OOTPhub past, present & future

jazzrack · 01-19-2017, 05:58 AM

normally i would have done this in December, but my 2016 ended pretty much the way the whole year went. an abscess, a root canal & a new granddaughter put you all on the back-burner. But despite a close call or 2 i am here and still standing.

I do apologize for my communication style, my anxiety dosorder has alway meant my mind goes faster than forms of communication, so i tend to get jumbled. since the concussion 3 years ago that effect is even worse, and add to that my fingers don't always do what they are told when they are told and things can become complicated. if it looks like words are missing from a sentence or i have mixed thoughts... it's because i have. please just ask for clarification, i don't mind, i am getting used to it. I also don't mind bluntness, i actually prefer it. less for my anxiety riddled mind to interpret. Look at it this way, if it's frustrating for you, imagine what it is like having to live like this everyday. i am working hard to rebuild and improve my communication skill, frustration be damned but i'm 47 and it's a slow process.

I would like to sit here and say i have great news about OOTPhub.com (home of OOTPmods), but i don't. I failed to reach any of goals i set for the site, except for 1. I have kept the site maintained, updated and secure. i jsut finished a major update on the site software a couple days ago, and that came on the heals of a server update so there are a couple minor issue i am still sorting out.

I could spend some time explaining why this happened and the vast majority would be very understanding. so in short health, family, work and school obligations took most of my time, then i spent a chunk of my hobby time playing ootp and that meant i didn't have enough time to accomplish what i had wanted to. could i have managed some of my time better? i suppose, but a couple of factors come into play. one is i am not paid for this so i fit it in where & whenever i can but also (and maybe more importantly) i am a sub-standard server admin so just managing the server takes a lot more time than it really should. somebody competent could do that end of things in 1/10, or less, the time it take me.

so for the past: we had a bad year.

for the present: we are maintained and functional (there are a few quirks i am working on after the updates, but i'll work through them, i alway do... eventually) despite challenges

so onto the future:

i have been debating with myself how to tackle this, let's start with a basic goal list & comments and see where it takes us

goal #1 is always keeping the site up, running and maintained, thins includes maintaining and updating the add-ons central.

with that comes budget management. The current minimum budget looks to be the same as last year. i hope our past donors are up for another year, but i do have to sit down a write those emails, i am a month behind on that, but i do fear that if we don't increase participation this year our funding sources will begin to dry up

1a. would be i need to find a key-holder. what i mean by that is if i were to drop dead tomorrow the site would die in less than a month. Not only is the pay-pal account empty because i lagged on fund-raising (i covered this months server costs. it's not that magnanimous, I'll pay myself back as soon as i raise the yearly funds) but because i am the only one with server access. my son used to have instructions on who to contact but he is out the house with a new baby, so i need somebody within the community willing to step up in an emergency to speak-up now so we can plan for an emergency.

1b. a guidance council of some sort. I admit am overwhelmed with decisions. recruiting a group of community members who are willing to gather for an on-line meeting once a month (for an hour or so) to set priorities and make decisions

2. increase community participation.

- look for somebody to take over the server side maintenance. as i said i am a substandard server admin. there are a couple of issues hanging in the air, but nothing pressing, really it's just maintenance and updating. well, a qualified server admin may have a different idea of what needs to be done.

anyway, the less time i spend here, the more time i have to spend on everything else.

- wiki page creators/maintainers. if 1 community member takes responsibility for 1 page and spends 10-15 minutes, per month, maintaining and/or promoting what a difference it would make in participation. many hands make light work

- dynasty writers, did you know that after you crate a post here you can copy the post, including images, paste it into the editor for creating a blog post, it will keep the formating, including images. you then set a couple parameters (categories, maybe some tags) click save and you are now a published dynasty blogger? all in less than an extra minute... and help promote OOTP

- how about article writers. we can publish anything somewhat OOTP related. a review of OOTP.... here is one for 15 i wrote for a school paper and here is one i wrote on hobbies
and now i am a published author with the added advantage of promoting OOTP & good mental health (notice the ability to control themes)

3. Hub projects.

- I wanted to get my online league moved over to the hub, I've made progress but still have much work. The real hang-up i am having is is setting up a tracker for completed trades (trackers are basically a way to input and display information for a site based database, they are called trackers because the system started life as a way to track bugs during the softwares development) and i just don't understand the system very well it appears to be one of those things that once you "get it" it's easy, but i don't get it yet.

