Out of the depths...we rise

[milliways_mods]

Hi!

Just a quick update to let you all know what's going on.
As you may have noticed our Cast List, Graphics, and FAQ have gone the way of the Dodo.

We forgot to sacrifice to Shub-Internet and our original FAQ was devoured by her Thousand Dark Processes.

It was very sad.
We wept.
Some of us...*cough*me*cough* are still weeping.
Mostly because I know jack-all about coding, but that's neither here nor there.

We wanted to let you know that we're working on a replacement Cast List solution, a Contact List solution, and a Graphics solution. We're hoping to have the first two of those if not Live than on Life Support by the opening of the next App cycle in April.

The FAQ might take a bit longer, mostly because...so much copy.
Which brings me to the Question Portion of this post:

Do you have any questions?
Is there anything in particular you'd like to see in a Cast List, Contact Page, FAQ, or Graphically?

Let us know either in the comments here, or via email, what you're thinking.

Thanks for your patience!

- Bing

P.S. I LOVE EVERYONE IN THIS BAR!

Comments

[wedic]

Do you require donating tokens to the bar's paid account and if so how do we help with that?

[mnt_mike]

Donations are not required, though they are not something we'd turn down either.
The lapse in hosting wasn't a Dreamwidth issue, but a private server one.

All of the Comm's files, from Style sheets and image hosting to the Cast List matrix itself, was hosted on a private domain whose fees went unrenewed.

Tokens to DW wouldn't have saved us.
At the moment we're exploring more accessible venue for such things.

[wedic]

Ah, good luck! xx

[annalalaith]

Once we get it up we need a back up of the code, preferably with several people, so if one person leaves we don't lose all of the code. Or we could have a Milliways dropbox for a back up of the code that the mods could keep passwords for. We should also keep a running quick and dirty spreadsheet on who's got what, and who has been apped. That way, if things go down, we've at least have a primitive cast and contact list. Dropbox and google docs are awesome and might be what we need for future outages. I think this would help you guys, our mods, from wanting to try to drive nails into your desk with your heads because of all the questions that keep getting asked.

Also, we could keep hard copies of all of this info somewhere, just in case all of these other methods bread down and we have to start sending our posts via the postal service. , I mean, just in case we lose the digital copies.

[mnt_mike]

I was going to ask if anyone happened to have copies of things like...oh our banners.
Managed to skim some of the previous ones from our old LJ community, of all places.

But yeah, this is most certainly a Hands On Abject Lesson in diversification, if nothing else.

Links in the User Info and App FAQ that use to go to the Cast List and Contact Pages now go to an "Under Construction" message.

With instructions for anyone inquiring about the availability of a character to email us at the Milli App gmail address.

[yakalskovich]

I see the key visual for the bar, the orange glass thing, every time I open Firefox before I reload the bar; I have taken a screen cap and can supply it if needed.

[mnt_mike]

That would be awesome!
Thanks!

[yakalskovich]

Sent it to the mods' gmail account, if that works?

[mnt_mike]

Like Gangbusters!

I am so excite!

[yakalskovich]

Excellent!!

[annalalaith]

Yeah, I figured it has become a headache for you guys.

Also, http://web.archive.org/web/20121221224448/http://milliways.sophistrie.com/faq

[mnt_mike]

For serious.
LURVE.
I have nothing but LURVE.

(So back, way back, when we first discovered this had happened, I went to that site in search of the Cast List. For some inexplicable reason it didn't occur to me it would also have the FAQ there.

I didn't even really REALIZE the FAQ was gone until today.
Holy cats, what a relief!)

[annalalaith]

Also, you might be able to get some of the code from the contact list, was just looking at it.

[mnt_mike]

Anything we can salvage is worth salvaging, as far as I'm concerned.
Even if we don't ultimately end up utilizing it going forward, it can't hurt to keep track of it.

Anything to keep this from happening again in the future.

[annalalaith]

Then I shall do what I can to start ripping code off from the archived pages. I am trying to figure out how to get the images too. But, I have this thing called work at 5 today, and a powerful need to eat food.

[mnt_mike]

Ugh. Responsibilities. Why do they always gotta be getting in the way of completely random extra-curricular pursuits?!

