Main Site Updates

[Ryan]

There won't be departure features for Geoff and Aden, unfortunately, no, as there won't also be departure features for Annie, Jai, Martha or other characters leaving in the nearish future.

Primarily there is two reasons. What usually happened was that we'd get to the point where a character left the show in Australia and in the staff room, we'd realise we had a week to make the whole feature. So ultimately in the staff there usually wasn't the actual drive to make the features, occasionally for characters we hated on the show and were glad to see the back of, and the time involved.

The other reason is perhaps linked to the first in that we'd put some features and we'd get a handful of responses. Now, we aren't expecting every update to be thanked because even though we update nearly ever day there are usually pretty minor updates. A location update, an episode summary, a character profile etc. it's usually a page or two, sometimes not even that. However we'd occasionally put a departure feature, which in some instances are almost the size of a small site in themselves and we'd get 2 replies and ultimately if we get only a few replies to something like a departure feature, we have to imply that perhaps not that many people are intersted and it's therefore not worth the effort.

Now obviously that's a disappointment for people like yourself who probably enjoyed them and discussed them, but ultimately the only way we can tell if something on the site is worthwhile is through feedback.

[charmed60]

Oh no that's a real shame I was really looking forward to a Tony/Rachel one.

I can understand why though. I wouldn't want to spend a lot of my own time making something about a character I didn't even like, especially when you don't get a lot of feedback to; makes you feel like you've wasted your time.

If any of the staff do feel like they'd want to do a Tony/Rachel one in the future though I'd be happy to help out and try to contribute to a site I've got a lot from in the past few years

Thank you for all your hard work though, I noticed you'd updated Tony and Rachel's profile yesterday which I'm particularly grateful for

Edited August 13, 2010 by charmed60

[KirstyEkua]

I would be happy to work with Laura on a Tony and/or Rachel departure feature if that was possible? It would be nice to do a little something.

It's just a shame that characters who have been on the show for years don't get one yet Ollie got one....

Edited August 13, 2010 by KirstyEkua

[Foxy]

It's just a shame that characters who have been on the show for years don't get one yet Ollie got one....

I would point you in the direction of Ryan's post at the top of this page. Ollie got a departure feature because there was one staff member driving the whole thing, and ultimately producing the majority of the material for it - had that not been the case, he probably wouldn't have gotten one either. The truth of the matter is that nobody seems that bothered about them, until it's their favourite character leaving and suddenly find it terrible that we don't do it - we haven't been doing them for a while now, so I'm not really sure why it comes as such a shock.

[KirstyEkua]

I didn't say it's terrible and i'm sorry if i implied that. The offer to help is always there if there is a mod who feels like doing one.

[John]

We are grateful for any and all offers of help but there are two remaining problems. Even if members volunteer all the material there are only a few staff with the "smarts" to present and upload it. But more importantly, the last big feature we did was for Belle's departure and we were absolutely underwhelmed by the small number of board members who actually looked at it and commented. We sort of got the impression we were talking to ourselves.

[Ryan]

And to think I spent ages earlier this afternoon tip-toeing on eggshells trying to write my post.

I think if out there there is a feeling that they can be brought back in some form I think it's worthwhile looking again to see if they're viable not, perhaps in redcued form. I'm always willing to upload the stuff that's been produced, because I don't find updating the site a chore and I certainly don't do to gain reputation points, I hope that it will stand out as a monument and encyclopaedia of both the present of Home and Away, but also the past, and that the information will be there for later generations. If Tachel fans want to provide a monument on the site for their favourite couple it's certainly something I'll be willing to personally at least talk about the idea with them...but not at the monet, FBI Files about to start!!!

[charmed60]

I'm really sorry if I came across as being one of those who made it look like I thought it was terrible that you weren't doing one. I didn't mean to come across like that at all. I guess in the same way that those who aren't particular interested in a character enough to do a departure feature, I was never much of a Belle fan so didn't appreciate your efforts as much as I perhaps should have. And I think because I was never a Martha fan either or Aden I never even noticed there wasn't a departure feature for them and when I saw Belle's one I just assumed Tony & Rachel would get one - I'm sorry if I've come across as ungrateful

Like Kirsty said I'll be happy to help out to do a Tony & Rachel one; again though I understand why you wouldn't want to if you don't get the feedback which matches the work you put in. I think like with the Belle feature, people forget the amount of work that goes into it and just expect one to appear like a feature on the OS for example. Perhaps that explains the few comments; people forget you aren't being paid for your work!

[Ryan]

Oh, and forgot to add, Miss Fenwick character biography added today!

[jodlebirger]

I realised a while after Geoff left when I couldn't see any departure feature that there wouldn't be one for him and you probably wouldn't do more of them, because far too many characters were going to leave this year and it would have been far too much work. And I do understand that. But I want to say that I have reallly enjoyed to read your departure features and I think I commented on least one of them... But I hope that you won't make more of them if you aren't able to do features about every character etc. Because that will be totally unfair to fans to those characters who won't get a feature. And it will probably lead to discussion about favourism etc... And there shouldn't be favourism on a board like this...

thanks for the character updates.