Well said. I personally remember several times from the days when Otaku was still in the grey, those times will forever be in my memory, no matter how much this world changes.

I personally have shifted so that I update both equally, even though everyone I knew in those days has left completely; several to never return. Those days were good, and so are these.

I thank you for writing this, it really brings into perspective how some of us from the older times here think. Well Writen, Well Said, Well Done.

-- Ikara-o-Kage
- Second in Command of 'The Assassin Clan'
'Gone but never forgotten.'

@Alchemic Mushroom:

http://www.theotaku.com/worlds/faq/view/169/what_happened_to_the_cosplay_site%3F/

The choice was to either carry it over in an ugly, horribly laid out format or to wait until we could carry it over the right way. We opted for the latter.

The article was good, I liked reading it. I, however, am one who supports myO and not the worlds. I have been a member here for a few years, so I, too, have grown attached to myO. I was a tad shocked when I saw the changes, a little disappointed aswell. Even when I heard that they would be modifying the site, I was not very happy. I was hoping for a color scheme abit more inviting. The old color scheme was more, how do you say, cozy? lol, what I mean to say is the site before the improvements was more alluring than this.

Us long time members are what made TheO and MyO what it is. With out us and Not just the ones staying behind But All of US this site would be nothing… I would have to agree with that. A site does not prosper with out its visitors and members. Each with their own personality and little querks to add to the pile, but now that TheO has changed drasticaly, its like poking a hornets nest (only with out the bees). My point is, change in an environment can change its inhabitants. I admit that ever since TheO has been modified, I have recieved more hostile comments.

If there was one thing I could change about this site, it wouldn't be the color scheme, the members, or the layout. I would bring back the cosplay. sure, as Calaya stated, it didn't prosper like the fan art or wallpapers did, but I would be a darn happy gal if they brung it back. I'm not critisizing Adam, however, but what anime site doesn't have cosplay? TheO being as flourishing of a site as it is, it just makes sense to have cosplay back! You and your costumes would be noticed by a larger audience, not just your neighborhood friends. Your hard work (unless you bought your costume at the store) would be recognized.

I'll stop here, I have nothing more to say, all my points have been made. Anyway, like said before, good article. Enjoyed reading it!

@CosmicSailor:

That's what the pm system is for.

And since I am extremely intolerant of veiled insults, especially done to garner sympathy, I will ask that you take whatever argument may exist to that medium.

This essay was writ as a peacemaker, people. I will have no wars in this box.

@Aaryanna:

For the record:

I take no offense to anyone disagreeing with my opinions in a civil manner.

I do take offense to personal attacks however.

Oh where to begin, other than I think this is an excellent article Allamorph. I am going to say a few things though because being older on the site doesn’t make others opinions or views more valid… only different. I’m going to start with this statement here by CosmicSailor:

I personally speak out about what I see happening here and on Myotaku.com because the community as a whole is not nearly as healthy as some people want it to be, and I would like to see that change for the better for everyone who uses the sites. I know several other people here who also speak out, but it's not about "lost" memories, it's about a crumbling community where people who once were social and outgoing are not anymore, or they're having a tough time of going about being the people they once were.

*blink* It’s not as unhealthy as some are implying either. And people aren’t social because of the change? Since when? Did you even listen or get the point to this article that one’s environment isn’t what makes one social? This doesn’t make it hard for people to keep being who they are. If you rely on a site or place to never change to maintain who and what you are… then you’re focusing on the wrong aspects of what makes you a person. Because it sure as hell isn’t where you hang out online.

I think the only people who would fully understand how we feel were the ones who stayed behind in Centralia PA, that's the town with no zip code, with a coal fire burning underneath it.

Now that’s just utter nonsense. You’re backing yourself into a emotional (manipulative I might add) corner that says you can never understand like I do, you can never know suffering like I do and it’s completely out of whack and not a true analogy of what’s going on here. And it’s also… BESIDES THE POINT. One doesn’t need to feel utter loss or desolation to that level to understand the feelings behind the confusion caused by a switch like this.

For me, there are people who can't use the new site sticking it out over there on MyOtaku.com, so I'm not going to insult them by turning my back on them just because Version Vibrant is new and "where it's at".

*blink* No one is telling you to turn your back on them.

