Feedback of the Site

[Marc]

I wondered how long it would take.. but I disagree, it was obviously my idea!

[Kevin]

I'm Josef Fritzl and no windows was my idea.

[JoshC.]

Despite the fact you set up the joke, I said it first - so it was my idea...

[Dan9]

I wondered how long it would take.. but I disagree, it was obviously my idea!

Now lets not get into that again.

[Kevin]

If you'd like to try any of the other perfectly good but a bit differently run OS's out there and come back when we've stopped causing Illegal Operations!

[Marc]

Back due to popular demand.... http://www.thorpeparkmania.co.uk/page/archive_cs09 Enjoy

[jjh123horry]

erm, a little notice about the website,I dont know if anyone has noticed, but the title at the top of the screen on the home page says 'Merry Christmas for the Mania Hub Team'.Just wonderin if that was gonna change at all.If you get what I mean

[StevenVig]

I'm intrigued, and id like to know where it actually says this. Because it doesnt say this anywhere

[Marc]

It is not there, you must have a very old cached version of the site, try clearing your cache and trying again.

[jjh123horry]

Yh thanks, its not there anymore,my mistake Thanks

[Marc]

http://www.thorpeparkmania.co.uk/page/2011RideNew page is now up to follow the progress of the 2011 ride!

[JoshC.]

Me with a(nother) moan...The site itself has slowly turned into an advertising tool for Thorpe - and I personally think it's stupid. I understand the site isn't independent and that, but is there a need for this place to become Thorpe's second marketing mouth?Let's have a look at part of the most recent story, about Sun Scream:

And that's not all, right across the park there will be plenty of going on's from cheerleaders to American footballers! And if none of that interests you, don't forget the parks open until 8pm giving you the best chance to take on all the parks most extreme rides! So make sure you don't miss out and head down to Thorpe Park between the 21st and 31st August!

Why the need to say "extreme rides"? Marketing spew, isn't it? And why exactly should a fan site, official to the park or not, be convincing us to go to the park? No other site I know of persuades people to go to parks in their articles. And let's go to some a few months back, such as Peter Andre:

Tickets are available from £28 on the Thorpe Park Website by Clicking Here, along with seeing your favourite stars perform, ticket holders will get 1 hour ERT (Extended Ride Time) on the parks most thrilling attractions, Saw - The Ride, Stealth, Colossus and Nemesis Inferno!

The need for a direct link is? And yet again, 'thrilling' is there why? Oh yes, marketing the park, how could I forget!?I've lost count as to how many times I've seen words such as "insane" and other marketing-related words.As said, I've tired of it. We've been reassured many a time that the park are in no way associated with writing the articles, so why does it sound like they are writing them!? Think that's all..Josh.

[JoshC.]

No real point to writing them? Isn't the point of the articles meant to be to inform readers of what is going on? I'm pretty sure you could easily write articles that includes the 'personal' touch that TPM wants, as well as informer readers of what is going on, without advertising the park, or using similar techniques to the park.As for not being since the official link, I honestly do not know, as I didn't really become interested in this site until it got the official link. As for insane, yes, it is solely a marketing word. However, words such as 'thrilling', 'extreme' and 'insane' have regularly been used by the site in the produced articles. Those words stood out to me when skimming through random articles. And, for example, the Sun Scream article uses the word 'extreme' 5 times, all of which is used to promote the attractions that the park is offering. And, perhaps coincidentally, the park would use the word 'extreme' a similar amount of times in articles of a similar size that would be released to the GP. It is very frustrating how the two seem so alike and this place has turned into a marketing tool - be that accidental or not!

[Mark9]

I sort of agree with you Josh, it looks like marketing speil because of the amount of exclamation marks that have been used.To be honest its not the way I would have written the article... but then I wasn't asked to either so

[Marc]

I think the articles are wrote in a way in which they can appeal to all of the sites visitors, both the GP and Enthusiast groups, they give all the information an enthusiast would want to know, whilst giving that little bit more for the members of the GP who visit the site.You picked up on the link to their site to buy tickets, why is this a problem? It is relevant to the news post and helps anyone reading it who are interested in purchasing tickets.

[JoshC.]

I think the articles are wrote in a way in which they can appeal to all of the sites visitors, both the GP and Enthusiast groups, they give all the information an enthusiast would want to know, whilst giving that little bit more for the members of the GP who visit the site.

