Heyla, all!
Just a reminder that the Broke Developers Group's first ever fashion show is scheduled for today at 3pm, Pacific! As people apparently haven't had time to send in the requested information for the fashion show, we're going to do things a little differently:
We will have a display table or shelf set out where the group's fashion designers may place their ThereDocs. Then, each designer will take turns modelling an outfit or an item of clothing on the stage. Before they begin posing in their outfit, they will announce what outfit/clothing item they are modelling. If the participating designer has found someone to model for them, please remind your model to announce the name of the person who designed the outfit he/she is modelling. Or, the designer can do the announcing for the model. Either way is fine. We will also have pleasant but unobtrusive music playing in the background for atmosphere.
Yes, this is a very simple setup, but it allows for latecomers or those who have changed their minds to participate in the show, if they so wish. For those who are interested in attending, the information for the fashion show can be found through the link below:
Broke Developers Group Fashion Show
Also, I'd like to remind everyone that we have a new shop. I try to have at least 2, 8-hour shop events going in it every day, unless there's another group event going at the same time. So it's a great opportunity for you to get more exposure, as people are seeing our events every day and become curious enough to check it out. The following link will allow you to teleport to the shop:
Broke Developers Shop at Sutter's Camp
Finally, speaking of other group events, next Wednesday, December 19, we have our showcase coming up. There are two events: The Broke Developers Showcase Setup, and the Broke Developers Showcase. The BDG Showcase Setup is, of course, designed to allow those who are interested in participating in our showcase to set up their wares as they like at the event site. This event is two hours long and starts at 4 pm, Pacific. After that, the actual BDG Showcase begins, at 6 pm Pacific. If you're interested in attending, the following links will lead you to the event details.
BDG Showcase Setup
Broke Developers Group Showcase
Well, that's about it from me!
Wishing you fair profits,
TheKeeper
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Broke Developers Group Post-Meeting Report
Heyla, all!
As usual, I'd like to thank those who were able to make it to the meeting on Friday, November 30, 2007. I do appreciate the time you took to come on over and discuss the upcoming events for December.
Now, as mentioned, the topic of discussion for Friday's meeting were the upcoming events for December.
1. As usual, we have our regular monthly showcase coming up. We're going to try something a little different, this month. Instead of hosting the showcase on a Friday, we're going to try to host it on a Wednesday. Perhaps, this way, we'll get more people to attend the event, as we'll not be competing with the bigger Friday events like the CCR.
Broke Developers Group Showcase Setup Event
Broke Developers Group Showcase Event
2. Next, we have the Broke Developers Group Fashion Show coming up on Saturday, December 15, 2007. At this point in time, we are past the deadline to submit to eleanorrigby, the volunteer MC for the show, the item descriptions and auction ID numbers of the outfits we'd like to have modelled at the fashion show. However, if people had simply forgotten about this, I'll try to see if El is willing to extend the deadline for a few more days.
Broke Developers Fashion Show Event
Keep an eye out for rehearsal event notices. We've never done a fashion show, before, so we'd like to work out all the bugs before the day of the actual event!
3. Finally, we're going to try DavyRocket's idea on holding a live auction event. As he's the one coordinating this particular event, please e-mail him to let him know if you'd like to participate.
Basically, from what I gather from this event, this will be something of a meld between a showcase and a fashion show, where we each, one at a time, display an item or outfit we have for sale on a stage, and we allow our guests to bid on the outfit. While the starting bid may start out lower than our listed asking price in auctions for the item or outfit, there's a real possibility that the ending bid may end up at or higher than that asking price, so I think we should try it out. In any event, it sounds like fun!
The date for the live auction event is Wednesday, December 5, 2007. Yes, that's right around the corner, but it seems like there isnt' too much in the way of prep time needed, so it looks all right.
Broke Developers Live Auction Event
And that's pretty much it. I know: my report is actually a manageable size! Don't get used to it, though!
Wishing you all fair profits,
TheKeeper
As usual, I'd like to thank those who were able to make it to the meeting on Friday, November 30, 2007. I do appreciate the time you took to come on over and discuss the upcoming events for December.
Now, as mentioned, the topic of discussion for Friday's meeting were the upcoming events for December.
1. As usual, we have our regular monthly showcase coming up. We're going to try something a little different, this month. Instead of hosting the showcase on a Friday, we're going to try to host it on a Wednesday. Perhaps, this way, we'll get more people to attend the event, as we'll not be competing with the bigger Friday events like the CCR.
Broke Developers Group Showcase Setup Event
Broke Developers Group Showcase Event
2. Next, we have the Broke Developers Group Fashion Show coming up on Saturday, December 15, 2007. At this point in time, we are past the deadline to submit to eleanorrigby, the volunteer MC for the show, the item descriptions and auction ID numbers of the outfits we'd like to have modelled at the fashion show. However, if people had simply forgotten about this, I'll try to see if El is willing to extend the deadline for a few more days.
Broke Developers Fashion Show Event
Keep an eye out for rehearsal event notices. We've never done a fashion show, before, so we'd like to work out all the bugs before the day of the actual event!
3. Finally, we're going to try DavyRocket's idea on holding a live auction event. As he's the one coordinating this particular event, please e-mail him to let him know if you'd like to participate.
Basically, from what I gather from this event, this will be something of a meld between a showcase and a fashion show, where we each, one at a time, display an item or outfit we have for sale on a stage, and we allow our guests to bid on the outfit. While the starting bid may start out lower than our listed asking price in auctions for the item or outfit, there's a real possibility that the ending bid may end up at or higher than that asking price, so I think we should try it out. In any event, it sounds like fun!
The date for the live auction event is Wednesday, December 5, 2007. Yes, that's right around the corner, but it seems like there isnt' too much in the way of prep time needed, so it looks all right.
Broke Developers Live Auction Event
And that's pretty much it. I know: my report is actually a manageable size! Don't get used to it, though!
Wishing you all fair profits,
TheKeeper
Sunday, November 25, 2007
An Odd Bit of News
Heyla, all!
I've an odd bit of news to share: I've discovered why the Broke Developers Group lost hosting rights at the SkyView Mall. Apparently, Davy wasn't the only one concerned by the group's temporary inactivity, so Monte created a new group called Broke Developers Association, using the banking avatar, Broke_Developers, he had created for me, but I had felt too uncomfortable to use, after all.
As Monte has not informed anyone of this development, I'm going to assume he does not want any connection to the Broke Developers Group. Oh, well. I'm glad he found a use for that avatar, and I wish him well on his journey, as I'm sure the rest of the group does.
Wishing him, and everyone else, fair profits,
TheKeeper
I've an odd bit of news to share: I've discovered why the Broke Developers Group lost hosting rights at the SkyView Mall. Apparently, Davy wasn't the only one concerned by the group's temporary inactivity, so Monte created a new group called Broke Developers Association, using the banking avatar, Broke_Developers, he had created for me, but I had felt too uncomfortable to use, after all.
As Monte has not informed anyone of this development, I'm going to assume he does not want any connection to the Broke Developers Group. Oh, well. I'm glad he found a use for that avatar, and I wish him well on his journey, as I'm sure the rest of the group does.
Wishing him, and everyone else, fair profits,
TheKeeper
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Improving Interpersonal Relations
Heyla, all,
I had recently been informed that, due to recent events, a member had left the group, citing that he wasn't very pleased with the ensuing "drama." This, in turn, concerns me, as such things reflect badly upon the group's reputation. As I had mentioned in my "Calming the Rough Waters" post, my dream for this group is to be a warm, close, and welcoming community, not a community known for passionate conflicts. As such, I have been doing some thinking, and I think, perhaps, there are measures we can take to prevent future conflict from occurring.
As we have recently learned, the situation with Davy was nothing more than a very big misunderstanding. Indeed, as things turn out, he had nothing but good intentions for us, as he had created the group in order to give us a place to host shop events, since we had mysteriously and suddenly lost hosting rights at the SkyView Mall. Therefore, I am thinking, if such future situations occur where someone makes a statement that others feel strongly about, I ask, before and during your replies, that you do the following:
1. Take a deep breath and relax. Adopt the hitchhiker's motto of "Don't Panic," and take a moment to clear your head before writing a passionate message fueled by confusion and hurt. As is often the case, things aren't always what they seem.
2. If you're still too emotional to calmly write a reply, just step away for a while. Watch a movie, take a walk in the park, play Runescape or some other video game, etc., just to cool down enough that, when you're finally ready to reply, you can do so without adding to or causing potential conflict.
3. When writing a reply, try writing the message in this form, "Okay, I read your message, and this is how I'm interpreting it. Please confirm my interpretation or clarify your statement so that I may better understand your message." And when writing your interpretation, please try to avoid using... aggressive language, leaving out insults and sarcasm. Really try to explain what you think the other person is saying in a non-confrontational manner so that real communication, and thus, understanding, can take place.
4. Remember that this is not an authoritarian group. I do not, repeat, do not require someone to take it upon themselves to "bust some heads," as that only promotes unwanted conflict. Indeed, such a thing is discouraged. Recall that in the group rules posted on this site, we are supposed to treat others with respect. Remember, the purpose of this group is for new, broke, or otherwise struggling developers to come together to pool our resources so that we may better promote our products, not to bicker amongst ourselves.
Hopefully, taking these actions and remembering these few things will do much to reduce future potential conflict. Again, I do not want the group's reputation to be tarnished by such events.
I want everyone to understand that I am not saying that you can not let your voice be heard. I am simply asking you to do so in a manner that is calm, rational, and non-confrontational. Remember, your actions reflect upon the group and influences its reputation. I do not want our good reputation to be tarnished by negative actions.
Wishing you all fair profits,
TheKeeper
I had recently been informed that, due to recent events, a member had left the group, citing that he wasn't very pleased with the ensuing "drama." This, in turn, concerns me, as such things reflect badly upon the group's reputation. As I had mentioned in my "Calming the Rough Waters" post, my dream for this group is to be a warm, close, and welcoming community, not a community known for passionate conflicts. As such, I have been doing some thinking, and I think, perhaps, there are measures we can take to prevent future conflict from occurring.
As we have recently learned, the situation with Davy was nothing more than a very big misunderstanding. Indeed, as things turn out, he had nothing but good intentions for us, as he had created the group in order to give us a place to host shop events, since we had mysteriously and suddenly lost hosting rights at the SkyView Mall. Therefore, I am thinking, if such future situations occur where someone makes a statement that others feel strongly about, I ask, before and during your replies, that you do the following:
1. Take a deep breath and relax. Adopt the hitchhiker's motto of "Don't Panic," and take a moment to clear your head before writing a passionate message fueled by confusion and hurt. As is often the case, things aren't always what they seem.
2. If you're still too emotional to calmly write a reply, just step away for a while. Watch a movie, take a walk in the park, play Runescape or some other video game, etc., just to cool down enough that, when you're finally ready to reply, you can do so without adding to or causing potential conflict.
3. When writing a reply, try writing the message in this form, "Okay, I read your message, and this is how I'm interpreting it. Please confirm my interpretation or clarify your statement so that I may better understand your message." And when writing your interpretation, please try to avoid using... aggressive language, leaving out insults and sarcasm. Really try to explain what you think the other person is saying in a non-confrontational manner so that real communication, and thus, understanding, can take place.
4. Remember that this is not an authoritarian group. I do not, repeat, do not require someone to take it upon themselves to "bust some heads," as that only promotes unwanted conflict. Indeed, such a thing is discouraged. Recall that in the group rules posted on this site, we are supposed to treat others with respect. Remember, the purpose of this group is for new, broke, or otherwise struggling developers to come together to pool our resources so that we may better promote our products, not to bicker amongst ourselves.
Hopefully, taking these actions and remembering these few things will do much to reduce future potential conflict. Again, I do not want the group's reputation to be tarnished by such events.
I want everyone to understand that I am not saying that you can not let your voice be heard. I am simply asking you to do so in a manner that is calm, rational, and non-confrontational. Remember, your actions reflect upon the group and influences its reputation. I do not want our good reputation to be tarnished by negative actions.
Wishing you all fair profits,
TheKeeper
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Unveiling The Claws Project!
Heyla, all!
I'm not quite sure if anyone remembers a post I had made mentioning a group project? Well, after working out the bugs and finding that the project can, indeed, work, those who were present for that particular group meeting are now ready to unveil the Broke Developers' group project: The Claws Project!
As you can see, we already have the base outfit for Mr. Claws ready and in auctions. However, we still need someone to work on some cool shades to complete the bad look of Mr. Claws. For Mrs. Claws, I have completed the biker-type shorts and am currently waiting for word from Hurt as to whether the top has been completed. Mrs. Claws still needs shoes to complete the booted look and a pair of shades, as well. Anyone interested in helping to complete Mr. and Mrs. Claws, please send out a group e-mail and let us know! We'll gladly send pics of what we have, so far!
Remember, for every hero, there ought to be an appropriate villain! A few have discussed the idea of his and her mad elf costumes, the idea being that a pair of Santa's Elves got fed up with working every day of the year with no pay, and they are now attempting to put an end to Christmas once and for all in order to finally have a break. If anyone is interested in working on parts of that outfit theme, send out a group e-mail and let us know! Also, if you can think of other Christmas villain costumes, again, let us know!
A hero ought to have appropriate rides and equipment. While I understand that Davy and Ceashure are attempting to work on a re-imagined Santa's sleigh, that doesn't mean that others can't step in with more snazzy rides for Mr. and Mrs. Claws! Also, let's not leave the villains taking the bus! (Although, that could actually be pretty funny; a villain so terrible and poor he needs to take the Christmas bus!)
