holman I understand slasher or zombie, as they're usually they same tired cliches about fear and survival ... but anime is usually philosophical, fresh, and intellectually stimulating.  I don't understand your prejudice.  What's your problem with anime?

And Alan, this is way off-topic. Sparking a discussion regarding Phil's opinions on a particular genre that you are fond of will not entice him to read your prized work.