Saturday 15th of September, 2007:
The Future of the Site:
I started running this site more than five years ago. It started out as a fun hobby and mild obsession that over time grew into something a great deal larger. What began as a few friends frequenting my personal webpage evolved into an active and large audience for an ever-expanding website. I had to ask for help from friends to assist me in the large workloads that were coming through. I'd like to thank these helpers: Hacker, for being the trusty treasurer who has ensured the financial survival of the site; Nurannoniel and Blaze Raptor who, at different times, helped in marketing BWINT merchandise to raise money for it; Wicked Woman, for running the polls; the Beta Readers for their assistance in editing the large amounts of fan fiction and, especially, Miss Special, for running the Fan Art section, setting up and managing the forums and handling the site in my absence. Without the help of these friends (and others who have pitched in over the years) the site wouldn't have survived this long.
BWINT started initially as a teenage hobby and ended up being a very large task. I have enjoyed it for the most part, but over the past year my enthusiasm has ebbed along with my interest. I am still a fan of Beast Wars and thoroughly enjoy being a Transfan, but I am also a person who is moving on with her life and discovering new interests. I am now 21 and starting a three year course at University where I will be channeling my energy into studies, new hobbies and activities that I really want to do, and I simply won't have the time to run the site as I used to. Updating weekly was putting a lot of pressure on me and causing me stress, which in turn began to make running the site a chore and that is why I needed a break. This break gave me time to assess my life and feelings towards keeping the site going.
The reality is that over time I will become distracted with life and end up leaving the site behind - it is inevitable, for all of us grow and change and evolve. I won't, however, take the site down and leave all the Beast Wars fans out there without a home. As long as the donations come in annually, the site will remain up for all to enjoy. There is a great deal of content up; even without constant updates there's plenty to see. As for the immediate future, I plan on updating the site as and when I can. This means that it will no longer be updated weekly as in the past, but more likely once every month or so. Due to the unpredictable nature of these updates, I have decided it best that I take full responsibility for the website, as it will be easier to manage as a whole. I'll be handling all content - fan fiction, fan art and general submissions - over time, updating when it best suits me.
I hope that everyone who visits this site understands my need to progress with my life. I am very grateful for all the support and enthusiasm the fans of Beast Wars have given the site during its life - it has inspired me immensely.
With a little attention now and then I believe the site will survive a while yet, especially if people keep expressing their love and enthusiasm for the show in the site's still-active forums. I am very proud that through a combined effort we have created such a haven for generations of fans of the series.
Sincerely,
Sapphire