Spring Cleaning: Doing the Org's Work

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Phade
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Spring Cleaning: Doing the Org's Work

Post by Phade » Thu May 21, 2015 1:18 pm

Hey Everyone!

Soooooo.... You’re a site member. You’ve been around for a while. You really like AMVs. But, you’re wondering what it up with AnimeMusicVideos.org, its future, and how you can help. Well, I’m here to hopefully answer your questions!

It has been talked about a lot but the Org is due for some changes. Recently we have announced a server fund raiser to replace our ancient servers with ones that won’t break anytime soon. But is there more going on? In a word: Yup!

While we get new hardware to keep things going for years to come, we are also refining and expanding what the site does and how it does it (spoilers: yes, we are redesigning the site :-) ). Here’s an overview breakdown of the plan:
  1. New Servers – The site can’t run without something to run on. The #1 way the Org will go away is if there is no hosting. Check the fund raiser thread for more details.
  2. New Site Design – The site is currently stuck in the 2000’s as far as site design. A new design is being worked and will have less junk, better layouts, uploading via web instead of FTP, better compatibility with phones and tablets, and so on.
  3. New Pro Features – One major group of users the Org has not helped over the years is convention coordinators. If an anime convention wants to do anything with AMVs (contests, exhibitions, etc.), the convention coordinator must do it themselves and this can often be a pain for them. The Org will have new convention features to make this easier such as collecting and hosting videos (duuugh), automatic contest rules enforcement (date premiered, anime used, video category, hasn’t won any previous contest (prize trollers), etc.), uploading “no bumper” copies of videos, collaborative and distributed contest judging, playlist creation tools, bulk video downloads, single-file set list creation and download, and more.
  4. New External Site Coordination – Some people have their own web sites and would like to show off their videos on their own site. The Org will have an “embed” feature to allow videos to be streamed from other sites. Some people like to host their AMVs at other sites like YouTube because it can bring them a little cash or whatever. The Org will have a “embed video” feature so that AMVs hosted elsewhere can be embedded and viewed inside the user’s video catalog entry page here at AnimeMusicVideos.org.
  5. New Education Features – The Org will host a formal AMV wiki to better educate members of the ways of the AMV. This will replace the current (highly outdated) “guides” section.
I know what you’re thinking, “Wow! That is awesome!! But, how can I help?” I’m glad you asked! :-)

The fastest and easiest way to help right now is with the server fund drive. Our ancient machines desperately need replacement and it would take you 10 minutes to help out with that.

After that, it is more up to what you are good at doing. Are you good at making cool, user-friendly, pretty, dynamic, information-based web site layouts that look good on monitors as well as phones and tablets? We need you!! Are you good at taking a pretty designed button and making it do on the server what the button says it does (“save” is an important button)? We need you!! Are you good at making efficient data structures and queries for complex collections of information? We need you!! Are you good at using command-line-based tools to create larger continuous video files from multiple other smaller video files? We need you!! Are you good at coordinating other people online to create something awesome? We need you!!

The site has survived with a few core volunteers. Derobert has been the undying keeper of the servers and this site community owes a large debt of gratitude to him for keeping our servers patched together with duct tape and chewing gum all these years. Many people have updated site code here and we are all very grateful to them as well. I have done the one thing that I can’t quite trust anyone else to do yet: make sure the bills get paid. People come and go and now we need fresh folks to step up to take this community from cool to awesome! This is where you come in.

Specifically, we need the following kinds of volunteers:
  • Web site designers (make things pretty and visually easy to use)
  • Web site front-end developers (good with web browser framework tools and that kinda stuff)
  • Web site back-end developers (good with server-side code, databases, command-line tools, etc.)
  • Project coordinators (good with encouraging people to get stuff done and sticking with it)
If you fit any of these roles and would like to help out, please let us know in this thread. Based on the response we get here, we will then coordinate what you can do to help the site as a whole.