So... you're saying the articles a wrote to appeal to fans and the GP? But isn't the whole point of a FANsite to appeal to just the fans?

You picked up on the link to their site to buy tickets, why is this a problem? It is relevant to the news post and helps anyone reading it who are interested in purchasing tickets.

Exactly, it helps purchase tickets, as it is ADVERTISING the event. It isn't informing of the event, it is selling it. That's the whole point I'm getting at...

[Marc]

So... you're saying the articles a wrote to appeal to fans and the GP? But isn't the whole point of a FANsite to appeal to just the fans?

Primarily they are to appeal to fans, but we can not ignore the fact we also get a huge amount of the GP visiting us and cannot ignore this.

Exactly, it helps purchase tickets, as it is ADVERTISING the event. It isn't informing of the event, it is selling it. That's the whole point I'm getting at...

Surely it does both? It informs people about the event, and those interested in it can easily find more information to visit.

[MikeyT]

So... you're saying the articles a wrote to appeal to fans and the GP? But isn't the whole point of a FANsite to appeal to just the fans?

Even better, sites like these help to promote the theme park and entertainment industry, there are a lot of people out there who are interested in theme parks, but let's say, aren't as fanatical about them as we are.They see this site, they do some exploring, and eventually they join the forums and become hardcore theme park fans. It all starts from somewhere. Speaking on total general terms here, TPM's news tends to have the basics which the general public may read, yet also there is the opportunity for fans to discuss and debate in more depth here on the forums.

[JoshC.]

Right, sorry for late reply, been having poor internet connection on my laptop recently....

Primarily they are to appeal to fans, but we can not ignore the fact we also get a huge amount of the GP visiting us and cannot ignore this.

Fair play. However, when a site is aimed primarily towards fans, then surely it should be ignoring the GP to an extent?

Surely it does both? It informs people about the event, and those interested in it can easily find more information to visit.

In my eyes, it doesn't do both. I see informing as being non-judgemental in all ways, yet by giving direct links, it's a sure form of advertising.

Even better, sites like these help to promote the theme park and entertainment industry, there are a lot of people out there who are interested in theme parks, but let's say, aren't as fanatical about them as we are.They see this site, they do some exploring, and eventually they join the forums and become hardcore theme park fans. It all starts from somewhere. Speaking on total general terms here, TPM's news tends to have the basics which the general public may read, yet also there is the opportunity for fans to discuss and debate in more depth here on the forums.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for promoting parks and the industry, but there's a rather fine line between actually promoting these parks in a way that doesn't fall into just plain advertising them...And whilst I don't disagree it all starts from somewhere, I can only see a very small majority of people who are purely from the GP (who, as you say, some of the articles are partially aimed towards) turning into hardcore fans. I'd go as far to, riskily, say that the articles are actually damaging the forum, with a high amount of members who post for a few days then leave, ruining the aim of the forum - to create a community and a place for the like-minded to discuss...

Depending on which admin writes the article you get a different split on how much the fansite is geared towards fans and general public. Take for example me, in 2008 I wrote a news article on Fright Nights which I tried to direct totally towards fan people. We got several emails from people complaining that the article wasn't helpful because it didn't seem to show a balanced view on things.What I am trying to say is we write things on the site to appeal to as broad audience as we can. Between 10th July and 9th August Thorpe Park Mania (site) got just under 65,000 page views. Now just over 5,500 of these views were for 1 news article. Now we have to assume that MOST of these visitors are general public (the system removes most known bots). We attribute this to Thorpe Park Mania's naturally good google search ranking.I also totally agree with what Mikey is saying so am not going to repeat it here.

Again, I'm going to say how this is a fansite. No matter how many people visit the site, it shouldn't lose it's aim just to conform towards the public. I'm fine for a short paragraph giving something that would appeal to the GP, but most of the articles should be geared towards those who are actually going to discuss things further - the fans of this very forum. Mikey said about the articles allowing for debate and discussion on the forum from the articles, but I'd disagree personally, and sometimes see there being 'not enough meat on the bones' for fans to go from, leaving to silly and superfluous discussions, or just no discussions at all...

[JoshC.]

You suggest that we can either be a fansite or a general public site? Why can we not be both? What is the difference?In short we attempt to fit to both these user groups, one of the reasons why the TPM site see's far more visits than the forum. We hold the title of the "official fansite", which has resulted in our internal remit is to provide the most accurate and up to date source of information on the park. What style that this uses is totally subjective to the admin who writes the articles.

