[ADVERT] Cross-Federation Partnership

[Deleted]

Hello Handlers of Pure Class Wrestling!

My name is Greg Nicholson and I’m the Public Relations Officer over at SHOOT Project (most people call me “G”). We’ve been running since 2001 and have results up on our website that show as much, so we’ve been around for a while and have a pretty strong base.

The reason why I’m here on your boards, with permission from Luis Malave, is that we are looking to start some partnerships with feds that we feel are strong and share a lot of the same ideals that we do (Rewarding handlers for their work, working together to put out a great show, making sure everyone has fun and a great out of character atmosphere to make people hang around). When I got the link from Dave Horadan (Tanya Black/Ragonus) and saw that Dan Ladnier (Crazy Boy) was active, as well as MONROE™, who had a cup of tea in SHOOT Project, I knew that there were a lot of quality handlers and story tellers. The forum itself is something that I could see myself calling home, so I knew that this would be the place to extend our first offer to, and Luis and all of us at SHOOT Project want to have your feedback before anything takes off.

I understand that there might be some hesitation to partnerships; a lot of people might even be opposed to them because of past experiences and that’s totally understandable. In today’s eWrestling (henceforth “eW”), there are a lot of negative connotations in regards to inter-fed relationships. What SHOOT Project is proposing isn’t an inter-fed. All that we are searching for is a link exchange with 88x31px graphics with the OPPORTUNITY for cross-fed (not inter-fed) matches.

What does SHOOT Project see as cross-fed as opposed to inter-fed? Inter-feds are set up events that are dedicated to having federations represented by wrestlers, with their own titles and their own storylines. That’s not what we’re looking for at this time, if ever. What we want is the ability to have handlers pair up with other handlers from other feds for storylines that bring more eyes to each federation, without it becoming something that takes time from either fed’s running. It’s kind of confusing at this point and I’m apparently horrible at describing it, but more or less it just gives handlers the opportunity to work with other handlers they might not have if this partnership didn’t exist. It keeps handlers in feds, lets handlers see how other feds work, etc.

We don’t want you to feel like we’re forcing cross-fed matches on people; again, that’s not the case at all. Just giving you the opportunity to take part in such if the desire passes. What we’re hoping for is that our exchanging of links will bring more eyes than we had before, for everyone involved. In short, more people are going to become fans of your writing.

What can SHOOT Project bring to you? For a while now, we’ve functioned as our own circle; an island unto itself with a few people breaking through our invisibility cloak and joining us. That’s not to say that we don’t like new blood; just that we didn’t really promote ourselves much. Lately, we’ve made a push to get our name out and in the open and have been fairly successful at it. Within a few months of listing on RoughKut, we were elevated to the RoughKut Top 10. That’s an accomplishment that we are extremely proud of. RoughKut is arguably the most well-known database site for the eW hobby, with hundreds of efed listings, and within a few months of our establishment, Kut saw us as one of his Top 10 feds (he doesn’t rank the Top 10). As such, you’ll be partnering with a great fed that is highly thought of in the eW world.

Also, we have been on two “radio” shows based on the eW hobby in Ben Halkum’s “The Shoot” and Tom Ford’s E-Fed Guerrilla show. Our name is out there and we have been given the seal of approval by both parties. Links for these shows can be provided if you want them. We have our own “radio” shows in Shots in the Dark, which is done by our two fed-heads, and Blacklists and Blue Balls, which is done by the third admin and me.

Apologies if this is coming off conceited. What I’m trying to establish is that SHOOT Project is strong, and sturdy, and growing. I hope that Ladnier can vouch for that, as well.

As highly as I think of SHOOT Project, I think that PCW is on that level as well. We don’t want to partner with the previously mention types of feds, either, so we’re hoping that our similarities will give cause to a partnership that is both mutually beneficial, exciting and, hopefully, fun for all the parties.

As a token of our sincerity, Josh Johnson, one of the fed heads at SHOOT Project, is extending the offer of donating website hosting space. Josh has said that he’s got a ton of space to hand out because his family owns a lot, and he’s willing to design a website for PCW for a heavily reduced rate than what he normally charges – if you would need help. Judging by the graphics board on the forum, we doubt you will, but still, something that Josh has said you have if you want to take it.

Obviously, there are a lot of details that I glossed over or omitted. If you have any questions, I’ll be able to answer them on the forum, or on any of the messenger services. I would love to discuss with you all, as that’s my job in SHOOT Project and my passion in the real world.

