Day 10

Introduction

Talks of a new union website has been in forums for quite some time. Now is your chance to discuss a possibility of a union website.

Discussion Questions

1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website? If you said keep this site, or no, you do not need to answer anymore questions for today. If you have answered yes to a new website, please move onto the next questions.

2. What should the website address be?

3. Should we start fresh, or keep or attempt to move threads over to the new union?

4. Who will pay? Should the admins pay or should whoever wants to donate can donate?

Day 11 Prerequisite: (Note: Don't reply or post this today. This is tomorrow's topic.)
Think about the design and look of the new website. Should it look modern? Should it be a color themed? Should it be apple website inspired? Should it be windows vista inspired? Look around and think of ideas to share with the union during tomorrow's discussion.

1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website? If you said keep this site, or no, you do not need to answer anymore questions for today. If you have answered yes to a new website, please move onto the next questions.
Get a new website. But keep this on our hands incase the main site goes down

2. What should the website address be?
www.ain.org
3. Should we start fresh, or keep or attempt to move threads over to the new union?
Both. Im sure we can move a lot over. Just gotta work with the maker of the site

4. Who will pay? Should the admins pay or should whoever wants to donate can donate?
Donation. We shouldnt leave it on the hands of just a select amount of people. Im sure everyone can donate a little every year or month

1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website?

No it's a grave mistake to do so.

When I was in the COFR, we had some issues about the site being moved, because the person who makes the financial decision and design decision was dictating what and who do whatever. Plus, this leads to conflict where we should only obey what the designer or financier says. It is a lot easier than done. And long ago I thought of saying yes, but after experiencing it. I say no, and wish not to repeat the same mistake.

I believe we should have an emergency site, but not a paid site. This site should be the main site after all, and we should not raise our standards to perfection.

1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website? If you said keep this site, or no, you do not need to answer anymore questions for today. If you have answered yes to a new website, please move onto the next questions. YES!

2. What should the website address be?
http://www.aoin.org

3. Should we start fresh, or keep or attempt to move threads over to the new union?
move threads over the new union

4. Who will pay? Should the admins pay or should whoever wants to donate can donate?
I don't know.

anarchy0029 wrote:1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website?

No it's a grave mistake to do so.

When I was in the COFR, we had some issues about the site being moved, because the person who makes the financial decision and design decision was dictating what and who do whatever. Plus, this leads to conflict where we should only obey what the designer or financier says. It is a lot easier than done. And long ago I thought of saying yes, but after experiencing it. I say no, and wish not to repeat the same mistake.

I believe we should have an emergency site, but not a paid site. This site should be the main site after all, and we should not raise our standards to perfection.

You make a really good point. Here now its about perfect. Everything is custom. I mean if we really wanna stand out. Just buy a domain and use it on this site. We can get a domain with www.ain.org. www.aoin.eu is the free domain we got

Saathoff wrote:

anarchy0029 wrote:1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website?

No it's a grave mistake to do so.

When I was in the COFR, we had some issues about the site being moved, because the person who makes the financial decision and design decision was dictating what and who do whatever. Plus, this leads to conflict where we should only obey what the designer or financier says. It is a lot easier than done. And long ago I thought of saying yes, but after experiencing it. I say no, and wish not to repeat the same mistake.

I believe we should have an emergency site, but not a paid site. This site should be the main site after all, and we should not raise our standards to perfection.

You make a really good point. Here now its about perfect. Everything is custom. I mean if we really wanna stand out. Just buy a domain and use it on this site. We can get a domain with www.ain.org. www.aoin.eu is the free domain we got

wait...so we can just get a custom domain name for the current ain website??? sweet!

To answer my questions, I'm right now undecided. I agree with anarchy that we should just get a new site just to raise standards to perfection. But at the same time, this current site is limited, and I kinda wish we would be able to have more than just forums. But I think that a lot of people are just happy with ain right now the way it is....ahhh I'm confused

Off-topic: Oh darn! The picture above stunned me for quite a while! The golf course and the island in that pond looks real! :shock:

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1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website? If you said keep this site, or no, you do not need to answer anymore questions for today. If you have answered yes to a new website, please move onto the next questions.
No. I have to agree some of the points Ray had pointed out. During its two years duration, COFR have moved sites 3 times: free forum, $600 (USD or Euro, I don't know) website and another paid website. The first transition, every member knew about the move. However, during its second transition, only like 50% of the members knew about the move. Reason? The second site became unaccessable unexpectedly and lack of communication. Therefore, this brings to my main concern: if we need a new website, make sure it's not too expensive and the web host is reliable enough.

Also, why should we need a new website when 99.9% (exaggerated, I know ) of the stuff we do is forum-based activities? And who will transfer all the data from the old site to the new site?

However, should the final vote be getting a new site, here's my comments.
2. What should the website address be?
Same as Nate, www.ain.org

3. Should we start fresh, or keep or attempt to move threads over to the new union?
Attempt to move is top priority
If not, then keep the old site.
Never start afresh

4. Who will pay? Should the admins pay or should whoever wants to donate can donate?
Donation. But one thing that worries me: if we go by donation, those that didn't receive permission from their parents to donate (especially those under suffrage) will be unable to donate. In the end, those that donate may feel that "Why should we do all the donation? Why can't everyone fork out a dollar or two?". Although it may not happen in our AIN community, I will always have this feeling.