- Experimental baseball Online league. a 48 team league, half AI, half human. It is largely done, but I need a co-commish to help run things. it is also waiting for the trade trackers to get understood.

- mutli-domaining the site. in theory I can set the site up so OOTPmods.com goes straight to th mods section, ootpwiki.info could goto the wiki section, i could set-up domains for the leagues. but i don't understand multi-domaing and have not had the time to figure it out. i get confused between Multi-tiki and multi-domain

let me clarify & simplify the goal list

1. Improve the organization that manages the site/server
2. improve overall community participation. including the hockey guys, this site is designed to support the whole ootp community (this will require re-thinking site navigation)
3. start refining the site (work on the multi-domain thing, work on the file gallery quirks, ect.)
4. get those projects moving, maybe find community members to run their own projects with OOTPhub support

If you want to view what a blog post may look like

I am thinking of creating a facebook page for the site... does anybody want to help admin a facebook page?

I also think my post is a bit pessimistic so lets end on a positive note.

I found ootp back with OOTP5. i had just hacked a commodore64 emulator and was looking for a football sim i used to play, somehow I stumbled onto ootp5 and it reminded me of a commodore baseball game i used to play so i picked it up. with version 6.5 I started an online league, the first version of corporate league baseball, and started supporting the back-end of mod sites. a number of years ago charlie started ootpmods.com and took over the backend of the mods as well. A couple years ago charlie needed to step aside managing OOTPmods so, here i am again.

Since i found OOTP it has seen me through good times, divorce, losing my kids, getting them back as a single father, a couple brushes with death, a number of nervous/emotional breakdowns, numerous other health issue and for good measure, a good whack to the head. And through it all OOTP and the community was a rock i could anchor to during the angry seas of life. This "game" has given me far more than i can ever give it.

looking towards a productive 2017

jazzrack · 01-19-2017, 10:30 AM

updated... will add more in a bit

Recte44 · 01-19-2017, 02:08 PM

I can help...pm me Jazz.

Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk

Padreman · 01-19-2017, 02:52 PM

I want to be supreme Chancellor

ihatenames · 01-19-2017, 03:43 PM

I have no relevant skills to offer but I just wanted to say I appreciate the time and effort you put it. The community is certainly better for it.

JaBurns · 01-19-2017, 05:47 PM

Ditto

jazzrack · 01-19-2017, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Padreman

I want to be supreme Chancellor

we are a republic not an empire

first post is edited... again

jazzrack · 01-19-2017, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihatenames

I have no relevant skills to offer but I just wanted to say I appreciate the time and effort you put it. The community is certainly better for it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaBurns

Ditto

you guys use websites, you know what you like about them and what you don't. I am open to opinions. tell me what sucks and maybe a question why it works like that or a suggestion or 2. You will not be stepping on my toes, your opinions are just as important as anything else, they help me make decisions & prioritize. A lot of the reasons the site is set-up the way it is, is either path of lest resistance or it's the first way i figured out to get it working. it is time to go through and refine, for that i need opinions.

and i am not singling you guys out, that comment applies to ... eveyone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Recte44

I can help...pm me Jazz.

Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk

well do. give me a day though

also update the first post

Quote:

let me clear & simplify the goal list

1. Improve the organization that manages the site/server
2. improve overall community participation. including the hockey guys, this site is designed to support the whole ootp community (this will require re-thinking site navigation)
3. start refining the site (work on the multi-domain thing, work on the file gallery quirks, ect.)
4. get those projects moving, maybe find community members to run their own projects with OOTPhub support

If you want to view what a blog post may look like

jazzrack · 01-19-2017, 10:13 PM

updated the top post... again. i think i am done

Quote:

I am thinking of creating a facebook page for the site... does anybody want to help admin a facebook page?

I also think my post is a bit pessimistic so lets end on a positive note.

I found ootp back with OOTP5. i had just hacked a commodore64 emulator and was looking for a football sim i used to play, somehow I stumbled onto ootp5 and it reminded me of a commodore baseball game i used to play so i picked it up. with version 6.5 I started an online league, the first version of corporate league baseball, and started supporting the back-end of mod sites. a number of years ago charlie started ootpmods.com and took over the backend of the mods as well. A couple years ago charlie needed to step aside managing OOTPmods so, here i am again.

