Interview: Michael Lee "Gan" Day

Editor's Note: This is the last (for now) guest interview from Alexander "SpanishSpy" Wallace. Today he talks with Michael Lee "Gan" Day, administrator and founder of Endless Worlds (a.k.a. Other History). Check out their conversation below.

Alexander Wallace: What made you want to found a new alternate history forum? 

Michael Lee Day: At first it was to ensure that there was something besides AlternateHistory.com for Alternate History, as well as taking advantage of the fact that the only other major Alternate History (CounterFactual.net) decided to close its doors.

AW: You have recently announced a restructuring for your board; what are the ultimate goals?

MLD: I have ultimately shelved that idea, in favor a better one. Keep an eye out for the announcements.

AW: My understanding is that you are intending to expand the scope of your forum beyond alternate history; what is the impetus for this, and how do you plan to go about it?

MLD: I would like to create a forum centered on world building, since I'm working on several fictional worlds myself at the moment. My original plan was to convert this into a world building forum, but I felt the transition process would damage the community.

AW: How will you encourage those who might otherwise be primarily on AlternateHistory.com to stay on your site? 

MLD: Mainly a more lenient, more defined, rule system.

AW: How will you encourage a sense of community on your site distinct from that of AlternateHistory.com?

MLD: The above, along with better organization (separating discussion threads from timelines for one). Of course, being active on AlternateHistory.com myself will make this difficult.

AW: How will you encourage writers and promote creativity on your site? 

MLD: Again, I am counting on a more organized forum to encourage writers.

AW: What do you think the future of online alternate history will be? Will AlternateHistory.com continue its dominance, or will the community fracture? 

MLD: I do see AlternateHistory.com's dominance for years to come, unless Ian decides to pull the plug. Although, I can see there's already quite a few displeased with how AlternateHistory.com is run these days

AW: Do you think that the alternate history community will leave forums for other types of sites?

MLD: I doubt it completely. While discussions can work well on sites like Facebook or Twitter, I have trouble seeing things like timelines and other creative projects doing the same.