rubberslug year 3

Howdy.

Our third birthday has come and gone. We're setting one big goal for ourselves this coming year as the site grows:

Stay on-topic.

In 2001, that topic was limited to "anime cel collectors". That definition should be officially expanded to "original production cels, sketches, and artwork for animation or comic art from any country".

While other anime sites cater to any random anime fan, we recognize that original artwork and cel collectors are a unique breed. It's not just *a* hobby, it's typically one of the few hobbies that defines you as a person. That being said, we'd like to put all these crazy people where they belong: our website.

Here's how we plan to share the love.

1) Increase community involvement

- Creating "groups" of sites that can focus resources and knowledge towards particular tastes. (Dragonball groups, Sailor Moon groups, Ghibli groups, etc.)
- Exclusive content that reaches beyond just cel galleries. Shared backgrounds are just the first example. We plan to do editorials, weekly columns, articles, and partnerships with other sites.
- Tear down the myth that involvement in our community requires that you create a cel galery. Show that there are other ways one can contribute.
- Nifty Rubberslug gear including shirts and other swag.
- Encouraging more non-anime collectors to join the site and express that our anime fans are not the variety who immediately dismiss non-Japanese animation.
- An ALL-NEW separate site, possibly housed on a different domain, to act as a series of invitation-only galleries where experienced collectors from particular themes can combine choice bits of their collections into one "online museum" display.

2) Increase site utility for individuals

- Better layout engine, complete redesign of site architecture for more speedy upgrades and new feature additions (in progress)
- Relaxing content restrictions to still require that members collect production artwork, but allow them to use RS as a personal website as well. Only original artwork will be counted in search engines and updates. (under consideration)
- Much improved search functions to help you find your favorite series, characters, and collectors.
- Separate update track for non-animation site modules. You can update just your blog and be listed under a different catagory of "recently updated" while reserving the "recently added cels" updates for cel content.
- Sales, limited at first to sponsors and quite possibly opening as a free sales board for any verified member, regardless of whether they have a gallery with us or not.