The current unpleasantness has hit CNET again. This comm is linked at the bottom.
And, see, what happens when I post and then go to bed is that I wake up to 150 comments that I've only been able to skim. But I did skim over something a few times that needs addressing.
A few people have (rightly) brought up the question, "Okay, this sounds totally shiny, but, uh, how much is it going to cost?"
The answer is, honestly, I have no idea. But what I do have is a plan. It goes like this: I assemble a small, crack team of developers. (This part is in the works.) We build the shiny. They're all volunteers, so this won't happen overnight. However, I don't think it's going to take a year, either. We release and open it up to limited beta. I will front the cash for that myself (and also for the lawyer to write the TOS). I am not about to ask for money for an unproven product and system. If the site is popular, and if it looks like it's going to take off, and if there is demand, we incorporate as a non-profit, appoint a board, and start the fundraising to buy some hardware. If it doesn't look like it's going to take off, hey, everyone who worked on it has a cool project to put on their resumes. Fandom moves to an LJ clone, and life goes on.
Throughout this process, I intend to be as open and transparent as possible. I intend to solicit feedback from fandom every step of the way.
Is it perfect? No. Is it fraught with danger? Maybe. Will I get any sleep in the next year? Doubtful. Is it something? Yeah. I feel like... I don't know. There's something in the air. It's time. This feels different and exciting and new, and maybe this plan is insane but I think it'd be equally insane to sit here and do nothing at a time like this. We have to try, dammit, and if we try and fail, so be it.
So. I have a bunch of e-mails to write to volunteers, but in the meantime, here's the list of starry-eyed optimists I'm looking for:
Any takers? Comment or e-mail me (atrata at gmail.com).
(Er, if you fit one of these things and have ALREADY volunteered, I promise I will send you e-mail in the very near future. I've got a little folder of people who've kindly volunteered, and I need to look at everything in that folder more closely. That said, it wouldn't hurt to send me another e-mail, because I'm drowning in it and my mail client has been very, very weird about actually delivering my mail lately.)
Love! So much love.
And, see, what happens when I post and then go to bed is that I wake up to 150 comments that I've only been able to skim. But I did skim over something a few times that needs addressing.
A few people have (rightly) brought up the question, "Okay, this sounds totally shiny, but, uh, how much is it going to cost?"
The answer is, honestly, I have no idea. But what I do have is a plan. It goes like this: I assemble a small, crack team of developers. (This part is in the works.) We build the shiny. They're all volunteers, so this won't happen overnight. However, I don't think it's going to take a year, either. We release and open it up to limited beta. I will front the cash for that myself (and also for the lawyer to write the TOS). I am not about to ask for money for an unproven product and system. If the site is popular, and if it looks like it's going to take off, and if there is demand, we incorporate as a non-profit, appoint a board, and start the fundraising to buy some hardware. If it doesn't look like it's going to take off, hey, everyone who worked on it has a cool project to put on their resumes. Fandom moves to an LJ clone, and life goes on.
Throughout this process, I intend to be as open and transparent as possible. I intend to solicit feedback from fandom every step of the way.
Is it perfect? No. Is it fraught with danger? Maybe. Will I get any sleep in the next year? Doubtful. Is it something? Yeah. I feel like... I don't know. There's something in the air. It's time. This feels different and exciting and new, and maybe this plan is insane but I think it'd be equally insane to sit here and do nothing at a time like this. We have to try, dammit, and if we try and fail, so be it.
So. I have a bunch of e-mails to write to volunteers, but in the meantime, here's the list of starry-eyed optimists I'm looking for:
- 2-3 pythonistas, anal about test-driven (& agile) development, familar with version control
- 1 db god (mysql or postgres pref.)
Any takers? Comment or e-mail me (atrata at gmail.com).
(Er, if you fit one of these things and have ALREADY volunteered, I promise I will send you e-mail in the very near future. I've got a little folder of people who've kindly volunteered, and I need to look at everything in that folder more closely. That said, it wouldn't hurt to send me another e-mail, because I'm drowning in it and my mail client has been very, very weird about actually delivering my mail lately.)
Love! So much love.