File this under “DO’H!” I’ve been contributing to the TV Tropes Wiki for almost two years now and it never occurred to me to make a page about our site until now. I mean, these days they’re mentioning anything on the site, even unpublished fanworks! Considering how we have been talking recently about how we could increase our online presence, I think this might help given how TVT has become “The FUN alternative to Wikipedia”. And if not, Hell, it might be a fun project to do anyway.
But I decided to ask here first, I don’t want to annoy anyone in the process.
Here’s what I’m planning to put into the page so far:
-A brief history of our site.
Mentions of our services- shrines, forums, etc.
A picture of our logo
A list of Tropes that describe the site and our present or past members. Something like:
Authority Equals Asskicking: Sinistral Cool Old Man: Wilfredo Martinez CloudCuckoolander: Charlemagne Crowning MomentOf Awesome: The defeat of Shahemjeen
And so on and on. And remember, it’s a Wiki, so you can add stuff yourself! Suggestions and comments are also welcome.
So? should I go for it?
PS: Check out my TVTropes page with the link on my signature.
Because the page is only going to attract attention from obsessive compulsive weirdos. Nobody else would bother with it, and in fact many would likely interpret it as a desperate attempt to drawing attention to ourselves. Furthermore the Shahemjeen thing came long before many of the current members were around nevermind the fact that the way that is set up could easily be interpreted as a petty effort to say that we’re right and he’s not (even if that was the case). And I’m pretty sure Sin doesn’t need to appear in anybody else’s mental counsel (GSG is bad enough as it is).
Besides aren’t TVTropes supposed to be about defining easily defined one dimensional caricatures frequently used in media? I don’t think anyone wants to be viewed as that or would want to force such expectations on themselves.
Wikipedia is about information. TVTropes is about analyzing commonalities in media. There are very few websites covered on it, and adding one for RPGC is definitely going to smack of being self-serving. Leave it.
Actually Cid I’ve seen plenty of websites (webcomics and blogs, mostly) covered in TV Tropes. As for being self-serving, how about all the Original Troper works (read: fanfiction) covered there, including those not even published yet? Honestly, I hardly think they would notice. Remember: “notability is NOT a factor” is their motto (apparently a swipe at Wikipedia.) Still, I’ll count your vote as a no.
Btw Killmore, you’re WAAAAYYY wrong about TV Tropes and its fans in many aspects. Seriously, you sound like someone who barely took a look at it and said “ugh”. Same thing could be said about RPGC if you look only at, say, the arguments often posted in the main board, for example. There’s much more to both sides than meets the eye.
Still, I can understand the reticence to being “trope-ized”. How about this, then: the page will not include any personal remarks, only about the site. Would that be more acceptable?
Webcomics are different because there’s often webcomic examples of various tropes. The closest category RPGC could fit into would be Web Originals, but that seems to be concerned more with the New Media. It strikes me as overly self indulgent no matter what.
Hello? It is self-serving, the purpose is getting free publicity, remember? And as I already pointed other people use TVT that way, why shouldn’t we? Man, it’s amazing how you people whine so much about the site dying and then get all so uppity when someone tries to help.
Anyway, that’s three “Nos” (Zepp didn’t actually address the topic so he loses his vote and I don’t read 984’s posts so I can’t count his) but that’s a small fraction of our regular audience. Anybody else care to comment (and please post more than a knee-jerk reaction?)
Places like Something Awful get away with being on TVTropes because they have huge communities and have lots of content in which to exhibit tropes. RPGClassics is a small website with a dead main page. There’s no point in putting it on TVTropes. That would just be sad.
This would have made sense in the heyday of RPGC, when there were more people active and we actively played with exaggerated personalities. We don’t do that anymore, really, so no, I think it’s pretty pointless.
And even then it comes off far too creepily when you start reading the entries of some of the more successful LP Superstars, and realize just how much time and effort was put into them. Then it becomes more like you MUST fulfill your role else you conflict with the pre-established narrative which may result with unnecessary fallout from people who have no right to criticize your actions. And I don’t want that for the good people of the RPGC. Hell, I don’t even know what my own narrative is or when I’m going to change it and it feels like something I don’t want to get shackled to.
So basically, you don’t want new members because you’re ashamed of what RPGC is today?
Well, OK. I disagree with the sentiment- in fact I believe that this is exactly what we need to grow back as a site- new, younger blood with idealism and energy who do stuff for fun like the TV Tropers (we were like that once, as well) but I’m not going to push the issue.
Let’s Play Superstars. Those sad people that get internet famous from narrating while they play video games for Youtube.
And don’t anyone else answer that question. If he wants the answer, he has to read my post. I will edit out the answer from any other post just to push the issue.
I mean, these days they’re mentioning anything on the site, even unpublished fanworks! Considering how we have been talking recently about how we could increase our online presence, I think this might help given how TVT has become “The FUN alternative to Wikipedia”. And if not, Hell, it might be a fun project to do anyway. 
