Life without Al?

Post by **korexus** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 1:08 pm

Some of you may have noticed that yesterday the WoK site went down for a few hours. Not just server problems, but properly down, parked domain not here any more stuff...

This was because we finally ran out of money. Since Al left I thought I was getting all the relevant information, but it turns out not.

Our anual costs are $119 of which, $60 is paid for from my sub domain. If anyone would like to donate, either by giving me money or buy renting their own subdomain (great value at $5 per month) please let me know!

Thanks,

Chris.

Post by **Egbert** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 1:56 am

It doesn't look good.

Post by **Duke** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 8:27 am

Can I still donate through Paypal and that link under "Donations" or does that sponsor Al's alter ego in WOW now?

Post by **Duke** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:59 am

The management are really swift with replies these days....

Post by **korexus** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:03 pm

That link still goes to Al. If I ever get a free minute, I plan to set up the same idea, but have no idea how it works. If anyone has experience with using paypal to receive donations then please drop me a line! (I emailed Al, but it ounced...)

Chris.

Post by **Duke** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 6:53 pm

It ounced?

Man, we in the civilized world use the metric system.

How the heck am I suppoused to give you my sweetness if there is no way to donate money? (Btw, do you want sweetness or money?)

Post by **korexus** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 11:06 pm

From you Duke, I think I'd rather have the money...

I've just finished writing my tons of reports and now I'll go to bed. Al replied when I emailed the other address, apparently people can send money directly to my paypal account (christopher.fitzsimons@gmail.com) with a bit of luck I can update the links. Tomorrow.

Chris.

Post by **Hannibal** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:24 am

I only just discovered this thread. We are that close to oblivion, huh?

That would be a pity.

It's clearly not fair on Kor to fund half the annual and be stuck with the dilemma of funding the other half or letting it die ... especially after all the effort he put in to make more games easier to run; ironic, isn't it?

But just one person also saving it would be bad money after good. So I'll chip in $20 if two others will (Duke, Egbert?). To give Kor a breathing space.

I reckon we have a 60% chance of saving it and getting it going again if we do the right things. On and off, I've been going through about 18 of 24 steps to make it work. 13 done. But it still ain't right yet for max conversion of visitors, IMHO, and we really should optimise it BEFORE we create a wave of interesteds to check us out. If we blow them, we've lost the most attractable folk, never to be attracted again. I STILL say we gotta get the site right before we push for people to check us out.

Eg., the "How to join" button (thanks Saladin) just crazily sends people to the Explanation of the Game that I wrote. Madness. 4 pages before you get to a How to Join section, which Saladin edited and added to so that it looks like 7 Herculean tasks before you can join ...

Eg., (apologies) the Rules. Not at all easy to find if you just bump into the site; and they start off talking about VP's and changes from past rules, as if the main reader is someone who knew the old rules and is being told of changes to them. Not written for a newbie. I've written up lots of rules; these CAN be regarded as clear enough if you are brilliant and dedicated; they sure aren't written to be clear to non-brilliant newbies. I wouldn't send my club-members there with those rules as written/edited.

So 8 steps still to take, one is "How to Join" (just press on it and wonder whether a random newbie would know how to join!), and another is to rewrite the rulles from the perspective of someone who didn't know the OLD rules, and has never heard of these "VPs".

Post by **korexus** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 7:27 pm

I think the paypal llinks now go to me, almost certainly something will go wrong if you try to use them, but we shall see.

As for the other things:

Han - Did you get my reply about the how to join link. If we're going for a short set of instructions, it might as well be "Choose a name, click on sign up, head to the forums to say hello." That way, no one has to wait for email replies.

New visitors can be redirected to a sub menu, "How to Join, What is WoK? and Rules.

If anyone feels inspired, feel free to improve the documents we have lying around, I'll try and get them uploaded.

I'll see what I can do now, but no promises!

Chris.

Post by **korexus** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:23 pm

Ok, I've tried to tidy up the new visitor stuff, feedback still very welcome on that although I didn't do very yet. I also made a new topic in the command bunker with Han in charge for new and returning players to post and say hi. (As a side note, if any of the moderators can rmind me how to make topics sticky I'd be grateful. I'm very dense today...)