Overall, I am against the idea of having a new website. But should we need a new website, I will be supportive also. It's also preferred that the website have to be paid just once than paying annually. Even so, paying annually is way better than paying monthly in terms of discount. A paid account Freewebs-based website is what I have in mind.

The last thing I want is a situation similar to how the website-switch made COFR collapse.

1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website?
YES! but keep this site incase of emergency

2. What should the website address be?
www.ain.org

3. Should we start fresh, or keep or attempt to move threads over to the new union?
Try to move the threads over

4. Who will pay? Should the admins pay or should whoever wants to donate can donate?
Donation

1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website? If you said keep this site, or no, you do not need to answer anymore questions for today. If you have answered yes to a new website, please move onto the next questions.
No, I think this site is sufficient enough.
2. What should the website address be?

3. Should we start fresh, or keep or attempt to move threads over to the new union?

4. Who will pay? Should the admins pay or should whoever wants to donate can donate?

1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website?

No, I think what we currently have is working very well. Moving to a new website will be costly and time consuming and unlike forums, they require constant maintenance. The current format is free, self maintaining and flexible.

1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website? No.

1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website?

I'm leaning towards no. Our current site is looking really great. It is user friendly. People like it. I'd feel bad to change it. Buying a domain name for the forums would be great, though. (www.ain.org)

On domain names, you can get one very cheap. You can get a redirect, which is only a few dollars per year, but after doing a bit of research, ain.org is not available. If you google "cheap domain name redirect" you should find something.

However, paying for a domain name raises new issues. Who will pay for it? Charging people for membership may deter people from joining. I know for myself that I just have the forum bookmarked, so for existing members the domain name may be unnecessary.

I got my .org.uk domain for £4.98 for 2 years and .eu was also the same price. You could always use aoin.org if yousuns are determined at haviung a .org domain.

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1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website?

Of course getting a custom domain with homepage, wiki and redirection to the actual forums is a great idea. I really believe a new site is a move in the right direction, making the union kore professional, exclusive and appealing to applicants - although learning form the COFR there needs to be communication particularly between the admin team about who runs the site and what they are doing to it. I think 2 or 3 people should also have access to the control panel, hosting account etc as if one person walks away there should be no trouble with the site. Keeping these existing forums is great in case the site is ever offline as these can become temporary forums for cvommunication about site issues etc. Although as many old links direct here there needs to be occassional checks in case people come here looking for memebership. ALSO IMPORTANT: the site should not be offcially our forums until all issues and bugs are straigtened out - another mistake made by the COFR that IMO is one of the many causes for the closure of the union.

2. What should the website address be?

www.ain or www.aoin
.org/.org.uk/.eu/.us tend to be cheapest

3. Should we start fresh, or keep or attempt to move threads over to the new union?

Either is fine, but as I mentioned above the admins must not rush to bget the site running. Perhaps the City Notebook, Active off-topic and Administration Forums should be moved and everything else archived.

4. Who will pay? Should the admins pay or should whoever wants to donate can donate?

Donation - it is never fair to put the bill on one person. The siote should not cost more than around £300 incluiding domain and hosting. Each junior/full member should be able to commit around £10-£20 at least (although this will be entirely voluntary) meaning that as long as there are around 25 active members then we should be covered. The problem is should donations be taken now - before the site is up or should someone be nominated treasurer and pay the full amount and get reimbursed by donaions after completion of the site.

1. Should AIN have a new website, or keep this current website? If you said keep this site, or no, you do not need to answer anymore questions for today. If you have answered yes to a new website, please move onto the next questions.

We should keep the current site, but have a redirect and a new Portal, so we keep the forums and have a new homepage.

2. What should the website address be?

aoin.org/ain.com, something like that.

3. Should we start fresh, or keep or attempt to move threads over to the new union?

Keep the forums, just add a redirect.

4. Who will pay? Should the admins pay or should whoever wants to donate can donate?

We can trial donations for a year or so, and see whether that pays the total amount for the redirect and new frontpage.

our best bet for domain for this site would be. www.theain.org. www.ain.org is taken. Cant use ain (dot) anything. i like theain.org. Cause it basically says The Alliance of Independent Nations.org


theain.org $14.99*/yr
theain.com $10.69*/yr Most Popular
theain.info $0.89* BEST VALUE!
theain.net $9.99*/yr SALE! Save $3.00/yr
theain.me $8.99 SALE! Save $11.00/yr
theain.mobi $6.99* Save $8.00/yr
theain.us $7.99 SALE! SPECIAL!
theain.biz $8.99* SALE! Save $6.00/yr

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What about aoin.org?

taken

Ok.

i don't think we need anything else. is it necessary? what would we have the new site do that this one doesn't?

right. I dont think we really NEED a redirect. But I think having the Portal as the default loading page would be a good idea.

we used to have it as the home page. I'm dont quite know why it was changed

Cause we had complaints from people not being able to find the forum part

the portal was kinda worthless anyways

okay Portal is up for awhile so everyone can experience it. Nothing special really