This project is completely voluntary. As the article on the Claws Project states, this is just a fun way to help promote our work better. If you're interested in taking part in the project, just send out a group e-mail and let us know.
Hopefully, this project will help build that stronger community I dream about, allowing us to have fun and become a close and warm community!
Wishing you all fair profits,
TheKeeper
I'm not quite sure if anyone remembers a post I had made mentioning a group project? Well, after working out the bugs and finding that the project can, indeed, work, those who were present for that particular group meeting are now ready to unveil the Broke Developers' group project: The Claws Project!
As you can see, we already have the base outfit for Mr. Claws ready and in auctions. However, we still need someone to work on some cool shades to complete the bad look of Mr. Claws. For Mrs. Claws, I have completed the biker-type shorts and am currently waiting for word from Hurt as to whether the top has been completed. Mrs. Claws still needs shoes to complete the booted look and a pair of shades, as well. Anyone interested in helping to complete Mr. and Mrs. Claws, please send out a group e-mail and let us know! We'll gladly send pics of what we have, so far!
Remember, for every hero, there ought to be an appropriate villain! A few have discussed the idea of his and her mad elf costumes, the idea being that a pair of Santa's Elves got fed up with working every day of the year with no pay, and they are now attempting to put an end to Christmas once and for all in order to finally have a break. If anyone is interested in working on parts of that outfit theme, send out a group e-mail and let us know! Also, if you can think of other Christmas villain costumes, again, let us know!
A hero ought to have appropriate rides and equipment. While I understand that Davy and Ceashure are attempting to work on a re-imagined Santa's sleigh, that doesn't mean that others can't step in with more snazzy rides for Mr. and Mrs. Claws! Also, let's not leave the villains taking the bus! (Although, that could actually be pretty funny; a villain so terrible and poor he needs to take the Christmas bus!)
This project is completely voluntary. As the article on the Claws Project states, this is just a fun way to help promote our work better. If you're interested in taking part in the project, just send out a group e-mail and let us know.
Hopefully, this project will help build that stronger community I dream about, allowing us to have fun and become a close and warm community!
Wishing you all fair profits,
TheKeeper
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Calming the Rough Waters
Heyla, all!
As most of you already know, I've taken a leave of absence as group leader of the Broke Developers Group in order to sort out some real-world personal difficulties. I do apologize for the suddenness of this, but it is necessary in order for me to sort some issues out. I do promise to return once the situation has stabilized. However, as things seem to be approaching a heated nature in this group, from what I can gather from the current e-mails I've been receiving, I think I ought to clarify a few things, namely, what I desire to achieve with the group.
A few people in the group have spoken of a dream I hold for the Broke Developers Group. I'm not sure whether they truly understand the whole of that dream, so I wish to paint a clear picture for you: I would first like to make things clear that I have never intended to run everyone's lives. The purpose of this group was to allow people who are interested in making sales to pool what resources they have in order to better sell their products. And we have accomplished that. A few have complained about inactive members, but, frankly, does that really harm the group? I have created a group web site with links to every struggling vendor's auctions and a group ThereDoc that links to this web site, but from what I've seen of those who've come to our shops and our showcases, people still prefer to collect and shop from the individual ThereDocs that active members choose to set out, and to buy from the vendors who are actually present at these events to push their products. So are inactive members truly harming the sales of the active members who work so hard to advertise their products? No.
While I'm disappointed by the inactivity of the majority of the group, I also understand that real life takes precedence over one's life in There. Most of the people in the group are working adults with families to feed and tend to. This is busy work. And when they finally have the chance to actually log into There, they'd rather spend that rare time relaxing with friends, rather than pushing their products. Indeed, many of the developers in the group had gone into developing as a fun and relaxing hobby. Perhaps, one day, they may want to take advantage of the resources the group has to offer, but apparently, now isn't that time. I've finally come to accept this, and with this acceptance, comes my dream for the group:
On the day I return to lead the group, I will have the funds to actually buy for the group a stable shop that can be run as the group wishes it to be run, as we seem to have lost our place in the SkyView Mall. I will be able to schedule fairly regular showcases, fashion shows, and shop events, all of which will always be available to the interested group member who has decided that he or she would like to make a push for sales. More than that, I hope that our group can become a close and warm community where everyone can feel welcome and chat, maybe give developing advice, or just plain hang out because we enjoy each other's presence. Perhaps we ought to hold weekly party events for this purpose?
While I am out of action, now, I promise, upon my return, to work hard for each and every one of you, active or not. I will work hard to make available as many advertising resources as the group wishes to take advantage of… I’m not looking for thanks or glory. If that were what I wanted, I would have hung onto leadership for dear life and ruled the group with an iron fist. I’m not interested in that. I’m just looking to build a community that can trust each other and know that we can be there for each other when the time dictates that we need a helping hand. That is all. You can take advantage of what this group has to offer, or not. As long as I know I have worked hard for you, to be available for you, to have the resources you need available to you, I am at peace. Those are my dreams. Those are my wishes.
In the meantime, I have left the group in the hands of eleanorrigby. She is a schoolteacher by day, and this is a busy time in the year for her, so she isn’t likely to hold as many meetings and shop events as I had been able to. However, she has all the leadership qualities I wish I possessed: a cool and level head, a sense of diplomacy, practicality, and a maturity that constantly astounds me. So, perhaps the group has slowed down, for a bit, but perhaps that is exactly what the group needs, in order to cool off and rebuild itself into a better, stronger community.
And so, I ask for everyone’s patience. Hopefully, if all goes well, that patience will be well rewarded. Until then, I wish everyone well as they travel their own life paths.
Wishing you all fair profits,
TheKeeper
As most of you already know, I've taken a leave of absence as group leader of the Broke Developers Group in order to sort out some real-world personal difficulties. I do apologize for the suddenness of this, but it is necessary in order for me to sort some issues out. I do promise to return once the situation has stabilized. However, as things seem to be approaching a heated nature in this group, from what I can gather from the current e-mails I've been receiving, I think I ought to clarify a few things, namely, what I desire to achieve with the group.
A few people in the group have spoken of a dream I hold for the Broke Developers Group. I'm not sure whether they truly understand the whole of that dream, so I wish to paint a clear picture for you: I would first like to make things clear that I have never intended to run everyone's lives. The purpose of this group was to allow people who are interested in making sales to pool what resources they have in order to better sell their products. And we have accomplished that. A few have complained about inactive members, but, frankly, does that really harm the group? I have created a group web site with links to every struggling vendor's auctions and a group ThereDoc that links to this web site, but from what I've seen of those who've come to our shops and our showcases, people still prefer to collect and shop from the individual ThereDocs that active members choose to set out, and to buy from the vendors who are actually present at these events to push their products. So are inactive members truly harming the sales of the active members who work so hard to advertise their products? No.
While I'm disappointed by the inactivity of the majority of the group, I also understand that real life takes precedence over one's life in There. Most of the people in the group are working adults with families to feed and tend to. This is busy work. And when they finally have the chance to actually log into There, they'd rather spend that rare time relaxing with friends, rather than pushing their products. Indeed, many of the developers in the group had gone into developing as a fun and relaxing hobby. Perhaps, one day, they may want to take advantage of the resources the group has to offer, but apparently, now isn't that time. I've finally come to accept this, and with this acceptance, comes my dream for the group:
On the day I return to lead the group, I will have the funds to actually buy for the group a stable shop that can be run as the group wishes it to be run, as we seem to have lost our place in the SkyView Mall. I will be able to schedule fairly regular showcases, fashion shows, and shop events, all of which will always be available to the interested group member who has decided that he or she would like to make a push for sales. More than that, I hope that our group can become a close and warm community where everyone can feel welcome and chat, maybe give developing advice, or just plain hang out because we enjoy each other's presence. Perhaps we ought to hold weekly party events for this purpose?
While I am out of action, now, I promise, upon my return, to work hard for each and every one of you, active or not. I will work hard to make available as many advertising resources as the group wishes to take advantage of… I’m not looking for thanks or glory. If that were what I wanted, I would have hung onto leadership for dear life and ruled the group with an iron fist. I’m not interested in that. I’m just looking to build a community that can trust each other and know that we can be there for each other when the time dictates that we need a helping hand. That is all. You can take advantage of what this group has to offer, or not. As long as I know I have worked hard for you, to be available for you, to have the resources you need available to you, I am at peace. Those are my dreams. Those are my wishes.
In the meantime, I have left the group in the hands of eleanorrigby. She is a schoolteacher by day, and this is a busy time in the year for her, so she isn’t likely to hold as many meetings and shop events as I had been able to. However, she has all the leadership qualities I wish I possessed: a cool and level head, a sense of diplomacy, practicality, and a maturity that constantly astounds me. So, perhaps the group has slowed down, for a bit, but perhaps that is exactly what the group needs, in order to cool off and rebuild itself into a better, stronger community.
And so, I ask for everyone’s patience. Hopefully, if all goes well, that patience will be well rewarded. Until then, I wish everyone well as they travel their own life paths.
Wishing you all fair profits,
TheKeeper
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Broke Developers Group Post-Meeting Report and Group News
Heyla, all!
Much has happened in the past week, so please bear with me as I try to keep this post from becoming an epic novel.
First of all, I would like to thank everyone who had managed to make it to the emergency meeting and/or the regular meeting. I appreciate that you took the time to come meet and talk about issues that needed to be discussed. Thank you, once again!
All right, now to get down to business!
1) You may have remembered that, early on in the week, a few other members and I had gone down to the shop only to find it missing. We have finally been able to get the whole story from Greenie as to what had happened.
Greenie had wanted to put some of the furniture that was in the shop in her own home, and apparently, there's a way to have a set of furniture in two places that involves picking up the lot or lots that the furniture was originally placed in and reconfiguring them. I'm not quite clear on how this works, but other group members confirmed this method, so I'll leave the issue alone.
Anyhow, during this process, Greenie had lost her connection, which caused technical difficulties in being able to put the shops back down. From what I understand, it took a while to resolve the issue with technical support, so for the whole day and during the night, we did not get the shop back. (If I'm getting this all wrong, Greenie, please feel free to correct me.)
SkyView_Vally and SkyView_Resorts had noticed the missing shop, and so they had decided to drop a lot of their own, complete with shop building, until this issue can be resolved. This lot and shop still remains. Vally and Resorts had come to the conclusion that since, as the owners of the hood the mall is located in, they are able to drop lots at no cost to them, leaving this shop in place of the one Greenie had given the group use of is a better option, as rent would no longer be an issue.
So, we have our shop back. Our shop is only one room, now, instead of two, but at least we still have a place to drop our advertising ThereDocs where people can come by and view them.
2. Many of you may recall an earlier post stating that, due to lack of funds, DavyRocket would be unable to support the rent for the Broke Dev. Group House. Thus, on November 5, 2007, he would be letting the house go. However, due to a surprise donation by a person who desires anonymity, the group house has one more month in group hands. After that, who knows?
At the very least, if we are unable to keep the group house past this month, Vally and Resort had volunteered to drop an open clubhouse in their hood, where we can go and host our meetings. So, all in all, our group isn't homeless, yet! Many thanks to Davy, who had initially bought the house, to the anonymous donor, who kept that house going for one more month, to Greenie, Vally, and Resort, for giving us a place to put our advertising ThereDocs where people are likely to see it, and to Vally and Resort for volunteering to give us a place to meet, should we be unable to support the group house!
3. On Wednesday, we attempted to host a Halloween event of our own: The Halloween Sales Blitz. The idea behind this event was that those who bought at least one item from one of the group members who had dropped a scroll in the shop would be entered in a raffle to win one of the vehicles that had been donated to the group during the last showcase. Also, in the spirit of Halloween, I would be offering tarot readings to any interested customers.
On the one hand, the event was a failure, for very few people came by. Indeed, only two people bought anything from us, so we ended up simply giving them a pick of the vehicles we had available.
On the other hand, the event was a success, for we had managed to generate a sale for both NyteLyte and SweetNDeadly. Congrats, you two!
Perhaps we should have another of these sales blitzes? Comments on this idea are welcome!
4. Our monthly showcase has been scheduled for next Friday, November 9, 2007. As we have several members who have items that cannot be dropped in the shop, such as vehicles, porches, and portahomes, we will be hosting this showcase at the Oka Frontier Zone, again. Once Davy has the event shceduled, I will update this post to include a link to the event details.
As with the last showcase, we will be holding an end of showcase raffle. I have already recieved donations for this raffle. Many thanks to NyteLyte, Hurt, and eleanorrigby for your donations for this raffle.
Link to the Showcase Setup Event
Link to the Showcase Event
5. As Vally has graciously granted me hosting rights at the performing arts building in the SkyView Mall, we are taking advantage of such hosting rights and hosting our very first fashion show! The Broke Developers Fashion Show will be held on Friday, November 16, 2007. I will update this post to include links to the event details once I have scheduled the event.
For models, we have myself, Hurt, NyteLyte, and Ceashure. (I and the other clothing designers will not be modelling our own clothes; the clothing we will model will be assigned by the MC; this will be discussed further in a moment.) If there are other members in the group who are interested in modelling, please e-mail eleanorrigby, for she is the MC managing and assigning clothing to the models.
As I mentioned, El is going to MC for the show. She will be calling out the model, introducing the outfit and its auction number, and copying and pasting the outfit descriptions and auction numbers into the zone IM. As the MC for the show, she will also be assigning clothing for the models to wear. If any clothing designers in the group wish to have their clothing entered in the fashion show, please e-mail El with your clothing descriptions as well as the auction numbers of the clothing you are entering in the show.