So the next jobs are to revise documents I think. Make everything user friendly. Any volunteers?

Chris.

Post by **trewqh** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 9:40 am

You have to edit the first in a thread. Under the area where you adit the text you have these boxes (disable html, bbcode and such), the last one of these is an option to pick: Post this as: normal, sticky, announcement.

I made both of the topics in that sub-forum sticky, for you.

Moderator trewqh

Post by **Hryllantre** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 3:16 pm

Once my ever-so slow yahoo email address receives the ever-so slow PayPal (can't remember my password) e-mail (breath)...

I'll send 50 quid, not sure what that works out in $$...

Hopefully this game'll continue as it's better than most online games about - and takes a smidge of the time - rl here I come...

Post by **korexus** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 10:15 pm

£50 is just less than $100, so even after Paypal takes it's usual 10% that would leave kaomaris with some money in the bank against upcoming costs (I know we'll have to pay for the domain name again at some point, and there's probably other things that I haven't thought of...) It's a very generous offer, Hyrll, and I'm not trying to talk you out of it, but with other people willing to contribute too, it needen't be quite so much.

Alternatively, I could set the money against a year and a half's worth of space with a kaomaris sub domain so that you're getting something for the money. Or, if anyone can think of a suggestion for what to do with extra cash I'm happy to spend it!

Chris. (looking up plane tickets to Hawaii.... Now.)

Post by **Duke** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 1:35 pm

50 British Donald Duck-money makes my 17USD look stupid but I'll send them anyway.

Post by **korexus** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 2:52 pm

It's still a quarter of what we need, so very much appreciated. Thanks Dukie!

Chris.

Post by **Hannibal** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 6:09 pm

Well, I'd hate to do anything to ruin the splendour of Hryllantre's generosity, by equalling it .... and will avoid coming so close as to render his munificence only mildly egregious, by nearly-equalling it.

So, in order to leave Hryll's gesture the undisputed wow, I'll throw in a paltry £30.

Kor, tell me exactly how to pay it to you (so that I can, and so that others have no excuse). OK, I have an ancient PayPal account ... then what?

Like Hryll, I've played elsewhere, and nothing has the same mix as WOK. We have plans for a relaunch, recruiting new players. I think Hryll just put himself on the team to do it, making 3 of us! OK, Hryll?

Han

Post by **korexus** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:55 am

The link in the menu box (top left) called donations and merchandise allows you to give us money, buy a WoK T-Shirt or rent a sub domain. Clicking on it should allow you to send money to the WoK site (all via paypal, with fairly helpful instructions). Otherwise, personal cheques are always acceptable, just don't send cash through the post...

Chris.

Post by **Hryllantre** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 3:29 pm

I'll pursue the Paypal option first else resort to a cheque. Off to work now will resolve asap...

Please pm the relevant home address just in case...

Post by **Duke** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 10:44 pm

No, post your home adress here! None of us are not even a tiny bit crazy. Please, post it. Oh and translate Han's post while you're at it. Egregious? Hey, I barely passed High School. (That's a lie, I only got one B but....I'm from Sweden here)

Post by **Hannibal** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:05 pm

Well, I can't let Duke's jibe be the latest live post on the site for any more days. So I'd better post here then post anything on another thread!

Tcha! Duke and I keep ribbing each other, but it's teasing, right, not a flamer.

OK, Dukie: No need to keep apologising for being Swedish ("I'm from Sweden here"). Hey, somebody has to be, it's not your fault.

BTW, in my experience, the average Dane/Norwegian/Swede speaks "better" English than the average Englishman. Hey, Duke, go for that average, you can do it!

Yep, I wrote:

Hannibal wrote:Well, I'd hate to do anything to ruin the splendour of Hryllantre's generosity, by equalling it .... and will avoid coming so close as to render his munificence only mildly egregious, by nearly-equalling it.

The whole paragraph was tongue-in-cheek (D, = joking).

Duke, think of it as just intermittent verbal pyrotechnics, merely sporadic lexicological calisthenics. Does that help?

Duke, it's hard to know just how FAR to dumb down for you ... when I take a guess at it I get vertigo...

Maybe I should post in Swedish just for you ...men jeg taler dansk god, men jeg taler ikke svensk. Forvil.