IMPORTANT! Should EN World continue reporting RPG news?

[Erik Mona]

I voted "I read the news page!", but in fact that's a bit of a stretch, and has a lot more to do with nostalgia than the current state of the news page. In fact, I bookmarked the messageboards a long time ago, and only check the news page once a week or so, maybe less often. I usually skip over it without even thinking about it, because the messageboards are the primary draw for me.

But it wasn't always that way. Holy moley, it wasn't always that way.

Back in the day, when Eric was running the site, it really did seem like the news page was hopping and popping on a daily basis. Yes, a lot of that had to do with the fact that 3e had just been announced and everyone was eager to squeeze every news morsel out of the page, but I think there were a couple of other important factors.

1) Ryan Dan-- er, I mean, "Anonymous," used to feed the site juicy morsels all the time, giving the page an "insider" vibe that really felt like actual news was breaking. I don't think there's anyone at Wizards playing that role these days, so the official D&D news has taken a much more passive approach. News about other companies (including the one I work for) appears rarely, and seldom has any kind of analysis to it. It's basically links to other stuff on other people's websites without a ton of commentary. There doesn't seem to be much _agency_ to it. It just sort of happens.

2) Eric Noah was a dogged reporter who put pieces together, analyzed stuff, found obscure links, pointed readers to interesting threads, and what not. He put a ton of work into the news page, and it showed. The current version clearly takes work (and has some neat new features like comics, blogs, etc.), but most of the news items are news releases and links to features on other websites. I'm probably being overly rosy in my memory of the site 10 years ago, but I think back then it was more about going out and finding the news rather than waiting for someone to send it in so it can be posted.

Nowadays almost all of the "news" on EN World is stuff found on other people's websites, and I'm not sure it has always been this way.

I do like the current news page and I think it'd be a shame if it went away, but I also think it used to be a lot better, and a lot more "newsy".

--Erik

 

[Ahzad]

For me, the news is the first thing I look at each day when I come to the site, so I can keep informed without having to check several sites. It has been nice to come to one place to get a sizable chunk of what is going on.

While the loss of the news page would be like losing the local newspaper for me, I can certainly understand how clearing up those few hours a day can help to get other things accomplished.

This is pretty much how I hit ENworld every day. First the news page to see what is going on w/o hitting a bunch of sites, and then the forums.

 

[the Jester]

I read the news page very infrequently, but it is my homepage.

For many years, though- since a year or so after the launch of 3e- it's been all about the community for me.

 

[Alzrius]

I've been reading the news page ever since this site was founded, and while I read it a lot less often now, I still read it.

I'd really hate to see the news page disappear, simply because no other site that I'm aware of performs a similar function. Where else am I going to find D&D/3.X/Pathfinder/RPG news like what's reported here at EN World?

 

[Seravin]

Allow me to just quote the above, rather than typing it all again; for this is exactly my position as well.

Lan-"all the news that's fit to print"-efan

I read the news page every time I login (usually at least 2x a day). It is the only place I get news, because this is the ONLY gaming site I frequent every day, other than the Dungeon-a-day site, where I'm a charter member.

If you didn't cover WOTC news, I'd have no clue what they're doing, because I play 3.5, nor Paizo, which I care about a bit more, but I don't play pathfinder, either. I rarely hang out at my local gamestore, and they make no effort to be a community news provider, so that's a lost source for me. You're it, in other words. I'd have no idea where else to find news that interests me.

I'll throw in a "me too". I'd miss the news page.

 

[Dagredhel]

For years, the news page was invariably my first stop on Enworld. Often I'd just be checking the news, if I didn't have time to spend on the boards.

But 4e isn't to my taste, so when it became the primary focus of the news page (and the site in general), I lost interest. I get my Pathfinder fix over on the Paizo website.

 

[Mark CMG]

I voted "I read the news page!"

(. . .)

I do like the current news page and I think it'd be a shame if it went away

Yup on this. There might be a lull but if things get hopping again, for whatever reasons, having maintained the news page will have been worthwhile. I'd suggest going into a slow mode during such times, maybe Mon, Wed, Fri, or even just Mon and Thurs. Then use the other days to more vigorously highlight EN Pub stuff. Hire The Weem to run it for you on those days.

 

[Swedish Chef]

For what its worth, I read it every day. I don't post much in the forums, and I don't play 4ED D&D, but I still check it every day (and am actually a bit disappointed if it goes 4-5 days without an update!).

I never read the newsletter email. Mainly because the email I registered with is a spambucket account and I never check it except to retrieve a lost password.

So I would miss it. Like others, it is my main source of RPG news.

 

[DaveMage]

1) Ryan Dan-- er, I mean, "Anonymous," used to feed the site juicy morsels all the time, giving the page an "insider" vibe that really felt like actual news was breaking. I don't think there's anyone at Wizards playing that role these days, so the official D&D news has taken a much more passive approach. News about other companies (including the one I work for) appears rarely, and seldom has any kind of analysis to it. It's basically links to other stuff on other people's websites without a ton of commentary. There doesn't seem to be much _agency_ to it. It just sort of happens.

2) Eric Noah was a dogged reporter who put pieces together, analyzed stuff, found obscure links, pointed readers to interesting threads, and what not. He put a ton of work into the news page, and it showed. The current version clearly takes work (and has some neat new features like comics, blogs, etc.), but most of the news items are news releases and links to features on other websites. I'm probably being overly rosy in my memory of the site 10 years ago, but I think back then it was more about going out and finding the news rather than waiting for someone to send it in so it can be posted.

Nowadays almost all of the "news" on EN World is stuff found on other people's websites, and I'm not sure it has always been this way.

I do like the current news page and I think it'd be a shame if it went away, but I also think it used to be a lot better, and a lot more "newsy".

Agreed.

I do miss this part of the news page. News used to be sought and now it seems like it's just received. A lot less interesting.

However, I do read the news page daily.

 

[Relique du Madde]

If you get rid of the news page make sure to keep the news forum and then move it into general (as a sub forum, that is assuming the permissions can transfer). That might make the article pageviews go up as well as place the newsforum in a more logical location.