Fred LeBlanc is the mastermind behind one of the most interesting writing projects on the web. Concentricus is more than a webzine, more than a messageboard, and more than a community, while succeeding as all three. And though LeBlanc is an occasional contributor, it is quickly apparent that Concentricus is about the writing community he's helped create, rather than self-promotion. LeBlanc spoke with us about the magazine's growth, changes, and the power of community.
JAKE Magazine: What is the purpose of 'Concentricus'? What led you to combine the ideas of a webzine and an online support/critique group?
Fred LeBlanc: Concentricus is an ezine (or 'webzine'... whatever) for amateur writers. The site really serves two purposes, only one of which is really being hit right now: 1) get good writers a bigger audience and 2) give something different and new for people to read. We're kind of hitting the first one, and we're working on the second.
JM: I'm interested to hear more about this, because it seems like the second purpose is doing pretty well too. Whenever I've logged on, I'm offered both the latest issue, along with a number of articles I haven't read/voted on in a side bar. That's not to mention that, as of this writing, you're up to 32 issues, which is quite a bit of material. How do you envision the second purpose being met in ways that it currently isn't?
FL: Well, perhaps I was being a bit modest. There are over 760 pieces available for people to read (the number grows every two weeks), and we do try to get you new things all of the time.
I guess I really just meant we need more people to read what these writers are writing. The only way to get more people interested is to create something unique, and that's just part of the never-ending process of development.
JM: How has the site grown since you began?
FL: Things are a lot different today than when we started back in February,
02. Back in the old days the site was just an open zine for people to come and go and they please. Today, it's a full-featured site with user registration, community forums, reviews, messaging, profiles and more ways for people to interact with each other.
Before the current version of the site there was no way to know how many different people were actually interested in such a site. Now with user registration and such we can put more of a number on things, and it's easier to track our progress forward.
JM: What is your role within 'Concentricus'? Do you edit the content, or do you work strictly on maintaining the site?
FL: I do both, but it's probably 80% site building and 20% content these days, which I think is great. The only reason I started the site was me needing a place to practice PHP. I wanted to learn it, and thought that a real-life application would be the best use of it.
Eventually MySQL was brought into things and things are much more efficient now than they've ever been (and the next version will be even better).
JM: What was the selection of an editorial staff like? Are these people you've met through the site?
FL: Luckily for me, filling the position of editor has never been tough. We currently have five editors (or six if you count me... I generally don't). Stephen I've known since early elementary school and is the brutally honest voice that can drive things forward. Nick (mind_of_neeko on the site) is a fellow Web developer that I met in college. We've been friends for five or six years now. Both have been involved since the very first issue back on 02/02/02.
The other three (Kristin, movieguy and Gonsopher) I met through the Website (or through a friend of someone on the Website in one case). I generally talk about t them in their usernames since I've never 'formally' met them. Maybe someday. Anyway, Kristin was one of the site's first fans and was our second ever feature (with her story The Long Shower). Movieguy is our poetry master and resident movie reviewer, which he's quite good at by the way. And our newest editor Gonsopher is one of the first few users from this version. He took over a couple months ago when another editor stepped down. He's got a great attitude, knows his stuff, and is a great writer.
As for selecting people, I just pick the best person that is interested
at the time I need another editor. Simple as that.
JM: Where did your interest in webzines come from? Have you worked on other sites similar to 'Concentricus'?
FL: My interest in webzines comes from the fact that I know nothing about webzines. I've never read other webzines, I don't want to know what the cool things are, I just what I think a webzine should be and see what happens. While this is seemingly quite a risk, there's no risk at all because ultimately there is nothing to lose. It's also fun because a lot of the stuff is completely new to me (even if others have thought of it before). There's joy in tackling something you've never really thought about doing.
I'm a "professional" Web developer by day, so I build a lot of sites, none of which really represent Concentricus on the outside, but there are a lot of internal workings that parallel one another.
I'm not sure if what I'm doing is right, but more importantly I don't let that bother me. The people on Concentricus are very truthful, and I'll generally listen to the crowd if they make good enough points. Imagine Ouija board type movement.
JM: 'Concentricus' is unique in that members can contribute writing (in a number of genres, I should add), review each other's work, and participate on the message boards. JAKE has profiled quite a few webzines on the blog, but I can't think of any other than combined these aspects on a single site. Do you think this meets a need writers have to both share work and form a community?
FL: There is much debate on this, and where Concentricus goes from here. Version four (the latest version) is by far the most community-oriented of all the versions. There are some things that I like about it, for example for such a small site to have such an active message board is way beyond me.
And then again, there are other things that I don't like about it. The site IS an ezine, and right now it doesn't seem to have that feel completely. I've got a whole bunch of changes for version five to push the site more in the 'zine direction while still keeping the tightness of the group (AND while expanding to more and more members).
JM: Relating to the previous question, have you had difficulty with members making less than helpful comments? Internet forums are notorious for anonymous slander. Has this ever threatened the community?
FL: There is always the problem with deviance, but thus is the nature of people. If there were no laws and rules we would tear ourselves apart. I try to keep as few rules around the site as possible because I believe that people (especially the creative) NEED a place to let go and express themselves. That being said, I have to make sure that they don't destroy things for anyone else.
At first there was a bit of a problem, but I think anything that comes up now is self-correcting due to the tightness of the group. We don't advertise the site, everything happens by word-of-mouth, and this means slow but steady growth. If anyone tries to pull some crap, the general crowd will not stand for it. (Which is very cool.)
Otherwise, having a user-registration system has really helped the site out. Whereas before anyone could vote anywhere as many times as they wanted, to the more recent "1 vote per article per session" to the current "1 vote per article per user," things have improved to a more accurate reflection of what people think.
People don't quite know how to use the review tool, but that's OK because it's going away for something else.
Nothing but laziness or disinterest from myself has ever threatened the community really. I think this is a result of all the members who although can be tough in their judgments are really good people making the site how they want.
JM: What is your ultimate goal for Concentricus? Would you like to see a site that sustains itself, or would you like to move into other media?
FL: I think right now there really isn't a goal for Concentricus. I also think that answer bothers a bunch of people. Some want to see the site become huge, others want it to be their close-knit little community, but I really just don't know. That part isn't important to me.
The site, to me, is still about building things and learning PHP in a practical real-world type place. While it is fun that I ended up building a real-world type place, this dominant drive for working on the site is still just practicing development.
(It's also good for me in the job interview arena. Concentricus was a huge reason for getting hired at my current job, and will probably play a role in future interviews.)
I used to think about moving into other media (sound at one point, pictures at another), but I think there's enough writing to make the world of Concentricus go 'round. I'll consider moving into those other areas once I've perfected the writing side of it (and that probably won't be for a long time).
JM: Any new format developments or changes on the way? Where do you go from here?
FL: A complete redesign is in the works, as well as a complete change for the entire site. This was scheduled to go out last July, and then kept getting pushed back. I've been working hard on things and won't release the new version until it's done, but it will be a giant leap forward.
A couple new features: a new system instead of 'reviews', 1024x768 instead of 800x600, Fan Clubs, completely redone navigation (now simplified), literary parties, a whole new version of the message boards, and a much better alert system to keep you at the front of communication with other members.
I have a ton of ideas but limited time to build things, so I'd say its safe to assume that Concentricus will continue to grow feature-wise, it's just up to the members to keep things interesting content wise.
--Fred LeBlanc's webzine can be found at Concentricus.com.