During the week the fashion show will be held, I will be hosting rehearsal events for the models, designers, and the MC, so please keep an eye out for invites to those rehearsal events.
If there are any members in the group who have had experience with fashion shows, please e-mail or IM the group with your comments and ideas, or leave those comments or ideas as a comment on this post! As usual, this is a first for me, so I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing! Any and all help and advice would be appreciated!
6. I would like to report that the group t-shirt contest has begun! I already have a few t-shirt entries from DJ_Phoenix. After I've had a few more t-shirt entries, I will be posting a voting poll here on the site for people to vote on their favorite shirt! The deadline for t-shirt entries is December 31, 2007. So everyone has quite a bit of time to put together a group t-shirt idea. There is no limit on the number of t-shirts that a single group member can submit, but remember, only one t-shirt can win!
7. Speaking of polls, as the group continues to grow, I'm aware that choosing convenient meeting times for the majority of the group becomes more and more difficult. As such, I'm following through on a suggestion from SweetNDeadly and will be posting a voting poll on the best time to schedule meetings and other group events. I'll try to have that up by the end of next week.
8. Finally, a member of the group, Mooly, was saddended to leave the group due to medical reasons. The group, itself, feels saddened that she had to leave, and wishes her the best of luck and the return of good health. I will not be removing her name from the group's auctions listing on the web site. Supporting her auctions sales is my get-well gift to her.
And that is my account of the news and events of the past week, as well as the items discussed during both the emergency meeting as well as the regular group meeting. If I've forgotten anything or got something wrong, please feel free to e-mail or IM me about it, and I'll fix the post.
Wishing you all fair profit,
TheKeeper
Much has happened in the past week, so please bear with me as I try to keep this post from becoming an epic novel.
First of all, I would like to thank everyone who had managed to make it to the emergency meeting and/or the regular meeting. I appreciate that you took the time to come meet and talk about issues that needed to be discussed. Thank you, once again!
All right, now to get down to business!
1) You may have remembered that, early on in the week, a few other members and I had gone down to the shop only to find it missing. We have finally been able to get the whole story from Greenie as to what had happened.
Greenie had wanted to put some of the furniture that was in the shop in her own home, and apparently, there's a way to have a set of furniture in two places that involves picking up the lot or lots that the furniture was originally placed in and reconfiguring them. I'm not quite clear on how this works, but other group members confirmed this method, so I'll leave the issue alone.
Anyhow, during this process, Greenie had lost her connection, which caused technical difficulties in being able to put the shops back down. From what I understand, it took a while to resolve the issue with technical support, so for the whole day and during the night, we did not get the shop back. (If I'm getting this all wrong, Greenie, please feel free to correct me.)
SkyView_Vally and SkyView_Resorts had noticed the missing shop, and so they had decided to drop a lot of their own, complete with shop building, until this issue can be resolved. This lot and shop still remains. Vally and Resorts had come to the conclusion that since, as the owners of the hood the mall is located in, they are able to drop lots at no cost to them, leaving this shop in place of the one Greenie had given the group use of is a better option, as rent would no longer be an issue.
So, we have our shop back. Our shop is only one room, now, instead of two, but at least we still have a place to drop our advertising ThereDocs where people can come by and view them.
2. Many of you may recall an earlier post stating that, due to lack of funds, DavyRocket would be unable to support the rent for the Broke Dev. Group House. Thus, on November 5, 2007, he would be letting the house go. However, due to a surprise donation by a person who desires anonymity, the group house has one more month in group hands. After that, who knows?
At the very least, if we are unable to keep the group house past this month, Vally and Resort had volunteered to drop an open clubhouse in their hood, where we can go and host our meetings. So, all in all, our group isn't homeless, yet! Many thanks to Davy, who had initially bought the house, to the anonymous donor, who kept that house going for one more month, to Greenie, Vally, and Resort, for giving us a place to put our advertising ThereDocs where people are likely to see it, and to Vally and Resort for volunteering to give us a place to meet, should we be unable to support the group house!
3. On Wednesday, we attempted to host a Halloween event of our own: The Halloween Sales Blitz. The idea behind this event was that those who bought at least one item from one of the group members who had dropped a scroll in the shop would be entered in a raffle to win one of the vehicles that had been donated to the group during the last showcase. Also, in the spirit of Halloween, I would be offering tarot readings to any interested customers.
On the one hand, the event was a failure, for very few people came by. Indeed, only two people bought anything from us, so we ended up simply giving them a pick of the vehicles we had available.
On the other hand, the event was a success, for we had managed to generate a sale for both NyteLyte and SweetNDeadly. Congrats, you two!
Perhaps we should have another of these sales blitzes? Comments on this idea are welcome!
4. Our monthly showcase has been scheduled for next Friday, November 9, 2007. As we have several members who have items that cannot be dropped in the shop, such as vehicles, porches, and portahomes, we will be hosting this showcase at the Oka Frontier Zone, again. Once Davy has the event shceduled, I will update this post to include a link to the event details.
As with the last showcase, we will be holding an end of showcase raffle. I have already recieved donations for this raffle. Many thanks to NyteLyte, Hurt, and eleanorrigby for your donations for this raffle.
Link to the Showcase Setup Event
Link to the Showcase Event
5. As Vally has graciously granted me hosting rights at the performing arts building in the SkyView Mall, we are taking advantage of such hosting rights and hosting our very first fashion show! The Broke Developers Fashion Show will be held on Friday, November 16, 2007. I will update this post to include links to the event details once I have scheduled the event.
For models, we have myself, Hurt, NyteLyte, and Ceashure. (I and the other clothing designers will not be modelling our own clothes; the clothing we will model will be assigned by the MC; this will be discussed further in a moment.) If there are other members in the group who are interested in modelling, please e-mail eleanorrigby, for she is the MC managing and assigning clothing to the models.
As I mentioned, El is going to MC for the show. She will be calling out the model, introducing the outfit and its auction number, and copying and pasting the outfit descriptions and auction numbers into the zone IM. As the MC for the show, she will also be assigning clothing for the models to wear. If any clothing designers in the group wish to have their clothing entered in the fashion show, please e-mail El with your clothing descriptions as well as the auction numbers of the clothing you are entering in the show.
During the week the fashion show will be held, I will be hosting rehearsal events for the models, designers, and the MC, so please keep an eye out for invites to those rehearsal events.
If there are any members in the group who have had experience with fashion shows, please e-mail or IM the group with your comments and ideas, or leave those comments or ideas as a comment on this post! As usual, this is a first for me, so I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing! Any and all help and advice would be appreciated!
6. I would like to report that the group t-shirt contest has begun! I already have a few t-shirt entries from DJ_Phoenix. After I've had a few more t-shirt entries, I will be posting a voting poll here on the site for people to vote on their favorite shirt! The deadline for t-shirt entries is December 31, 2007. So everyone has quite a bit of time to put together a group t-shirt idea. There is no limit on the number of t-shirts that a single group member can submit, but remember, only one t-shirt can win!
7. Speaking of polls, as the group continues to grow, I'm aware that choosing convenient meeting times for the majority of the group becomes more and more difficult. As such, I'm following through on a suggestion from SweetNDeadly and will be posting a voting poll on the best time to schedule meetings and other group events. I'll try to have that up by the end of next week.
8. Finally, a member of the group, Mooly, was saddended to leave the group due to medical reasons. The group, itself, feels saddened that she had to leave, and wishes her the best of luck and the return of good health. I will not be removing her name from the group's auctions listing on the web site. Supporting her auctions sales is my get-well gift to her.
And that is my account of the news and events of the past week, as well as the items discussed during both the emergency meeting as well as the regular group meeting. If I've forgotten anything or got something wrong, please feel free to e-mail or IM me about it, and I'll fix the post.
Wishing you all fair profit,
TheKeeper
Thursday, October 25, 2007
A Comment on Member Participation
Heyla, all!
A few of the more active members of the group have brought to my attention the current inactivity of many of the group's members. After thinking the matter over, I've decided to address the group about this issue.
First, I wish to remind everyone the reason for the formation of the group: profits. Let's be honest, here. We are developers who wish to improve our sales. We all came together and formed this group in the hopes of doing just that, for there are many things that, alone, we could never accomplish.
That being said, simply being a name listed in a group isn't going to help improve your profits. You still have to actively take part in the promotion of your products. I can only do so much. The rest of the work must be done by you, if you wish to reach the level of success you desire. Now, I understand that the Broke Developers Group is unusual in that it is a very active group, unlike many of the others you may have joined, so you may actually be unsure of exactly how to participate, as well as how much participation is expected. Hence, I am providing the following as a (hopefully clear) guideline of what is expected of the group's new, broke, or otherwise struggling developers who joined the group in the hopes of leaving that status behind to achieve the success they desire.
At the most minimum level of participation, all that is required of you is to come visit the brand new Broke Developers Shop at the SkyView Mall and drop your ThereDoc on the tables provided. That is all. If you find that there isn't enough space left on the tables I and others have set out for you, let me know, and we will find a way to provide more tables.
Events are running in the shop 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the events for our shop are pretty obvious, as they are named "Broke Developers Shop." You can find these events listed under Activities--Today's Events--Sales on ThereCentral. Through these events, you can teleport to the shop to drop your scroll.
At this point, you needn't do anything further, except keep an eye on your ThereDoc to see if it needs to be returned to the shop when it has been autoretrieved back to your inventory. We all understand and respect the fact that your real life takes precedence over your There life, as it very well should.
However, if you feel you wish to participate a bit more, why not try leaving comments on the posts I make on our group web site? I've finally figured out how to set the site so that anyone can leave comments on a post, whether they are a registered user or not, so all you have to do is click on "comment" and leave your messages about that post. Unable to make it to a showcase that has been posted? Leave a comment! Don't really like that picture of a proposed group shirt? Leave a comment! Congratulations! You're becomming a more active member of the group!
Want to take things to its next logical step? Try attending the group meetings, showcases, and fashion shows that I post about. Let your voice be heard and speak up during meetings about any ideas you may have that may better promote the group and increase every member's profits. Show off your designs during the showcases and make that hard sales pitch to our guests. Walk the runway and shine in your fabulous new duds.
Feeling even more active? How about hosting your own mini-showcase or fashion show in our second shop room? Just let us know when you'd like to do a little something to help increase your sales, and we'll cancel some of our generic shop events to give you time space to host your event. We'll even try to advertise it for you!
At this point, you will have become a greatly active, respected, and highly-valued member of the group, and hopefully, through this activity, you will have made the wonderful transition from broke developer to successful developer. My dream is to one day say that every member who joined as a new, broke, or otherwise struggling developer and chose to remain in this group had become a successful developer. But as I had mentioned before, all I can really do is open the door for you. Only you can make the decision to actually step through it.
TheKeeper
A few of the more active members of the group have brought to my attention the current inactivity of many of the group's members. After thinking the matter over, I've decided to address the group about this issue.
First, I wish to remind everyone the reason for the formation of the group: profits. Let's be honest, here. We are developers who wish to improve our sales. We all came together and formed this group in the hopes of doing just that, for there are many things that, alone, we could never accomplish.
That being said, simply being a name listed in a group isn't going to help improve your profits. You still have to actively take part in the promotion of your products. I can only do so much. The rest of the work must be done by you, if you wish to reach the level of success you desire. Now, I understand that the Broke Developers Group is unusual in that it is a very active group, unlike many of the others you may have joined, so you may actually be unsure of exactly how to participate, as well as how much participation is expected. Hence, I am providing the following as a (hopefully clear) guideline of what is expected of the group's new, broke, or otherwise struggling developers who joined the group in the hopes of leaving that status behind to achieve the success they desire.
At the most minimum level of participation, all that is required of you is to come visit the brand new Broke Developers Shop at the SkyView Mall and drop your ThereDoc on the tables provided. That is all. If you find that there isn't enough space left on the tables I and others have set out for you, let me know, and we will find a way to provide more tables.
Events are running in the shop 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the events for our shop are pretty obvious, as they are named "Broke Developers Shop." You can find these events listed under Activities--Today's Events--Sales on ThereCentral. Through these events, you can teleport to the shop to drop your scroll.
At this point, you needn't do anything further, except keep an eye on your ThereDoc to see if it needs to be returned to the shop when it has been autoretrieved back to your inventory. We all understand and respect the fact that your real life takes precedence over your There life, as it very well should.
However, if you feel you wish to participate a bit more, why not try leaving comments on the posts I make on our group web site? I've finally figured out how to set the site so that anyone can leave comments on a post, whether they are a registered user or not, so all you have to do is click on "comment" and leave your messages about that post. Unable to make it to a showcase that has been posted? Leave a comment! Don't really like that picture of a proposed group shirt? Leave a comment! Congratulations! You're becomming a more active member of the group!
Want to take things to its next logical step? Try attending the group meetings, showcases, and fashion shows that I post about. Let your voice be heard and speak up during meetings about any ideas you may have that may better promote the group and increase every member's profits. Show off your designs during the showcases and make that hard sales pitch to our guests. Walk the runway and shine in your fabulous new duds.
Feeling even more active? How about hosting your own mini-showcase or fashion show in our second shop room? Just let us know when you'd like to do a little something to help increase your sales, and we'll cancel some of our generic shop events to give you time space to host your event. We'll even try to advertise it for you!
