It’s probably the coding and server that has a lot to do with the high cost. The database that they are probably using is something that should reduce the stress on the server. For comparison sake, vBulletin is running on a MYSQL database system. The layout looks like Joomla which is what I was going to use for the new design. If that’s what they are using, I definitely understand why they would hire someone else to do it (thus needing money). The design is coming from Emiliano which I’m assuming is free…so the cost is for the hosting and CMS.
I still don’t get why 10k is needed though…may be it’s spread out for the future costs (annual host renewal, etc)…but they can’t be using that type of money just for the startup. I just don’t see the need for it.
Seriously, given that these guys have been asking for so much money (and if you look at the number of people who’ve donated figures of $100 upwards, they’ve been taking a lot of funds in donations), IMO they really ought to be straight with people about exactly how much they’re spending on what - I know they said they wanted to keep that confidential because it lets people know how much the company they’re hiring to re-jig the website are charging them, which they may not like, but that only makes a difference if someone finds out who the company is and if they’re doing them a cheap deal!
Thank God the militant tendency over at the .Org’s forums seems to have subsided - “Donate or you’re not a true fan!” :rolleyes:
I remember when they were at approx the 25% level they had already more than $2,500 which leads me to believe that their so called requirement to pay for those services is around $10K.
I’m calling b-ulls-hit on he-man.org requiring that much money to revamp the website. The website IMO brings Val Staples et al very minimal revenues so spending that much to revamp the website is fishy. I may be totally wrong, I hope I am but a gut feeling tells me Mudbrick didnt charge that much for the revamp and he-man.org is pocketing some dough
I’m not suggesting that Val & Emiliano are actually making a personal profit out of the fundraising drive, but I suspect there’s either an element of stashing money away to pay for their future webhosting, or an element of recouping personal costs invested into the site’s webhosting in the past - which is fair enough, but IMO if that is the case then they should say that. However extensive and highbrow their website revamp is, if it’s costing them $10,000 then I think they’re being ripped off - I’m sure there are He-Man & She-Ra fans on the forums who work in the website design industry and could have given them a (to coin a UK phrase) “mates’ rates” quote for the same job…
Don’t forget too that they originally asked for “every fan who uses this site” to donate $10 - if that was carried to its logical conclusion and every registered member of the forums donated that amount, it would come to nearly $30,000…
Dont get me wrong Chris I really hope that they are not making a personal profit from the fundraiser but one cant help but to think that with that much money being raised a little pocket money wont hurt anybody, right???. If indeed they are attempting to recoup some money spent in the past then that in itself its okay to an extent but you cant expect members to fork out $10 simply because you use the site. Hell might as well become a pay site then, eh???
The funraiser came off wrong from the get go…the problem I have is why take on such a huge task if you are not willing to originally fund it from your own sources. If they wouldve been able to raise only 25% then what wouldve happened??? Just the whole deal sounds fishy to me, it just doesnt make any sense to me right now thats all and with he-man.org not being a business then I really dont see the reason to dump so much money on a revamp.
My view is if it doesnt make you any profits then why invest such a high capital into it. Bottom line is common sense tells you that something is not right and I believe that members should know where funds are going to and not just the excuse that its being used solely for revamp purposes or costs that will be incurred 5,10,15 years from now
Yeah, I agree with pretty much everything you say - of course, it doesn’t help that I don’t like Val Staples! Don’t get me wrong, he’s invested a hell of a lot into that website, even selling off his childhood MOTU figures to fund the site - but, at the same time, his connections with He-Man.Org doubtless helped MV Creations score the 200X MOTU comic license, and the whole thing is often a big ego trip for him! So, unfortunately the fundraiser could be the most legitimate thing in the whole world and it’s still not going to sit well with me - not least of all because Val has already begged He-Man.Org forum members for money when MV Creations went bankrupt (or whatever it was that happened). How much money do you want out of these same people for God’s sake, LOL?!
I think we’re taking MannyF’s thread waaaay off-topic, LOL!
Hey MannyF, just wondering how ThunderCats Lair 3.0 is going? I’m really liking what I’m seeing so far and would love to see some more examples, as indeed I’m sure would some of the others on the team!
Also, purely out of interest, do you have a deadline in mind when the new version of the site is likely to be launched? Obviously I realise that it’s likely to be a tentative date, but are we talking about, for example, the site’s third anniversary in December (which IMO would be a fantastic date to launch it!), or sooner than that, or not till next year…? I’m only curious - please can you LMK? Many thanks, my friend, and keep up the good work!
I apologize for not updating this thread. I haven’t done very much on the redesign since my last post on this thread. However, with summer almost over and the busy part of the season finish, I can start working on the redesign again.
As I mentioned in previous posts in the thread, I will be working with the section managers to help get the layout and design to everyone’s liking. For the most part, the layouts are pretty similar to the current look; if I made changes to the layout, it is likely due to the widening of the pages.
Anyhow, in the next few weeks (end of August, early September) I’ll be sending out PMs to the managers and showing an early live demo of how the sections will look and work, including the backend where everyone will be able to publish pages to their respective sections.
Lastly, I’ve run into some problems regarding some specific aspects of using Wordpress. These problems could probably be easily resolved by asking help from those who are WP experts, so its not a very big deal at the moment.
I’m still not going to pin a date on the redesign since I’ve got a lot of work to do. However, it will definitely be worth the wait.
Hey Manny, brief reply from me as I’ve got a problem with my finger (long story) and can’t type very well, but just to say thanks for the update - sounds great! Keep up the good work, and looking forward to seeing more!
