Official AMV Distribution Center - Online

Org Profile · Post by **Phade** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 10:49 am

Hey Red Wolf,

Here's a suggestion that might help:

* On the site, create an "order form" where people can checkbox which CDs they would like. When the form is submitted, it shows just the list of what the person checked with the CD number or whatever ID information you need for that CD. The person then prints this list. (The information can also be captured in a database or just emailed to you so that you know what is coming.)

* The person then puts the printed list as well as the correct number of blank unmarked CDs, return postage, mailing label, etc., into the reusable envelope and sends it to you.

* You prefabricate the CDs that they have ordered with the blank CDs that others have sent you, felt-tip mark them (or even maybe just use a little sticky-note with the info on it stuck to the CD) as the CD number for your own tracking purposes, stack them up, and wait until the package from the person arrives.

* When the package arrives, all you have to do is swap out the pre-made CDs with the blank ones that they sent, send it off to them, and you're done.

* Leave the final labeling up to the sender. They can make CD labels or whatever they want to label the CDs themselves. All you need to do is pull the right CD from the right stack and all is good.

This plan should have you doing the least amount of work, only working on it when you have the time to do a batch of CDs, and getting the packages out very quickly when they finally arrive. Even if the package never gets to you, SOMEBODY will eventually order the CD you burned; you just have to wait until they do to send that one. You will just have a few copies of each CD sitting there ready to go at any time, generically labeled. You may want to "seed" the CD collection with a spindle of your own, but that's easily done, totally optional, and you won't have to do it once the blanks come rolling in.

Just a thought. I hope this helps. Thanks again and have fun!! ^_^

Phade.

Red Wolf · Post by **Red Wolf** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 11:21 am

An order form idea has come up before for printing purposes on the requester's side but the idea of orders coming into me via email would certainly help with time managment and turn around time. The $64,000 question is would anyone out there have experience with this and be willing to work on this with me? As far as my own web skills go I am lucky to have a decent looking site online.

Org Profile · Post by **Phade** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 11:23 am

Hey,

If noone else will do it (give them a week to speak up), I can crank out something real quick for ya. Does your ISP use PHP? If so, programming will be really quick. If it's ASP, it will take longer to do (for me).

Phade.

Red Wolf · Post by **Red Wolf** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 11:52 am

My current host doesn't support any server services (free Apple .Mac account I get through work, designed for home users) but I wouldn't have a problem moving the Distro to a new host for added services. Doing a quick look around this group looked promising (and affordable

).

jonmartensen · Post by **jonmartensen** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 11:58 am

If you want something for your site in the next day or two, I can try to whip up a small flash file. The only downside is you have to have the flash plugin to see it (though most people can play flash now)

Org Profile · Post by **Phade** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 12:54 pm

Hey jonmartensen,

I didn't know that you could print Flash. Hmmm...

Phade.

jonmartensen · Post by **jonmartensen** » Tue Apr 29, 2003 1:09 pm

Yes, I don't know for sure if it was possible with Flash 5 (I think it was) but I do know Flash MX allows printing from online flash files. I would probably have to check out a tutorial or two to get all the code straight, but that wouldn't take to long.

Red Wolf · Post by **Red Wolf** » Sun May 04, 2003 12:37 am

I made the following announcement on the AMV Distribution Center site today:

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Last Call On Requests for May

If you have been thinking about sending in a request for some AMV CDs you need to get your request in the mail by Friday, May 9. After that date the AMV Distribution Center will temperarily be suspending all AMV CD request activity for the rest of May. If you have an AMV CD to submit you may still send that CD in. This is happening for two reasons:

1. Some major changes to request procedure, including the introduction of an AMV CD spindle, are in the final stages of development. I will be using the down time to clear out the last remaining requests before a totally new system goes into operation.

2. Due to an usually amount of events going on in my personal life I will have no time to fullfil any CD requests until after JACON.

Rest assured that after JACON we will be back and running even better than ever.
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Basically I need the time to prep the site for the spindle as well as the other changes to the request format. I have a wedding, a convention, and several meetings between now and June so what little free time I have to give to the Distro will go into web updates. I have decided not to go into using a PHP request system at this time, but thank you to those who volunteered their time and services. Right now the request volume isn't high enough to warrant such a system and I really don't have the time to either learn the coding or work with someone to build the system. It will definitely be an idea I keep in the bad of my mind for when the day comes that I need an automated system.

Red Wolf · Post by **Red Wolf** » Wed May 28, 2003 4:08 pm

I'll be giving out a sample CD set which has an AMV from every creator with the Distro at JACON this weekend. It is a two disc set and more details can be found here.

As an added bonus there will be a give away to go along with these free CD sets. Each set has my studio's business card inside of it. One of those cards has a winning message. The person who gets that card and shows it to me at JACON will received a spindle containing everything single CD on the catalog, including three new CDs which haven't been released yet, right there at the con.

Jace Tsunami · Post by **Jace Tsunami** » Wed May 28, 2003 11:05 pm

bummer.... go to A-KON!

A-Kon = better than Jacon!