Re: What happened to pbem.com?

From: pbemmaster@yahoo.com

Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2005 08:22:39 +0000

www.pbem.com started out good, but the site has been essentially dead
(as far as innovation and new content) since 2002 or so.  Sadly, it was
pretty much just waiting around to die.  But kudos to Ed Taychert for
providing the free service he did for as long as he did.

I have deep roots in RPGs, having been a gamer since grammar school in
the early 1980s, and a PBEMmer since the mid-'90s.  So, I decided to
step up to the plate and fill the void.  Fortunately, I work as a ghost
writer and editor, via the Internet.  I have plenty of time to work on,
and maintain, a site.  I'm usually online about 8 to 14 hours a day.
Bad for my social life, I know, but very conducive to being the new
Keeper of the PBEMs.  ;-)

I'll concede my Invision site isn't as personalized as pbem.com.  It
also doesn't have any listings yet--I just put it up, and we all have
to start somewhere!  (I'm hoping I get some listings by the time this
second post of mine percolates through Usenet.) The fact my forum looks
like other online fora instead of having those pixellated pics of
cities, a tombstone, and whatnot may be a turnoff for some people.
Most people have difficulty with change.  But letting someone else do
the basic layout and coding in exchange for renting out my eyeballs for
Google ads at the bottom frees me to spend my time providing content
for the site.

Because the site is supported by a team of professional programmers, I
know any downtime will be minimal.  To me, it's classic division of
labor: I'll let people who are really good with computer code (the
Invision team) do that aspect of the Pbemlistings site behind the
scenes, and I'll focus on what I'm good at (writing, and customizing
the forum to meet the needs of RPGers).  And, even if I am kidnapped by
winged monkeys or get hit by a garbage truck, the site will go on (as
time goes on, I'll probably confer moderation privileges to a handful
of regulars just in case my fortunes head south and I'm unable to pay
back all the money I borrowed from the Mob ;-) ).

Here's what my site offers:
* The ability for players to post ads seeking PBEMs, or writing
partners for IM or solo adventures.
* The ability of GMs/DMs/STs to post ads for 16 different categories of
PBEM, including Dungeons and Dragons, Alternate History, Superheroes,
Star Wars, and CoC.
* Dynamic management of categories by me.  For instance, if when
Chronicles of Narnia comes out this winter we get a wave of CoN games,
I can create a category just for CoN in less than a minute, and move
CoN posts there.
* The ability for members of the forum to PM each other.
* An open forum for members to chat.
* A feedback forum to post suggestions, praise, or criticism.
* A forum especially for members to showcase their writing samples.
* Moderator power on my part to remove ads spammed across fora (like
Star Trek ads on the old pbem.com that ended up in Modern and Fantasy
too), and ban members who repeatedly engage in spamming.
* Access to me, your friendly neighborhood administrator, via e-mail
and Yahoo Messenger (my handle is what lies to the left of the "@" in
me e-mail address.)

Oh, and my policy on adult/erotic games is that any game can be
advertised on my board, including NC-17, but all ADS have to be PG-13
or less (just like in the movie theaters here in the U.S., previews
have to be suitable for all ages).  There is no specific category for
erotic games...though if I get a lot of ads for sex-themed games that
may change.

So, yes, I would like to carry the torch forward for us PBEMmers...and
I hope I have your votes for the heir-apparent to pbem.com.

http://s14.invisionfree.com/PBEMListings/index.php?act=idx

References

Re: What happened to pbem.com?
pbemmaster@yahoo.com
Sat, 22 Oct 2005 05:47:01 +0000
What happened to this site?
orcrender <orcrender@yahoo.com>
Sun, 02 Oct 2005 14:38:03 +0000
Re: What happened to pbem.com?
bblackmoor@spamcop.net
Wed, 19 Oct 2005 19:48:29 +0000
Re: What happened to pbem.com?
lindahl@pbm.com (Greg Lindahl)
Sat, 22 Oct 2005 04:09:54 +0000