website thoughts...

[salixbabylon]

So I have this website, Salix's Smut. And I lovingly created it with my limited html skillz in 2002 (or thereabouts). It gets 70 visitors per month, on average. It's pretty out of date, as I haven't added anything I've written at all this year.

Should I bother updating it or should I remove it?

What is the point of having a website when I have a livejournal, which could also have everything (fics, recs, essays) and could be organized in Memories or with tags?

On one hand, as a reader, I like having everything by an author in one tidy little spot. On the other hand, LJ has come a long way in making that more of a possibility here.

And I'm still crap at html, so it's always a pain in my ass to get things updated, going through and changing all the apostrophes and adding < p > notations and it comes out looking like some 30-something Luddite put it together, which is, in fact, true. Although the lovely nebulein volunteered to help me organize my site and make it prettier, I never got off my ass to do my part with the text, and it never got done. *sigh*

And although I get hits on my website, I almost never get an email or anything in terms of feedback.

Hm. I seem to be leaning towards getting rid of the website and just having LJ. But then, it does get hits.

Anyone? I could really use some thoughts on this.

Comments

[take-this-waltz.livejournal.com]

To my perception people (= readers) still tend to take a "real" website more seriously than a blog like lj. That begins to change once the blog is yours alone (I mean, once it's called something like "salixbabylon.com" as opposed to something like "somethingblog.salixbabylon.com" or "somethingblog.com/salixbabylon" - I hope you know what I mean...) but still I'd say that a "real" website counts more.

If you'd want to use the website as some kind of "official reference" I'd stick to the website if I were you.

(/ my two knuts)

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it looks like the website is still of value, based on the responses here and in YM.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)

[wynterhawk.livejournal.com]

I'd ditch the site, but maybe leave a redirect for people who still visit, sending them to your LJ archive.

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

Well, it looks like more people think the website is worth keeping, although I appreciate having someone on "my" side. ;) I think I'll update it soonish and try to be better about not getitng backlogged. And if it happens again, I may ditch it at that time.

I like the re-direct idea - I hadn't even considered that. Thank you!

[araestel.livejournal.com]

Well because you posted a link to it, I went and found some wonderful new fic to read, though "Accord" (Potc) I can't get to work. So I say leave it up if it's not costing you or post it all in your LJ with a link of the page where to find it here.

*hugs*

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

(Yeah, "Accord" is broken beucase that "coming soon" link has been there for several years and I just posted the fic this year, finally. WIll be sure to fix it, though.)

I like the idea of interweaving the website with LJ and using the web to point to the posts of fics here... It would probably increase feedback, maybe... *ponders*

Thanks for the suggestion!

[andolinn.livejournal.com]

I like the idea of a website as well as a blog. Even with tags - which I need to start using - a blog is not quite the same as having a list of stories to select from. And you can link your blog and your website and have twice as many chances of finding people.

On the other hand, if it takes you a lot of additional time to maintain both, then perhaps you need to consider what elso you could do with that time and whether that would ultimately make you happier.

Ah,the eternal questions... *hugs you*

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

It looks like keeping the website is the way I'll go. I just need ot think of some ways to streamline the process so it's not such a pain in the ass.

Or find a minion. ;)

People have had some good suggestions in reply, though. so I'm toying with new ideas.

*hug*

[lozateazer.livejournal.com]

sometimes I send friends there who don't have LJ's/don't like LJ. Also I go there when desperate for Salix Smut!

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

Hehehe! Yay! Thank you for sending folks there - looks like I'll be kepeing it for a while, at least in some format. :)

[helena-s-renn.livejournal.com]

your website situation sounds almost identical to mine... but i keep it up and running, not sure why. i guess 'just in case' lj ever goes down, as a back up. i think i've gotten maybe 6 feedback emails that had anything to do with it in the last year, or maybe less b/c the person writing could have read from an archive link. i guess its just one of those little things we do for ourselves. i'm undecided so far. i want various options, but on the other hand i worry about plagerism. a locked lj has much less chance of that... but possibly less readers over the long-run as no one can get in who isn't on my flist. ... not helpful, but those are my thoughts.

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

GOod point - I forgot that sometimes LJ goes down a few a few days... Sure, yahoo/geocities does, too, but less often and for shorter time periods.

i guess its just one of those little things we do for ourselves

I thinky ou're right, which is why I'm torn. For me, it's not worth the time/effort. Yet I do like having it all in one spot and easy to find.

I think I'm keeping it fo now. :)

[okinay.livejournal.com]

I took down the content of my site in December and left a note on the main page that everything had been moved to my LJ. It was getting crazy updating both places. I checked the stats on it last week and the index page was still getting hits so I'm guessing that they're following the link to my LJ. A few people send me feedback because they don't have an LJ and I don't accept anon posts.

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

I hand't even thought of a re-direct thing untill you people suggested it - thanks for that idea. I'm still mulling it over, but I'm glad to have new ideas to consider.

Thanks! :)

[lisagems.livejournal.com]

A website is a useful archive, and it does make it easier to find everything from an author. I read your website long before I found your LJ.

Are you using a development interface, like Dreamweaver, to work on your site?

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

Another good point - it's an archive and sometimes easier for readers to find.

I've been using something called HTML-kit which is pretty much hand-coding. I've never used Dreamweaver, but maybe it's time to stop being such a relic and give it a try. :)

[lisagems.livejournal.com]

It can make building and updating easier. You still need some code basics, but, it is far less code intensive.

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

I'll have to see if my husband has it (I thin he does) and give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion!

[soar38.livejournal.com]

I use mine as back up, and also for people who don't want to be bothered with LJ, yeah shocking I know, but there are people like that. Besides it means I can lock whatever I want on my LJ and the website remains open since it's just for fic. Or, whatever. ;-p

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

Another excellent point/vote. I think I'll be keeping the website for at least a bit longer, although I'm toying with some of the links coming to LJ instead of to actual website pages...

Thank you for your thoughts! :)

[soar38.livejournal.com]

I think LJ definitely has the advantage in terms of keeping your reviews in one place, although I have a guestbook set up for reviews on my webpage.

[wantonhussy.livejournal.com]

Oooh, a guestbook feature. I'll go check that out. :)

[soar38.livejournal.com]

:-)

[steelesheen.livejournal.com]

I have recently found your Lj and through it your website. The advantage of the website is certainly that the fics can be read if you don't have a Lj - which would have been me until recently. Also it's good to have all the fics together.

I'm amazed I didn't find you sooner - I have just started reading your fics and have finished 'A whole lot more Greek' which I loved. OMG - Eric Orlando and Sean - with the big boys doing an innocentish Orlando - WOW.
And then I read 'Assurance' with toppy Orlando, Eric and Karl Urban - aaargh! I do love toppy dom Orlando, and toppy Orlando with the big boys - ooooh!
Have to tell you how much I'm enjoying this - and there are so many more to read! Joy and rapture!

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

Yay! Thank you for commenting and letting me know you found me through my website. :) It's great to know that it's worth the effort to keep it updated, which has, in fact, been my task for this weekend.

I'm so pleased that you liked the threesomes! Those are challenges to write, but a lot of fun. How could it be anything else with those three hot men?

And I have a weakness for writing Orli as a top - I love it because he's so goofy that it comes out of nowhere. :)

[steelesheen.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I was a bit unclear. I found your LJ first, through Haleth and Heart of Slash and then went to the website from your LJ. I'm glad however I found you - am now just going to read some more - yay!