4 posts were merged into an existing topic: New beginning, new name
I like the above ideas, so I’ve clicked the like button on your posts 
In addition to the overall strategy, there are some minutiae I’ve been thinking of I wanted to record.
There are a few things from the old community I’d love to see carried over, like MyGame. (Keep the name change the name?) Since Discourse has a built-in badge system, I’d like to create and award folks badges for completing previous challenges once the move is permanent.
I’d also like to see the annual Secret Santa, GOTY, and Steam Giveaway group continue.
Discourse’s trust system may provide an easy way to moderate the Steam Giveaway group – to maintain trust level 3 you have to meet certain conditions over a 100-day rolling window (with a two-week grace period). Perhaps entry and ongoing membership to the private Steam group can be linked to trust level?
Discourse also lets you turn posts into wiki-like pages that anyone of trust level 1 and above may edit. Maybe we use that feature for “official” threads for games? The category system allows for topics in a particular category to be made wikis by default, so we can use that in future.
Currently creating categories is restricted to the admin only. I think there’s a setting to open the ability to create categories to mods. Good idea / bad idea?
Since first experimenting with Discourse, I’ve been kicking around the idea of using it as a kind of hybrid blogging or publishing platform, but the permissioning system wasn’t quite there yet. A few years down the line and you can now specify create/reply/see permissions for every category by user group (admin, mod, trust levels, custom groups).
So we could create a userblog category where folks of a certain trust level can create a thread for themselves to blog in, or we could create (unlisted) categories or sub-categories for each blogger in which only they may create threads and then others may respond.
I’m not sure Discourse is designed to scale as a full publishing system, but having a personal blogging category as a perk for regulars might be cool, no?
1 Like
A personal blogging category would be cool! That’s an interesting idea.
I myself am not a blogger, but I know of a fair few people who would use the function. So do it!
I like the idea of the wiki like pages - it can be used for so much more than just the gaming aspects. I really will do my best to start threads for interesting tv shows and our usual what movie did you watch and music and all that - as much as I like gaming, that kind of threads can bring interaction into the forums as well.
But agree with Beo that we need a name and forum image.
I also agree that maybe even if mygaming continues - which i highly doubt, to move it here and keep the great, loose the crap, and yes continue with steam giveaways and mygame of the month and obviously Secret Santa!
I quite like the fact that there is a live preview to posts as opposed to having to “go advanced” on the old forum.
Please forgive me but… I’m going to try and see if I can break a few thing to help with feedback, specifically with regards to media and images.
Below is a HTML Link:
This is a IMG Link:
This is a BB Code link:
All of the Above work as GIF files (it’s evident by the dithering in the images)
This is a Imgur Link created with MP4
Normally it would show a window with a media player but there seems to be a limit of 4 different sources of media or it’s borked somewhere it worked a few times then died. Although I am happy with the results much easier to post then having to struggle with making links work.
Ditect GIFV link
Markdown Link (nortmally associated with Reddit)
Imgur
I am assuming you could link up to 4 maximum of the same type of link. Personally I like the GIFV option with the mini preview. It’s nice to have options too.
edit Seems that Image links and YT videos are treated differently.
Youtube Link (does not play in the preview)
Wiki pages sounds like a good idea, I’d like to try it out as well. I might start a few myself if it’s allowed to be used for more than just games.
Just a few thoughts:
-
Would it be possible to perhaps have a banner at the bottom which would allow donations via Bitcoin/Litecoin/Ethereum etc? The donations could go to running costs/give/aways and so forth.
-
Banner/graphic/icon/insignia would be nice to have, something simple but unique. (I’ll work on some ideas for it so long). I can guess the current one is a place holder.
EDIT: Okay seems like there is an image size limit on GIFS which is understandable. Either way GIFV is way easier and I love the ability to just post a link and having it automatically work.
Welcome! Awesome, test away!
What are you trying to say about my 1337 design skillz?
(Yeah, it’s a placeholder 
).
Please also check out the name suggestion thread (and feel free to add suggestions). As the name might change, that might affect your designs?
Oh your artistic skills are way better than mine! trust me!
I love that movie 
I take it this is mostly for the forum part of mygaming. Are we gonna try do to news etc type stuff as well? Obviously I know that will be very difficult, was just wondering.
On of the biggest reasons I keep visiting SAGAMER forum, is the marketplace.Its a major drawcard, as I like scrolling through the deals to see if there are any bargains. This might just apply to me personally, but I suspect there are a number of others in a similiar boat. Then, while there, I end up commenting of posting on something or the other.
will we be having a similiar MARKETPLACE sub-thread on M.E.W. ?
That’s a very good question. I’d say it’s beneficial. It comes with its own problems but it will definitely grow the forum and keep it alive.
@SIGSTART, what do you think?
Good suggestion! I’ll look into it and see how best we can implement it.
If ya’ll are cool with waiting a bit, I’d like to look at launching functionality like that in the new year?
Right, I’ve got a few more ideas and comments to make. I think that time is running out and we need to get to a point where some decisions are made so that we can get everything in place:
Aim and focus of the site/forum:
We focus on geek culture. Gaming, Anime, Tabletop gaming, comics, consoles, the whole works. We make sure we cover conversations covering the entire spectrum. This will give us the best chance of getting more and new people. I honestly don’t think there is any site like that in SA. most are specified on one, but not to all the aspects of geekdom
Costing and financing.
