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Announcement 4/07/2017 DPF "State of the Forum" Address and (Possibility of) DPF 2.0

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Announcement 4/07/2017 DPF "State of the Forum" Address and (Possibility of) DPF 2.0
AvatarAng1 said:
"Age is something that doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese."

-Luis Bunuel


I don't think age should really be a reason for someone to be a moderator lol. However, I do agree that moderators should have a bit of DPF membership time under their belt.





Sent from my SM-G550T using Tapatalk
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agreed- in fact I can speak from personal observance that older mods sometimes let their personal feelings get in the way just as much if not more than the youngin mods that were learning the ropes :lol:

in all seriousness, moderating has nothing to do with age or even experience- i think it comes down to having the time and energy to be present consistently on the forum to handle janitorial work that no one sees, and having a willingness to take direction. The responsibly lies more on the forum team making sure they are trained so that the forum doesn't experience any visible climate changes in conversation enjoyment. And I'm sure the admins will do well as they have been with any necessary additions to the team.
 
I am working on moving old zap threads into the "completed" section of the forum. I finally discovered where the "select all" button is, woo hoo!

And also working with Cicada on having a "completed pin discussion" section of the forum as well so we can move a lot of the old threads.

I am sure Cicada will take all matters into consideration
 
Happy Easter!

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said except you all have been doing a great job with the forum.

I am very happy the forum is free and would be happy to contribute pins to a donation effort (or other Disney items).
 
bookhugger said:
Happy Easter!

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said except you all have been doing a great job with the forum.

I am very happy the forum is free and would be happy to contribute pins to a donation effort (or other Disney items).
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The forum will always be free to join/read/post. Forum support/donations will simply be to keep the forum running smoothly with regular updates and hosting costs. Just trying to figure out the way that's most amendable to the members here, and least impactful to the community.

during the transition, it may be down for some time, as I'll have to set aside a weekend to do the upgrade(s) once I can figure out a way to at least get the initial $600 or so together to purchase the new forum software and get it set up. From there, it'll be another $250-500 or so for some add-on features (which require purchasing a license from whoever wrote the add-on), and then from there it's mostly hosting costs to the tune of about $3000/year.
 
For the subscription option, I think having that as a way to support the site would be a great idea. Personally I would prefer if any subscription option would not auto-renew. For example, let me buy a one month subscription, then at the end of the subscription, ask me if I want to renew for another month (or whatever the options may be - 3 months, 6 months, 1 year? Lifetime subscription?) or just let it expire.

As for what perks I'd like...really all that comes to mind is increased mailbox space.

Matty mentioned about private messaging and how following conversations is difficult, I agree and am pleased to hear newer software would solve this. Does the newer forum software allow for 'pinging' users? Like on Facebook where you '@' someone's name? That's something I might like to see but am unsure if it could be implemented - of course, giving folks the option to turn off notifications from pinging would then be a must.

A donate option for those who don't like subscriptions would be another excellent idea, probably via PayPal. Other ways to donate could be the 'pin-drives' and such but I've never participated in any 'drive' so not sure how they work.
 
DoomScarf said:
For the subscription option, I think having that as a way to support the site would be a great idea. Personally I would prefer if any subscription option would not auto-renew. For example, let me buy a one month subscription, then at the end of the subscription, ask me if I want to renew for another month (or whatever the options may be - 3 months, 6 months, 1 year? Lifetime subscription?) or just let it expire.

As for what perks I'd like...really all that comes to mind is increased mailbox space.

Matty mentioned about private messaging and how following conversations is difficult, I agree and am pleased to hear newer software would solve this. Does the newer forum software allow for 'pinging' users? Like on Facebook where you '@' someone's name? That's something I might like to see but am unsure if it could be implemented - of course, giving folks the option to turn off notifications from pinging would then be a must.

A donate option for those who don't like subscriptions would be another excellent idea, probably via PayPal. Other ways to donate could be the 'pin-drives' and such but I've never participated in any 'drive' so not sure how they work.
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Yes, mentions (@) are supported in the new software I'm looking at for the forum.