Regards,
Greg Nicholson

[A Ghost in the Wind]

As Greg mentioned earlier, I gave him permission to post.

Reading over his proposal, there are a few things that I personally liked; I appreciated the professionalism he was able to convey through the offer. Even for a game that we all know we don't get paid for, it's always a nice touch for someone to use a bit of seriousness in the game we come to play. So thank you for that, Greg.

I also liked the idea of a working relationship. If anyone has known me for a while, or has been in PCW for a while, they'd know I am not usually a fan of interfeds. I've been offered spots in numerous iFeds, and for one reason or the next, I always turn them down. I do NOT like being told what titles we can have, what other shows we have to write for, and having others who aren't apart of our fed critique us as if they're actively participating in the fed.

What SHOOT is offering ISN'T an iFed opportunity.

It's an opportunity, at the very least, to link exchange. And, as long as both feds are being given the same advertising of one another's links, there's no real loss. The only concern I have is, like any place that showcases another, would we possibly lose members that might find SHOOT a more enticing place? Not that I'm complaining about our graphics, or our features, or any of that, but I'd be lying if I didn't say SHOOT looked pretty.

SHOOT has a simple and clean website, and that simple and clean website trumps our lack of one. Potential new recruits might be more inclined to go to SHOOT instead of stay with PCW. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe it's not. I'm unsure of at this time. I just know I'm not interested in losing potential.

All in all though, I think bringing PCW into a relationship with another fed might still be beneficial, especially if done right. Special Attraction matches could help both sides if done properly. Sharing news can help generate interest and create new fans. Fans who might one day find themselves interested in the PCW product.

As always though, before any 'major' decision is made, I like to get the input from our handlers. Do you think we should open ourselves up to cross-promotional matches and material? Or do you think we should keep ourselves a tight-knit, closed off community? Let your voices (err, or at least words) be heard (...uhm, read).

[Loki]

Will there be punch and pie?

[Deleted]

You're the first to respond to the invitation, you decide what the hors d'oeuvres are, broham.

Probably have to have a non-alcoholic punch bowl to go with the spiked punch bowl.

Oh, and pizza, too.

[Mr. Showtime]

Mar 1, 2013 17:29:37 GMT -5 Loki said:

Will there be punch and pie?

HEY get your own question

[Non Compos Mentis]

I don't see the negative side here. We get publicity and the potential originality of having new guys around occasionally, and we get to mingle with the neighbours too.

You don't HAVE to have a cross-promotion match, nobody's forcing you, so where's the issue? If you want one, go nuts, if you don't, fine. Your choice. I know I'd certainly be willing.

I actually looked at SHOOT a while back (before PCW's revival and I was on efedding hiatus) and it impressed me, but due to time constraints I didn't dig too deep. I also know the aforementioned Tanya Black from my time in NLCW and the handler's a cool dude, wouldn't be surprised if that link originally got given to him by me, haha. I'd be interested to see what Crazy Boy thinks about this since he's got more experience with the fed, but it looks like a great place that could be beneficial to us.

[Loki]

Mar 1, 2013 17:35:08 GMT -5 Mr. Showtime said:

Mar 1, 2013 17:29:37 GMT -5 Loki said:

Will there be punch and pie?

HEY get your own question

Fuck you, I asked it first!

[Andy D]

I want to start this off by saying I have never been a part of Shoot at any time in my E-fed career. I have, however, known of the place for many years, and I've known a fair number of people who have (and possibly are currently) competed there. I'd also like to state that these are just some of my personal thoughts on this whole idea, and can be ignored by anybody if they so wish

I do not wish to offend anybody when I mention this, but some of these people I have known have had good experiances in Shoot, some of them have not. Whether than has been thier problem with the place or if it was just a dark period with the managment, I could not in anyway say. Of course, PCW has had some problems with people in the past, and from thier perspective it could be seen as people who have had really bad experiances with PCW and the Management, so without personal experiance this whole bit becomes just something to consider with a grain of salt.

On to what's on offer. In theory, a link exchange doesnt hurt anybody. Your guys know about this place, ours know about your place, and if any of them have the time to work in both they may do just that. Anybody looking for a new challenge may find it easier knowing that there is a credible place that you dont have to search for, all the while knowing you've still got a spot 'back home' when your ready for it.

