Hello Blitzers,
It seems like the forum software and hosting situation has settled down which is great. It's a shame we couldn't do the upgrade without all the hassle, I always planned to move to this version of the software in time, but my hand was forced when old-Blitz finally croaked so we did it in a hurry.
The old board's content is saved, but it's potentially corrupted. One day I'll try and resurrect it but it's extremely unlikely it'll be restored back into this version of the software. Hoping I can get a read-only archive of 'old Blitz' in time.
With all the technical hassles of the last fortnight I've been offered a bunch of donations which is great, so here's a formal post on that and a few other upgrades hopefully to be implemented on Blitz.
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Donations
Now we're on premium software with a recurring fee which is required to be on a premium host. The hosting is presently donated but in time it would be more beneficial to be in control of our own space (not as expensive as I first thought, but still a bit). Plus this forum takes plenty of time to update, administer and moderate.
Also, Blitzers are super generous but it's not like this site costs thousands of dollars a year to operate. I won't put a minimum or maximum on donations but let's not go nuts. I have an amount in mind I'd like to hit which would cover us for 12 months and then I'd like to only have to do a 'pledge drive' annually or less.
![Click here to donate via Paypal to [email protected]](https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=KTVUMCMXBX9NQ&lc=US&item_name=Bomberblitz&item_number=2013¤cy_code=AUD&bn=PP-DonationsBF%3Abtn_donate_LG.gif%3ANonHosted){kind=link}
All donations massively appreciated.
What does a donation get me?
Absolutely nothing. There is no immunity from bans, no preferential treatment, no new forum features, no democratic voice in how the donation money is spent, no reporting on where every dollar goes, no guarantee that Blitz won't be turned off the instant I have enough donations for a first class flight to Hawaii. I need you to be 100% crystal clear on this, donations are hugely appreciated but are by no means a one-time purchase for better treatment. You are donating in good faith. By donating you agree to these terms.
Actually there will be one benefit, if your Paypal email address matches your Blitz email address I'll remove ads when you're logged in. So I kinda lied? Oh yeah, about ads...
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Advertising
Soon also you'll see advertising on Blitz for the first time. This will appear at the header and footer of every page for guest users and logged in members. Blitz gets plenty of traffic from anonymous users and it's time to charge them for the bandwidth :)
Also I will be adding users to the ad-free subscriber group manually so if the ads don't disappear immediately after donating just give it some time.
I use ad-block, haha!
Good for you! I don't really care. I use it myself. However I will actively discourage people from actively encouraging the use of ad-block on Blitz. If you use it, keep it to yourself. Thank you.
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The Future of Bomberblitz
The last thing I want is for money to get in the way of what Blitz currently is. If anything it should allow for a bigger and better Blitz than ever before. Some of the more basic upcoming plans include:
- Restoring the old 'front page' archives of interviews and articles
- Restoring the old forum archive in a read-only state
- Creating a new 'front page'
- Overhauling the (currently sub-par) mobile version of blitz
- General, ongoing site updates and improvements
- An upgrade to the upcoming 4.0 version of this forum software after thorough testing
Some super optimistic long-term goals if financially viable include:
- Using donations to Blitz for player sponsorship next year
- Curating and paying for articles by front-page contributors
- More regular Bomberblitzcast's (if that's appealing to you)
But these all take time. A whole lotta precious time. It's gonna take plenty of time. To do it right now.
- Rolo.