We have all been beavering away in the garden sheds in between all our other duties to build a new and better web site for us all, trips to BnQ for tins of colourful jpegs, timber planks 600 pixels wide x 400 megabits long and screws compliant with web code html version W0192887344.009 (they are so hard to find !). We have drafted in the expertise of architect Penguin P who is doing a great job trying to keep up with all the ideas we throw at him.
So, the new site will have a main common room posting area to replace the existing CCW post/chat/common room page and also the 'I have blogged' page. There is one aspect that we are not sure how will work, Today we all have our own blogspot page which folk can keep to save moving house again, or have their own new wizzy pad on the new site, or have both ! We want to have the benefit of one big building, but are aware that some might rather stay in their blog home that they have decorated and become settled in and might not wish to move everything - again.
Also planned is a Forum for threaded posts, photo gallery, and some skool notice boards for all sorts of fascinating info.
Some bits will be here at the opening and some will be finished on when the other builders get their van back out the ditch and sober up.
Please be patient, we wanted to let the existing site settle to see how the whole place works but feel the time is right to give the old haunt a decent facelift.
Ideas are always welcome but bear in mind resources are limited, if we do not act on ideas its more probable that we are busy building other bits or have run out of those damn web screws and the last new extension has just fallen down....again ! We are also looking for some form of backing or sponsorship to give the old place a decent future, but do not want to be controlled by a 'focused' commercially driven corporate enterprise.
Timescale - don't be daft, when was a building extension ever done on time.."sorry guv, the weather in Africa was the wrong sort of rain for the plumber to drive in" or "yeah, I know a said a week but didn't say which one, honestly, I do have 15 other unfinished jobs to laugh..sorry, worry about"
The architect says we should be getting the keys to take a look round in a week or so, we will keep you posted.
20 comments:
Well it all sounds very exciting and we will await breaking news.
Thanks for everything so far.
love mousie
Sounds great. Can't wait to see it. Wonderfully grateful for all the hard work. Your pics look marvellous.
Re the sponsorship - I can't quite see how this would work - though I do believe one possibility (and apologies for dredging the idea up again) is an anthology of some of the best blogs on the site, edited for length and content etc.
Indeed we could do this regularly - two or three times a year. And if it were done for charity (after paying costs including the costs of creating and running the site itself) we could be quite a hit.
Otherwise there's always Google Adsense though whether we want a column of ads on each page I don't know. I also think there wouldn't be many hits and therefore little income. I prefer the hard copy book idea - PurpleCoo publishing.
We really cannot be sure how sponsorship would work just yet without branding the site to a product or service, maybe a magazine...nah, maybe not! - that'll never work. Ideas and suggestions welcome !
Just want to say thanks - wish I could offer technical help but am completely unqualified.
my blogs are also linkeed to various other websites so perhasp you could do teh same with teh new for people who may not want to move all over again. I am not very good at explaining, see visual thinkers have it tough when the rest of teh world uses words, but think if your penquin P architect designs it so that if a reader clicks on your name it just sends them to your blog whether that is in teh new block or the old annexe that should work... I think.. proabbly... it is certianly how sites like expat and britblog do it.
Oh a spell check on the comments box would be good if only so other people can understand my typos!
re sponsorship agree with fennie re Adsense not generating a lot of income. Only other thing I can think of is sellign stuff like peoples art work or other crafts etc and charging a commission so sellers in a way attaching atype shop to it , Not sure how feasible that would be.
I can se some sort of funding might be needed but think that if a membership was charged, which would be some sort of way of raising funds, then the whole ethos would be lost which would be very sad.
Unless you are thinking of making it profit making I tehn I imagine you asre jsut talking about getting enough cash to keep it ticking over. Once the site is set up and running then there is probnably enough in house know how to keep it going and I am sure anyone members with skill to do so would be happy to give their time for free. (Being skilless myself I am safe to say that!) Apart from annual site fee to the domain provider how much do we need to cover penny wise?
Thanks for all your work to all of you so far but I hope that our gratitude goes without saying...and we are all I am sure very very grateful!
Watching Jacko at work on various sites I know how much goes into the design and building all the html coding, whistles and bells photos etc! merit badges all round!
