# sf-fandom offline?



## Brian G Turner (Mar 7, 2004)

sf-fandom is a large forum, a good 2 or 3 times the size of the chronicles-network forum (but not as active as here  nor with the same resources). It's an established site I really had targeted for a possible future merger once this place had overtaken it.

Or so I thought.

Currently sf-fandom is offline - the domain has not been renewed, which means that either there's a horrible error with the domain name registrar - or else that sf-fandom as a website is no longer going to be supported.

The second option would be absolutely terrible - all that information lost. 

I may be in competition with other science fiction and fantasy forums, but in no way do I personally view this rivalry as anything other than friendly and good-natured. So if sf-fandom goes I will feel a very real sense of loss, even though I never really participated on that site.

I've contacted the owner on two of his e-mail addresses that I can track down, and hopefully will get a response. I've offered help, of course.


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## dwndrgn (Mar 7, 2004)

I don't believe I've ever visited that site so I don't know anything about it personally.  However, I hate to see any website go that people have put a great deal of time and effort into.  I've seen many worthy sites go down because of lack of capital or time to keep it going.

Hopefully you will be able to contact it's former owner and help him or her save all of that information.


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## nemogbr (Mar 7, 2004)

I've only really discovered Forums six months ago and haven't heard of this one. It would be a pity if such sites with a load of information disappear without help.


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## Brian G Turner (Mar 7, 2004)

Somehow the loss of a used forum is like the burning of a book - that only had a single copy.

I won't actually say that sf-fandom was a particular hub or amazing forum - I really didn't know the place very well - but it was a place in a similar boat. That's why it's even more disturbing to see it down.

And I would really mourn the loss of the forum database there - if it really has been lost.


No chance of any of all this happening here, though, btw.


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## nemogbr (Mar 7, 2004)

How would such mergers actually work?


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## Jayaprakash Satyamurthy (Mar 8, 2004)

SF-Fandom is Michael Martinez's site, right? I drop in there from time to time, because they have boards for pulp authors and also for HP Lovecraft. Although the crowd is more the tv/movie sort, and the younger fans, they have an almost frighteningly erudite set of Tolkien enthusiasts and I do run into a like-minded SF fan every once in a while, and shoot the breeze. 



If it is the same site, they seem to be back online now.


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## Brian G Turner (Mar 8, 2004)

Yes, that's the one, *knivesout*. And it seems that they are back up and running again. So you can appreciate the amount of information that would have been lost if they really had sunk. Tsk, these people who can't keep their domains updated.  (Actually happened to myself once - never again!).

As for merging - it has always been one of my aims to join smaller boards to the chronicles-network. Personally, I'd love to buy-out other forums such as SF-Fandom at some point in the future - but maybe that's an idle daydream. Either way, this place is well on its way to establishing itself as a major sf/f portal - watch for the changes over the next couple of weeks.


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