The Original Post
http://fm-genesis.com/community/showthread.php?t=6
Well, im sure you will all have seen by now that FMGLive is now dead and six feet under, unfortunately. We can still access the old forum, but as you were aware there were various problems, not least the deletion of members and staff accounts. Add to that Frankie7 decided to go AWOL, and leave us in limbo, we felt the time was right to restart, and at least have a forum where we can post about what you all like, graphics, FM and general chit chat.
So hence the birth of FM:Genesis. Still FMG coincidently, I had not actually noticed that myself when we chose the name, but FMG it is, just a new part in Genesis.
That leads me into the next part why Genesis. Well short and sweet, its a rebirth so to speak. Its still FMG as you know it, graphics, same staff (approx) same members (hopefully), but it has a few changes that will hopefully please you all, and encourage you to post here a little more often than was apparent on the previous incarnation.
So, what have we done to improve it? Well there is a new mod added that will offer up the choice to members if they want to protect their work from the abundance of people who choose to post and offer nothing but take the work regardless without word of thanks.
We obviously need to keep a status quo, with regards offering rather than telling, so hence this mod offers up that.
You now are rewarded with points for everything you do on this forum. Posting, filling in your profile, starting up a social group, becoming member of the month, getting a thread stickied, and so forth. I could be here all day explaining it all to you, but the long and short of it is, that you gain points for what you offer to the forum, and can then use those points against downloads that will be placed in the shop area, should members so choose to protect their work.
Its kind of like having a premium area, but not actually paying for it, the only payment you make is by offering up quality posting and visiting us on a regular basis.
Not everyone will choose to place their work in the shop area, some will still post up as they did on FMGLive, the difference is here we are giving you the option to choose what you want to do, we understand that there is a split where some want to stop the leechers, while others don't, so to help both sides we have come up with this.
Fact is, and ive said this before, you can never eradicate the leechers, you can only limit them and their ability to get their hands on the work.
And although, some will say spamming will be rife, thats what the staff and admins are here for, to eliminate that as best they can, but still keep the service to the 'decent' members as reliable and effective as is possible.
Unfortunately until I can find a way around the mod, it means that should you choose to place your item in the shop area, (this will mean you sending the d/l link to staff only for them to place it in the shop) it also means that there will be a small delay on you receiving the d/l link once you buy the item from the shop area. If a member of staff is online, then fine you will get the link straight away, however if its like 4am in the morning there will be a delay obviously. Although I will look into the possibility of an Australian admin so we can have staff on 24 hours lol.
There will obviously be the possibility of people passing the d/l links along to pals, and also them placing the links on other forums, unfortunately you cant eliminate those kind of people. So to try and combat that, im asking that if you choose to place your work in the shop area, you allow me to put it into a specific download host so we can monitor the downloads, and track possible breaches. If we suspect a breach is made or find the d/l link posted elsewhere etc, then the link will change and if a culprit can be found (eg their member name on another forum etc) then they will be banned.
As I say its a process that involves us monitoring and trying to limit as much of the leeching as we can, but still allow you the member creating the work, the option of whether or not you want the work to be protected. It also means that hopefully there will be more posting on the forum rather than people registering and taking work. We will soon see who the genuine members are.
Some will say that this is maybe an elitist move to do this, but IMO its not, its about rewarding the people who spend endless hours creating work for others and getting little or nothing in return, but the theft of their work by any Tom **** and Harry who fancies starting up a site using other peoples hard work. I want to see the forum as a place to come for graphics, I want to see the best people posting here to develop and enhance the forum, I want to see people who do offer something, eg contributions of work, posting regularly, a sweetner so to speak. As i said above, its about having a forum that has activity, quality of work and staff who genuinely are interested in what you the forum member has to say and offer.
Everyone in this world wants to feel part of something and wants to feel some sort of recognition for the work they have put into a project, whether thats a simple thanks, no thanks at all, seeing it posted all over the internet, or offered as an exclusive to a particular site/forum to see it improve its member base and standing within a community, we all want in some shape or form to feel that what we have done has been worthwhile.
This shop idea is just our way of offering up all those alternatives to you the member, how you choose to use it is up to you.
