Any updates on the bjfic.net site?

[cakdg.livejournal.com]

Does anybody know what's happening with the bjfic.net site? It's been down 5 months and from what I could perceived the mod hasn't updated in just about two months. If there is no intention of bringing the site back up is it feasible to start uploading the top requested stories similar to what was done for the Geocities stories before they disappeared? Thanks in advance for any info.

Comments

[netlagd.livejournal.com]

from what I have been able to gleen, Cael had trouble with her home Internet provider making it difficult to work on fixing the site.

The site also hosted Gaedhal's Queer Intentions (and other fics) as well. She is up and now working - but not sure if she just went with another provider or what.

After repeated problems with Midnight Whispers, I stopped posting there, and as for going back and reconstructing what had been posted there previously, I don't have the energy and time.

Finally, perhaps we can wage a campaign of encouragement asking how we can help and provide support to Cael as she tries to get things back on line. I have a feeling that people have been surly and angry and have taken that directly out on Cael -- which would be discouraging if it were me. What many folks fail to realize is that Cael is doing this on a volunteer basis with little or no help.

[cakdg.livejournal.com]

Point taken regarding the site being operated and maintained on a volunteer basis. We all know that RL has a way of kicking you in the butt at any given moment. However, my two main gripes are as follows:

1. There has been no communication from the webmistress since 17-Sep. Not even a message stating that she wouldn't be updating for the next three months, so readers please don’t bother checking before then. If she had done so, she would have averted most, if not all, surly and angry comments by people on a quest for their favorite stories that were located on her site alone. Most people don’t like being stonewalled, especially if you have something they want and you’re the only source for what they want. *grin*
2. The site took in monies (I believe via Paypal) in support of the new and improved archive that hasn’t been followed through on. Granted there probably wasn’t sufficient funds donated, but without the communication, we can’t know that. Likewise, if the site is not coming back for whatever reason, please have the courtesy to say so.

When I made the suggestion of uploading the stories, I wasn’t thinking that the authors would do it (unless of course, they wish to). Regretfully, as many of the authors have left the fandom, this isn’t feasible anyway. What I was hoping, was that somehow we could be given temporary access to the story archive again (in its old format), so that we may download our favorites. Barring that, maybe a few individuals can be given access somehow and a process similar to what transpired for the Geocities stories could be achieved. We then could have a ‘Lost Bjfic.net Fic’ tab here alongside the rest.

Just my opinion, for the $0.02 it may be worth (perhaps $0.05 right now as the economy has been kicking my butt, too).

[netlagd.livejournal.com]

I totally understand your point and frustration.

Not sure when you came to the fandom, but the site that was up (before it went down) was a new and improved version of the previous site - which had been under different management. The person who had been managing the site had asked for someone to take over the site from her, that was when Cael ended up with the site.

Regarding the site's continued downtime, I truly believe Cael believed that the site would be up by now. If you go back and read the comments and postings in bjficsite and follow the threads and comments by Cael, she has had numerous service issues that have thwarted her regarding timeframe to get it up and working.

I had inquired about moving the hosting to another company, and I believe she ran into the same problems that Elsa Rose had when she had tried to move Midnight Whispers to a new hosting company - that was the NC-17 nature of much of the fic.

Regarding access to the archive - the archive is in a database format, so to extract all the existing stories would require scripting - not sure if Cael does scripting.

just my $.02 (which is worth less in this economy)