What's Expiring On Netflix Soon?

Welcome to the Discussions & Ideas page for October 2016!

This page is an open forum and catchall for discussing anything about Netflix, this blog, and/or other related topics. Feel free to ask questions, make suggestions, share information, offer opinions, even rant if something is bugging you.

The body of this page will be used to keep everyone updated when there is blog news, and to ask for feedback about improvements/changes/additions, etc. Of course, your participation is always optional and voluntary.

When a particular topic generates a lot of discussion, it will be spun off to its own specific Discussion page. Links to prior discussions are in the sidebar, either under Ongoing Discussions or Other Archives.

Looking Back. . . And Forward
As you've seen on the Home page, we have been in the expirations-on-Netflix business for a whole year. It has been my pleasure to work with all of you over the last 12 months. You are always supportive, sometimes amazing, and an excellent example of what an online community should be - a helpful resource for everyone in it, unfailingly respectful (even when not in agreement), and willing to go the extra mile when needed. I think our best moment came in May, when we learned of the Miramax mass exodus. Together, we produced a comprehensive list that received thousands of hits, in spite of Netflix shutting down the DVD-side expiration notices, and doing their best to minimize the whole thing. They did not know who they were dealing with. ; - )

The ultimate upshot of losing those notices, though, is that it took a bit of wind out of our sails. Whereas we used to offer readers almost a month's notice for all titles, we're now down to two weeks - only a week more than Netflix gives on the streaming site. It's also a lot harder to ferret out expiring movies, although we've been doing pretty well. I have to admit to wondering if it's worth the trouble for only an extra week, but then I find myself checking the list to plan my viewing, and realize how glad I am to have it.

Other aspects of the site are still going strong, too. The "We Recommend" pages offer a lot of help to answer the question, "is there anything worth watching on Netflix?" And the "Discussion" pages are a fountain of information about all things Netflix, as well as a place where we can seek help with problems, and commiserate about them. All of this gives me that warm fuzzy feeling necessary to want to keep it all going.

Between all the updating and upkeep, the blog does take a fair amount of time. Maintaining all the pages is a challenge, but I don't want to give any of them up. I've been thinking of various ways to give myself more time. One possibility is to add new titles to the master list only four or five times a week, instead of every day. I would still do a daily formatting update so everything would be correctly formatted - that takes less than fifteen minutes. Adding titles involves more work. The same goes for the "We Recommend - Expiring Titles" page. I'm also feeling the need for a designated day or two off - after doing the quickie update, I would be unavailable for the rest of the day, so any comments needing attention would have to wait until the next day.

I'll let you know when I decide about all of this, so you'll know exactly what to expect; just wanted to give you a little advance notice.


                                                                                                                                                                             

My goal: A blog that looks polished and feels complete (not giving up on this!), and that offers helpful content for all, without detracting from the sacred mission of giving followers as much lead time as possible to watch expiring titles.

Thanks to the many contributors who share their time, knowledge and expertise to keep the blog interesting, informative, and fresh in a variety of ways. It is truly a collaborative effort, and I'm honored to be part of it.