We have tried getting people to do stuff then announce what has been done when the update is ready for release. This seems to have confused the community into thinking nothing is getting done then suddenly everything happens. I want to change that immediately.

With this new effort, I would like to turn this around so that everyone knows what the volunteers are working on as they work on it. Everyone will know how the site and community are growing. Everyone can get involved in making this a better place!

So, have some more questions? Would you like to volunteer? Discuss below and we’ll get there together! You folks are awesome!!

Thanks again and have a great day!! ^_^

Phade.

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Radical_Yue
Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2005 8:45 pm
Status: The flamer with heart of gold~<3
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Re: Spring Cleaning: Doing the Org's Work

Post by Radical_Yue » Thu May 21, 2015 1:58 pm

While it probably would have been better to lead off with this to get the mind blown effect, I'm stoked to see a general plan that will get the community excited. This is more like what people have been waiting for, well, for years now.

Today I learned...

1. Phade lives.
2. The Org may still survive yet.
3. Phade is probably a very awkward first date.

And because I can...

Image

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dokidoki
c0d3 m0nk3y
Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2000 7:42 pm
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Re: Spring Cleaning: Doing the Org's Work

Post by dokidoki » Thu May 21, 2015 2:02 pm

Because I can...

Image Image Image
"Comedy is a dying breed." -- kisanzi // "Comedy. Serious business." -- dokidoki

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Radical_Yue
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Re: Spring Cleaning: Doing the Org's Work

Post by Radical_Yue » Thu May 21, 2015 2:03 pm

dokidoki wrote:Because I can...


I wonder if people will catch on to what this post also means.... :awesome:

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Mr Pilkington
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Re: Spring Cleaning: Doing the Org's Work

Post by Mr Pilkington » Thu May 21, 2015 2:16 pm

Radical_Yue wrote:I wonder if people will catch on to what this post also means.:
hostachel is doomed

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Radical_Yue
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Re: Spring Cleaning: Doing the Org's Work

Post by Radical_Yue » Thu May 21, 2015 2:24 pm

Mr Pilkington wrote:
Radical_Yue wrote:I wonder if people will catch on to what this post also means.:
hostachel is doomed
*boochsack


Why is that when I type hosatchel I get hosatchel? I mean boochsack, not boochsack!

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Dr. Derpface, J.D.
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 6:27 pm
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Re: Spring Cleaning: Doing the Org's Work

Post by Dr. Derpface, J.D. » Thu May 21, 2015 2:52 pm

Image

Too optimistic this early?
Tinnitus

<Fire_Starter> Stirspeare: college=failsauce?
<Stirspeare> Fire_Starter: Electoral college etc.

"Then you weeaboo faggots need to stop thinking that Japan is ZOMG awsmsauce where all ur waifu dreams come true."
-Kionon / Athena - January 12, 2010

ThyPirateKing
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Re: Spring Cleaning: Doing the Org's Work

Post by ThyPirateKing » Thu May 21, 2015 2:54 pm

Can't wait for the changes, I wish I could help out more other than just giving some money for the server fund. Either way, I hope everything works out, I love this website and I can't wait to see it revitalized :D

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BasharOfTheAges
Just zis guy, you know?
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Re: Spring Cleaning: Doing the Org's Work

Post by BasharOfTheAges » Thu May 21, 2015 3:13 pm

dokidoki wrote:Because I can...

[youtube]4pNvOOjhRvM&autoplay=1[/youtube]
Anime Boston Fan Creations Coordinator (2019-2023)
Anime Boston Fan Creations Staff (2016-2018)
Another Anime Convention AMV Contest Coordinator 2008-2016
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BasharOfTheAges
Just zis guy, you know?
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Re: Spring Cleaning: Doing the Org's Work

Post by BasharOfTheAges » Thu May 21, 2015 3:15 pm

Derp, tried to preview to see what flags were valid.
Anime Boston Fan Creations Coordinator (2019-2023)
Anime Boston Fan Creations Staff (2016-2018)
Another Anime Convention AMV Contest Coordinator 2008-2016
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