This will always be a problem. There will be cost involved hosting and maintaining the domain of the site. There will be marketing and other costing involved in gaining more people and more options. I’d suggest we put a Patreon in place and give people the opportunity to donate via Patreon or Bitcoin. Let’s be new and bold! Once the site picks off (hopefully it does) we can get advertising onto the site as well. While people may frown upon this, it’s is a good way of gaining financial independence. There will be tax implications, however, and I’m sure that the business side will need to be ironed out first. Like who the owners are, where the money goes to, who decides on where it is spent and stuff like that.
Blogs, Articles and Content.
The site will live or die on the content we create. At the start we as the community will need to manage that. We’ll start out small, focusing on threads and posting links to news articles. We don’t need to write them ourselves, just link them and perhaps add an opinion. But, we will need to add one big “article” or “blog” to the site. Something written by the community. We might even get a few different people writing it, and only selecting one per week. I am more than happy to write one article per week for consideration. In the meanwhile, we keep on adding content to the community through the Game Club thing, Official threads and other stuff
Marketplace
While I am reluctant to the idea of a marketplace, there is no denying the fact that it brings in traffic. Carbonite is extremely locked down to new people, and I’m pretty sure using Discourse we can get a much more user and newcomer friendly way of implementing this. Especially with the levels. The levels will absolutely enable us to manage it much better
Marketing and Social Media
Big risk area. Marketing and social media management of the site, getting the name out there, is going to be a lot of work. Perhaps we can come to an arrangement where there are multiple people with login details to try and assist with this, but this might be difficult. We absolutely will, however, need to market the site. On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the likes. Perhaps later on adding things like podcasts and Youtube videos to the list of stuff and get our community out there that way. Then at conventions, we must have a presence, taking pictures, talking to people, handing out business cards to the site or something like that. Also perhaps leverage some of the current community contacts to get people in Anime, Tabletop, cosplay and other geek circles into the community as well.
Logo and name
Probably at the moment the biggest thing to be focused on right now. At least we’ve got some time, but we’ll need to add a poll somewhere to let the community vote on the name, perhaps get someone with an inkling to the creative side of life to make a couple of logos for the chosen name, then we vote on that as well. We keep it within the community if we can.
Right, those are some ideas I’ve been mulling over.
2 Likes
I told @SIGSTART he can give me a shout if there is help needed with hosting. I cant offer a lot, but i can offer that.
Thanks for taking the time to put all of that down in writing. I’ve pretty much been mulling over similar ideas, sans the marketplace.
I’m with you on the aim and focus.
I agree that the endeavour will need to make money in order to keep running.
I’m with you on the content.
Logo and name, it looks like community.mostepic.win is quite liked at the moment.
Also just to expound on the community gaming aspect possibly things like a whole bunch of peeps just dropping into a server and playing a game, like Counter Strike for example.
1 Like
'n Braai ! ! !
1 Like
Not that I have a “problem” per se with the whole community.mostepic.win - I just think it’s a little too niche or cliche based on the subject matter. If you want to stay with the geekdom fandom esque culture I think something like forthe.win would lend itself better. I just feel the current name “community.mostepic.win” was a placeholder for something better.
That being said, I personally think a name and or domain name change is needed. Not that I don’t like the current formality, I just feel we need a fothold of we are to enter this market with a new name that will make an impact and represent the subject matter and material that we wish to cover.
Gamers’n’Geeks.win
Geeking.out
Stompthegeek.com
As @DieGrootHammer said, costing and financing will always be an issue. I think we should remain free or at the very least register an NPO with a few of us as the “board” or shareholders.
Though I think going forward we will need from at the very least, a select few to continually contribute to the overall running of the site. Like @Wyvern said, she can contribute her time to pushing the social meda aspect. We could have another 2 people writing opinion pieces at least once a week. We need one or two to focus on other non-game related contence, like comics and TV series/movies. Of course Senai @Glordit will head up the anime department. 'Hammer and myself can cover the console section. The man @Flex and @DohcWP will cover deals and marketplace related content.
Of course these are all just examples but you get the direction I’m going with this. I want to start working on some mockups of potential ideas and so forth, but we can’t have logos or images unless we have a name.
Stand up and be counted, let’s get to the bottom of this. Unless of course everyone is just happy or settling with the community.mostepic.win.
Peace…
2 Likes
I would be keen to do any hardware related news, specials anything like that. Can also try do write ups of all the hardware and peripherals I have used as it has been a ludicrous amount.
And then also the Market Place, I think I am definitely suited for that. A trusted member on all the large trading, buying and selling tech platforms.
So will def put my hand up for those when the time comes to get it going
2 Likes
I’d definitely like to give opinions or news on anime in general if I can. I’d probably keep it simple with popular shows and what to watch this week/month/season. I will keep all the sales and statistics to MAL and ANN.
Could also have a little wiki area on the whole medium, to help introduce people into it who are interested.
1 Like
Would be great. This is why we are aiming to have a more open geek community and not just gaming. Have a full dedicated anime category with various threads drawing in people from that side of geekdom into the site. That would be awesome. You’d expose a bunch of people to new things they may never have known about, either in gaming or anime.
1 Like