Since i found OOTP it has seen me through good times, divorce, losing my kids, getting them back as a single father, a couple brushes with death, a number of nervous/emotional breakdowns, numerous other health issue and for good measure, a good whack to the head. And through it all OOTP and the community was a rock i could anchor to during the angry seas of life. This "game" has given me far more than i can ever give it.

looking towards a productive 2017

jazzrack · 01-21-2017, 05:28 AM

looks like i am having issues with the site sending out registration emails, I have activated a number of users manually & will work on the issue first chance i get.

I'll keep an eye on registrations or if you need to just hit me up here

edit: I found my error, it should be working correctly. but please let me know

01-19-2017, 10:30 AM	#2
jazzrack Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: still kicking Posts: 3,229	updated... will add more in a bit __________________ . "Never confuse composure for ease" Was once Head Cheese of Corporate League Baseball

01-19-2017, 02:08 PM	#3
Recte44 Global Moderator Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Oconomowoc, WI Posts: 2,818	I can help...pm me Jazz. Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk __________________ Matt Rectenwald Commissioner, GM: Las Vegas Hustlers, The Brewster Baseball Association- fictional league (JOIN NOW)

01-19-2017, 02:52 PM	#4
Padreman Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2013 Location: Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico (formally San Diego, CA.) Posts: 4,131	I want to be supreme Chancellor __________________ Chargers= Despicable Traitors

01-19-2017, 03:43 PM	#5
ihatenames Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Rockford Posts: 2,534	I have no relevant skills to offer but I just wanted to say I appreciate the time and effort you put it. The community is certainly better for it. __________________ New Album coming soon!

01-21-2017, 05:28 AM	#10
jazzrack Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: still kicking Posts: 3,229	looks like i am having issues with the site sending out registration emails, I have activated a number of users manually & will work on the issue first chance i get. I'll keep an eye on registrations or if you need to just hit me up here edit: I found my error, it should be working correctly. but please let me know __________________ . "Never confuse composure for ease" Was once Head Cheese of Corporate League Baseball Last edited by jazzrack; 01-21-2017 at 05:44 AM.

