A Note from Us..... Our Future

[ThemeParks4Life]

I think this is an excellent move. It expands the community while also allowing for a lot more articles.

 

[Brian G.]

Are the forums going to carry over or are we going to have to start anew with usernames, topics, etc..?

IU is a great site, and hearing IU merge with them will be very interesting.

Does that mean that OUs forums will be renamed as USHForums, or will USHForums and the OU forums will merge with an entirely new name?

I'd imagine the OU Forums will turn into the "Inside Universal Forums," and would close USH Forums. Maybe @BriMan could could share! (Also, how will live Tweets from the park be separated between UO and USH?) Can't wait for this! :clap:

The forums will be merged into one under the Inside Universal name. All conversations from both forums will not be lost. No one will have to re-register. It will continue to use this software.

We have not made any decisions as to whether we will run under one account or split between the coasts.

Do we know which forum software and main website software will be taking over for the new site? or will it be completely new?

I got to say I don't really like IU's more muted color scheme. I always thought OU's logo was very lively. Especially, since the new logo and stuff debuted a few years back.

I'd recommend including "formally Orlando United" underneath the new logo or something like that. I wouldn't want any current but less active users of the forum, facebook, twitter, Youtube, etc. to be confused and distanced by any sudden change.

I hope that the informational 1st post that @BriMan started a while ago continues with the merge. I think it is a great way for new members to inform themselves on each thread, so they do not jump into the conversation blind.

Most importantly, I hope this merger starts as a conversation before any major changes to the forum structure occur.

All in all, this is gonna be exciting/interesting. I wish IU, OU, all administrators/moderators, and especially @BriMan the best of luck in the future.

As stated in the article - we are moving forward with the least amount of impact possible to both sites as far as the user experience. Other than that..... that's all I'll say as more specifics are being ironed out.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I'd hope that it becomes longer then because I'd want the episodes to have ample time to discuss both coasts. I'd also hope that you guys continuing discussing news that isn't necessarily just Universal, such as Skyplex, WDW, SWO, etc. I understand that two separate podcasts would make things complicated though, especially for international topics. I can't wait to see what the future holds.

Brian will have to explain more, but I don't think you have to worry.

 

[snayberry]

Wow, I don't know how to feel about this. It's been a nice run, even though I joined late, can't wait to see when things are merged into one.

#RIPOU

 

[UNIrd]

This is exciting news! It's the biggest expansion in our history. Excited to have more insight into USH as it'a beautiful park but please keep all the Disney stuff because this is where I get all my news for there too. :ears:

 

[graspthesun]

Neat! I use Inside Universal for all of my USH information and I think @Alexshow does the same (from what I've seen on the USH Forums. It'll be nice to have everything under the same roof.

 

[Miketheboss]

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.

 

[LiamRowbotham]

Congratulations guys, whilst it's sad to see what we know and love go - it's great to see a positive venture for the future. Onwards and upwards friends!

 

[JoeCamel]

Too late to order OU shirts?

 

[Mr. EPCOT]

Congratulations, looking forward to the merger!

 

[AlexanderMBush]

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.

While I get your thoughts..allow me to say something that could make some sense.

While Orlando did popularize the theme park craze with WDW and UOR, the West Coast was where things truly began. You wouldn't have a Walt Disney World if it wasn't for the original Disneyland's success, and you wouldn't have Universal Studios Florida if it wasn't for USH setting down the beginning's. And even so, Knotts has a worthy spot in the history books, more than Universal and Disney in a strange way.

Will there have to be change? Yes. But in a strange way, I don't think the changes will be all too noticable. Maybe you could see a lack of other content from other Orlando theme parks on the main site, but the Forums will just as prosper as ever, with many coming from USHForums (including yours truly); it will be fascinating to see how Brian and Jon handle that one aspect. As IU has tackled outside Universal before for the West Coast, and I wouldn't be surprised that it's the same for the Orlando Team.

 

[anihilnation]

Congrats Brian, and best of luck.

 

[Mad Dog]

While I get your thoughts..allow me to say something that could make some sense.

While Orlando did popularize the theme park craze with WDW and UOR, the West Coast was where things truly began. You wouldn't have a Walt Disney World if it wasn't for the original Disneyland's success, and you wouldn't have Universal Studios Florida if it wasn't for USH setting down the beginning's. And even so, Knotts has a worthy spot in the history books, more than Universal and Disney in a strange way.

Will there have to be change? Yes. But in a strange way, I don't think the changes will be all too noticable. Maybe you could see a lack of other content from other Orlando theme parks on the main site, but the Forums will just as prosper as ever, with many coming from USHForums (including yours truly); it will be fascinating to see how Brian and Jon handle that one aspect. As IU has tackled outside Universal before for the West Coast, and I wouldn't be surprised that it's the same for the Orlando Team.

I would check out Universal Insider on occasion for Universal Hollywood info. They had some nice photo spreads and seemed to have good contacts for Universal Hollywood insider info. That's a big plus that should carry over. And, yes, there are a number of our OU Forum contributors, like Alexshow, that also posted over there. But I'm glad Brian is keeping our OU Forum format. Inside Universal forum discussions were very small in comparison to ours, and their forum format (which was somewhat similar to the old Orlando Informer forums) is very confusing and hard to follow.

 

[Brian G.]

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.

That's fine. No one is forcing you to read Hollywood news. We're still doing our thing, just so happen to be doing Hollywood now too.

 

[Frogki]

This is very exciting news for our community! Anything to bring more fun, intelligent discussion and information in is a good thing in my book. Growing our community and broadening the scope of subject matter covered is both a sign of progress and portends to a better future for the entirety of both websites.
I know I often lurk here but I just have to say this community has been a home to me since I joined it so many years ago and I have you guys to thank for that. Color me incredibly excited for all of us here!

 

[Mad Dog]

This is very exciting news for our community! Anything to bring more fun, intelligent discussion and information in is a good thing in my book. Growing our community and broadening the scope of subject matter covered is both a sign of progress and portends to a better future for the entirety of both websites.
I know I often lurk here but I just have to say this community has been a home to me since I joined it so many years ago and I have you guys to thank for that. Color me incredibly excited for all of us here!

Nice post. Well said :thumbsup:

 

[Teebin]

We might get better exposure to Japan via Hollywood too. I have always been disappointed by the lack of info there...

 

[OldWorldEndeavors]

Stepping away from my usual lurker status. When I moved to California in 2011 I needed to find a good website for the parks ( OU has never done me wrong when it came to Orlando). I very quickly found IU. This is fantastic news! I am looking forward to what the future holds. These are 2 teams on the top of their game. alright, back to the shadows! I'll See ya at Horror Nights!

 

[Joel]

This is very exciting news for our community! Anything to bring more fun, intelligent discussion and information in is a good thing in my book. Growing our community and broadening the scope of subject matter covered is both a sign of progress and portends to a better future for the entirety of both websites.
I know I often lurk here but I just have to say this community has been a home to me since I joined it so many years ago and I have you guys to thank for that. Color me incredibly excited for all of us here!

The opposite of what we're doing as a country. :bang:

@BriMan for president 2020!

 

[Skold]

Congrats - this is exciting!