Yeah, the people I care the least for in my life, the ones who bullied me in High School used that line on me way too often. Probably why I'm cutting this off right now before I do say something I'll later regret, and not waste my time trying to explain my position to someone who has no way to understand it.

Man, I’m getting the vibe that you have no sense of humor whatsoever. It was a joke and again what’s with you and your emotional manipulative style of defending stuff? Or writing for that matter? What happened in the past in High School to you has nothing to do with this and all it does is make you look like someone who is justifying being annoyed or being rude to others here because bad things happened in your past.

I don’t buy it. Stand on your own arguments instead of trying to make others look like bullies, see people here for themselves instead of tying them into your past. Don’t make the assumption that people here are just like those who hurt you before. That’s doing Allamorph and everyone a disservice since you’re making assumptions about them that are unfair, unfounded and untrue.

Anyway, on to kitabug69, I’ll say it upfront, you make no sense girl, seriously I’ll try to explain.

Why should I have to jump back and forth to do this (which I do, so I can stay in touch with my friends) when the link that we were told would be there is not there.

Okay for starters, why does one need a specific link to stay in touch? We have to physically move to keep in contact with friends in real life so why is that suddenly a burden online when you’re sitting in front of a computer screen and going back and forth between the sites is simply a matter of one’s mouse and keyboard? That just makes no sense at all.

As far as being home schooled. I am sorry, but I know people that are homed school that have no idea what the word ‘social’ is they are so use to it being just them, they do not know what it is like to have a real friend that is there threw the thick and thin of life.

Okay, now that's just being rude, focusing on an aspect of the article to invalidate what was said, to possibly justify in your mind that because the author admits to being home schooled they can’t possibly understand. Well that can go both ways. Moving from one town to another, if said person who is home schooled has few social contacts, would be even more startling and hard to adapt to. Because they would have lost those few connections that were so hard to make in the first place. So really, that statement just makes you look silly for looking like you’re saying being more social makes you better able to understand, which by the way isn’t true.

I know Adam is busy with everything over here and trying to get things up and going as well. He has not totally forgotten us…

But then again he has… I just read a post from a good friend that stated, ‘How could Adam bring TheOtaku and Myotaku to life in the first place? The answer is a plain NO! Adam was simply the creator, nothing more. The very members feeling left behind are the ones who brought the sites to life!’

Uh, no. Seriously. NO. Adam is far more than “simply the creator” That’s really rude too. He’s probably spent more time and put more effort into building this community than all of the members put together. You’re whining about him abandoning you and yet you’ve turned around and just said he doesn’t matter? Seriously wtf?!?

News flash, none of this would have ever existed or even still exist without all of his hard work. He is far more than “simply the creator” He is the very backbone that keeps it going, the one who kept the site from fading into a memory years ago. Members may dwell here and they may bring new people in, but without Adam to keep things running, it would have died long ago since it’s NOT the members who did all the work in keeping it up.

Us long time members are what made TheO and MyO what it is. With out us and Not just the ones staying behind But All of US this site would be nothing…

Your prospective here is more than a little off as to the important role Adam plays for this site and it’s really ignorant of just what goes into it as well. From the expense, to other aspects, I honestly think a lot of people here have no clue whatsoever just how much Adam has done to keep this site running and to keep it thriving. So seriously, you’re so wrong in that respect. The site wouldn’t even exist if not for him. So don’t go confusing that.

YugiohYamy I have just one thing to say to this:

WORLD is starting out so much like Myspace.

lolwut?!? When was the last time you checked myspace? It was myOtaku that was starting to turn into a mini version of myspace. lol

~*Aaryanna*~

Umm… Yes very well written, but when it comes to being up rooted I would have to say I have you beat up one side and down the other…

Yes, memories never die, they never will, and change is good at least it can be, but not all changes are good. Which I am sure you know this.

As CS stated the new VV is causing fits for some people and their computers. Which is a good cause for them to stay in MyO and not come to the New VV and yes there are a lot of ‘Good Old Memories’ for us ‘Old Timers’ over there. We are not complaining (well some of us are) about lost memories or being able to express ourselves (again some of us are). We are complaining about a lost community. MyO was told that there would be a link between the two, MyO and The New VV. We would know when our friends would update over here and they would know when we would update over there. That link is lost…

Tell me how is a person suppose to stay in touch with friends if they move on in their live IF they do not have a phone, they do not have a car, they do not have a computer or for that fact maybe their pencil is broke and cannot write them a letter. Now if you cut someone off like that how are they to stay in touch with their friends? Sure, they have the memories to live with, but I am sorry when I make a friend they are a friend for life, not someone I want to think about talking to and staying in touch with. With that link gone, it makes it hard for the ones of us that moved on to stay in touch with our friends over in MyO. Why should I have to jump back and forth to do this (which I do, so I can stay in touch with my friends) when the link that we were told would be there is not there.