In my eyes, I can't see how it can work towards both groups. The majority of the GP are interested mainly in the basics - what the ride is called, what it's like, etc. Quite a lot are also interested in height and speed as well, and about the records as well - probably. But they don't really care beyond that; in all the experiences I've had anyway. The audiences therefore, are interested in two very different things, I don't see how you can keep both sides happy, giving them enough information to suit both needs. You said about the FN article you wrote in 2008, it didn't gain a good reception from the GP. Some of the articles that are being written now aren't gaining a good reception from fans (in saying this, I am not speaking of every fan, or everyone on this site, but from fans that I have spoken to). I can't see how it can be balanced out properly. As for the style of the articles being totally subjective to the author, I don't see that as right. I understand that everyone has their own styles, but surely when running a site, a consistent style should be concentrated on?

[Marc]

In my eyes, I can't see how it can work towards both groups.

Quite easily IMO, we provide all the information members of the GP would ever like to know, and provide that bit more which interests enthusiasts.

The majority of the GP are interested mainly in the basics - what the ride is called, what it's like, etc. Quite a lot are also interested in height and speed as well, and about the records as well - probably. But they don't really care beyond that; in all the experiences I've had anyway.

And we provide all that pretty well id like to think, but there going to be interested in things such as events, such as one you bought up the Peter Andre, thats going to be something who both the GP and Enthusiasts would be interested in. The link to the site makes it easy for people to take there interest further, also it makes it clearer to members of the GP we are not the official website for the park.

The audiences therefore, are interested in two very different things,

There both here because of one thing, Thorpe Park surely?

I don't see how you can keep both sides happy, giving them enough information to suit both needs. You said about the FN article you wrote in 2008, it didn't gain a good reception from the GP. Some of the articles that are being written now aren't gaining a good reception from fans (in saying this, I am not speaking of every fan, or everyone on this site, but from fans that I have spoken to). I can't see how it can be balanced out properly.

To be honest weve not had complaints before, but tell us, what would you say we should change out of interest?

As for the style of the articles being totally subjective to the author, I don't see that as right. I understand that everyone has their own styles, but surely when running a site, a consistent style should be concentrated on?

To a degree yes, and we do try our hardest too but we are only human, we cant all be exactly the same.

[JoshC.]

There both here because of one thing, Thorpe Park surely?

The point I was trying to make is that the audiences will what different depths of knowledge about the park. The GP will want the basic depth, touching on the slight more in depth stuff, whilst the fans will want a small amount of basic, with quite a lot of depth.

To be honest weve not had complaints before, but tell us, what would you say we should change out of interest?

Well, if I was running this site, in your position, I would aim to go for one audience - either create a GP friendly site and forum that singles out the fans to a greater extent, or the other way round. From my posts, you can probably guess I'd choose the latter option, but that's what I personally would do.

To a degree yes, and we do try our hardest too but we are only human, we cant all be exactly the same.

Oh, I completely understand that. From posting articles on other sites, I know everyone differs in how they write, and that getting a consistent style from everyone is ridiculously complicated. But what I'm saying is that some sort of style, 'formula' if you will, is thought of so that each article is consistent to having the same amount of GP and fan-wanted info.

[Marc]

The point I was trying to make is that the audiences will what different depths of knowledge about the park. The GP will want the basic depth, touching on the slight more in depth stuff, whilst the fans will want a small amount of basic, with quite a lot of depth.

And as had been said, we do offer that.Anyway thanks for the comments, we will bare them in mind.

[Deleted Users]

Josh, no one is born as an enthusiast and I became one not just from going to theme parks but having websites like this where a lot of information is on display without snobbery and elitism that would come with being an 'enthusiasts only site'.

[JoshC.]

*sigh*I dunno what it is with this place, but on here I never seem able to say what I mean...I'd write the articles in such a way that the GP could gain the basics, but the majority of the articles is the meaty stuff that fans would be interested in. That way, the GP get what they want, have the oppotunity to become a fan and fans get what they want from a fan site. No snobbery or elitism involved.And at no point did I say and 'Enthusiat only' site. A site that would aim towards fans, but still give GP info.And Marc, I think you don't offer that, as do others I've spoken to, but you think you do. I guess that's where a lot of this has boiled from..