As Luis said though, the risk is mainly for new tallent. I'm pretty confident that a large amount of our current roster wouldnt run off to Shoot just because they had a website, but that could be something that does attract newer people. I know from personal experiance that when you're looking at a new fed to join up, if they link to other feds your more likely to check those places out as well.

If I also read that right, Special Attraction matches and Cross Over storylines would be available to both places. The latter interests me a bit, if Comics and TV shows can cross over with each other, the storyline flowing from one to the other and sometimes back again, why cant we do stuff like that. And there's so much potential in that idea, beyond just 'I'm better than you' kind of storyline. The ability to pull it off though would not only be with the handlers involved, but the fed heads of two federations in order to make it a success, and even then, if nobody follows the action from one place to another then there may be little point in the idea other than complete self induldgence.


The idea beyond just posting a 'If you like us, check out these as well' link is interesting I'll admit, not fully sure on exactly what benifits or negatives we'd receive as a result (and to be honest I dont think we could guess on either front, we'd just discover it along the way). I know Luis mentioned how he hated people not part of the fed critiquing the place, but I personally think we could do with a few more people checking out the shows and the tallent and giving feedback, even if they're not active around here.

At the end of the day, this idea is like the econemy - you know you have to make a decision what to do, you can arguee all day and night over which idea is better, but you'll never know until actually follow one course through.

[Tyrone "Crazy Boy" Smith]

being a member of SHOOT for a long time (along with a lot of the handlers were in Legacy with me before joining SHOOT), I can personally vouch that the place is pretty damn good and I think a partnership could work out.

[Deleted]

Like I said in the first topic, I'm trolling this thread for questions. I don't want to respond to concerns because it feels like I'm disallowing them, which isn't the case at all. But I'll be sure to respond to direct questions as soon as possible to continue the conversation.

2Guys, your name and AIM name sounds familiar. What feds were you in before?

[Andy D]

You probably know it from NAFW, you might know the name form a few interfed tournaments the NAFW, Shoot and i think it was OPW did back in the day... as i said, i know a few people who've been through your doors

[Stormm]

I'm not actively participating in PCW at the moment. I've been on leave for several months now for a number of things. That aside, I've always been a fan of eFed partnerships as well as iFed communities.

Honestly, if I had more time on my hands these days, PCW WOULD have an updated website and I would have actually gotten to work on that new forums design/layout as well, plain and simple. But that's just the thing, time.

Nevertheless, as an inactive member of PCW these days, I'll leave my vote out for the time being... But I just wanted to pop in here and say that I support the fundamental idea behind it all.

[Deleted]

Mar 1, 2013 18:11:47 GMT -5 Andy D said:

You probably know it from NAFW, you might know the name form a few interfed tournaments the NAFW, Shoot and i think it was OPW did back in the day... as i said, i know a few people who've been through your doors

Yessir. I was in NAFW for a match or something. Rich Brown is taking a break from SHOOT Project. Thorodund (sp), too.

I knew that was familiar, glad that was taken care of. I might have you added to one of my messenger names.

Also, here's the contact information for our fed-heads as well. Any of these people would be great to talk to if you have questions as well:

-Brandon Hughes
AIM: queencityking722
-Josh Johnson
AIM: projectreal1ty
-Will Santa
AIM: thewillhelm122

Our website is SHOOT Project.

[Ace Anderson]

I've been a member of PCW for my entire e-fedding career and never had a reason to look elsewhere. As such I'm fairly in tune with PCW's course and realize we've never tried/had to extend our roots outward, at least not very much. We've always got by through personal connections and chance encounters which, for the most part, improved our product.

That said, this could very well be another one of those connections/encounters that takes our product to the next level. To my knowledge we've never 'networked' through traditional e-fedding channels, and some might say it's allowed for a level of quality control while others might say it's led to, as Greg said, an 'island unto ourselves' mentality. We have a very specific way of doing things around here, as I'm sure SHOOT does as well, and opening up that process could allow for both improvements and increased activity.

From my very limited time spent on the SHOOT website and boards since seeing this thread I've started to wonder if we don't have very different styles at base, which reduces my worry about handlers 'leaving' PCW for SHOOT, or potentials choosing SHOOT over PCW. It does, however, make the prospect of 'cross-fed' matches very interesting. Either way, any serious potential handler willing to look both feds over would take their own style into consideration and choose which fed befits them. Just opening the door both ways would surely be enough to benefit both feds.