01-19-2017, 05:58 AM	#1
jazzrack Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: still kicking Posts: 3,229	OOTPhub past, present & future normally i would have done this in December, but my 2016 ended pretty much the way the whole year went. an abscess, a root canal & a new granddaughter put you all on the back-burner. But despite a close call or 2 i am here and still standing. I do apologize for my communication style, my anxiety dosorder has alway meant my mind goes faster than forms of communication, so i tend to get jumbled. since the concussion 3 years ago that effect is even worse, and add to that my fingers don't always do what they are told when they are told and things can become complicated. if it looks like words are missing from a sentence or i have mixed thoughts... it's because i have. please just ask for clarification, i don't mind, i am getting used to it. I also don't mind bluntness, i actually prefer it. less for my anxiety riddled mind to interpret. Look at it this way, if it's frustrating for you, imagine what it is like having to live like this everyday. i am working hard to rebuild and improve my communication skill, frustration be damned but i'm 47 and it's a slow process. I would like to sit here and say i have great news about OOTPhub.com (home of OOTPmods), but i don't. I failed to reach any of goals i set for the site, except for 1. I have kept the site maintained, updated and secure. i jsut finished a major update on the site software a couple days ago, and that came on the heals of a server update so there are a couple minor issue i am still sorting out. I could spend some time explaining why this happened and the vast majority would be very understanding. so in short health, family, work and school obligations took most of my time, then i spent a chunk of my hobby time playing ootp and that meant i didn't have enough time to accomplish what i had wanted to. could i have managed some of my time better? i suppose, but a couple of factors come into play. one is i am not paid for this so i fit it in where & whenever i can but also (and maybe more importantly) i am a sub-standard server admin so just managing the server takes a lot more time than it really should. somebody competent could do that end of things in 1/10, or less, the time it take me. so for the past: we had a bad year. for the present: we are maintained and functional (there are a few quirks i am working on after the updates, but i'll work through them, i alway do... eventually) despite challenges so onto the future: i have been debating with myself how to tackle this, let's start with a basic goal list & comments and see where it takes us goal #1 is always keeping the site up, running and maintained, thins includes maintaining and updating the add-ons central. with that comes budget management. The current minimum budget looks to be the same as last year. i hope our past donors are up for another year, but i do have to sit down a write those emails, i am a month behind on that, but i do fear that if we don't increase participation this year our funding sources will begin to dry up 1a. would be i need to find a key-holder. what i mean by that is if i were to drop dead tomorrow the site would die in less than a month. Not only is the pay-pal account empty because i lagged on fund-raising (i covered this months server costs. it's not that magnanimous, I'll pay myself back as soon as i raise the yearly funds) but because i am the only one with server access. my son used to have instructions on who to contact but he is out the house with a new baby, so i need somebody within the community willing to step up in an emergency to speak-up now so we can plan for an emergency. 1b. a guidance council of some sort. I admit am overwhelmed with decisions. recruiting a group of community members who are willing to gather for an on-line meeting once a month (for an hour or so) to set priorities and make decisions 2. increase community participation. - look for somebody to take over the server side maintenance. as i said i am a substandard server admin. there are a couple of issues hanging in the air, but nothing pressing, really it's just maintenance and updating. well, a qualified server admin may have a different idea of what needs to be done. anyway, the less time i spend here, the more time i have to spend on everything else. - wiki page creators/maintainers. if 1 community member takes responsibility for 1 page and spends 10-15 minutes, per month, maintaining and/or promoting what a difference it would make in participation. many hands make light work - dynasty writers, did you know that after you crate a post here you can copy the post, including images, paste it into the editor for creating a blog post, it will keep the formating, including images. you then set a couple parameters (categories, maybe some tags) click save and you are now a published dynasty blogger? all in less than an extra minute... and help promote OOTP - how about article writers. we can publish anything somewhat OOTP related. a review of OOTP.... here is one for 15 i wrote for a school paper and here is one i wrote on hobbies and now i am a published author with the added advantage of promoting OOTP & good mental health (notice the ability to control themes) 3. Hub projects. - I wanted to get my online league moved over to the hub, I've made progress but still have much work. The real hang-up i am having is is setting up a tracker for completed trades (trackers are basically a way to input and display information for a site based database, they are called trackers because the system started life as a way to track bugs during the softwares development) and i just don't understand the system very well it appears to be one of those things that once you "get it" it's easy, but i don't get it yet. - Experimental baseball Online league. a 48 team league, half AI, half human. It is largely done, but I need a co-commish to help run things. it is also waiting for the trade trackers to get understood. - mutli-domaining the site. in theory I can set the site up so OOTPmods.com goes straight to th mods section, ootpwiki.info could goto the wiki section, i could set-up domains for the leagues. but i don't understand multi-domaing and have not had the time to figure it out. i get confused between Multi-tiki and multi-domain let me clarify & simplify the goal list 1. Improve the organization that manages the site/server 2. improve overall community participation. including the hockey guys, this site is designed to support the whole ootp community (this will require re-thinking site navigation) 3. start refining the site (work on the multi-domain thing, work on the file gallery quirks, ect.) 4. get those projects moving, maybe find community members to run their own projects with OOTPhub support If you want to view what a blog post may look like I am thinking of creating a facebook page for the site... does anybody want to help admin a facebook page? I also think my post is a bit pessimistic so lets end on a positive note. I found ootp back with OOTP5. i had just hacked a commodore64 emulator and was looking for a football sim i used to play, somehow I stumbled onto ootp5 and it reminded me of a commodore baseball game i used to play so i picked it up. with version 6.5 I started an online league, the first version of corporate league baseball, and started supporting the back-end of mod sites. a number of years ago charlie started ootpmods.com and took over the backend of the mods as well. A couple years ago charlie needed to step aside managing OOTPmods so, here i am again. Since i found OOTP it has seen me through good times, divorce, losing my kids, getting them back as a single father, a couple brushes with death, a number of nervous/emotional breakdowns, numerous other health issue and for good measure, a good whack to the head. And through it all OOTP and the community was a rock i could anchor to during the angry seas of life. This "game" has given me far more than i can ever give it. looking towards a productive 2017 __________________ . "Never confuse composure for ease" Was once Head Cheese of Corporate League Baseball Last edited by jazzrack; 01-20-2017 at 01:46 AM.

01-19-2017, 05:47 PM	#6
JaBurns All Star Starter Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Kelowna, British Columbia Posts: 1,301	Ditto