It seems everyone is amenable to donations, so I'll likely setup a donate link/button for paypal soon, at least, as bookhugger mentioned, to cover the initial cost of switching over to new forum software.
 
I would like to help but I don't have PayPal so would have to just donate pins that's the only way I can help I'm sure I'm not the only one that doesn't have PayPal that's on here that would like to help
 
First of all, I want to thank you for all of the time, effort, and money you have put into this site so we may partake! I really enjoy it and am happy to have the privilege of using it.

I would be willing to donate in any of the ways mentioned (membership fee, pins, donation). Perhaps taking a survey of preferences would help in the decision making? Also, maybe a "store" link could be added to sell or auction merchandise to raise funds (that is purchased or donated - we have many talented artists on here who produce beautiful drawings, crafts, etc... if they are unable to donate cash or pins, they may wish to contribute in this way), or every time a certain donation goal amount is achieved some type of bonus is awarded (free raffle for all who contributed), or have a day (or days) where people could throw out a donation challenge (i.e. I throw out a $50 challenge and everybody who donates to match it is entered into my pin raffle).

I don't believe I have anything to add as far as different things I'd like to see as I believe they have been covered already. The only problem I have is with posting pictures. Apparently I'm not computer literate enough to nail this process down, so anything that can be done to make it easier would be appreciated:)
 
Cicada said:
Yes, mentions (@) are supported in the new software I'm looking at for the forum.

It seems everyone is amenable to donations, so I'll likely setup a donate link/button for paypal soon, at least, as bookhugger mentioned, to cover the initial cost of switching over to new forum software.
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I seem to remember that, centuries ago, Dizpins would do an annual fundraising drive to collect the necessary costs for operating the site. I don't recall if these fundraising efforts were a joint venture with PinPics, but I do know that the cost of running both sites was extremely expensive. I don't know how much money the annual fundraisers generated, but apparently it was enough to keep Dizpins running; this might be something we can try here.

Maybe try posting a poll to see preferred means of generating donations? See how many people would prefer outright contributing money vs donating items to sell on eBay, etc?
 
dancecats said:
I seem to remember that, centuries ago, Dizpins would do an annual fundraising drive to collect the necessary costs for operating the site. I don't recall if these fundraising efforts were a joint venture with PinPics, but I do know that the cost of running both sites was extremely expensive. I don't know how much money the annual fundraisers generated, but apparently it was enough to keep Dizpins running; this might be something we can try here.

Maybe try posting a poll to see preferred means of generating donations? See how many people would prefer outright contributing money vs donating items to sell on eBay, etc?
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I do remember that RE: DizPins; The running costs of the site have ramped up over the years, simply because more server resources are needed, and while hosting options have gotten cheaper, having dedicated servers (or at least VPS's, which I use here) for the forum to keep it running quickly means having to use relatively expensive VPS's (virtual private servers) -- previously, costs would have been even higher with "dedicated" servers — actual, physical servers. So the costs aren't as insane as they once were, but still, roughly $3000/year is a bit more than I can handle currently (which still has plenty of space for growth, so I don't forsee ever needing a more expensive plan or setup for this forum).
 
ksnuggles said:
I will gladly donate to keep this site running.. I love this site.
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:bigthumb: Yup! I know I dont post much, but this place is my safe-haven. I LOVE looking at all the pins/boards/pics/home-made-items/ect... Everyone is just so amazing and nice! I would gladly donate or "pay" in some way to continue things here.
 
unibear said:
In terms of the funding, I wonder if we might do the pin donation fund drive we did a few years back. It was great fun. I forgot who ran it, but after it was over I was surprised we never had another one. Perhaps a yearly fund drive.

For those who weren't here for it, I think it went like this. There was a call for pin donations from the members, sent in to the person who was coordinating it. After they were collected, pictures were posted (three different ones, if I recall) with 40-50 pins each (??). Then, members of the community bought a "spot" in the three pictures for $X each (honestly, I don't remember the price, but it was about $50?? maybe??). Then a random number generator was set up, people picked their pins, and they were mailed out. I remember buying about 5 spots I think, and I got some wonderful pins.