(totally understandable, and do what you can when you can. Know that we're already beyond the ability to express accurately gratitude)

[annalalaith]

I got the image! https://www.dropbox.com/s/7fe7dj2k7marq1v/bartop.png?dl=0

[mnt_mike]

I have returned it to its place of glory, on the Profile page.

I don't remember, did we have something like that for the Back Room community as well?

Holy cats you folks are amazing!

[annalalaith]

yeah a blue one.

[mnt_mike]

I uh...don't suppose you could grab that one for me too, could you?
For serious, no rush what so ever.

[annalalaith]

you guys have a gmail account. You should just make a document for the cast/contact list thing I mentioned earlier in google docs and a google drive account for back ups using the millimods gmail.

Also, I tried, but the pic is just gone.

[annalalaith]

Look what I made!!!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2euou2iokk4dc0r/backroom_bartop.png?dl=0

[annalalaith]

The style sheets might be lost forever though.

[mnt_mike]

Yeah, I thought as much. Not to worry.
We'll rebuild it, we have the technology!

[annalalaith]

I would offer, but school takes priority. well, that, and I am terrible at css.

[bjornwilde]

I was just getting ready to suggest that site. Glad I read the whole thread first. = ]

[bcgphoenix]

I have a feeling that the response to this will be a resounding OH GOD NO, but if we're rebuilding the cast list from next to nothing -- would it be worth taking the opportunity to do a cleanup like we did before the move to DW, where we get rid of inactive characters? I am so thankful Milliways doesn't have activity checks (for real; that's why I haven't played at other journal games since I left college), but it does mean we get a lot of dead wood piling up from folks who've left for good without a trace.

[mnt_mike]

Believe you me, this is something that has been discussed, and will continue to be discussed, but at the moment just getting something for practical use going forward is the main goal.

Because...yeah, considering the number of characters and players?
So much data entry.

It makes Bings cry.

[vivien]

I've helped with data entry tasks in the past and I'd be delighted to help out again if needed. I enjoy some busy work at times.

[jothra]

Same. I wouldn't mind helping out, for that.

[pro_patria_mortuus]

Same here!

[hey35andholding]

+1,TBH.

*Suggestion Hand Raise Time Go!*

[hey35andholding]

Since we're building from scratch, maybe we could keep the cast list as an entry in the back room, versus on an external website?

That way we wouldn't be vulnerable to any crashes (besides DW's downtime) or having to rely on one person's server, and it'd be as easy as yoinking names out and putting them back in when people leave and arrive.

Re: *Suggestion Hand Raise Time Go!*

[wedic]

Is there a limit on number of comments on an entry?

[mnt_mike]

I think we might need to be more concerned on the limits to the number of characters allowed in a post, rather than the number of comments allowed in an entry.

The working idea at the moment is this:

The Cast List would be a stationary grid in an entry on the Mod Journal, with additions to the list added via screened comment.
Even if we do run out of comment space, we could always just start a new "Data Post" with the Cast List itself remaining in the original...highly visible...place.

But again, this isn't anything definite.

[hey35andholding]

Ooh, you could solve the number of characters per post thing by having a cut-and-paste entry form? It'd probably cut everything down lengthwise.

[tattling]

Eh. You need a mod-only Google Spreadsheet, I think. As in, only the mods can edit it but everyone else can view.

(I wish I hadn't dropped out of my computing course...)

Yes! You in the back!

[mnt_mike]

This is exactly what we're thinking, only...less the Back Room, and more the Milli-Mod journal. The one-stop shop for all things Administrative.

Whoo!

[hey35andholding]

Yay!

Also, I THINK I might have the backroom's graphic somewhere buried in the depths of my screencaps - it's not guarantee but I think I have it.

I've got a photobucket that's got plenty of storage space if you guys ever need extra graphic back-ups too!

[souffle_girlek]

Would something like a googledocs excel sheet work for a cast list, or at least a rough one? Some of the Marvel-muns and I were keeping a list there for 'how many things are fictional', and it was nice that people could do their own editing.

AKA 'hey you peoples enter your own pups because OMG data entry'

[salty_witch]

I just had the idea of doing a Google image search for "ways back room" + dreamwidth and found this, which is an image capture of the blue banner. It's reduced though but it's something?