Thanks for all the great support, muc appreciated - re funding I need to add that we are basically against the idea, the spirit of Puplecoo would be lost if this was commercial and going down this road could be a change of direction - but we live in a real world and at some stage our own lives will need to take priority (as mine does a lot of the time hence my low level of contributions)
Lets keep this in mind and keep the doors open to creative suggestions - now where is that lottery ticket..
Thank you for everything so far Happy Snaper, what a whiz you are.
Camilla.
WELL DONE you stunning people! I am just so impressed that you have put so much time and effort into it all, I really am. So grateful too. Can't wait to see it!
I do think that it should have advertising actually - because I think you guys need to be paid for the work you put into it on our behalf. If it's generating loads of hits (which it will, of course!) then a few carefully chosen ads would (to my mind) be fine....we could agree criteria - green/ethical/local/whatever - or thematic (Green & Blacks would be obvious!!! Some merlot or champagne producer! That kind of thing)....
My requests for the site would be some of those things we wanted on the other one that were always ignored (linkable lists for local producers - including obviously those of our esteemed members!); craft producers; accomodation (again all these we have in buckets on the site)....
Anyhow, just my tuppenth.....but really I don't care as long as we're all here and happy! What a fabulous group of people we all are (if I say so myself!). Janexxxxxx
Paid for avertising is a good option, we just make sure users don't need to sift through the ads to find the real content - something subtle eh..
Just wanted to add my thanks and appreciation for what you're all doing. Agree with Jane that some sort of advertising would seem to be the most obvious solution. Looking forward to the unveiling!!
I would actually be happy to pay an annual subscription myself ... maybe if we all did that, it would mean you can maintain absolute freedom? I don't know how much you wish to raise,and whether the number of us here would be suffiecient to cover your costs,or whether everyone would be willing or able to do that, but it is an alternative to selling your soul to a commercial interest? Just a thought :)
Oh, and I would like a real chat room pretty please.
Good point - at the risk of sounding like a grown up, by chat room do we mean live chat - MSM style. Thia has not been part of the initial game plan but can see the benefit. Consider it on the wish list for the architect.
Yes please, real live interactive chat, not instant message stylee, eg one 2 one , MSN , AIM Yahoo and so on facilitate that readily if people want it and share their names. No, what I mean is a chat room where say 30 or so can gather and natter over elevenses etc.... If you want, Ill show you exactly what I mean, drop me an email.
glad to know it is all in pipeline as they say Rome wasn't built in a day and good things come to those who wait at least we have something to keep us ticking over at rthe mo anyway.
With Exmoor on the advertising as it didn't really bother me on other site if I was honest the only irritating one was the pop up that you could never get rid of (mind you I suppose you could say it was the best one cause it is the only one I remember)you need the finance and lets face it ads are everywhere and as adults we can take or leave them really but if they mean we can have the site we want then I would say use them.
I understand what you mean about having to move house again as far as the blogs are concerned as I still haven't managed to repost all my old ones yet so that I have everything in the same place so you are right I think to try and leave that one open.
Really looking forward to seeing it all get going thpugh and thanks for all your effort.
Rachel
Back again to say, yes the snaps are very good see the relevance of your name now. My four are off for a studio session with their Grandma on Tueday which should be interesting as the youngest has progressed from saying cheese and grinning every time he saw the camera to now stubbornly turning his head away and refusing to play ball. Streesful morning comming up I fear.
Ta and Good luck - a couple of tricks with kids, favourite toys etc can work but at my last session with younger kids their dad produced a woopee cusion - just make sure you are ready with loaded camera, sense of humour... and the aftermath !!
I agree with UPL and Jane on advertising.
Chocolate advertising
Wine
Anything ethical/green/charities/local - that sort of thing.
Publication
Media coverage
Richard and Judy might be a good one to publicise. They have a wine club too. And a book club, which we shall have soon.
I don't want to move my blogpage now as I am settled but if it could be 'linked' it would be great.
Cait
So glad its all going well, I have been off skool for a few days so I am a bit behind( my sister says I am a lot behind, think she means my bum!!) but I am so glad I have not missed the launching of the new site.
Blossom
You mustnt be afraid to consider all of the above and more- you have invested time and money and should be happy to reap any rewards. You have created something special- why shouldnt you benefit from that? We didnt do it- you did. We just enjoy it. I dont mind paying for it... would be glad to, but the ads, the book, all the other ideas.......just do it. This is your creation and you deserve to benefit from all the input and hard work. If anyone tells you otherwise, Blossom will get the heavies on them.
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