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Who am I? A man with a hundred stories... you want to read one? Analyst, mentor, competition reader/judge, film critic, magazine article/blogger. https://simpsonliteraryagency.com/script-analyst
Is SS dying? I don’t know. It’s quite old by now, so things have definitely changed over the years. More mature, for sure. That’s a good thing for the most part, but I do miss some of the things that made it a livelier place 5+ years ago. I miss all the young people. They brought along an energy and sense of excitement and hope that us “older” people don’t seem to have. The forum was filled with different personalities and sometimes there would be arguments. BIG ones even. I personally think forums in general, at least for writers, is slowing down. Most of the ones I know of have either disappeared or changed so they don’t really work like they used to. Maybe people interested in learning screenwriting find the information they need from other sources like blogs even video how to’s and such. Everything you need to know is readily available for free to anyone on the internet. No real need to go on forums anymore unless you specifically want to ask other aspiring writers questions. If you want free feedback on your own work there is no other place better than SS, IMO. People don’t read as much here as they used to though. Sometimes you even have to come out and ask people for input, but if you show you are returning the favors and are an active member, you’ll usually get great feedback.
This is another thought of mine based on my own observations that might not be the same for others at all. IMO, it seems people are getting more wary of the internet and social media especially. Forums are a form of social media too since we are interacting with other people there. Why is this? I think the more we hear about hacking of accounts, algorithms that are mining everything we say or read/watch for information about us, the more people seem to want no part. I’ve had three FB friends who deleted their accounts just this week for example. When the internet was young, we happily and eagerly signed up for everything and anything we were interested in. Now? A lot of people seem to be withdrawing instead. Deleting accounts, not interacting as much. Add to that the hatred that is out there that didn’t used to be there to such a degree. I’ve seen people I used to like spew the most horrible things in the last few years. I no longer have any interest in ever meeting any of them. Maybe the internet is a little like the old “west”. Some people settle in one area and a new little village is established. Then that village grows to a town and like every other town or city, it doesn’t take long before there are areas in that town you’re better off not visiting. Hookers, thieves, people with no good intentions. The internet definitely has its dark and ugly side these days and as a result, people are being more cautious in general. Keep your head down when out in public. Don't draw anyone's attention...
Is SS dying? I don’t know. It’s quite old by now, so things have definitely changed over the years. More mature, for sure. That’s a good thing for the most part, but I do miss some of the things that made it a livelier place 5+ years ago. I miss all the young people. They brought along an energy and sense of excitement and hope that us “older” people don’t seem to have. The forum was filled with different personalities and sometimes there would be arguments. BIG ones even. I personally think forums in general, at least for writers, is slowing down. Most of the ones I know of have either disappeared or changed so they don’t really work like they used to. Maybe people interested in learning screenwriting find the information they need from other sources like blogs even video how to’s and such. Everything you need to know is readily available for free to anyone on the internet. No real need to go on forums anymore unless you specifically want to ask other aspiring writers questions. If you want free feedback on your own work there is no other place better than SS, IMO. People don’t read as much here as they used to though. Sometimes you even have to come out and ask people for input, but if you show you are returning the favors and are an active member, you’ll usually get great feedback.
This is another thought of mine based on my own observations that might not be the same for others at all. IMO, it seems people are getting more wary of the internet and social media especially. Forums are a form of social media too since we are interacting with other people there. Why is this? I think the more we hear about hacking of accounts, algorithms that are mining everything we say or read/watch for information about us, the more people seem to want no part. I’ve had three FB friends who deleted their accounts just this week for example. When the internet was young, we happily and eagerly signed up for everything and anything we were interested in. Now? A lot of people seem to be withdrawing instead. Deleting accounts, not interacting as much. Add to that the hatred that is out there that didn’t used to be there to such a degree. I’ve seen people I used to like spew the most horrible things in the last few years. I no longer have any interest in ever meeting any of them. Maybe the internet is a little like the old “west”. Some people settle in one area and a new little village is established. Then that village grows to a town and like every other town or city, it doesn’t take long before there are areas in that town you’re better off not visiting. Hookers, thieves, people with no good intentions. The internet definitely has its dark and ugly side these days and as a result, people are being more cautious in general. Keep your head down when out in public. Don't draw anyone's attention...
