It’s has been rumored that the alternate history community, as it exists on the Internet, is overly dependent on alternatehistory.com (one single site owned by Ian Montgomerie). Many conversations have ensued on topics from the Gamergate scandal, the 2015 Paris bombing, and concerns over islamophobia and antisemitism. Yet, despite the increase in discussion of these topics, alternate historians have been leaving AH.com to found or to join new sites.
To provide some background, I am a member of several alternate history sites and crosspost my alternate history work to most of them. I am a moderator of the Alternate Timelines Forum, run by Lordroel, and a moderator of Alternate History Online, the largest Facebook group dedicated to alternate history.
As sites like soc.history.whatif, Alternia, and Counterfactual.net have all fallen for one reason or another, alternatehistory.com has become the indisputable titan of alternate history on the internet, with works that often are superior to those of the mainstream. That being said, the site is run by Montgomerie, who rather clearly has his own opinions and is not afraid to use the ban power to keep the site within his particular window. Both conservatives and leftists have complained about unfair treatment.
I feel it is utterly unwise for the ebb and flow of the alternate history community at large to be at the beck and call of one man. The efforts by certain alternate historians to colonize parts of Sufficient Velocity are the right thing to do. We should bolster Facebook groups and subreddits and all sorts of other things. We need to ensure that Montgomerie cannot control the entire community, which is no small task given how he is squatting on the best alternate history site name one could possibly think of.
We need to encourage competition, for more sites will encourage these sites to improve themselves. Lordroel is attempting to bolster his forum with all sorts of features I have not seen on most boards, be they on Xenforo or ProBoards. The Alternate Timelines Forum is, in my opinion, one of the most innovative alternate history forums out there, and it is this sort of innovation that brings people to stay at new sites. There are lists of users on these smaller forums who have not been on in over a year, for the forums, to them, lacked many features to keep them on (this of course does not take those into account who have no option but to frequent smaller sites). Innovation is imperative, therefore, so that there will be more hubs of activity.