At this point, you will have become a greatly active, respected, and highly-valued member of the group, and hopefully, through this activity, you will have made the wonderful transition from broke developer to successful developer. My dream is to one day say that every member who joined as a new, broke, or otherwise struggling developer and chose to remain in this group had become a successful developer. But as I had mentioned before, all I can really do is open the door for you. Only you can make the decision to actually step through it.
TheKeeper
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Post-Showcase Report and Group News: Part Deux
Heyla, all!
Once again, a warm thank you to those who were able to make it to Part Deux of the Broke Developers Halloween Showcase! I know it was short notice, so that makes you guys even more awesome for attending!
Well, we didn't get as many guests as yesterday, this time, but we did finally get enough guests to sign in for the raffle to actually hold it at the end of the event.
The raffle winners are:
NyteLyte: Cocoa Chic Outfit by Hurt
Guilty: Such is Life by Hurt
Punkin Masher by teely (For reference, she had left the group)
Temper: Kunoichi: The Black Rose by TheKeeper
Ceashure: Men's Fire Elemental by TheKeeper
(DSI) Inferno by DJ_Phoenix
polymatrixdragon: Dracomancer by DJ_Phoenix
We actually still had more prizes to give away, kindly and surprisingly donated by poly and... I believe someone from CK Designs? Well, we were given two of poly's vehicles and one vehicle by Grimm. We decided to save those for our next event to raffle off! (Besides, we just didn't have enough people signed up for the raffle to give away all of our prizes to.)
Speaking of surprises, this weekend was full of many of them! For one thing, both showcases brought in new members, most of whom joined to help the group out, either by providing advice for new devs or by helping to spread the word about us, or both! So let us please welcome our helpers, polymatrixdragon, Dwayne1961, flameblue, and NyteLyte. Thank you, all, for doing what you can to help out the new, broke, or otherwise struggling devs of there! We are truly honored and grateful that you chose to help us!
Another big surprise was finding that, thanks to the daily auction sales events we had been hosting at the Broke Dev. Group House, one of our Broke Developers has actually gone from broke to successful! Let's give a round of applause and congratulations for Monte101, a.k.a. SkyView_Valley!
In fact, he was so happy that the daily auction sales gave him a chance to get his name out to the public that he decided that he wanted to return the favor. Greenie gave him the opening he needed when she approached him about opening up not one, but two shop spaces just for the Broke Developers Group at the SkyView Mall! Yes, you did read that correctly! The Broke Developers Group has two shop spaces at the SkyView Mall, which is growing with popularity with every passing day!
When I first heard this news, I was fairly worried, thinking that the group would be a financial drain on them both with this generous gift. However, Monte flat out told me not to give a thought to the rent of the spaces. For one thing, neither he nor Greenie would have done such a thing for us if that would have been the case. They did this for us because they could and because they wanted to give back to the developer community that gave so much to them. For another... he owns the SKyView Mall. Yes, Monte101 owns the SkyView Mall, which you may have guessed from the name of his other avatar.
As I was reeling from this news, Monte had a few items to inform me about our new place at the SkyView Mall:
1) The entire group has hosting rights in both shops.
2) While an event is scheduled, we are free to decorate as we please. However, there are a few things to keep in mind:
a) Do NOT use the clear layout option, as this will cause the entire mall to disappear. This would be quite embarrassing if that were to happen.
b) While we can drop ThereDocs, furniture, and other display items in the shops, we may not drop any vehicles. Vehicles are to be dropped in the dealership area of the mall, and then only with Monte's permission. This is to help reduce the lag in the mall, which, of course, is to everyone's advantage.
Just as I was beginning to recover from the shock of this sudden news, Monte had given us yet another surprise: He had given me hosting rights in his Performing Arts Center, which features a beautiful runway stage to hold group fashion shows in! This is definitely exciting news for our clothing designers!
Just as I was thinking that our fortunes couldn't possibly become any more surreal, Monte gave the group an extra 4,000 tbux to ensure that we will have more than enough money to submit a group banner--the preferred form of signage for use in the mall--to hang above our shop fronts in order to better attract the strolling customers in this gorgeous building. As the submission fee for the banner is 6,500 tbux, this will take our group funds down to 6,300 tbux, but once again, this will be money well-spent!
All I can say to such an unexpected turn of events is thank you! Thank you, Greenie and Monte! Thank you, so much, for both the wonderful opportunity to expose our products to a wider audience and for letting me know that the Broke Developers Group is actually doing what it's supposed to do! Thank you!
As of now, we are taking advantage of such a generous and wondrous opportunity by hosting our auction sales events, there, especially as October 21, 2007 will be the grand opening of the SkyView Mall. Hence, I cordially invite everyone in the group to come visit our new shops and drop your ThereDocs! The Broke Dev. Group House, for as long as it lasts, will now exclusively be our private meeting hall!
Two further items to discuss:
1) DJ_Phoenix, in a matter of minutes, managed to whip up a simple, yet elegant banner for the group. The banner is now in submissions. Hopefully, we will be placing it above our shop fronts by the end of the week.
2) Mooly, touched by the good fortunes of the group, has donated 400 tbux. Our group funds are now at 6,700. Thank you, Mooly, for such a generous offer!
At this point, that's about all the news I have for everyone. If anything else occurs, as usual, I'll let you know!
Quite giddy with joy,
TheKeeper
Once again, a warm thank you to those who were able to make it to Part Deux of the Broke Developers Halloween Showcase! I know it was short notice, so that makes you guys even more awesome for attending!
Well, we didn't get as many guests as yesterday, this time, but we did finally get enough guests to sign in for the raffle to actually hold it at the end of the event.
The raffle winners are:
NyteLyte: Cocoa Chic Outfit by Hurt
Guilty: Such is Life by Hurt
Punkin Masher by teely (For reference, she had left the group)
Temper: Kunoichi: The Black Rose by TheKeeper
Ceashure: Men's Fire Elemental by TheKeeper
(DSI) Inferno by DJ_Phoenix
polymatrixdragon: Dracomancer by DJ_Phoenix
We actually still had more prizes to give away, kindly and surprisingly donated by poly and... I believe someone from CK Designs? Well, we were given two of poly's vehicles and one vehicle by Grimm. We decided to save those for our next event to raffle off! (Besides, we just didn't have enough people signed up for the raffle to give away all of our prizes to.)
Speaking of surprises, this weekend was full of many of them! For one thing, both showcases brought in new members, most of whom joined to help the group out, either by providing advice for new devs or by helping to spread the word about us, or both! So let us please welcome our helpers, polymatrixdragon, Dwayne1961, flameblue, and NyteLyte. Thank you, all, for doing what you can to help out the new, broke, or otherwise struggling devs of there! We are truly honored and grateful that you chose to help us!
Another big surprise was finding that, thanks to the daily auction sales events we had been hosting at the Broke Dev. Group House, one of our Broke Developers has actually gone from broke to successful! Let's give a round of applause and congratulations for Monte101, a.k.a. SkyView_Valley!
In fact, he was so happy that the daily auction sales gave him a chance to get his name out to the public that he decided that he wanted to return the favor. Greenie gave him the opening he needed when she approached him about opening up not one, but two shop spaces just for the Broke Developers Group at the SkyView Mall! Yes, you did read that correctly! The Broke Developers Group has two shop spaces at the SkyView Mall, which is growing with popularity with every passing day!
When I first heard this news, I was fairly worried, thinking that the group would be a financial drain on them both with this generous gift. However, Monte flat out told me not to give a thought to the rent of the spaces. For one thing, neither he nor Greenie would have done such a thing for us if that would have been the case. They did this for us because they could and because they wanted to give back to the developer community that gave so much to them. For another... he owns the SKyView Mall. Yes, Monte101 owns the SkyView Mall, which you may have guessed from the name of his other avatar.
As I was reeling from this news, Monte had a few items to inform me about our new place at the SkyView Mall:
1) The entire group has hosting rights in both shops.
2) While an event is scheduled, we are free to decorate as we please. However, there are a few things to keep in mind:
a) Do NOT use the clear layout option, as this will cause the entire mall to disappear. This would be quite embarrassing if that were to happen.
b) While we can drop ThereDocs, furniture, and other display items in the shops, we may not drop any vehicles. Vehicles are to be dropped in the dealership area of the mall, and then only with Monte's permission. This is to help reduce the lag in the mall, which, of course, is to everyone's advantage.
Just as I was beginning to recover from the shock of this sudden news, Monte had given us yet another surprise: He had given me hosting rights in his Performing Arts Center, which features a beautiful runway stage to hold group fashion shows in! This is definitely exciting news for our clothing designers!
Just as I was thinking that our fortunes couldn't possibly become any more surreal, Monte gave the group an extra 4,000 tbux to ensure that we will have more than enough money to submit a group banner--the preferred form of signage for use in the mall--to hang above our shop fronts in order to better attract the strolling customers in this gorgeous building. As the submission fee for the banner is 6,500 tbux, this will take our group funds down to 6,300 tbux, but once again, this will be money well-spent!
All I can say to such an unexpected turn of events is thank you! Thank you, Greenie and Monte! Thank you, so much, for both the wonderful opportunity to expose our products to a wider audience and for letting me know that the Broke Developers Group is actually doing what it's supposed to do! Thank you!
As of now, we are taking advantage of such a generous and wondrous opportunity by hosting our auction sales events, there, especially as October 21, 2007 will be the grand opening of the SkyView Mall. Hence, I cordially invite everyone in the group to come visit our new shops and drop your ThereDocs! The Broke Dev. Group House, for as long as it lasts, will now exclusively be our private meeting hall!
Two further items to discuss:
1) DJ_Phoenix, in a matter of minutes, managed to whip up a simple, yet elegant banner for the group. The banner is now in submissions. Hopefully, we will be placing it above our shop fronts by the end of the week.
2) Mooly, touched by the good fortunes of the group, has donated 400 tbux. Our group funds are now at 6,700. Thank you, Mooly, for such a generous offer!
At this point, that's about all the news I have for everyone. If anything else occurs, as usual, I'll let you know!
Quite giddy with joy,
TheKeeper
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Post-Showcase Report and Group News
Heyla, all!
As usual, I'd like to extend a warm thank you to those who were able to participate in the Broke Developers Halloween Showcase, yesterday, October 19, 2007. Thank you for taking the time to participate and helping our showcase become the mild success that it was!
Yes, you all heard me correctly: The Broke Developers Halloween Showcase was a success! Quite a few people attended the event. So many people came, in fact, that almost everyone who participated in the event managed to make at least one sale, yesterday.
Broke Develoeprs Halloween Showcase Sales Report:
DavyRocket - 1 sale
DJ_Phoenix - 1 sale
eleanorrigby - 4 sales
Hurt - 1 sale
TheKeeper - 5 sales
I wasn't able to get a sales report from MRS4MR, nickle_head, stephenWiz, or vmcl1998; however, I do know that nickle-head had mentioned making quite a few sales at the event.
The only real glitch in our showcase was that only 4 people had actually remembered to sign up for the raffles. Everyone else came in, took a look around, perhaps bought a few things, then left before we could remind them of the raffle. Because 4 people weren't enough to hold a raffle for the sheer number of prizes we have to give away, this month, those who participated in yesterday's showcase decided that we should hold another one, today, October 20, 2007. Hopefully, this will give everyone another shot at signing up for the raffle.
And so, in light of the success of yesterday's showcase, I invite everyone in the group to come on in and drop your ThereDocs and other items for display. As today is Saturday, chances are that we'll have at least just as many people come by to take a look at our wares. This, of course, means that chances are good that we'll make sales, today, as well.
Keep an eye on this post throughout the day, for I'll be posting a link to both the showcase set up event and the actual showcase event once we've scheduled them. Also, keep an eye out for the invites to both the set up event and the actual showcase event. Remember, the set up event is your chance to actually set everything up before the main event starts. Take advantage of it to get your displays just right.
--Update--
Here is the link to the set up event for part deux of the Broke Developers Halloween Showcase:
http://webapps.prod.there.com/eventmgmt/eventmgmt?op=view&id=574231305
Here is the link to the Broke Develoeprs Halloween Showcase: Part Deux:
http://webapps.prod.there.com/eventmgmt/eventmgmt?op=view&id=574231366
In other news, I have a few items to bring up:
1) I'd like everyone to know that the group funds are now at 8,800 Tbux. As many of you know, we had started out at 21,500, thanks to a donation from both Geea and Kasss. Here's the spending report:
2,000 - NikieWally: for a quest kit to write quests that advertise and promote the group's wares
200 - nickle_head: to list his 2 items in auctions so that he may participate in yesterday's showcase
9,500 - TheKeeper: for a group sign plate that DavyRocket created just for the group; the idea was to display this at group events and other events I catch wind of, such as _emma's monthly showcases, but we had actually been offered a place to display our sign at a popular vehicle loan shop; as this seems like a great opportunity to advertise the group and its auctions, I'll be following up on that offer once we get the sign
1,000 - TheKeeper: for a fashion banner to place by the clothing sellers' display tables; we needed a nice, generic sign that told everyone that the ThereDocs displayed on the two display tables were advertisements from the clothing sellers
And that is how the group money has been spent. The fashion banner worked wonderfully; the sign plate is already looking like a good advertising investment for the group; once the quest is up and running, we'll have many questing Thereians exposed to our wares, as many of them will be motivated to complete an easy quest for a chance to win 1,000 tbux in a raffle, the 1,000 tbux actually being provided by There, itself, as the quest is hosted by Right-Foot questing; finally, I'm very glad that we were able to help nickle_head out, for he was able to make quite a few sales! All in all, the money has been well-spent, so far.