I think there's a lot to what Pia said, especially about other places to get info and interact.
My other hobby, metal detecting, has a couple of reasonably popular forums, but in the 4 years I have been in the hobby these has got quieter as more people have gravitated to the numerous Facebook groups for the hobby.
My recent SS post about the scam warning came from a scam on Facebook, and the group that the scammer found me in has something like 70,000 members... clearly not all active, but my post on that group about the scammer has a lot engagement and the group is very active.
Personally the thing that SS has over ANY other platform is the community of writer's reviewing and commenting on each others work... most active during OWCs and challenges.
Maybe we should take a New Year's resolution to promote SS on other platforms? I try to, but I'm sure I could do more... and will do.
Not dying. The way I can tell is that scripts are continually added and member growth has been consistent.
Inactive in terms of comments - yeah, I'll buy that. But only inactive in terms of open script reviews. If you post a topic like JOURNAL OF THE PLAQUE YEAR, WHY IS SS DYING, OKAY TO USE BOLD HEADERS, etc. etc. - then the site comes to life. That and OWCs.
WHY INACTIVE? (Just my opinion)
SCRIPTS VERSUS GENERAL TOPICS
90% of the new posts are scripts seeking reviews/comments. Like other sites, there isn't a topic of the day type thing that allows reviewers to comment in-depth or do a quick fly-by on a topic di jour. e.g., the three key elements for powerful dialogue, etc., etc.
POOR COMMENT RESPONSE - MOSTLY NEWBIES
I would guess that when it comes to scripts from new posters, about 90% of the time I get zero response from a comment on a script I've looked at. I don't know if that is a change in culture/expectations thing or if Newbies simply forget to check the "e-mail me each time someone replies to this topic" box. i.e., they are unaware that a comment has been made. As a reviewer, it gives you a screw it mentality - why am I wasting my time?
Regardless - I have throttled down my reviews to the occasional newbie and to those OLDIES that I know respond to comments and also review other people's work. I suspect that many others have done that as well.
DEGRADATION IN QUALITY OF NEWBIE SCRIPTS
This may offend some. But what the heck. When I first started on the site a decade ago, the quality of newbie scripts seemed much higher than it is now. Maybe that is the classic I'm just getting old thing - who knows.
But it just seems to me that prior to posting a script, Newbies took the time to learn the basics - HEADERS, FORMAT, etc, etc, and did some real homework on the craftsmanship of screenwriting before delving into the art of screenwriting. It seems more and more that any with access to a computer is just flinging stuff up hoping to get free tutorials (and not responding to them at that). There are way more scripts that I open today and close within a minute or two because it is obvious that the writer hasn't even tried to learn the basics. I swear - it didn't use to be that way. So - for me there are far more script openings and - NOPE - not gonna do it - then there ever were.
Long-winded way of saying that IMO SS is not dying - not at all. It is still my absolute go to for learning from other writers, getting feedback on my work, discussing general screenwriting techniques, etc - It's just that that interest is now generated - for me anyway - more from old salts then Newbies - and it didn't use to be that way.
Hookers, thieves and people with no good intentions
left is when SS started dying...
[should be some backlash on that one]
I'm still here...
In regards to newbies, here and elsewhere, but FB especially, there seems to be more people asking how to get your script into the studios, selling to Hollywood and how much can I make selling my script, than, how do I improve my craft...
Agreed Pia... the main challenge in screenwriting is that there's no real barrier to entry, so every year thousands of new people come into it with a copy of FD, Celtx or Trelby and a killer idea that Hollywood would be insane not to make!
You can kinda gauge this by all the new script hosting services that have popped up this year, 5 or 6 news ones and still a month left to go.
Thousands of people out of work or on furlough probably don't help either.
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Is SS dying?
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