unforum

[Pixiestix]

[Broklynite]

[Pixiestix]

[SpaceBass]

I could envision this swag trading thing as an escrow service where two people who have agreed to a trade send their items to uF and uF holds them until both arrive, then swaps and sends them along, or returns one if the other trader did not follow through. However, I don't think this would be cost-effective for most traders as they would need to pay double the shipping costs, once to get the item to uF and again to get it from uF to the other trader (or to get their own item back in the case of a failed trade). I kind of doubt this service would only be worth a buck at a time, too. Perhaps a great idea whose time has not yet come?

[Broklynite]

[Broklynite]

[Broklynite]

Just a thought, but what about a voluntary subscription? Rock Paper Shotgun has one, where users pay 2 bucks a month to help support the website. I have no idea how they deal with paypal fees, but I think many of us would be happy to do something like that, where it is a small amount automatically paid every month. It's kind of a pain in the butt for someone to go through paypal all the time to transfer money, but setting it up to automatically happen has a certain attraction.

Edit: I'm sorry, I know I've been babbling a lot, but I really love this community and really want to help keep it alive.

[Broklynite]

[bagsbee]

I just read through this entire thread, all the while trying to formulate my thoughts to post a coherent and reasonably useful post (btw, your post at the end of page 4 was like watching a master class in Effective Forum Posting, Spacely....I particularly liked the liberal f-bomb usage), and then I see you mention that you're spending $360/month on hosting, which seems....high. Especially considering that that cost is eaten up by CPU and DB transactions, and not bandwidth?!? Forgive me if this has already been discussed elsewhere (I know there are a lot of technically inclined folks here), but there are numerous caching strategies that would alleviate a lot of that, not the least of which would be to upgrade the forum software - currently it looks like you're using 2.0, version 3.0.x has all kinds of built-in caching, etc, etc...anyway just wondering if that might be a simple way to save some $.

Other than that I agree with everyone. Except for t-shirts, I mean c'mon.

ETA: OK so after speaking with folk in IRC, of course it's not as simple as all that, what with the incompatible plugins, etc. But even given all the issues, is upgrading something that's ever been realistically considered? In the end it might be worth the trouble. Just saying.

[October]

[SpaceBass]

[imbri]

My one idea, which I've already shared with Space but will put here so that it doesn't get lost...

A puzzle trail where new puzzles are added for every $x dollars donated (5 puzzles for every $100 in the pot?) ... want more puzzles, throw a couple bucks in.

The big downside to this idea is, of course, that's it's really labor intensive. For one, it needs puzzles & people to make the puzzles. Of course, it'd be a great way for aspiring puzzle makers to test some of their ideas and get a touch of exposure, but the constantly needing to make sure there are enough puzzles in the queue means that it needs someone to volunteer their time to maintaining the puzzle trail (and finding puzzles & puzzle makers as needed). It would probably also need a couple puzzle testers. And, of course, we'd need someone to write a bit of code to check the paypal donations and throw out new puzzles whenever $x is reached (just a one time labor sort of deal, but still - needed).

One reason I like this idea is that it may also appeal to people outside of UF - there are all sorts of people that like puzzles & puzzle trails. Another reason is that it lets people contribute to UF fundraising with goods (puzzles) who might not otherwise be able to contribute with cash, much as they'd love to.

[Penny Lane]

1. If you can find people who are willing to donate their time on a regular basis, how about a newsletter? It could be part of the booster subscription. You could use a service like Constant Contact, get some web designers to help with a few graphics, and have volunteers write weekly recaps of all ongoing games. This is something I would pay for, since I so rarely have time to read through an entire thread to find out where a game stands. Unfiction is great, but it doesn't cover every game, and it doesn't track new developments.

A weekly newsletter would also keep players updated and make it easier for new people to get involved in games. At the end of every recap there could be information about where new players should start.

I have a few other ideas that depend on how complicated you would want the project to be. You could tailor your own newsletter advertising, sticking to only in-game ads. Fictional companies can advertise their services, public awareness ads can draw attention to fictional causes. Ad design could provide additional revenue.

Another way to expand the newsletter would be to provide an "opinion" section, which could be the equivalent of a forum for in-game characters. Game creators could pay to have their character post an article/pic/video in the space.

2. This idea is not as well developed, but it's something I've been thinking about since I volunteered to be the resident hippie in Unfictionopia. One thing that struck me about that experience was the large number of people who jumped in and started creating the world with so little prompting or direction. Unfictionopia didn't last long, and as far as I know it never even became a game, but tons of people got involved and started essentially building their own game world. I think maybe it means they liked the idea of a more concrete play space for ARGers. The network could be in the form of a game that basically runs itself, if it were designed well (assuming that's something you would want to do).

I often see Ning used for games because it's easily customizable, it's cheap (it was free a few months ago, but it's only a couple bucks now), and it's set up well. Jane McGonigal used it for Evoke and it worked out great. It would be nice to have a similar community for ARGers (well, those who are willing to pay for it). You could even blend the newsletter and community ideas and post recaps and updates on the community Ning.

I also like the fundraiser/sweepstakes idea. I know a lot of non-profits raise money that way. People could buy the online equivalent of a raffle ticket and earn prizes & services donated by volunteers. When Brooke Thompson was trying to raise money to pay for ARGFest she offered to donate her time and advice. I immediately thought "I want that!", but I'm a poor undergrad, and I would have had to sell my kidneys.

I work and go to school and create games with Funnel Productions in my limited spare time, but I would be happy to contribute some time and maybe even some couch change to whatever you come up with. Unforum makes my days way more fun, even if I am just a lurker.

[Pixiestix]

[notgordian]