I guess ultimately it's about determining direction. The only thing that is constant is change. Things rarely stay the same. Random thoughts in no particular order.
-Tech Saviness and posting. I think copy and paste is usually all you need to know on these types of things. Anything more 'advanced' can be explained in a general purpose "how to" page. Posting videos, images and quotes seem to be pretty standard in most blogs so in that regard I don't see it being too much of a challenge to learn on a new board.
-If we are honest with ourselves, if we want to help Haley grow her fan base, we will need to realize we need to be able to infuse and nurture younger fans to climb aboard. On this site, aside from maybe H4 and Rachel, we are heavily on the side of 30+. Granted, there are advantages to having older fans, we have more resources, for instance, I couldn't have been able to travel as much to see Haley say 20 years ago.
That being said, to be able to sustain a career into the future, Haley's fan base needs to get younger. We know Haley has it in her to be a role model for the younger fans, and I think contemplating ways to make things more appealing or accessible to younger fans will only be more helpful for Haley.
Most of Haley's younger fans tweet, and maybe including some of that technology, like Miguel mentioned, might make HF more 'welcoming' to Haley's younger fans.
Running the blog and expenses is really the most important part of this transition. We all have 'other lives' outside of this fandom, we all contribute when/how/what we can. Ultimately, the 'nuts and bolts' is on Miguel's end. The bottom line begins and ends with Miguel at HF. I and a few others contribute content as we are motivated to do, but none of us are 'tied' to it as Miguel is. We have seen (at least I have) many 'big fans' and supporters of Haley come and go. I still wonder what happened to Satchvai (HaleysShindig), but then again, as stated, we have our lives and obviously that takes precedence.
Speaking for myself, through this fandom, I have felt my enthusiasm ebb and flow. Sometimes, I can go on streaks of posting a ton, other times, not so much... I can't switch it on or off.... Luckily, Haley has many talented fans that also post enthusiastically, so in the case of HF, the site's size is 'just right'.
But it does go to the question of generating content and who generates it. Miguel himself had noted that parts of HF has gone 'neglected', so it follows that a bigger site, with more options and bells and whistles might then be bigger than our ability to generate content for.
....that doesn't even get into the issue of 'moderation'. With more members, means more personalities, means more personality clashes. In the few years of HF's existence, we have seen our share of these types of upheavals (which I'm embarrassed to say I have been involved in more than my fair share
). Miguel has been able to navigate through these in the limited context of HF, but what of a bigger site? It would be naïve to think that Miguel can over see all of it. He has a life too.
I probably have more to say, but will leave with this (for the time being
) I completely understand the OP of evolving HF into something that is more appealing to and can attract more and younger fans. As Haley's career grows, the meeting places for her fans need to adapt to 'bigger, brighter and better'....
For instance, last week Pia's main 'web supporter' had to pull up stakes, which was a blow to Pia's exposure because that was a very nice site, well run and attractive to her fans. The look of the site was more conducive to a younger generation. I hadn't really explored it, but from the outside, I can see how the aesthetic can be appealing to younger fans.
Ultimately, in making this decision, without creating some kind of 'corporation' with different heads running different departments, and without putting the entirety of the responsibility on Miguel, we need to find a balance between what we can handle as a fan base (running it) and what our "Mission Statement" is moving forward.
