Re: [DipKnights] Re: The Life of the Cat

> I'm fluent in HTML and can whip up some good pages
> when I have an inclination.

Sweet. One of the issues with the existing pages is
that it is generated code from a Microsoft program.
This is very bad for search engines and anything else
other than MSIE that might want to look at your page.
If your definition of "good pages" includes external
style sheets then I may die of rapture before I get a
chance to post any of your content. :-D

> Everyones nemesis is the same as mine...time. I also
> know time is of the essence...I'll try to get a
> mockup done by this weekend.
> Then we can work from there...

The sooner the better on content, but the rush right
now is to make commitments before I invest any time in
a dead branch on the project. Now that you've spoken
up, though, please use <cat23 -at- worldmasters.net>
to send any content. 

> Scott Fort...man, start pounding the woodwork and
> you don't know whats about to come out...! :)

Termites? ;-) 

Domain registration is $5.25 a year at 1and1.com for a
.org if someone wants to grab cat23.org. I can't
remember if I posted it already, but I can fix all the
links that point to Cat23 on worldmasters.net with 2
lines in my Apache configuration. I'll do it as soon
as I know whether someone is going to register a
domain for the group (or rather as soon as DNS is set
up if someone does). 

I'm glad there's a volunteer to do some HTML. CMS like
Joomla aren't really portable if there's a decision
down the road to change hosting. That's one of the
reasons that hosting companies are quick to offer
them. If you use CSS and decent organization, it's not
hard to grow a site that will serve Cat23 a long time.


In the meanwhile, I can start work on a new number
generator. I'm looking at system where, the first time
you use it, you confirm your address. After that, just
enter your email address and click to get a number
mailed to you. If you get a number when you didn't
request it, just reply to the mail. The IP address
that requested the number gets blocked from accessing
the site for a month. :-) 

Is there any interest in a queue system? By that I
mean players pre-register for games of certain types.
A GM can see the interest in running a standard game
or certain other pre-defined types before getting a
number. Games can start more quickly, especially
common variants. A similar system in use for the
judges ranges from a 50% sign on rate for novice games
to 85% for popular configurations of games with
experienced players. 

Is there anybody besides the number requester who
should be notified when a number is issued? Also, are
there any designated contacts who should be listed on
the site? If not, who is willing to volunteer as a
mentor? I'm looking at what content should be on a
contact list for the site or whether a contact form
can be used to divvy up inquiries among volunteers. 

RealPolitik maps are about 60k, which means that a 250
MB quota would require some housekeeping every 80
games or so. Not terrible, but a soft limit might be
better. We'd have to be running about 50 concurrent
games to max out the bandwidth quota. That data is for
whomever needs to make the decision about hosting. 

My recommendation is to allow me to serve the content
and maintain a mirror on the other donated hosting.
That way you get a host who's involved in the hobby
actively developing Dip-specific content that can be
applied to the site and a back up so that you aren't
dependent on one or two individuals to maintain
continuity of presence. 

The key to a successful volunteer organization is
initiative. If you want to see something done, just
ask for help and get started. People like joining in
on a successful looking project; They're just a bit
shy about things when they don't know where they're
going yet. All it takes is a few people to get start
who are willing to communicate their progress and
their needs... and who are willing to let those who
help do it their own way. OK, so that's a tall order,
but I think this group is up to it. 

Chris 



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