As far as being home schooled. I am sorry, but I know people that are homed school that have no idea what the word ‘social’ is they are so use to it being just them, they do not know what it is like to have a real friend that is there threw the thick and thin of life. MyO to me is more then HTML’s and all the other BS some of the people on here want to go on about. It is a since of Home and it does not matter where you go in your life you have to have the since of home and family or what good it is to have new memories. You tare apart that community and life is not fun anymore and at times become very hard to face. This I know from experience.

I am not saying that moving on is a bad thing and I never will. I have moved on to the new VV, but also choose to remain in MyO to be with my friends that cannot be over here. I know Adam is busy with everything over here and trying to get things up and going as well. He has not totally forgotten us…

But then again he has… I just read a post from a good friend that stated, ‘How could Adam bring TheOtaku and Myotaku to life in the first place? The answer is a plain NO! Adam was simply the creator, nothing more. The very members feeling left behind are the ones who brought the sites to life!’

Us long time members are what made TheO and MyO what it is. With out us and Not just the ones staying behind But All of US this site would be nothing…

Well I said my piece and I am sure I will hear about it, but you know what ‘I do not care’ everyone has a right to their opinion. Just as the ones that are feeling left behind…

Later,
Kita

@ShadowsCastByDusk:

man, this always happens to me- i get going and i can't shut up.

And? So what? (^_^) I certainly don't mind.

I think what you're seeing is more a general change in the attitudes of the member base, and not in the site itself. And I also do not believe that the site is in any way responsible for this change; if the site had looked when you first joined like it does at present, I'm not entirely certain you'd be remarking on the perceived hedonistic tendencies.

Also remember that our general society is pushing towards a more hedonistic lifestyle, and that is certainly going to be reflected in the member base—especially with the overwhelmingly large population of very young members who may only come here to find "pretty" pictures, and care little for anything that might have taken time and effort.

I personally do not browse the art sections much, because there is little I can offer in the way of constructive criticism. But when I do, I can appreciate a gorgeous lineart done with pencil only on ruled notebook paper just as much as a fantastic CG image done entirely in Photoshop or what have you.

Very well stated, indeed.

I've moved twice in my life time (only once that I can remember) and the feeling you get when you move is just like you've been completely uprooted. Like a tree. It takes a lot of getting used to, and eventually with new friends and activities (like sunshine and rain for a tree) causes your roots to spread into a new community.

Most people just don't like change, and I'm not particularly someone who enjoys change. But I'm able to adapt after a while. I remember how I HATED VV, but now I almost prefer it.

You can't ever lose memories (unless, of course, you have short or long term memory loss), they'll always be with you. You can look back and laugh at what you did on MyO, and you can even stay over at MyO. But the action is mostly here now. It's best to hop aboard the bandwagon now.

The part with the "make new friends, but keep the old" quote had me flashing back to Girl Scouts in the second grade... *shudders*

Well written and put, Allamorph.

@CosmicSailor:

and to cosmicsailor, i went over the comments after leaving my own comment and i think you've explained that standpoint better than i have. i completely agree with you; it's not about our sites being called "Worlds" or the color of the layout. mostly it's the way the members are changing. now i know how older people feel when a new generation takes over.

you make a good point. i'm one of those people who wishes the otaku hadn't changed, and true, it is mostly because of my memories- but that's not the only reason i don't think i'll get used to version vibrant. this new site is well-suited to people who just want somewhere to hang out, because it has "cool" new features, but most of the new features are only oriented towards being "cool" and do not facilitate- that in fact, tend to make it difficult- submitting and displaying art for the artists here. i know that's not all this site is about, but it is an integral part, and the otaku to me seems to be moving towards hedonistic tendencies. it's not just version vibrant, VV is only one of the later steps.
but it's very sad for me, and for many oldies, to look at what the otaku is becoming now- take for example the fact that when i first joined, i only had a lot of crappy, badly shaded pencil sketches of obscure animes to submit.. and i still got votes and encouraging comments. when i look around now, i noticed that without a doubt people flock to (any and all, regardless of quality) naruto fanarts and disregard even impressive original drawings if they aren't brightly colored. it's like a flock of magpies here.
man, this always happens to me- i get going and i can't shut up.
anyway, you make very good arguments and i do agree with what you say, for the most part. the essay itself is also well-written.

