Change #3: Side bar

As some of you may have noticed there have been some changes to the side bar "menus". For anyone who needs then the older links are all archived on http://lg15todaylinks.blogspot.com/. The goal is to streamline the links so that they meet our current needs. Over time some of the LG15 links for things like the various portal pages etc will be moved to the LG15today Ning. Some other things will be added back as needed and yet other things will be developed on the Web Series Today Ning to complement what you find here on the blog. As always your feedback, participation and involvement is encouraged in making Web Series Today a great collaborative social hub.

Change #2: Streamy Week Banner

In celebration of Streamy Week we have introduced a new banner. As we mentioned in the "change" post a while back it is time to embrace news about the full range of web series in the "space" and the community involved with it. What better time to do it than in the lead up to the awards that honor the "web series genre"?

Think of the banner as one small stepping stone. Over the upcoming months we will push forward with more changes that refine the look and design of the blog so that it serves its function better. Some observant people have noticed that webseriestoday.com now points to the blog. We also have a new webseriestoday Ning, Twitter account and a Facebook page .

For those that might worry that we are turning our back on our heritage or philosophy, not so! We will still be bringing you the same great news that we have always tried to. We will maintain the LG15todaynews Twitter and the LG15today Ning and Facebook pages and LG15today.blogspot.com will still bring you to the site you have come to trust for unfiltered web series news.

Just think of the blog as a "social hub" where all this web series news comes together. As the collaborative platform we have always been you have an opportunity to participate and post your articles and web series as always.

For those who are interested in participating more deeply in the future design process we encourage you to join the Web Series Today Ning and get involved.

::::: NOTE: The domain names are currently being updated and are not working at this point. However LG15today.blogspot.com is currently working.

LG15 Today: Change

Change is good. Change is at the core of the Universe. Change is what drives evolution. Change is what gets our "creative juices" flowing. Why then do we fear change? Quite simply change involves risk. One wrong turn and change can end you up in the 436.

Over the years LG15 Today has changed. If your average reader came to LG15 Today they would think they were reading "Web Series Today".

How did we get here?

In the beginning we were focused on the daily antics of a community that hung out on lonelygirl15.com. After the great TOS debate we saw our universe splinter into spin off international versions of lonelygirl15, community videos derivative of lonelygirl15 and independent web series such as Maddison Atkins, The Coalition, RedEarth88 etc. Over time writers and cast crew from lonelygirl15 came and then went their separate ways. This led us to watch a plethora of new shows such as "With the Angels", "Sorority Forever" "The Guild" etc. and also participate in a few ARGs. Even at that point we could still argue that we were a community that grew out of lonelygirl15, hung our together in various chat rooms and listened to BreeFM.

The more time passed and the more we wrote about and posted web series the more we have become integrated with the larger web series community. As we watched Pink, Ozgirl, Compulsions, Riese and many others we saw web series and ARG creators begin to leave comments on the blog. In return the blog was able to post stories about new web series, ARGs and expand to shows like the Web Files.

The result? Well one can make a compelling argument that the blog has become a key "social hub" for web series. It is probably time for us to accept that role and change the design of the site accordingly. Why? Well the argument that has been made numerous times is that when a new reader comes to the site they are often confused because the design does not reflect "Web Series Today". By changing the design we can not only change that perception but we can attract new authors who are motivated by the potential of the genre. The goal is to build on what we have already achieved and move the blog forward by reaching out to the web series community as a whole.

It is true that to a large degree web series have been marginalized by the arrival of Hulu, but still many believe there is untapped potential in the genre and when the next great web series appears we want to be there. As a collaborative blog we are in a great position to explore the universe of web series. We started as a community of creatives who wanted to participate in this new medium. We are audience, participants and creators and that gives us a unique perspective on the genre. The future is always uncertain but what is inevitable is change.

mm