2) Speaking of cash, I've had reports of some moderate success at our group auctions being held at the Broke Dev. Group House. El, in fact, has reported making at least 4 sales this week, alone. So, if you'd like to share in the profits, come on in and drop your ThereDocs! I'll be sending everyone an invite to the Broke Developers Group Auctions. Use the invite to get to the house to drop your ThereDocs. Good luck and fair profits to everyone!
3) DavyRocket has noticed that only a few core members of the group have done everything they can to actively participate by attending events, meetings, and simply doing whatever they can to help improve sales for everyone in the group. As a result, he will be rewarding these core members with a model of their choice, to texture and sell as they wish.
Remember, active participation is important if you really want to make sales. I'm doing my best to advertise the group's auctions, but there will be events where the actual developer would be more successful if he or she were present. Take last night's showcase, for example. While I had placed the group scroll linking to our auction links on this site in a prominent place, those who were present to actually mingle and model or discuss the wares they were selling were the ones who actually managed to make profit. In other words, I can't do it alone. If you'd like to share in the profits, you'll need to at least be present during the showcases. But the decision is up to you: I can open the doors for you, but it's up to you to actually walk through them.
4) DavyRocket had also come up with an excellent idea: Instead of making full custom signs for people, why not make a blank sign that people can buy, then make custom plate covers that fit onto the sign for people who request them. While the plate cover is the same to submit as the actual sign, the wholesale cost of the cover is actually much less than the sign, meaning that we can actually offer the sign plates at a lesser cost than the actual signs. As I had mentioned in the group funds spending report, I had actually bought a custom plate from Davy for the group, so you'll actually get to see how this idea works, first hand.
So, what does this idea have to do with everyone in the group? Davy has offered to send everyone templates of the sign plate so that everyone in the in group is able to take orders for custom plates. I do believe that this idea will take off and give everyone a chance to make more profits. Our group can be known as the first to make less expensive custom sign plates for people, so we can preserve our little niche in the market. You'll have to e-mail Davy to receive the templates, though, for he can't send attachments through the group e-mail form that There provides.
5) DavyRocket, yet again, has proposed a fun idea for the group: a group t-shirt contest. The t-shirt with the best logo and look will be adopted as the group t-shirt, and the group will chip in to help pay for the male and female versions of the shirt. So, if you're interested in participating, e-mail the group the jpegs of your creations!
6) Miss_doctor apparently changed her mind about working for us, so we're back to square one, it seems. We need one male and one female employee to help push our items. I'll be putting out a notice on the classifieds and in the forums, but if any of you find someone needing tbux, why not send them over to me for an interview?
Keep in mind that the avies have to have premium membership, as we can't give money to basic members.
7) We're looking for ideas on how to keep our showcase guests entertained while they wait for the end-of-showcase raffle. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to e-mail the group so that we can discuss it!
Finally, we've come to the end of my novel-length report. I hope to see you all at the showcase, tonight!
TheKeeper
As usual, I'd like to extend a warm thank you to those who were able to participate in the Broke Developers Halloween Showcase, yesterday, October 19, 2007. Thank you for taking the time to participate and helping our showcase become the mild success that it was!
Yes, you all heard me correctly: The Broke Developers Halloween Showcase was a success! Quite a few people attended the event. So many people came, in fact, that almost everyone who participated in the event managed to make at least one sale, yesterday.
Broke Develoeprs Halloween Showcase Sales Report:
DavyRocket - 1 sale
DJ_Phoenix - 1 sale
eleanorrigby - 4 sales
Hurt - 1 sale
TheKeeper - 5 sales
I wasn't able to get a sales report from MRS4MR, nickle_head, stephenWiz, or vmcl1998; however, I do know that nickle-head had mentioned making quite a few sales at the event.
The only real glitch in our showcase was that only 4 people had actually remembered to sign up for the raffles. Everyone else came in, took a look around, perhaps bought a few things, then left before we could remind them of the raffle. Because 4 people weren't enough to hold a raffle for the sheer number of prizes we have to give away, this month, those who participated in yesterday's showcase decided that we should hold another one, today, October 20, 2007. Hopefully, this will give everyone another shot at signing up for the raffle.
And so, in light of the success of yesterday's showcase, I invite everyone in the group to come on in and drop your ThereDocs and other items for display. As today is Saturday, chances are that we'll have at least just as many people come by to take a look at our wares. This, of course, means that chances are good that we'll make sales, today, as well.
Keep an eye on this post throughout the day, for I'll be posting a link to both the showcase set up event and the actual showcase event once we've scheduled them. Also, keep an eye out for the invites to both the set up event and the actual showcase event. Remember, the set up event is your chance to actually set everything up before the main event starts. Take advantage of it to get your displays just right.
--Update--
Here is the link to the set up event for part deux of the Broke Developers Halloween Showcase:
http://webapps.prod.there.com/eventmgmt/eventmgmt?op=view&id=574231305
Here is the link to the Broke Develoeprs Halloween Showcase: Part Deux:
http://webapps.prod.there.com/eventmgmt/eventmgmt?op=view&id=574231366
In other news, I have a few items to bring up:
1) I'd like everyone to know that the group funds are now at 8,800 Tbux. As many of you know, we had started out at 21,500, thanks to a donation from both Geea and Kasss. Here's the spending report:
2,000 - NikieWally: for a quest kit to write quests that advertise and promote the group's wares
200 - nickle_head: to list his 2 items in auctions so that he may participate in yesterday's showcase
9,500 - TheKeeper: for a group sign plate that DavyRocket created just for the group; the idea was to display this at group events and other events I catch wind of, such as _emma's monthly showcases, but we had actually been offered a place to display our sign at a popular vehicle loan shop; as this seems like a great opportunity to advertise the group and its auctions, I'll be following up on that offer once we get the sign
1,000 - TheKeeper: for a fashion banner to place by the clothing sellers' display tables; we needed a nice, generic sign that told everyone that the ThereDocs displayed on the two display tables were advertisements from the clothing sellers
And that is how the group money has been spent. The fashion banner worked wonderfully; the sign plate is already looking like a good advertising investment for the group; once the quest is up and running, we'll have many questing Thereians exposed to our wares, as many of them will be motivated to complete an easy quest for a chance to win 1,000 tbux in a raffle, the 1,000 tbux actually being provided by There, itself, as the quest is hosted by Right-Foot questing; finally, I'm very glad that we were able to help nickle_head out, for he was able to make quite a few sales! All in all, the money has been well-spent, so far.
2) Speaking of cash, I've had reports of some moderate success at our group auctions being held at the Broke Dev. Group House. El, in fact, has reported making at least 4 sales this week, alone. So, if you'd like to share in the profits, come on in and drop your ThereDocs! I'll be sending everyone an invite to the Broke Developers Group Auctions. Use the invite to get to the house to drop your ThereDocs. Good luck and fair profits to everyone!
3) DavyRocket has noticed that only a few core members of the group have done everything they can to actively participate by attending events, meetings, and simply doing whatever they can to help improve sales for everyone in the group. As a result, he will be rewarding these core members with a model of their choice, to texture and sell as they wish.
Remember, active participation is important if you really want to make sales. I'm doing my best to advertise the group's auctions, but there will be events where the actual developer would be more successful if he or she were present. Take last night's showcase, for example. While I had placed the group scroll linking to our auction links on this site in a prominent place, those who were present to actually mingle and model or discuss the wares they were selling were the ones who actually managed to make profit. In other words, I can't do it alone. If you'd like to share in the profits, you'll need to at least be present during the showcases. But the decision is up to you: I can open the doors for you, but it's up to you to actually walk through them.
4) DavyRocket had also come up with an excellent idea: Instead of making full custom signs for people, why not make a blank sign that people can buy, then make custom plate covers that fit onto the sign for people who request them. While the plate cover is the same to submit as the actual sign, the wholesale cost of the cover is actually much less than the sign, meaning that we can actually offer the sign plates at a lesser cost than the actual signs. As I had mentioned in the group funds spending report, I had actually bought a custom plate from Davy for the group, so you'll actually get to see how this idea works, first hand.
So, what does this idea have to do with everyone in the group? Davy has offered to send everyone templates of the sign plate so that everyone in the in group is able to take orders for custom plates. I do believe that this idea will take off and give everyone a chance to make more profits. Our group can be known as the first to make less expensive custom sign plates for people, so we can preserve our little niche in the market. You'll have to e-mail Davy to receive the templates, though, for he can't send attachments through the group e-mail form that There provides.
5) DavyRocket, yet again, has proposed a fun idea for the group: a group t-shirt contest. The t-shirt with the best logo and look will be adopted as the group t-shirt, and the group will chip in to help pay for the male and female versions of the shirt. So, if you're interested in participating, e-mail the group the jpegs of your creations!
6) Miss_doctor apparently changed her mind about working for us, so we're back to square one, it seems. We need one male and one female employee to help push our items. I'll be putting out a notice on the classifieds and in the forums, but if any of you find someone needing tbux, why not send them over to me for an interview?
Keep in mind that the avies have to have premium membership, as we can't give money to basic members.
7) We're looking for ideas on how to keep our showcase guests entertained while they wait for the end-of-showcase raffle. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to e-mail the group so that we can discuss it!
Finally, we've come to the end of my novel-length report. I hope to see you all at the showcase, tonight!
TheKeeper
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Broke Developers Group Post-Meeting Report
Heyla, all!
Once again, a warm thank you goes out to all those who were able to attend this latest and very impromtu meeting! Thank you, very much, for taking the time to come on out and hear what needed to be dsicussed on such short notice. You're awesome, guys!
Now, on to the items to be discussed:
1. The Broke Developers Halloween Showcase has now been officially scheduled for October 19, 2007, at 5 pm Pacific. Just before this event, we will be holding a 2 hour set up event. This will be everyone's chance to come on in and drop whatever ThereDocs and items they wish to display for sale.
This event will be different from the first, as we will be holding it at a frontier zone, this time, so there will be plenty of room for those with large objects to put on display. We will also have a parking deck available, now, for those with vehicles to put on display, as well as a house for people to decorate with the furniture and artowrk they've designed.
As we have put more planning and thought into this showcase, we are better able to advertise both it and the raffle we'll be holding at the end, so hopefully, we'll have a much, much better turnout for this month's showcase!
Broke Developers Halloween Showcase Set Up
Broke Developers Halloween Showcase
2. We have had quite a few new additions to our group in the past week or so. One very special addition to the group is Greenie, a well-respected and popular designer who was so touched by our efforts to actively promote ourselves that she decided to join in order to help us out! Please be advised that she isn't here to provide funding for the group. Instead, she is here to provide something more priceless and long-lasting: additional support in the promotion of the group. She has agreed to do what she can to help get the word out about us and the awesome products we have to offer. So let us all give Greenie a warm welcome and a thank you for joining our group!
3. Finally, on Novemeber 5, 2007, The Broke Dev. Group House will no longer exist. Unfortunately, Davy is simply unable to pay the rent at this time, and as I feel that the group is simply not ready to help contribute to paying rent on a group home, we have decided that we will simply enjoy the house while it lasts, then let it go.
However, I have been given permission to continue holding our daily auctions at Gnome Whimsicals, the fun zone our very first event was held at, so once the group house has been sold, we shall simply move all of our ThereDocs over there. Thank you, Davy and V, for generously allowing the group to continue holding its daily auctions at the fun zone!
Davy, DJ_Phoenix, and others have generously offered the use of their homes to hold our group meetings, so that, too, is not a problem.
So, come on by and take a last look at the Broke Dev. Group House while you can, for it shall soon quickly disappear.
Well, this pretty much wraps up the topics discussed at the impromtu meeting. I do have an additional item to bring up: The Group Rules of Behaviour has just been modified; I ask that you take the time to reveiw them, again.
And that's it! Keep an eye on the e-mails and this web site for any further news!
Hoping to see you at the showcase,
TheKeeper
Once again, a warm thank you goes out to all those who were able to attend this latest and very impromtu meeting! Thank you, very much, for taking the time to come on out and hear what needed to be dsicussed on such short notice. You're awesome, guys!
Now, on to the items to be discussed:
1. The Broke Developers Halloween Showcase has now been officially scheduled for October 19, 2007, at 5 pm Pacific. Just before this event, we will be holding a 2 hour set up event. This will be everyone's chance to come on in and drop whatever ThereDocs and items they wish to display for sale.
This event will be different from the first, as we will be holding it at a frontier zone, this time, so there will be plenty of room for those with large objects to put on display. We will also have a parking deck available, now, for those with vehicles to put on display, as well as a house for people to decorate with the furniture and artowrk they've designed.
As we have put more planning and thought into this showcase, we are better able to advertise both it and the raffle we'll be holding at the end, so hopefully, we'll have a much, much better turnout for this month's showcase!
Broke Developers Halloween Showcase Set Up
Broke Developers Halloween Showcase
2. We have had quite a few new additions to our group in the past week or so. One very special addition to the group is Greenie, a well-respected and popular designer who was so touched by our efforts to actively promote ourselves that she decided to join in order to help us out! Please be advised that she isn't here to provide funding for the group. Instead, she is here to provide something more priceless and long-lasting: additional support in the promotion of the group. She has agreed to do what she can to help get the word out about us and the awesome products we have to offer. So let us all give Greenie a warm welcome and a thank you for joining our group!
3. Finally, on Novemeber 5, 2007, The Broke Dev. Group House will no longer exist. Unfortunately, Davy is simply unable to pay the rent at this time, and as I feel that the group is simply not ready to help contribute to paying rent on a group home, we have decided that we will simply enjoy the house while it lasts, then let it go.