So beautifully written, an essay worth remembering itself.

I think the chance to create new memories is a wonderful opportunity, and if something that has passed by meant so much, you store it away within a happy memory and look back on it when you need to.

The cosplay section is no more, though it never took off as much as one might have hoped. Though I had fun being its moderator, I will not miss it, for it never quite developed enough for people to form friendships and partnerships. Change is a terrifying thing, but its never made with the intention of making things worse. I hope people can settle in to this thought.

I do have one other thing to say and this applies to more than just a website, this is true in all areas of one's life. And that is, it's important to focus on the positive, not the negative. You can always, always find reasons to complain or be unhappy, but it's ultimately healthier to find reasons to be appreciative and positive.

You can always look back and see bad times, believe me I know this intimately, but all you do is hurt yourself and others around you when you dwell excessively on things you miss or on past experiences that were hurtful. Or those good times that are gone, like moving from where you grew up.

But worse of all, you get so focused on the past that you start to miss the present and fail to see the potential of the future. You get caught up in the, if only this hadn't changed, if only this hadn't been cast aside. The word if has so much potential, it's a shame to only use it for what use to be.

@:

I apologize; I didn't tie that in properly. It was a joke, supposed to carry over from the previous paragraph:

maybe you should consider asking them for directions.

And if you're a guy, then suck it up. =P

Since, you know, guys apparently hate asking for directions.

I should'a caught that. Sorry.

@Allamorph:

And if you're a guy, then suck it up. =P

Yeah, the people I care the least for in my life, the ones who bullied me in High School used that line on me way too often. Probably why I'm cutting this off right now before I do say something I'll later regret, and not waste my time trying to explain my position to someone who has no way to understand it.

That was an excellent essay. Memories are never a good thing to lose, because then you end up in a circle of the same old things. We aren't going for redundancy here, so let the good times roll.

Personally Nana doesn't mind. For her, it is more about format and access. There are things in The Worlds that are better organized than MyO. But for some of the people Nana knows, MyO has better formating since they are HTML wizes(sp).

Nana has moved much in her life as well. Some of that deals with her being in the military; the rest deal with her parents and the places they've lived. Both being in separate states.

Yes, memories are things that can't be "left behind." Things like scrapbooks, photo albums are physical ways of brings your memories along. In the case of Worlds vs MyO, it is in the archive of that site. But some people have a skewed sense of sentimentality and feel that MyO is the be all end all of their online Otaku life.

In the end, not much can be done though. If, at this point in the game, they are still hardcore MyO, someone would be hard pressed to make them think otherwise.

NNM
So long and thanks for all the fish

@CosmicSailor:

To quote a very influential television show "Just because something is old, doesn't mean you throw it away".

Yes, and that's exactly why I quoted the adage at the end of my blathering.

The analogy doesn't exactly line, I know, because you have access to both the Worlds and MyOtaku, and I had no permanent access to my old town. We know people when we go back, of course; we say hi to the Skeltons and the Monroes and the others that we knew, but we had to move on.

And again, I never created a MyOtaku account, so I have little draw back to it. But I understand the people who do, and I don't mean for them to just throw it out the window in favor of the new and improved (and still being improved).

What I want to point out is that no one is asking that MyOtaku be utterly abandoned, because as Adam has said several times, he has not—it's just not the main focus. I think that if he had completely shut down MyOtaku, then the issue of fairness would be valid. But it's still there. It's a bit clunky, perhaps, but still there. And VV's clunky, too.

But saying you can't be yourself because a site won't let you, or you don't know how to, is ultimately a little silly. It takes time to figure out how things work in a new environment. You can't just step inside, make the deer-in-headlights face, turn tail, and run.

You ever seen a cat in a new room? He doesn't move for a very long time. Once he knows there's no danger, he starts exploring the place, one inch at a time. He pokes his nose into every corner, he stalks behind the couch at least four times, climbs the bookshelf (after careful examination), sniffs every object in in the room, and after he's fully satisfied that he knows where everything is....

