A Note from Us..... Our Future

[Scott W.]

I declare civil war! I'm kidding.

This is great news. At first I was a little surprised to see OU going under the Inside Universal banner but I think it's the right thing to do. I think the name is now always going to be associated with the Pulse shooting plus I think Inside Universal is a bit more self explanatory.

I BLAME ANDY!

----

I've been working with Brian on this since the new year and I'm happy to see the news finally out. My role as a mod remains the same as we also fold in mods from the USH Forums. I don't have answers for technical aspects of this all as that's outside of my scope, but I know Brian and Jon are working hard to make this as beneficial and seamless for everyone.

As for logo treatment, well, you've already seen a hint of it.

The idea is to have one IU podcast, covering both coasts but are listening to feedback. No official decision has been made.

I'm not really understanding the map of North and South America.
(Edit: I've just remembered that's what's shown on the globe in the resort logo)

I'm hoping that the podcast returns, even if it's covering both coasts.

I think more than ever, this seems like perfect timing. With the both resorts heavily expanding, knowing what one resort is doing can be a major clue to what's going to the other.

It's exciting times and I hope everything goes smoothly.

Too late to order OU shirts?

Expect to see the shirts on a zombie this HHN as a fitting tribute.

 

[belloq87]

Well, if we might have more west coast-centric folks joining the forums in more active ways, I guess I’m going to have to dial down my Orlando-centric snobbery going forward!

I’m excited for those involved. Provided little changes in the way the forums currently function, I think this is only a good thing.

 

[RevFreako]

Good deal!

 

[GadgetGuru]

I'm definitely sad to see the Orlando United name go away. Please don't get rid of the domain name

Otherwise, congratulations! Inside Universal does absolutely killer coverage of USH and I'm excited to hopefully see that get applied to Orlando too. The mods and community do a great job making this a great place and I'm sure that will continue with a larger community. Plus, I've been missing the OU podcast, so I'm hoping the new IU podcast will bring the band back together.

If any of you need any help, please let all of us know. We're all excited to see the future of OU and we'd love to help out however we can.

 

[WolfmanJ]

Never really used the IU forums even though I had an account so I'm real excited to see how this works out. This may fall under the "giving too much away" category (so feel free not to answer), but when should we expect changes to begin happening?

 

[Brian G.]

Never really used the IU forums even though I had an account so I'm real excited to see how this works out. This may fall under the "giving too much away" category (so feel free not to answer), but when should we expect changes to begin happening?

Only timeline I can say is next few months. Could be earlier, could be later - but we will definitely let you guys know when we have a firm date.

 

[WolfmanJ]

Only timeline I can say is next few months. Could be earlier, could be later - but we will definitely let you guys know when we have a firm date.

Alright. I was just curious as to how soon changes were going to be made. Thanks for the info!

 

[Ryan]

As one of the admins from USH Forums, I have to say that this is a well-thought-out decision that will finally give Universal's Parks and Resorts the mega-fansite that it's always deserved against the myraid of Disney sites. Jon Fu, Jonathan Green and all of the cohorts at IU have delivered such a great amount of coverage in such a wonderful, polished sheen (not without a fair share of humor, of course) that despite growing in popularity since Potter West started going vertical, still felt underseen. Meanwhile, Orlando United has been building a wonderful, large community that salutes all Orlando theme parks, but mostly Universal.

This is essentially the combination of peanut butter and chocolate that I can't imagine you guys won't absolutely love. For those who consider this forum one of their favorite places, do not fret. Aside from a large-added subforum and some arranged things, you most likely won't see a difference. There will be an added amount of members, but the more, the merrier! With the additional coverage on the main site and the carry-over, you'll see a prominence of articles and a general sweep of all things Universal. With Nintendo, Volcano Bay, F&F, USH Lower Lot expansion, Aventura, Park 3, Bejing and more, this is a fantastic time to be a fan and the perfect time for this merger.

This is a terrific decision and I hope you guys are excited as I am!

 

[WAJAS]

As one of the admins from USH Forums, I have to say that this is a well-thought-out decision that will finally give Universal's Parks and Resorts the mega-fansite that it's always deserved against the myraid of Disney sites. Jon Fu, Jonathan Green and all of the cohorts at IU have delivered such a great amount of coverage in such a wonderful, polished sheen (not without a fair share of humor, of course) that despite growing in popularity since Potter West started going vertical, still felt underseen. Meanwhile, Orlando United has been building a wonderful, large community that salutes all Orlando theme parks, but mostly Universal.

This is essentially the combination of peanut butter and chocolate that I can't imagine you guys won't absolutely love. For those who consider this forum one of their favorite places, do not fret. Aside from a large-added subforum and some arranged things, you most likely won't see a difference. There will be an added amount of members, but the more, the merrier! With the additional coverage on the main site and the carry-over, you'll see a prominence of articles and a general sweep of all things Universal. With Nintendo, Volcano Bay, F&F, USH Lower Lot expansion, Aventura, Park 3, Bejing and more, this is a fantastic time to be a fan and the perfect time for this merger.

This is a terrific decision and I hope you guys are excited as I am!