However, I have been given permission to continue holding our daily auctions at Gnome Whimsicals, the fun zone our very first event was held at, so once the group house has been sold, we shall simply move all of our ThereDocs over there. Thank you, Davy and V, for generously allowing the group to continue holding its daily auctions at the fun zone!
Davy, DJ_Phoenix, and others have generously offered the use of their homes to hold our group meetings, so that, too, is not a problem.
So, come on by and take a last look at the Broke Dev. Group House while you can, for it shall soon quickly disappear.
Well, this pretty much wraps up the topics discussed at the impromtu meeting. I do have an additional item to bring up: The Group Rules of Behaviour has just been modified; I ask that you take the time to reveiw them, again.
And that's it! Keep an eye on the e-mails and this web site for any further news!
Hoping to see you at the showcase,
TheKeeper
Sunday, October 7, 2007
The Broke Developers Group Post-Meeting Report
Heyla, all!
First of all, I'd like to extend a warm thank you to those were able to make it to the group meeting on October 5, 2007. While only a few attended, the meeting still managed to be amazingly productive, lasting a total of 9 hours!
I'd also like to extend an even warmer thank you to those few people who were able to give me due notice that they were going to be unable to attend Friday's meeting. I hope that this summary will prove sufficient to fill you in on the day's discussion.
With that said, let us move on to the items that were discussed on Friday:
1. The first item to be discussed was, of course, the group's official new headquarters: The Broke Dev. Group House. As many of us already know, this house was bought by DavyRocket earlier last week. No sooner did he buy this house than he generously named it The Broke Dev. Group House, donating the use of it to our group! Thank you, once again, Davy, for such a generous donation!
2. The second item to be discussed was our brand new group web site. I would advise everyone in the group to please keep an eye on the posts made to this web site, for not everything I post will be e-mailed to the group. More, I may update the news I e-mail to everyone through this site, rather than constantly e-mailing everyone updates.
3. The third item discussed was the establishment of group rules and event rules that I expect our members to follow. You may read those rules on the group site, which can be found through the appropriate links on the right side bar.
4. The fourth item discussed was the grand opening of Geea's brand new section on The Voice of There: The Broke Developers Showcase! As promised, Geea also managed to have the staff of There Fun Times link to this section, which you can find, here.
Please, if you would like your items to be showcased in this section, e-mail me your product pictures. I will then forward those pictures, along with your name and auction links, to Geea.
5. The fifth item discussed was the idea of hiring 2 employees for the group, one male and one female, to help push our items. These employees will have a base pay of 500 tbux a week, which will be paid through the group funds for as long as the funds last. (After that, we may dicuss whether the group wishes to keep these employees.) However, as an incentive to really push everyone's products, equally, we wish to offer a weekly 1k bonus to the employee if he or she can manage to sell at least 1 item from each and every group member. This 1k bonus should be paid out by the entire group, each contributing a few tbux each to total that 1k bonus. This is a fair deal, as everyone will have benefited from such an extraordinary push.
The question as to whether we can be certain that a recent sale was due to an employee or through another means of advertisement is solved by requiring the employee to make a daily sales report on who he or she sold to and what items were sold on the Broke Dev. Employees forum. (DavyRocket has already created this group.) From this list, we can cross-reference exactly who bought what in our transaction history by going to our profile, then clicking the link labelled "Transaction History." From there, we can click on the individual transactions to see what was bought or sold and by whom. While I understand that a few members have paid for front page advertising, please be assured that the majority of us have not. Thus, we will be able to easily tell exactly whether or not the sale was due to an employee or through some other means.
We already managed to hire one person, already, by the name of Miss_Doctor. We are still looking for a male avie to help push the male-oriented products.
For more information on how the employment process is to be carried out, please keep an eye out for the debut of the Broke Dev. Employees web site, which will feature a detailed employees manual that will outline the conditions of employment, how payments will be received, as well as any other pertinent information that needs to be shared.
6. Those who attended the meeting agreed to hold the Broke Developers Halloween Showcase on October 19, 2007, at around 5 or 6 pm, Pacific Standard Time. While having Halloween-themed items isn't necessary to participate in the showcase, be advised that our guests will be seeking items according to this theme!
El and Davy had come up with the splendid idea of holding a mini-event every showcase, from quests, to dog obstacle courses, to summons challenges, that our guests can take part in. Not only will this add an extra element of fun for our guests once they have finished perusing our items, but it will give us a way to enter our guests in the raffle (or, at least, one of the raffles). As we never really got to make use of the quest idea from our last showcase, we will be holding another mini-quest for this one. NickieWally, one of our newest members, has bravely volunteered to attempt the writing of this quest. Don't worry, Nickie, V, Davy, and El are all experienced quest writers, and I'm sure if you asked nicely, any of them would be more than happy to help you with this task!
In addition, after speaking to a few members of the group beforehand and having proposed this idea to those who had attended the meeting, I've come to the conclusion that asking at least one member every month to doanate, for the purposes of our monthly showcase raffles, at least one of the free items they receive upon the approval of their submissions is not too much to ask. This group is designed to help everyone, and it isn't fair for a member to reap the benefits without contributing even that little bit to the group.
The donated items for the Halloween showcase has been covered, so those members who have not donated to the group need not worry this time around. The items to be raffled off in our first Halloween showcase will be a limited edition vehicle by teely, a men's outfit by Dj, a women's outfit by Hurt, a men's outfit by me, and a women's outfit by me. I felt that for our very first Halloween showcase, we should really make it a gala event, with plenty of prizes and fun, which is why we're having so many items raffled off, this time. With plenty of planning and time to advertise, the hope is that, this time, such a big raffle will earn us a fairly decent turnout for our first Halloween event.
For reference, here is a complete list of people who have donated so much to the group, in terms of time, items, and/or tbux, at this point in time:
DavyRocket
DJ_Phoenix
eleanorrigby
Hurt
Kasss
NickieWally
teelynn518
vmcl1998
7. Another issue discussed at the meeting was what we should do with the group funds. Those who attended felt that it was better to use the funds in ways that will help generate more cash for our members, mainly advertising, which was why we agreed that using some of the funds to help pay our two employees would be a good investment.
We also chose to invest 2,000 tbux of our group funds on a quest kit for the group's showcases and other events. As our quests will also be used to aid in the heavy promotion of our group's products, it, too has been considered an advertising expense.
At this point, if anyone has any other advertising ideas that will help our group as a whole, please let me know via e-mail, IM, our group forums, or by leaving comments on this post at our web site. (In order to leave comments, you must have an account with www.blogger.com. This may also require a gmail account, which can be easily created.)
8. Finally, Hurt proposed a wonderful idea that I think would be both fun and profitable for our group to take part in. Hurt is part of a design company, and every now and then, in order to generate profits for every person in the company, they would each take part in designing pieces of an outfit, which they would submit under their own names, but in the description, name this outfit as part of a project by the group. They would then pick at least one part of the outfit to get front page advertising. This part of the outfit would link to the other pieces. In this way, the entire group can still get front page advertising, as buyers will invariably attempt to buy all parts of a well-made outfit.
I was thinking that, on a volunteer basis only, of course, our group can engage in a similar practice. At this point, those who had attended Friday's meeting are in the process of experimenting with our chosen theme. Once we've ironed out the bugs in this project, we will unveil the theme to the group, and give instructions in how everyone, should they choose to do so, can participate in this project. Those who participate in the project will help chip in cash to put the chosen item on the front page. From there, we can only hope that our project will garner enough attention from the people of There to earn us a decent profit. This is why our project is on a volunteer basis, only. We can't guarantee that something like this, especially a first attempt, will give us any real prrofit. But as the saying goes, with great risks come great rewards!
And that wraps up the summary of a nine-hour group meeting. If you feel exhausted from just reading this, imagine how the participants felt during the live meeting!
Hoping to hear from you,
TheKeeper
First of all, I'd like to extend a warm thank you to those were able to make it to the group meeting on October 5, 2007. While only a few attended, the meeting still managed to be amazingly productive, lasting a total of 9 hours!
I'd also like to extend an even warmer thank you to those few people who were able to give me due notice that they were going to be unable to attend Friday's meeting. I hope that this summary will prove sufficient to fill you in on the day's discussion.
With that said, let us move on to the items that were discussed on Friday:
1. The first item to be discussed was, of course, the group's official new headquarters: The Broke Dev. Group House. As many of us already know, this house was bought by DavyRocket earlier last week. No sooner did he buy this house than he generously named it The Broke Dev. Group House, donating the use of it to our group! Thank you, once again, Davy, for such a generous donation!
2. The second item to be discussed was our brand new group web site. I would advise everyone in the group to please keep an eye on the posts made to this web site, for not everything I post will be e-mailed to the group. More, I may update the news I e-mail to everyone through this site, rather than constantly e-mailing everyone updates.
3. The third item discussed was the establishment of group rules and event rules that I expect our members to follow. You may read those rules on the group site, which can be found through the appropriate links on the right side bar.
4. The fourth item discussed was the grand opening of Geea's brand new section on The Voice of There: The Broke Developers Showcase! As promised, Geea also managed to have the staff of There Fun Times link to this section, which you can find, here.
Please, if you would like your items to be showcased in this section, e-mail me your product pictures. I will then forward those pictures, along with your name and auction links, to Geea.
5. The fifth item discussed was the idea of hiring 2 employees for the group, one male and one female, to help push our items. These employees will have a base pay of 500 tbux a week, which will be paid through the group funds for as long as the funds last. (After that, we may dicuss whether the group wishes to keep these employees.) However, as an incentive to really push everyone's products, equally, we wish to offer a weekly 1k bonus to the employee if he or she can manage to sell at least 1 item from each and every group member. This 1k bonus should be paid out by the entire group, each contributing a few tbux each to total that 1k bonus. This is a fair deal, as everyone will have benefited from such an extraordinary push.
The question as to whether we can be certain that a recent sale was due to an employee or through another means of advertisement is solved by requiring the employee to make a daily sales report on who he or she sold to and what items were sold on the Broke Dev. Employees forum. (DavyRocket has already created this group.) From this list, we can cross-reference exactly who bought what in our transaction history by going to our profile, then clicking the link labelled "Transaction History." From there, we can click on the individual transactions to see what was bought or sold and by whom. While I understand that a few members have paid for front page advertising, please be assured that the majority of us have not. Thus, we will be able to easily tell exactly whether or not the sale was due to an employee or through some other means.
We already managed to hire one person, already, by the name of Miss_Doctor. We are still looking for a male avie to help push the male-oriented products.
For more information on how the employment process is to be carried out, please keep an eye out for the debut of the Broke Dev. Employees web site, which will feature a detailed employees manual that will outline the conditions of employment, how payments will be received, as well as any other pertinent information that needs to be shared.
6. Those who attended the meeting agreed to hold the Broke Developers Halloween Showcase on October 19, 2007, at around 5 or 6 pm, Pacific Standard Time. While having Halloween-themed items isn't necessary to participate in the showcase, be advised that our guests will be seeking items according to this theme!
El and Davy had come up with the splendid idea of holding a mini-event every showcase, from quests, to dog obstacle courses, to summons challenges, that our guests can take part in. Not only will this add an extra element of fun for our guests once they have finished perusing our items, but it will give us a way to enter our guests in the raffle (or, at least, one of the raffles). As we never really got to make use of the quest idea from our last showcase, we will be holding another mini-quest for this one. NickieWally, one of our newest members, has bravely volunteered to attempt the writing of this quest. Don't worry, Nickie, V, Davy, and El are all experienced quest writers, and I'm sure if you asked nicely, any of them would be more than happy to help you with this task!
In addition, after speaking to a few members of the group beforehand and having proposed this idea to those who had attended the meeting, I've come to the conclusion that asking at least one member every month to doanate, for the purposes of our monthly showcase raffles, at least one of the free items they receive upon the approval of their submissions is not too much to ask. This group is designed to help everyone, and it isn't fair for a member to reap the benefits without contributing even that little bit to the group.
The donated items for the Halloween showcase has been covered, so those members who have not donated to the group need not worry this time around. The items to be raffled off in our first Halloween showcase will be a limited edition vehicle by teely, a men's outfit by Dj, a women's outfit by Hurt, a men's outfit by me, and a women's outfit by me. I felt that for our very first Halloween showcase, we should really make it a gala event, with plenty of prizes and fun, which is why we're having so many items raffled off, this time. With plenty of planning and time to advertise, the hope is that, this time, such a big raffle will earn us a fairly decent turnout for our first Halloween event.
For reference, here is a complete list of people who have donated so much to the group, in terms of time, items, and/or tbux, at this point in time:
DavyRocket
DJ_Phoenix
eleanorrigby
Hurt
Kasss
NickieWally
teelynn518
vmcl1998
7. Another issue discussed at the meeting was what we should do with the group funds. Those who attended felt that it was better to use the funds in ways that will help generate more cash for our members, mainly advertising, which was why we agreed that using some of the funds to help pay our two employees would be a good investment.
We also chose to invest 2,000 tbux of our group funds on a quest kit for the group's showcases and other events. As our quests will also be used to aid in the heavy promotion of our group's products, it, too has been considered an advertising expense.
At this point, if anyone has any other advertising ideas that will help our group as a whole, please let me know via e-mail, IM, our group forums, or by leaving comments on this post at our web site. (In order to leave comments, you must have an account with www.blogger.com. This may also require a gmail account, which can be easily created.)
