As I previously announced, Cancelled Sci Fi has resumed posting on a limited basis as I continue to consider the fate of the site. I will go into more details on the legal action that led to this below, but first I will address where things currently stand. I have considered shutting it down altogether because of some of the risks I am facing, but after fourteen years and so much coverage of sci fi and fantasy television, I hate to go that route. I will continue to put up about three to four posts a week for now (more at the begining of the month), but changes are coming, and I would like to solicite some feedback from those of you who have been following the site (and new readers as well).
The fact is that this type of blogging is becoming more and more of a dinosaur, especially with the AI in search engines these days providing quick, though not very thorough, responses for people looking for the status of a particular show (and often times they grab that from Cancelled Sci Fi without giving me much credit). But people still want to know what is going on with current and upcoming sci fi TV shows, and I have always tried to give as much coverage as possible without posting click-bait type articles. Now it is just a question of what is the best method to keep getting that information out there, if I continue. Below are some directions I am considering, and I am looking for your feedback on those. And if you have other ideas, I am more than willing to consider all possibilites at this point. We have a good, if not too large community here, and I would like to keep that going and possibly even expand on it.
(Note that even if we switch to one or more of the paid options above, most of the current ongoing columns like Cancellation Watch and the Sci Fi TV Listings would remain free.)
What other suggestions do you have for how Cancelled Sci Fi should move forward in the current changing environment? (Include in the comments below.)
As to what has brought me to this point, I previously mentioned a copyright dispute involving some images I used for one of the posts on this site. That matter has now been resolved, though I am limited in what I can say about it. But the experience has caused me to take a much closer look at the copyright risks involved with running a site like Cancelled Sci Fi, particularly when it comes to the use of images from television shows because copyright claims and Fair Use can get complicated rather quickly. Fair Use can apply to certain uses of copyrighted material for purposes such as criticism, commentary, and news reporting, but whether a particular use qualifies depends on the specific circumstances. That creates a difficult situation for independent sites like this one that cover television shows and movies and routinely use images to accompany that coverage.
One of the complications is that determining who actually owns the rights to an image is not always as straightforward as it might seem. A publicity photo associated with a television show, for example, may have been taken by a photographer who retained the copyright, or the rights may be held by another party. That means an image that has circulated around the internet for years and appears to be ordinary promotional material can potentially have copyright issues that are not immediately apparent.
A publisher may believe that the use of an image qualifies as Fair Use, particularly when it accompanies a review, commentary, news report, or analysis. But that does not necessarily prevent the copyright holder from challenging the use. You can potentially defend your position in court, and you may ultimately prevail, but doing so can be time-consuming and very expensive. (For a little better understanding of what I went through, just type “Copyright Trolls” into your favorite search engine.) For a small independent site that generates relatively little revenue, the cost of defending a copyright claim can easily outweigh whatever money the site brings in. There is justice to be had out there, but if you can’t afford it, you’re out of luck.
That is the position I have to consider going forward. Pretty much any third-party image I put on the site carries some degree of risk, while eliminating images altogether creates other problems. Posts generally perform better when they have strong visuals, and images are an important part of presenting and promoting online content. I have spent considerable time reviewing the images currently on the site and removing anything I consider questionable, but that still does not completely eliminate the risk.
And that brings us to where we are now as I decide the future of Cancelled Sci Fi. I have been doing this mostly for the love of the genre, and after fourteen years, I would very much like to continue. But I also don’t want to, nor can I afford to, face a costly copyright challenges, especially when the site currently brings in only minimal revenue. So I have to consider carefully whether the existing model still makes sense, especially in the changing online environment, or whether it is time to take things in a different direction.
That is why I am soliciting feedback and recommendations from those of you who have followed the site over the years, as well as those who may have discovered it more recently. Perhaps the answer is putting more emphasis on the email newsletter. Perhaps it is offering some premium content or putting together a monthly or bi-monthly eMagazine. Or perhaps there is another approach I have not considered yet. It is possible to keep this going in some form, but I need to know that readers are interested in coming along with me. So I ask that you answer the questions above and provide your feedback in the comments below, and perhaps we can come up with something that will work.
I should also note that AxiomsEdgeSciFi.com will be going in a different direction that I am rather excited about, and I will be providing more information on that shortly. As for Cult-SciFi.com, whatever I ultimately determine with this site will likely dictate the fate of that one as well.
It’s hard to offer suggestions only because I don’t know you and/or don’t know your level of commitment, what your internet traffic looks like, etc. I would assume that since you’re asking for suggestions that you want to continue what you’re doing, and that’s really all that matters. I can say that I’m not one who favors subscriber services mostly because I’ve never seen one requiring a fee that I’d continue with for over a few months. I tend to think they get a bit ‘tired’ after a few months (the ones I tried kept re-using content and/or ideas) so I figured what’s the point to paying if I’m not getting something fresh regularly. But if you’ve built a network of like-minded folks, maybe reach out to them directly to see what they might suggest? I know back when I first started building my blog, I’d get all kinds of suggestions from readers; but what they were suggesting almost always seemed to be either cost-prohibitive OR things that were already being done elsewhere that they just weren’t aware of. But I wouldn’t give up if it’s something you love doing. Life is too short to set aside what joys we find in all of this madness.