The Kargatane is DEAD! ...right?

[Rotipher of the FoS]

IOW, we all need to convince everybody we know to add links to the FoS site to their homepages, ASAP!

[Lord Cyclohexane]

It seems to me that the real advantage ... is that the Fraternity site would be the first or second site returned on a Google search.

Yeah, I just checked, FoS's first reference is on page 3 of a search for "ravenloft", and that report just says "FAQ" and doesn't hint that it's related. Page 5 finally has the front page of FoS...

Methinks we need to start a "Google bomb" campaign to associate FoS more tightly with "ravenloft." We just need to get people to copy the below basically wherever they can:

Fraternity of Shadows is the best <a href="http://www.fraternityofshadows.com">Ravenloft</a> site out there.

So long as it says "Ravenloft" somewhere in the link text, Google will associate "Ravenloft" more with the URL "http://www.fraternityofshadows.com". So these would also work:

Dude, go to <a href="http://www.fraternityofshadows.com">Ravenloft: Fraternity of Shadows</a>

<a href="http://www.fraternityofshadows.com">The best Ravenloft fansite out there: Fraternity of Shadows</a>

<a href="http://www.fraternityofshadows.com">Ravenloft = Fraternity of Shadows</a>

Et cetera. And if you doubt the power of the Google bomb, go do a search on the phrase "miserable failure" and see what the first link is. Hell, do it anyway.

[Lord Cyclohexane]

IOW, we all need to convince everybody we know to add links to the FoS site to their homepages, ASAP!

Just make sure the word "Ravenloft" is in the link text, though! If you need, consider this place "Ravenloft: Fraternity of Shadows" rather than plain old FoS until Google puts it at the top.

[Joël of the FoS]

In their home page or in their signature

Joël

[Lord Cyclohexane]

Oh, I guess another benefit of FoS being the official site would be what was mentioned in the thread "Haunted Sites": being able to put up Kargatane-owned material on the website (like the aforementioned netbook "Haunted Sites" or the Dragon article "Last Dance").


Oh, and Joel? Update your sig!

[Undead Cabbage]

One question,

If the FoS were to become the official site, what would this mean in relavence to the Iron hammer of copy right laws? Would we have more leniancy? Would Big Brother watch us much more closely?

Especially when it comes to the Gazeteers...

[Joël of the FoS]

One question,

If the FoS were to become the official site, what would this mean in relavence to the Iron hammer of copy right laws? Would we have more leniancy? Would Big Brother watch us much more closely?

Especially when it comes to the Gazeteers...

That's one of the advantages of being unofficial. There is a grey zone where we can stand with ease. I'm not sure we could have done the Souragne project if we were the official thing, without having to ask for permission and tralala.

Joël

[Undead Cabbage]

In that case it may be better that we remain unofficial, at least for now.

If we continue on with the Gazeteers as such is happening, eventually they are bound to get the site a lot more popularity, if only because the Gazeteers were so loved. In this case the FoS may eventually work much like a web comic: there may one day be enough people involved that there would be a lot of inertia to support the cause.

Heck, Richard Berluw, the author of Order of the Stick, obtained a lot of his popularity through his site 'Giant in the Play Ground', and now he's writing for Ebberon. Maybe one day, if WOTC re-adopts RL, the Frat members might find themselves quite the job offer.

[ScS of the Fraternity]

That, or the Dark Powers will be revealed to be...
Banjothulhu!

[Lord Cyclohexane]

Just thought I'd mention some good news:

When this thread started, "Ravenloft: Fraternity of Shadows" was the last entry of the 5th page of a Google search. As of just a minute ago, it was the last entry of the 4th page, meaning it's moved up 10 positions on Google in two weeks time! It's slow progress, but it's definitely something!

Weird thing, though: as someone (Joël?) was modifying the site there, its ranking actually went *down* by one, as I originally saw it as the second-last on page 4. Probably coincidence, though...

Ravenloft: Fraternity of Shadows

[Joël of the FoS]

Getting better indeed. We're on top of page 3 (10 results / page)?

Joël

[Lord Cyclohexane]

Huh, how weird. Perhaps Google has different rankings across different servers, as it's still on Page 4 for me (third from the bottom now). Perhaps more Canadians do searches on Ravenloft than Americans do, thus explaining the difference...

By the way, to whoever was modifying the main page of the FoS website earlier, the "Secret word: Ravenloft Ravenloft Ravenloft!" gave me a good grin.

[Joël of the FoS]

Huh, how weird. Perhaps Google has different rankings across different servers, as it's still on Page 4 for me (third from the bottom now). Perhaps more Canadians do searches on Ravenloft than Americans do, thus explaining the difference...

Might be, indeed?

By the way, to whoever was modifying the main page of the FoS website earlier, the "Secret word: Ravenloft Ravenloft Ravenloft!" gave me a good grin.

Stephen is in charge of the site, with the help of Socko. I didn't see this "secret word", where was it?

Joël

[Lord Cyclohexane]

By the way, to whoever was modifying the main page of the FoS website earlier, the "Secret word: Ravenloft Ravenloft Ravenloft!" gave me a good grin.

Stephen is in charge of the site, with the help of Socko. I didn't see this "secret word", where was it?

It was on the entry page, with the story of the Fraternity moving to La Maison Soulombre. It was at the very bottom, between the hit counter and "Ravenloft is the property of WotC" and was there for approximately two minutes. Basically I just got lucky.

Also, how long has the "Victor Mordenheim is not licensed to practice
medicine. His doctorate is actually in Sociology." been at the top of that next page? Because that rocks as well.

[ScS of the Fraternity]

Hey, what part of Secret Word do you not understand?
Now the Kargat is going to get all up in my face!