8. Finally, Hurt proposed a wonderful idea that I think would be both fun and profitable for our group to take part in. Hurt is part of a design company, and every now and then, in order to generate profits for every person in the company, they would each take part in designing pieces of an outfit, which they would submit under their own names, but in the description, name this outfit as part of a project by the group. They would then pick at least one part of the outfit to get front page advertising. This part of the outfit would link to the other pieces. In this way, the entire group can still get front page advertising, as buyers will invariably attempt to buy all parts of a well-made outfit.
I was thinking that, on a volunteer basis only, of course, our group can engage in a similar practice. At this point, those who had attended Friday's meeting are in the process of experimenting with our chosen theme. Once we've ironed out the bugs in this project, we will unveil the theme to the group, and give instructions in how everyone, should they choose to do so, can participate in this project. Those who participate in the project will help chip in cash to put the chosen item on the front page. From there, we can only hope that our project will garner enough attention from the people of There to earn us a decent profit. This is why our project is on a volunteer basis, only. We can't guarantee that something like this, especially a first attempt, will give us any real prrofit. But as the saying goes, with great risks come great rewards!
And that wraps up the summary of a nine-hour group meeting. If you feel exhausted from just reading this, imagine how the participants felt during the live meeting!
Hoping to hear from you,
TheKeeper
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
The Broke Developers Group Has a Voice
Heyla, all!
The Broke Developers Group officially has a voice on The Voice of There! Come check out the first people to be featured on Geea's brand new section: The Broke Developers Showcase!
TheKeeper
The Broke Developers Group officially has a voice on The Voice of There! Come check out the first people to be featured on Geea's brand new section: The Broke Developers Showcase!
TheKeeper
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Broke Developers Group House and Auctions
Heyla, all!
Yesterday, on October 1, 2007, DavyRocket treated me to a very wonderful surprise: The Broke Developers Group House! Davy discovered that a certain There House he's had his eye on for a while was now in auctions, and he leaped at the chance to purchase it. But no sooner did he buy it than he bestowed upon it the wondrous name of the Broke Dev Group House. He truly felt that the group needed a place to really call their very own, and knowing that neither I nor the group was yet in a position to pay rent on a prota zone or club/There house, he generously donated to the group the use of his brand new home, to decorate as we like and to use in whatever way that will benefit the group!
Thank you, so much, Davy, for such a generous donation! I truly hope to be able to help carry the weight of the rent on this house, shortly.
The house has already been put to use, as I rescheduled the group meeting to take place in the Broke Dev Group House. In addition, I'm hosting several self-running auction events for the group. In fact, my hope is to have at least one self-running auction sales event a day. I invite everyone in the group to come on in and drop their ThereDocs for these events. While I am arranging to have a group scroll and group clue box that will link to this site, I feel that it would be nice if people can also have some additional information about us and what we sell through our own, individualized ThereDocs. So, come on in, take a look around at our snazzy new house and auction shop, and drop away!
TheKeeper
Broke Developers Get Together
Broke Developers Auctions
Yesterday, on October 1, 2007, DavyRocket treated me to a very wonderful surprise: The Broke Developers Group House! Davy discovered that a certain There House he's had his eye on for a while was now in auctions, and he leaped at the chance to purchase it. But no sooner did he buy it than he bestowed upon it the wondrous name of the Broke Dev Group House. He truly felt that the group needed a place to really call their very own, and knowing that neither I nor the group was yet in a position to pay rent on a prota zone or club/There house, he generously donated to the group the use of his brand new home, to decorate as we like and to use in whatever way that will benefit the group!
Thank you, so much, Davy, for such a generous donation! I truly hope to be able to help carry the weight of the rent on this house, shortly.
The house has already been put to use, as I rescheduled the group meeting to take place in the Broke Dev Group House. In addition, I'm hosting several self-running auction events for the group. In fact, my hope is to have at least one self-running auction sales event a day. I invite everyone in the group to come on in and drop their ThereDocs for these events. While I am arranging to have a group scroll and group clue box that will link to this site, I feel that it would be nice if people can also have some additional information about us and what we sell through our own, individualized ThereDocs. So, come on in, take a look around at our snazzy new house and auction shop, and drop away!
TheKeeper
Broke Developers Get Together
Broke Developers Auctions
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Group Meeting Scheduled and Putting This Site to Good Use
Heyla, all!
I've scheduled a group meeting for Friday, October 5, 2007, at 9am Pacific/12pm Eastern/5pm France (sorry, I'm not sure if this is a correct calculation, nor do I know the proper name of the timezone for France, but at least I tried!). If this isn't a good time for any of you, please let me know. I will do everything I can to try to make sure that most, if not all, members of the group can make it to the meeting, for we've important items to discuss.
[Link to Event Details: Broke Developers Get Together]
Also, I would like everyone to note that I've begun making use of this website by advertising the group's auctions in the classifieds and in the forums under "Marketplace." Let me know if this actually helps anyone make sales!
That's about it, for now. I'll let you all know if anything else has come up.
TheKeeper
I've scheduled a group meeting for Friday, October 5, 2007, at 9am Pacific/12pm Eastern/5pm France (sorry, I'm not sure if this is a correct calculation, nor do I know the proper name of the timezone for France, but at least I tried!). If this isn't a good time for any of you, please let me know. I will do everything I can to try to make sure that most, if not all, members of the group can make it to the meeting, for we've important items to discuss.
[Link to Event Details: Broke Developers Get Together]
Also, I would like everyone to note that I've begun making use of this website by advertising the group's auctions in the classifieds and in the forums under "Marketplace." Let me know if this actually helps anyone make sales!
That's about it, for now. I'll let you all know if anything else has come up.
TheKeeper
Saturday, September 29, 2007
The Broke Developers Group Post-Showcase Report
Heyla, all!
First, I would like to an extend a warm thank you to everyone who was able to participate in the first ever Broke Developers Showcase! Thank you, very much, for taking the time to come on out and show off the things you have to sell! A special thank you goes out to El, who took the time to write the Broke Developers Trivia Mini-Quest! They were awsome, and linked to our auctions beautfully!
Now, on to the news of what transpired. Well, the good news is that 16 members showed up for the event. The bad news is that most of who showed up were devs. However, those few buyers who DID show up liked what we had to offer so well that they intend to spread the word about us, so the event couldn't have been that bad!
And speaking of spreading the word, as promised, Geea, owner and reporter of the Voice of There, an extremely popular There news site, had briefly attended the event. She took some pictures, and promised to have the article on the showcase out on Tuesday. With this article will be the debut of her New Designer Highlight section, where a member from our group will be highlighted each week.
Two people have sent me their auction links and product pictures . If you'd like the exposure you would gain from being highlighted in Geea's New Designer Highlight section, please send me any pictures you may have of your products, along with a link to you auctions. I'll forward those off to Geea, and she'll have the highlight on you prepared and ready for the next week!
Hopefully, Geea's efforts will help us gain a better turnout for future events. I must admit that the turnout was so dismal, this time, that we couldn't even hold the raffle. There wasn't anyone to raffle to! But that's all right. I know a big part of the problem is that the raffle wasn't mentioned in our event description, simply because there wasn't going to be one, initially!
At this time, those who had kindly donated items for the raffle decided that we should hold onto them for the event. We will advertise the raffle, next time, and hopefully get a better turnout.
I would like to schedule a group meeting sometime next week. At this point in time, I'm thinking of hosting it on Friday, October 5, 2007, 9am Pacific Standard Time. If this isn't a good time for everyone, please let me know, and we'll find a time that will allow the greatest number of people to be present.
Items to be discussed:
1. Thanks to a generous donation by one of our group members, initially intended for the raffle, but now simply donated to the group for whatever we need, our group coffers have grown, once again. We really need to sit down and decide what to do with the money, once and for all! Suggested uses have been:
a. use it to pay for hired help that will advertise our auctions by either handing out scrolls and such with our usction links, or using an item we have lent then,
b. making a sign for the group, complete with a group picture, to advertise us,
c. making group shirts,
d. buying the scrolls and brochures needed to advertise our group acutions,
e. using some of the cash in an event raffle.
If you have any more ideas, right them down, and we'll discuss it!
2. Our future events will be held at a frontier zone, in order to better handle a large amount of people and a large number of vehicles that will be put on display. Details about this will be given at the meeting.
3. Thanks to DavyRocket, I realized that we need to establish clear rules for what we expect from members, in general, and at our events. We will discuss those rules at the meeting
4. Hiring people to to use our things or hand out scrolls with links to our auctions. It's a good idea, and we can afford to pay them with the group cash we have on hand, too. Again, details will be discussed at the meeting.
5. Anything else you may think is important.
And that's where we're at, right now! Again, thank you, everyone, for attending the showcase! Now that I know what to expect, we'll hopefully have things a bit more organized the next time around!
Hoping to hear from you, soon,
TheKeeper
First, I would like to an extend a warm thank you to everyone who was able to participate in the first ever Broke Developers Showcase! Thank you, very much, for taking the time to come on out and show off the things you have to sell! A special thank you goes out to El, who took the time to write the Broke Developers Trivia Mini-Quest! They were awsome, and linked to our auctions beautfully!
Now, on to the news of what transpired. Well, the good news is that 16 members showed up for the event. The bad news is that most of who showed up were devs. However, those few buyers who DID show up liked what we had to offer so well that they intend to spread the word about us, so the event couldn't have been that bad!
And speaking of spreading the word, as promised, Geea, owner and reporter of the Voice of There, an extremely popular There news site, had briefly attended the event. She took some pictures, and promised to have the article on the showcase out on Tuesday. With this article will be the debut of her New Designer Highlight section, where a member from our group will be highlighted each week.
Two people have sent me their auction links and product pictures . If you'd like the exposure you would gain from being highlighted in Geea's New Designer Highlight section, please send me any pictures you may have of your products, along with a link to you auctions. I'll forward those off to Geea, and she'll have the highlight on you prepared and ready for the next week!
Hopefully, Geea's efforts will help us gain a better turnout for future events. I must admit that the turnout was so dismal, this time, that we couldn't even hold the raffle. There wasn't anyone to raffle to! But that's all right. I know a big part of the problem is that the raffle wasn't mentioned in our event description, simply because there wasn't going to be one, initially!
At this time, those who had kindly donated items for the raffle decided that we should hold onto them for the event. We will advertise the raffle, next time, and hopefully get a better turnout.
I would like to schedule a group meeting sometime next week. At this point in time, I'm thinking of hosting it on Friday, October 5, 2007, 9am Pacific Standard Time. If this isn't a good time for everyone, please let me know, and we'll find a time that will allow the greatest number of people to be present.
Items to be discussed:
1. Thanks to a generous donation by one of our group members, initially intended for the raffle, but now simply donated to the group for whatever we need, our group coffers have grown, once again. We really need to sit down and decide what to do with the money, once and for all! Suggested uses have been:
a. use it to pay for hired help that will advertise our auctions by either handing out scrolls and such with our usction links, or using an item we have lent then,
b. making a sign for the group, complete with a group picture, to advertise us,
c. making group shirts,
d. buying the scrolls and brochures needed to advertise our group acutions,
e. using some of the cash in an event raffle.
If you have any more ideas, right them down, and we'll discuss it!
2. Our future events will be held at a frontier zone, in order to better handle a large amount of people and a large number of vehicles that will be put on display. Details about this will be given at the meeting.
3. Thanks to DavyRocket, I realized that we need to establish clear rules for what we expect from members, in general, and at our events. We will discuss those rules at the meeting
4. Hiring people to to use our things or hand out scrolls with links to our auctions. It's a good idea, and we can afford to pay them with the group cash we have on hand, too. Again, details will be discussed at the meeting.
5. Anything else you may think is important.
And that's where we're at, right now! Again, thank you, everyone, for attending the showcase! Now that I know what to expect, we'll hopefully have things a bit more organized the next time around!
Hoping to hear from you, soon,
TheKeeper
Suggestions for Inexpensive Ways To Market Your Items in There
Over the course of the last few months, I've found some nice, inexpensive marketing alternatives that new, broke, or otherwise struggling developers can take advantage of.
1. Use the classifieds to advertise your auctions. It's perfectly free! The classifieds can be found by going to There, There Central, People, and on the right side of that page, there's a little sidebar with a link to the classifieds.
2. Use the forums. There are two threads that deal specifically with selling your items: The Marketplace forum thread and the Advetsiements - New Developer Items thread. Again, posting in forums is completely free, and it gets your name and your auctions out to the public!
3. Use ThereDocs that link to your auctions. While ThereDocs cost 2,000 tbux each, they are worth the money you spend on them, as you can leave them in high-traffic areas for people to see and peruse. While you can drop ThereDocs anywhere that dropping is allowed, asking for permission from zone owners to drop your ThereDoc is a polite and standard practice.
4. There is a There employee by the name of _Emma who, once a month, hosts a There Designer Showcase. All developers are welcome to join and showcase whatever items they wish to sell. Attendence is free, so why not take advantage of the exposure this will give you?
Also, be on the lookout for her planning events, as this is where you can learn about the theme for the next showcase. With this knowledge, you can plan accordingly. While you needn't have items according to that theme, guests will arrive looking for items with that theme in mind. Just keep that fact in mind.
5. Join the Broke Developers Group. Actually, this isn't the shameless plugin it sounds like it is. Geea, owner of the Voice of There, a popular There news site, was touched by my mention of the Broke Developers Group in an interview, and she wanted to do something to help the group out. So she decided to create a brand new section on her news site that will highlight a developer from the Broke Developers Group each week. The advertisement is completely free, and it will reach a wide number of people. All the group members must do is send me an e-mail with their product pictures and auction links, and I will forward them to Geea. Be sure, however, that the product pictures are of products that have been approved by There, as she wants to prevent other developers from stealing your ideas. And there you have it! Free advertisment!
