[FFML] Atb.: The end of the FFML

[Gary Kleppe]

On 4/5/21 6:00 PM, Alexander CHEEZEM wrote:
> Both of these are decent enough points. The FFML isn't just a way to distribute fics, and while not many have been sent out recently, the fics that *have* been posted of late (Fox's "fics" aside) have received a decent enough amount of criticism and discussion.

I can tell you my own experiences with this. A few years ago I wrote and 
posted a six-part Doctor Who thing. That got only a handful of 
responses. I followed that up with a superhero story based on a 
character from a Champions RPG campaign; that got no response at all. 
During that time I also posted comments on a fair number of stories, and 
more often than not those comments would also disappear into the void 
with no response from the author. I don't know if all of this is just 
me, but it really doesn't motivate me to spend my time on this stuff.

> Beyond that, the FFML is a community and a way to reach the "old crowd" as much as it is a place to post fics... especially these days. When I made that comment about half-expecting my obituary to go out over the FFML, I wasn't joking.
> Like Fox, I don't have the money to do much. My family's suffered a significant income loss (~1/3) due to COVID and associated issues, and I'm facing a series of unexpected and substantial expenses to boot. Even if I'd normally be able to help here (and that's questionable), I can't now.

As I said before, the money is the least of our issues. If a hundred 
subscribers pledged $1 per year, it would be funded and then some. The 
real issue is people putting the work in. That means readers posting 
comments, and it means writers engaging with those readers. That's how 
FFML got to be great back in the old days, and if we as a community are 
no longer willing to do that, then it might as well die.

>   Is the FFML obsolete? It *is* a bit of a dinosaur, but it's a beloved one and not exactly that difficult to keep afloat. Were it up to me, it wouldn't be ending now.
> It's not up to me, and I understand the reasons why this is happening and support the decisions of the people involved. Still, I'll be sad to see it go.
> And that's enough, at least to me, to make me want to try to save it.