Anybody else remember this? Perhaps you could share what you remembered and fix my errors? At the time, I got the feeling that everybody really liked this version of a fund drive, because it was all about PINS!!!
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This sounds freaking amazing and I would love to both donate some pins for it and buy slots! It's basically a pin game like the ones we have been doing here right along, except using the donated pins, and the proceeds all go to the forum? Count me in!

DoomScarf said:
For the subscription option, I think having that as a way to support the site would be a great idea. Personally I would prefer if any subscription option would not auto-renew. For example, let me buy a one month subscription, then at the end of the subscription, ask me if I want to renew for another month (or whatever the options may be - 3 months, 6 months, 1 year? Lifetime subscription?) or just let it expire.
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I agree with this as well ~ I am always worried I will forget about auto-renewed subscriptions, so I tend to never use them myself. Pair that with the fact some people like me tend to have spurts of activity over the span of a few months and then disappear due to life circumstances or being burnt out (or their wallets being burnt out, even) for a few more, then come back randomly. It would be nice to just pay as you go for a month or more at a time and not have to worry about auto-renewals. I definitely want to be a subscriber though!

In any case I'm happy to hear that this place might be getting an update soon! Looking forward to hearing more about it!
 
I would gladly pay a yearly fee (if it comes with some enhanced services, all the better but not necessary).

As for mods, I'm back after a lengthy absence and, although I don't spend as much time here as I once did, I'm prepared to start moderating again - I just need to be added to whichever forums you'd like me to moderate.

Goofy Moe ran the pin game a few years ago to raise money, and it was a monstrous undertaking. I helped a tiny bit, to coordinate people's picks at the end, and it was just huge. I think it was pretty successful, but not many people would have the time to run something that big. Maybe someone is willing to run occasional smaller versions? Ideally it should be someone in the U.S., to save on shipping, with satellite assistants in Europe and Canada. If anyone wants more info on how Moe's game worked, let me know.
 
Thank you for all you have done with the Forum. I have been not an active vocal user, but I do stalk on a weekly basis. I don't really have any suggested improvements. The only thing I could think of is a better interface for people to view the forum from their iPhone or other phone.

I recall the fundraiser last time and that was a great idea. Another thought is setting up a Patron site for people to donate on a regular automatic schedule. I would all for that to help keep the site up and running.
 
Cheshirecat26 said:
Thank you for all you have done with the Forum. I have been not an active vocal user, but I do stalk on a weekly basis. I don't really have any suggested improvements. The only thing I could think of is a better interface for people to view the forum from their iPhone or other phone.

I recall the fundraiser last time and that was a great idea. Another thought is setting up a Patron site for people to donate on a regular automatic schedule. I would all for that to help keep the site up and running.
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a Pateron is also a good suggestion!
 
bookhugger said:
Ok. So maybe we should start a donation effort to get $1100?
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I think this would be the easiest, logical first step, and figure out covering hosting costs from there. $1100 would cover the license for the new forum software, plus any add-ons that may be necessary, and may even cover a month of hosting.

If donations are something we might be able to get going, I can see about setting that up via paypal/venmo, or even gofundme (though they do take a small percentage/processing fees there).

We also don't need to be limited to any single platform, so any way that any members are able to donate, they will be able to do so.
 
I'm open to a subscription or whatever it takes to keep DPF running. I haven't been very active lately, but I love it here and I will gladly do my part to keep it going. I remember that fundraising game a few years ago and I would love to participate if that happens again. I would definitely pay for more mailbox space too, if that becomes an option. Another idea that could maybe raise some funds would be allowing members to pay for the opportunity to advertise their businesses or art/crafts for sale in a special thread or forum section as a way of sponsoring DPF.
 
If they don't, I'll donate through there. If they do, I'd rather donate via a direct PayPal link? You might consider setting up a separate PayPal account/address specifically for DPF?
 
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