6. Be involved with the Broke Developers Group. You won't automatically make sales by simply being a part of the group. You need to take an active participation in the group for that to happen. Respond to my e-mails, sned those product pics and auction links, attend the group get togethers as well as the group's main event: The Broke Developers Showcase. Through this active participation, you're more likely to make sales!
7. Join the Developers Group. Joining this group allows you to speak to the more well-established developers of There. Many of them are quite friendly and are more than happy to share what they have learned with you. Listen well, and take notes.
Also, be aware that there is a Developer Program forum that also allows you to converse with these developers. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and to listen to whatever advice they may have. You may not have to take that advice immediately, but perhaps, in the future, you'll find that you're in a better position to go with what you have learned.
Keep in mind that these are just suggestions. You needn't follow them, if you feel you have a better means of promoting yourself. But seeing the suggestions one has to offer can never hurt!
Moreover, be advised that none of these suggestions are guaranteed to make you sales. If they do help, well and good. If they don't, all I can say is to keep trying. Eventually, with patience, you'll be noticed.
Best of fortunes to you,
TheKeeper
1. Use the classifieds to advertise your auctions. It's perfectly free! The classifieds can be found by going to There, There Central, People, and on the right side of that page, there's a little sidebar with a link to the classifieds.
2. Use the forums. There are two threads that deal specifically with selling your items: The Marketplace forum thread and the Advetsiements - New Developer Items thread. Again, posting in forums is completely free, and it gets your name and your auctions out to the public!
3. Use ThereDocs that link to your auctions. While ThereDocs cost 2,000 tbux each, they are worth the money you spend on them, as you can leave them in high-traffic areas for people to see and peruse. While you can drop ThereDocs anywhere that dropping is allowed, asking for permission from zone owners to drop your ThereDoc is a polite and standard practice.
4. There is a There employee by the name of _Emma who, once a month, hosts a There Designer Showcase. All developers are welcome to join and showcase whatever items they wish to sell. Attendence is free, so why not take advantage of the exposure this will give you?
Also, be on the lookout for her planning events, as this is where you can learn about the theme for the next showcase. With this knowledge, you can plan accordingly. While you needn't have items according to that theme, guests will arrive looking for items with that theme in mind. Just keep that fact in mind.
5. Join the Broke Developers Group. Actually, this isn't the shameless plugin it sounds like it is. Geea, owner of the Voice of There, a popular There news site, was touched by my mention of the Broke Developers Group in an interview, and she wanted to do something to help the group out. So she decided to create a brand new section on her news site that will highlight a developer from the Broke Developers Group each week. The advertisement is completely free, and it will reach a wide number of people. All the group members must do is send me an e-mail with their product pictures and auction links, and I will forward them to Geea. Be sure, however, that the product pictures are of products that have been approved by There, as she wants to prevent other developers from stealing your ideas. And there you have it! Free advertisment!
6. Be involved with the Broke Developers Group. You won't automatically make sales by simply being a part of the group. You need to take an active participation in the group for that to happen. Respond to my e-mails, sned those product pics and auction links, attend the group get togethers as well as the group's main event: The Broke Developers Showcase. Through this active participation, you're more likely to make sales!
7. Join the Developers Group. Joining this group allows you to speak to the more well-established developers of There. Many of them are quite friendly and are more than happy to share what they have learned with you. Listen well, and take notes.
Also, be aware that there is a Developer Program forum that also allows you to converse with these developers. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and to listen to whatever advice they may have. You may not have to take that advice immediately, but perhaps, in the future, you'll find that you're in a better position to go with what you have learned.
Keep in mind that these are just suggestions. You needn't follow them, if you feel you have a better means of promoting yourself. But seeing the suggestions one has to offer can never hurt!
Moreover, be advised that none of these suggestions are guaranteed to make you sales. If they do help, well and good. If they don't, all I can say is to keep trying. Eventually, with patience, you'll be noticed.
Best of fortunes to you,
TheKeeper
Broke Developers Group Event Rules
Welcome, one and all, to the Broke Developers Showcase! If you are a new, broke, or otherwise struggling developer, and you want to show your work, then this is the time and place to do so. Of course, to ensure a smooth and enjoyable event for all, there are certain rules that must be observed and followed.
1. Please place your items for display in the designated areas. A Rules Book will be provided to direct you as to where you may place your items. This allows our guests to easily find what they are looking for, and gives our showcase an organized, professional look. However, do not feel you must remain near your items. Feel free to mingle with our guests, as you please.
2. Please do not solicit people for sponsorships. This means no asking, let alone begging, people for money to make your submissions. Please see rule 1 in our Group Rules of Behaviour.
3. Please do not harass others, or bother them in any way. You will be warned ONCE. If you persist, you will be banned from the event. No questions asked!
We wish you all good fortune in making sales!
TheKeeper, and DavyRocket
1. Please place your items for display in the designated areas. A Rules Book will be provided to direct you as to where you may place your items. This allows our guests to easily find what they are looking for, and gives our showcase an organized, professional look. However, do not feel you must remain near your items. Feel free to mingle with our guests, as you please.
2. Please do not solicit people for sponsorships. This means no asking, let alone begging, people for money to make your submissions. Please see rule 1 in our Group Rules of Behaviour.
3. Please do not harass others, or bother them in any way. You will be warned ONCE. If you persist, you will be banned from the event. No questions asked!
We wish you all good fortune in making sales!
TheKeeper, and DavyRocket
Group Rules of Behaviour
Heyla, all!
To maintain the harmony of the group, rules of behaviour must be established.
1. Do not solicit sponsorships. This means no asking, let alone begging, people to sponsor your work. If they see your work and decide to just outright give you the funds to submit your next product, that's wonderful! But let's not ruin other people's enjoyment of There by asking them for free money. Think of the countless times you've had someone IM you, only for that person to suddenly and outright ask if they can have money. It's exactly the same thing if we ask people to sponsor us.
2. Treat others with respect and kindness. We're all here to help each other, not start up verbal warfare.. If there's a disagreement, simply take it as it is: a difference of opinion, and let the matter drop.
3. If you have a problem or issue with the way the group is being run, please, talk to me about it. You may have to explain the issue a few times in different ways before I finally see the issue from your point of view, but I'll eventually come around. I'll think over the matter, and if need be, see if a compromise can be reached.
4. This group was created with the intention of helping everyone make more sales. As such, since the group is doing so much to benefit you, you must do your part to help benefit the group. Therefore, each month, at least one group member will be asked to donate at least one of the free items they receive upon approval of a submission for the purposes of the raffle that is held at the end of our monthly showcases. Again, this is only fair, as the showcases we hold are meant to aid you in generating sales.
You may ask why we bother to hold raffles in the first place. This is a fair question. The raffles encourage people to attend our showcases and stay till the end, which, in turn, will help generate sales, as we are able to mingle and, in the mingling, hopefully convince someone that buying one or more of our items is a very good idea! Besides, the items we give away are simply another form of advertising the products we have to offer, as the people who win our items will use them, and through the use of these items, they will spread the word about us, which, again, will help generate more sales.
5. The group will be employing different marketing strategies to help promote our various products, and not all of these strategies will be free of cost. As these marketing strategies are helping you, as a member of the group, you, in turn, are expected to help contribute to the cost of marketing if and when the need arises. This is only fair, as our merketing strategies are meant to help you generate sales.
Again, we have rules for a reason. I ask that these rules be observed and followed accordingly. Those who break these rules will be dealt with, accordingly. If you have any issues with these rules, please see me, and we'll talk about the matter.
Please note that these rules are subject to change as the group learns and grows over time.
TheKeeper
To maintain the harmony of the group, rules of behaviour must be established.
1. Do not solicit sponsorships. This means no asking, let alone begging, people to sponsor your work. If they see your work and decide to just outright give you the funds to submit your next product, that's wonderful! But let's not ruin other people's enjoyment of There by asking them for free money. Think of the countless times you've had someone IM you, only for that person to suddenly and outright ask if they can have money. It's exactly the same thing if we ask people to sponsor us.
2. Treat others with respect and kindness. We're all here to help each other, not start up verbal warfare.. If there's a disagreement, simply take it as it is: a difference of opinion, and let the matter drop.
3. If you have a problem or issue with the way the group is being run, please, talk to me about it. You may have to explain the issue a few times in different ways before I finally see the issue from your point of view, but I'll eventually come around. I'll think over the matter, and if need be, see if a compromise can be reached.
4. This group was created with the intention of helping everyone make more sales. As such, since the group is doing so much to benefit you, you must do your part to help benefit the group. Therefore, each month, at least one group member will be asked to donate at least one of the free items they receive upon approval of a submission for the purposes of the raffle that is held at the end of our monthly showcases. Again, this is only fair, as the showcases we hold are meant to aid you in generating sales.
You may ask why we bother to hold raffles in the first place. This is a fair question. The raffles encourage people to attend our showcases and stay till the end, which, in turn, will help generate sales, as we are able to mingle and, in the mingling, hopefully convince someone that buying one or more of our items is a very good idea! Besides, the items we give away are simply another form of advertising the products we have to offer, as the people who win our items will use them, and through the use of these items, they will spread the word about us, which, again, will help generate more sales.
5. The group will be employing different marketing strategies to help promote our various products, and not all of these strategies will be free of cost. As these marketing strategies are helping you, as a member of the group, you, in turn, are expected to help contribute to the cost of marketing if and when the need arises. This is only fair, as our merketing strategies are meant to help you generate sales.
Again, we have rules for a reason. I ask that these rules be observed and followed accordingly. Those who break these rules will be dealt with, accordingly. If you have any issues with these rules, please see me, and we'll talk about the matter.
Please note that these rules are subject to change as the group learns and grows over time.
TheKeeper
The Broke Developers Mission Statement
Heyla and well met!
The Broke Developers Group was formed on the idea that new, broke, or otherwise struggling developers needed a means to work together and pool available resources in order to better promote their products. For example, every so often, the group can hold a “Broke Developers Showcase” where their items may be displayed and modeled for potential customers to view and hopefully purchase. Or perhaps, if a member did not currently have the funds to purchase a ThereDoc to advertise his or her auctions, the group can come together and pool some money so that member may purchase one. The group can also be used as a clearing house for information that can prove useful, such as information on philanthropic groups that provide funds to developers so that they may advertise their products, and information about people who hold great gala events periodically, events where developers’ products may be showcased and garner greater attention. These are only a sample of the many ways the Broke Developers Group can help each other. As the group grows and develops, many more ways to help new, broke, or otherwise struggling developers will no doubt surface.
As one can see, such a group holds great potential for its members. My hope is to see that potential fulfilled.
TheKeeper
Link to the There forum thread that gave birth to the group:
forums.prod.there.com/forums/showflat.pl?Cat=&Boar d=developers&Number=607258&page=0&view=coll apsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=all
The Broke Developers Group was formed on the idea that new, broke, or otherwise struggling developers needed a means to work together and pool available resources in order to better promote their products. For example, every so often, the group can hold a “Broke Developers Showcase” where their items may be displayed and modeled for potential customers to view and hopefully purchase. Or perhaps, if a member did not currently have the funds to purchase a ThereDoc to advertise his or her auctions, the group can come together and pool some money so that member may purchase one. The group can also be used as a clearing house for information that can prove useful, such as information on philanthropic groups that provide funds to developers so that they may advertise their products, and information about people who hold great gala events periodically, events where developers’ products may be showcased and garner greater attention. These are only a sample of the many ways the Broke Developers Group can help each other. As the group grows and develops, many more ways to help new, broke, or otherwise struggling developers will no doubt surface.
As one can see, such a group holds great potential for its members. My hope is to see that potential fulfilled.
TheKeeper
Link to the There forum thread that gave birth to the group:
forums.prod.there.com/forums/showflat.pl?Cat=&Boar d=developers&Number=607258&page=0&view=coll apsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=all
Welcome, From the Broke Developers Group of There!
Heyla and well met!
The Broke Developers Group is where new, broke, or otherwise struggling developers can come together and pool their resources so that they may better promote their products. But this group isn’t for developers, only.
Anyone is free to apply, and acceptance into the group is automatic. The idea is to welcome anyone who’s willing to help new, broke, or otherwise struggling developers become successful, whether that help comes in the form of sharing information on where developers can go to get help in submitting or advertising their work, brainstorming on new and inexpensive ways to promote products, or spreading the word about these relatively unknown products. These are just a few of the methods one can use to help the group out, and as one can see, help can come in many ways that don’t actually involve directly contributing tbux! So, what are you waiting for? Click that join button!
Hoping to meet new members every day,
TheKeeper
The Broke Developers Group is where new, broke, or otherwise struggling developers can come together and pool their resources so that they may better promote their products. But this group isn’t for developers, only.
Anyone is free to apply, and acceptance into the group is automatic. The idea is to welcome anyone who’s willing to help new, broke, or otherwise struggling developers become successful, whether that help comes in the form of sharing information on where developers can go to get help in submitting or advertising their work, brainstorming on new and inexpensive ways to promote products, or spreading the word about these relatively unknown products. These are just a few of the methods one can use to help the group out, and as one can see, help can come in many ways that don’t actually involve directly contributing tbux! So, what are you waiting for? Click that join button!
Hoping to meet new members every day,
TheKeeper
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