That is the main improvement at the moment, im hoping that you the members will help us come up with other ways of improving the site, its a partnership between us the staff and you the member, so ask yourself what do you want from this forum aside graphics obviously, what would encourage you to post? what would encourage you to visit regularly?
http://fm-genesis.com/community/showthread.php?t=6
Well, im sure you will all have seen by now that FMGLive is now dead and six feet under, unfortunately. We can still access the old forum, but as you were aware there were various problems, not least the deletion of members and staff accounts. Add to that Frankie7 decided to go AWOL, and leave us in limbo, we felt the time was right to restart, and at least have a forum where we can post about what you all like, graphics, FM and general chit chat.
So hence the birth of FM:Genesis. Still FMG coincidently, I had not actually noticed that myself when we chose the name, but FMG it is, just a new part in Genesis.
That leads me into the next part why Genesis. Well short and sweet, its a rebirth so to speak. Its still FMG as you know it, graphics, same staff (approx) same members (hopefully), but it has a few changes that will hopefully please you all, and encourage you to post here a little more often than was apparent on the previous incarnation.
So, what have we done to improve it? Well there is a new mod added that will offer up the choice to members if they want to protect their work from the abundance of people who choose to post and offer nothing but take the work regardless without word of thanks.
We obviously need to keep a status quo, with regards offering rather than telling, so hence this mod offers up that.
You now are rewarded with points for everything you do on this forum. Posting, filling in your profile, starting up a social group, becoming member of the month, getting a thread stickied, and so forth. I could be here all day explaining it all to you, but the long and short of it is, that you gain points for what you offer to the forum, and can then use those points against downloads that will be placed in the shop area, should members so choose to protect their work.
Its kind of like having a premium area, but not actually paying for it, the only payment you make is by offering up quality posting and visiting us on a regular basis.
Not everyone will choose to place their work in the shop area, some will still post up as they did on FMGLive, the difference is here we are giving you the option to choose what you want to do, we understand that there is a split where some want to stop the leechers, while others don't, so to help both sides we have come up with this.
Fact is, and ive said this before, you can never eradicate the leechers, you can only limit them and their ability to get their hands on the work.
And although, some will say spamming will be rife, thats what the staff and admins are here for, to eliminate that as best they can, but still keep the service to the 'decent' members as reliable and effective as is possible.
Unfortunately until I can find a way around the mod, it means that should you choose to place your item in the shop area, (this will mean you sending the d/l link to staff only for them to place it in the shop) it also means that there will be a small delay on you receiving the d/l link once you buy the item from the shop area. If a member of staff is online, then fine you will get the link straight away, however if its like 4am in the morning there will be a delay obviously. Although I will look into the possibility of an Australian admin so we can have staff on 24 hours lol.
There will obviously be the possibility of people passing the d/l links along to pals, and also them placing the links on other forums, unfortunately you cant eliminate those kind of people. So to try and combat that, im asking that if you choose to place your work in the shop area, you allow me to put it into a specific download host so we can monitor the downloads, and track possible breaches. If we suspect a breach is made or find the d/l link posted elsewhere etc, then the link will change and if a culprit can be found (eg their member name on another forum etc) then they will be banned.
As I say its a process that involves us monitoring and trying to limit as much of the leeching as we can, but still allow you the member creating the work, the option of whether or not you want the work to be protected. It also means that hopefully there will be more posting on the forum rather than people registering and taking work. We will soon see who the genuine members are.
Some will say that this is maybe an elitist move to do this, but IMO its not, its about rewarding the people who spend endless hours creating work for others and getting little or nothing in return, but the theft of their work by any Tom **** and Harry who fancies starting up a site using other peoples hard work. I want to see the forum as a place to come for graphics, I want to see the best people posting here to develop and enhance the forum, I want to see people who do offer something, eg contributions of work, posting regularly, a sweetner so to speak. As i said above, its about having a forum that has activity, quality of work and staff who genuinely are interested in what you the forum member has to say and offer.
Everyone in this world wants to feel part of something and wants to feel some sort of recognition for the work they have put into a project, whether thats a simple thanks, no thanks at all, seeing it posted all over the internet, or offered as an exclusive to a particular site/forum to see it improve its member base and standing within a community, we all want in some shape or form to feel that what we have done has been worthwhile.
This shop idea is just our way of offering up all those alternatives to you the member, how you choose to use it is up to you.
That is the main improvement at the moment, im hoping that you the members will help us come up with other ways of improving the site, its a partnership between us the staff and you the member, so ask yourself what do you want from this forum aside graphics obviously, what would encourage you to post? what would encourage you to visit regularly?