I am really excited for the merger. I've always wanted to talk about what's up at USH over here, but the conversation never seemed to take off.

My only serious worry is that by focusing on Universal, the other Orlando parks won't get as much coverage or discussion as before. This is really the only site for all of the Orlando parks and I-Drive.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

I am really excited for the merger. I've always wanted to talk about what's up at USH over here, but the conversation never seemed to take off.

My only serious worry is that by focusing on Universal, the other Orlando parks won't get as much coverage or discussion as before. This is really the only site for all of the Orlando parks and I-Drive.

IU typically covers quite a bit of Disney and even Knotts Berry Farm to some degree. I would assume that it wouldn't change as much, but it's best to be open minded for anything major.

 

[Mad Dog]

Hopefully, with more Forum contributors and posting, we'll have MORE discussions. Sometimes things get awful slow on the forums, especially on weekends, and it takes some effort to get the discussions jump started. I've posted many times on a slow day just trying to get some discussion flowing. Perhaps, with the added site, maybe more lurkers will become contributing members. I know that generally I had to hop over to Inside Universal to get info on the west coast, even though we had Hollywood threads here on OU. Now it should be one stop shopping.

 

[JoeCamel]

Hopefully, with more Forum contributors and posting, we'll have MORE discussions. Sometimes things get awful slow on the forums, especially on weekends, and it takes some effort to get the discussions jump started. I've posted many times on a slow day just trying to get some discussion flowing. Perhaps, with the added site, maybe more lurkers will become contributing members. I know that generally I had to hop over to Inside Universal to get info on the west coast, even though we had Hollywood threads here on OU. Now it should be one stop shopping.

Oh no, maybe I will learn something? I have no knowledge of the left coast, I went to DL when I was 8 - 9 ?? Don't really remember other than rope dropping and racing to the Matterhorn. Glad my folks chose moving to Florida rather than Palm Springs (yeah it was a choice) so I could do both MK and EPCOT in their first year. Sorta laid the foundation for my construction obsession today.

 

[Ryan]

My only serious worry is that by focusing on Universal, the other Orlando parks won't get as much coverage or discussion as before. This is really the only site for all of the Orlando parks and I-Drive.

Like Alexshow said, IU does tend to carryover to other parks such as Knott's and Disneyland (mostly World of Color ), so I can't imagine Busch Gardens, SeaWorld and Fun Spot being fully taken out of the equation. Possibly a little less WDW, but it'll worm its way in there I'm sure.

 

[Brian G.]

I am really excited for the merger. I've always wanted to talk about what's up at USH over here, but the conversation never seemed to take off.

My only serious worry is that by focusing on Universal, the other Orlando parks won't get as much coverage or discussion as before. This is really the only site for all of the Orlando parks and I-Drive.

Will we cover the new Meet & Greet at Disney? No.

But we will be covering and discussing all the high-to-medium tier additions coming to Disney. Same applies for SW and BGT.

If anything else, it's because I still love Disney and looking forward to Avatar, TSL, and SWL.

 

[WAJAS]

Will we cover the new Meet & Greet at Disney? No.

But we will be covering and discussing all the high-to-medium tier additions coming to Disney. Same applies for SW and BGT.

If anything else, it's because I still love Disney and looking forward to Avatar, TSL, and SWL.

Awesome! I wouldn't expect coverage of Mickey's new outfit anyways.

 

[IAmFloridaBorn]

Neat. Inside Universal has a nice ring too it. Will Miss Orlando United and have to change my bookmark lol.

I'm very interested in USH and their parks out there and like others have said, never really took off here esp since we tend to focus more on where we are and or go more often.

Hopefully this can be the one site that remains the way it is. When I want a little Disney, FunSpot, I Drive, Sea World, or some other Major Park, I can get here.

 

[yankees13]

That's cool news. I've always wanted to go to California. For some reason lately I've had the urge to go to Disneyland. I know it's been open for years, but I recently looked at pictures of the Cars Land and it looks great. One day I'll make the rounds.

Glad to hear the forums aren't going anywhere. It's a great community here. I only get to come to Orlando once a year so it's nice to get somewhat of a fix year round by coming here.

 

[Mad Dog]

I'm sure there will be plenty of continued conversation on WDW. As long as there's new construction, discussion will naturally follow. Lately there's probably been as much WDW posted comments as Universal, largely due to Pandora, ROL, SWL, TSL, gondolas, new DVC & resort building, WDW attendance decline, and the inexhaustible Disney up charges. Just a wealth of topics.

 

[alomar]

This will be interesting and fun! I will miss OU as it was, it is one of the only sites to draw me in that covers parks I have not been to. Being on the west coast, I look forward to more west coast coverage (though I never got attached to IU, and find the east coast coverage amazing). But should be a fun merge, and as long as you goobers from OU stay the same....all will be good in the world.

 

[k_peek_2000]

Tbh, I'm not interested in Universal Studios Hollywood updates or any west coast themepark news. Orlando is the themepark capital of the world. I feel like there's enough themepark news here in Orlando to keep me satisfied and busy. Just my thoughts.

There are plenty of other sites out there for ya. Nobody is going to force you to click a link with USH tags.