....he does it again.

And then he takes ownership of it.

One day, two days, even a week isn't enough to give the new digs a fair verdict—and really, that week may not even amount to a total of two hours. You have to give it a chance, you have to explore, you have to be willing to feel lost and out of place.

And you also have to ask questions of people.

Which bring up another thought. Instead of sending flaming PMs to the staff telling them how badly they've screwed MyOtaku over (and I'm not speaking to you, Cosmic, but to anyone who has done so), maybe you should consider asking them for directions.

And if you're a guy, then suck it up. =P

I've been with Myotaku.com since August 30, 2003, so I could say a whole lot here, but I won't. I personally speak out about what I see happening here and on Myotaku.com because the community as a whole is not nearly as healthy as some people want it to be, and I would like to see that change for the better for everyone who uses the sites. I know several other people here who also speak out, but it's not about "lost" memories, it's about a crumbling community where people who once were social and outgoing are not anymore, or they're having a tough time of going about being the people they once were. I think the only people who would fully understand how we feel were the ones who stayed behind in Centralia PA, that's the town with no zip code, with a coal fire burning underneath it.

To quote a very influential television show "Just because something is old, doesn't mean you throw it away". Myotaku.com is old and Version Vibrant is new, but that doesn't mean MyOtaku.com has no value anymore. To those of us who are transitioning by holding onto our old myotaku.com site while building new "homes" here on Version Vibrant, myotaku.com is worth something, and it's not just because we're attached to the memories that were created there that hold us to it. For me, there are people who can't use the new site sticking it out over there on MyOtaku.com, so I'm not going to insult them by turning my back on them just because Version Vibrant is new and "where it's at".

Don't be the ninety-year-old blue-haired Southern Baptist ancient who sits in the exact same spot in the fourth pew, just inside from the right aisle, always talking about how things used to be...

For the record, I thought this bit was brilliant.

I couldn't agree more. =)

I agree, memories are with us forever and you can't be afraid to make new ones. ^_^ I kind of feel sorry for people when they get so caught up in thinking about what's different instead of seeing what's new.

Change is hard but you have to make the best of it in my opinion. I may have not been around before the switch to the newer version, but I still can understand what it's like for things to be different than what you are use to.

All in all... a well written and excellent post Sir Allamorph. ^_^

-Sabrina

Well spoken and completely true. I have fond memories of it as well and I've already got good ones from this place too. But, like you said, things change and stubbornly hanging on to how things were... Can lead to missing out on those new memories as you put it.

-Darren

I'm not abandoning my site over on MyOtaku, but I'm not afraid to start something new over here either. I'm all for new things, and theOtaku is definitely different.

Now I might not update Myotaku nearly as much anymore... But I don't really update anything too much lately. Busy busy. I have my reasons behind disappearances. :D

Overall though, good post Alla.

Good post. It's something that I think many people everywhere need to start understanding better. Things change, get over it. Just because things aren't going to be the way they used to be does not mean that they won't be as good.

All in all, it was a very well written post on this very important idea. Good job!

@TimeChaser:

Version Vibrant can serve us in ways MyO never could.

Perhaps, and I know that's what Adam intends, but that's not the point. (^_^)

The point is that, even though myO is familiar and VV is a little buggy and not-so-user-friendly at the moment, that kind of stuff happens no matter what during periods of change and transition.

When you move, you start over. You can't spend your days lamenting the passing of the Old, or you'll never see the possible good that the New may have farther down the road. Neither one is bad. Neither one may be better.

But the New is now.

See, that's what memories are. That's what they're there for. They're not dependent on the environment they happened in, because they exist in the minds and hearts of the people they happened to.

So true, along with making new ones. ^_^ It's all to easy to think but I miss how things were, instead of looking to make those new memories to go along with the ones you have.

I hug this post.

Very eloquently spoken, Sir Alla.

I agree that the opportunity to make new memories and experience what the new place has to offer is an important one. Version Vibrant can serve us in ways MyO never could. It is bringing us closer together and allowing us to express ourselves via many more outlets.

Don't forget what you had before, but don't end up an island unto yourself disconnected from everyone else as the float on downstream to new horizons.

I agree, memories are never lost. And building new ones is fun. The watercooler is proof of that I think. I think lots of fun times are ahead of us here.

~Crystia