05-27-2015, 10:15 AM
Thanks to Wolfey and Keiko I've been granted lead admin status of the DigiArtist's Domain. There have been a lot of scattered discussions about reviving the site for a long time but not any conclusive progress, so I thought I would step in and contact them. Wolfey has passed the torch, so to speak, to me to decide where to take the site now and Keiko will continue to host us.
So it's time to get back up and running!
Firstly, I've backed up the whole site and database. I've actually got a copy of it running on my own computer to be sure, so if anything happens I'll be able to restore it if need be.
Next I'm going to contact the rest of the old staff after posting this announcement. I don't intend to remove anyone from their positions and they will be offered to maintain their status if they would like to return. While I'll be in charge and can manage anything needed I'll also try to delegate all duties to specific staff members such that if I end up missing for a while everything should still run the same in my absence. We'll need an updater(s) for art and lemons, a technical admin able to manage the software, a treasurer, and a moderator team. Those who already have these positions are the most likely to fill them.
Once some staff is ready we can begin getting users to return! I'll have to figure out how to send out a mass email to everyone in the database. I'll also resume updates between now and then and already have the first author lined up with his stories already available on FurAffinity. Cross-posting your artwork and stories on other sites like FA with a link here will help us grow our userbase from those already watching you.
It won't be until after that when we'll start discussing changes. Should forum boards be rearranged or new ones created? Should unused user accounts be pruned? Should we get a new design and layout? These questions will get their own discussion topics when the time comes.
Eventually I want to do a major overhaul of the site. Probably change the backend from PHP/MyBB to a Node.js application, but this could be a while from now. I want artists/authors to be able to create their own account and profiles like on popular sites. The history of the forum is important to me and I'll try to transfer it over to anything we move to to the best of my ability.
Will we be hosting a Booru-style gallery (like e621 or paheal) or hosting scanned doujinshi? I don't think so. We're an artist-centered community and I want to stay focused on the artwork created by us and to support the content creators. There already are sites that provide these features and we can share them in the Links section. Hosting those things would also cause a lot more strain on the server, so it's better this way.
I also plan on raising donations for ordering commissions for members to decide on! It'll be fun for everyone plus sharing the resulting artwork through tumblr, e621, etc. is a great way to get our name out there. If Keiko needs any assistance with hosting I'll ask for help in that regard as well - even small amounts would make a difference. There's a method of creating a PayPal account that's anonymous to the people you send money to if that's important to you and I'll help you figure it out.
Alright, I think that's everything! Make a reply here to show your support, let us know you're here, and share any thoughts on the plan. You can also join the nsfw #Digimon chatroom on the FurNet IRC server where myself and a number of Digimon fans talk regularly. I recommend any of the IRC clients from this list here. (IRC can be quiet at times but start talking and others will join you!)
I'm proud to have this opportunity to help out this community I've been watching for so long. From Togashi founding the DaD and Sonimon's Digimon Hentai Zone, the adult Digimon fandom has such a great history and has always been a great place. Digimon Adventure Tri is 6 months away from premiering the first of 6 movies and I'll be right here to keep us running in good shape as Digimon gets even more popular in the future.
Thanks everyone.
So it's time to get back up and running!
Firstly, I've backed up the whole site and database. I've actually got a copy of it running on my own computer to be sure, so if anything happens I'll be able to restore it if need be.
Next I'm going to contact the rest of the old staff after posting this announcement. I don't intend to remove anyone from their positions and they will be offered to maintain their status if they would like to return. While I'll be in charge and can manage anything needed I'll also try to delegate all duties to specific staff members such that if I end up missing for a while everything should still run the same in my absence. We'll need an updater(s) for art and lemons, a technical admin able to manage the software, a treasurer, and a moderator team. Those who already have these positions are the most likely to fill them.
Once some staff is ready we can begin getting users to return! I'll have to figure out how to send out a mass email to everyone in the database. I'll also resume updates between now and then and already have the first author lined up with his stories already available on FurAffinity. Cross-posting your artwork and stories on other sites like FA with a link here will help us grow our userbase from those already watching you.
It won't be until after that when we'll start discussing changes. Should forum boards be rearranged or new ones created? Should unused user accounts be pruned? Should we get a new design and layout? These questions will get their own discussion topics when the time comes.
Eventually I want to do a major overhaul of the site. Probably change the backend from PHP/MyBB to a Node.js application, but this could be a while from now. I want artists/authors to be able to create their own account and profiles like on popular sites. The history of the forum is important to me and I'll try to transfer it over to anything we move to to the best of my ability.
Will we be hosting a Booru-style gallery (like e621 or paheal) or hosting scanned doujinshi? I don't think so. We're an artist-centered community and I want to stay focused on the artwork created by us and to support the content creators. There already are sites that provide these features and we can share them in the Links section. Hosting those things would also cause a lot more strain on the server, so it's better this way.
I also plan on raising donations for ordering commissions for members to decide on! It'll be fun for everyone plus sharing the resulting artwork through tumblr, e621, etc. is a great way to get our name out there. If Keiko needs any assistance with hosting I'll ask for help in that regard as well - even small amounts would make a difference. There's a method of creating a PayPal account that's anonymous to the people you send money to if that's important to you and I'll help you figure it out.
Alright, I think that's everything! Make a reply here to show your support, let us know you're here, and share any thoughts on the plan. You can also join the nsfw #Digimon chatroom on the FurNet IRC server where myself and a number of Digimon fans talk regularly. I recommend any of the IRC clients from this list here. (IRC can be quiet at times but start talking and others will join you!)
I'm proud to have this opportunity to help out this community I've been watching for so long. From Togashi founding the DaD and Sonimon's Digimon Hentai Zone, the adult Digimon fandom has such a great history and has always been a great place. Digimon Adventure Tri is 6 months away from premiering the first of 6 movies and I'll be right here to keep us running in good shape as Digimon gets even more popular in the future.
Thanks everyone.