To Luis's point about SHOOT's site, while it's true their site is clean and professional, I also feel that our boards are top notch. Anybody gaining access to our forum will quickly see our organization and lay-out for what it is, not to mention the volumes spoken by our archives.

At the very least, if any part of this ends up not working, it's not out of the question to cut the ties and go about our business. If the PCW community accepts this opportunity, I'd love nothing more than for it to go swimmingly. That said, personalities can clash and this game is built on pride and competitive passion. From this end I can say that we're welcoming yet constructively critical, supportive yet outspoken. If it works, we'll be all over it. If it doesn't, we'll be quick to voice our displeasure. Even so, there's no reason I can see why it wouldn't work.

It'd be great to get a chance to speak to and work with new handlers as well as to spread the word about our fed. PCW's been a bit of a secret for a while, why not lift the veil in some respect? It's worth a try.

[Ace Anderson]

Oh, questions! I have a few.

How many active handlers are in SHOOT?

What is your process for writing results? How would you factor this for a cross-fed event?

What criteria determines match winners? How would you factor this for a cross-fed event?

Do your fed-heads have different roles or do they run the fed as a 'collective' of sorts?

Do you have roleplaying requirements or limitations?

If any of these questions cannot be answered right away, no worries. Considering I have no experience of SHOOT, unlike some of the handlers here, I wouldn't mind a general idea of how goes it.

[Deleted]

How many active handlers are in SHOOT?

Last count was 32 handlers, 47 characters.

What is your process for writing results? How would you factor this for a cross-fed event?

Handlers write full matches. All of our results are archived on the main site. We did lose results from 2003-2005 or so in a server transfer, we were not closed at that time. 100 Words = 1 Minute. Matches have varying lengths between 10-15 minutes for small matches, up to 25-30 for main event matches. Matches can go over, but prefer not to go under the time bracket assigned.

For cross fed matches, this would be up to the handlers in the match. All of us at SHOOT Project are very relaxed, and this could be determined at the time of the match. SHOOT Project handlers usually write matches for feuds they're heavily involved in, either as handlers or readers, and would hope the same would be used for Cross-Fed matches.

What criteria determines match winners? How would you factor this for a cross-fed event?

This is a great question, so thank you for asking it. We just recently left an interfed because we felt like the judging for the match was atrocious, so we definitely want to make sure all this taken care of. This would be something we all sit down and agree to, in terms of who judges. Speaking from past conversations, SHOOT Project wants to have ALL FEDS involved in the match involved in judging. We want to make sure it's as fair as possible. We're not opposed to having angled matches, either, so if that's what you want to do, do it.

Again, this could be something that is determined at the time.

Do your fed-heads have different roles or do they run the fed as a 'collective' of sorts?

Our three fed-heads are all involved in storylines, bookings, results, judging, etc. It is a collective, they all judge and discuss roleplays. Josh is the webmaster and has his hands in everything, Brandon works extensively with storylines, the tag team division and just being an all around badass with great ideas, and Will...well, Will's cool too (I hope he doesn't read this, haha). No, Will is a phenomenal match writer and picks up a lot of slack where ever he can. He's a great guy that makes everyone better, on top of the judging, booking etc he does.

Do you have roleplaying requirements or limitations?

Our requirements are just a 2RP maximum. Other than that, by reading some of the boards so far, don't kill an entire family including the baby in a fire and we'll be good to go.

Just keep it kosher. Luis said that PCW is full of old souls, and SHOOT Project is definitely one in the same. I think our youngest handler is still over 20 years old. Myself and a handful of other handlers have children, a lot of people are married or engaged or steadily dating. We're all adults, we know what goes into RPs good stories.

If you have any other questions, let me know!

[Ace Anderson]

Haha we promise not to Park your place up.

Thanks for answering my questions!

Also, holy shizz that's a lot of characters.

[Deleted]

Yeah, we definitely have a lot of characters. We're opening up a second show after our next Pay-Per-View to handle everyone. We do have a number of tag teams so that number comes down in terms of matches on the shows, but people do get breaks, as well.

[Ace Anderson]

Out of curiosity, how many handlers would you say advertising on RoughKut brought to the fed?

[Deleted]

Mar 1, 2013 19:58:38 GMT -5 Ace Anderson said:

Out of curiosity, how many handlers would you say advertising on RoughKut brought to the fed?

I can't recall from past RK times, but in our last big push I believe nine are still active and three or more have flaked out