Site is oficially REOPEN: You can post with confidence!

[VLSroulette]

Hi guys, just to let you know the site has oficially reopen.

As usual, backups are in place, so no message has nor will be lost shall anything else gets on the way: You can post with total confidence.

May this configuration last long and let us be prosper in posts and conectivity.

Best regards,
Victor

[Davey-Jones]

Awesome work Victor! Glad to see the site back up and running. Any idea when we will be able to chat with confidence? 

[geoff365]

And the sponsor area?

[VLSroulette]

Awesome work Victor! Glad to see the site back up and running. Any idea when we will be able to chat with confidence? 

You can now. nolinks://vlsroulette.com/chat/

And the sponsor area?

I was so mad at paypal's lousy forum integration (no integration at all) that I have chosen to disable it until there's at least basic integration: read very soon to come, as in this month. I have thought already on sponsor-only features that go along with forum integration (behind not needing another login and separate data to maintain).

On another note regarding sponsoring: I have found a self-managed server solution, P4, 2 Gigabytes ram, 500 Gigabytes hardrive at $94/mo. This is where we are right now. It happens inflation on price came from paying techs, they get their monthly share at times not even being needed for the whole month. But who needs them? You have me Give me a CPU connected to the net and that's it. Self managed isn't as bad after the initial setup when everything goes smooth (I.e. you aren't on faulty hardware). Inflating account paying monthly tech support which is to be used only at initial setup and scarcely ever after that... humm... Pass.

Our former host had fully managed dedicated services at $159, this is what I was trying to get for the upgrade, but now with self-managed, $65 bucks less to care for the month. Still at $94 we need 18 sponsors we DO NOT have registered yet. So if we are to survive the long-term testing, we need a business model and incentives for sponsors retention, I.e. for sponsors to feel they are getting something and not just the regular info + donating.

With tight forum integration we can deliver that (I.e. in-house sponsor-only section, featured posts, enhanced sponsor-only forum functionality, etc. I'm on it, so we can actually have great retention and never worry again about being on a "tight rope" so to speak. I do not want us to downgrade resources out of not being able to gather enough to afford them, heck, we deserve to have everything great: connectivity, features, hardrive space, the whole enchilada, as it costs, well, then let's get the features required to motivate sponsors to join (re-join?)!... and STAY ).

I'm truly thankful for all of the people who supported for the upgrade, with forum integration you will have sponsor identification so you can actually COUNT how many sponsors are there registered and demistifying it a bit. So yes, we are on a $94/mo self-managed server, and nope, we aren't completed to pay it. I have contracted hosting like that as I'm confident. We only need 18 sponsors @ $5/mo, and we are worldwide... can we really NOT have even that conversion rate? Like that slogan says: YES WE CAN

Regards.

[Proofreaders2000]

I'm glad you were able to restore the forum, Victor. Everything seem to be working smoothly, no lag times or anything. 
I also appreciate the fact you kept speaking with guests and forum members throughout the ordeal (including the post at RouletteForum).  Kudos for that.

Having VLS back is like the bottom-of the ninth inning, scored tied and having the league's top slugger pinch-hit for you   Thanks.

[VLSroulette]

Thanks for your kind words Proof. I still have to bring some features back, i.e. not all avatars are imported. (I think only custom ones are) and some other small-time ones, I'll nail it.

Also, this is "home" mates.

This is a board for all of us to enjoy and for sure we all are to find delight in knowing we are an active part of this. Be it like a sponsor, be it like a regular member, be it like a mod... This is a place we can call our own, a true community effort which deserve to keep online. This space is truly part of our lives! Let's all care for it. [smiley=im/dude_hug.gif] [smiley=im/rose.gif] [smiley=im/heart.gif]

[Davey-Jones]

Glad the chat is back! Awesome job Victor!

[xman1970]

Hey Victor 

First & foremost I just wanted to thank you for all you do to make this forum a better place to learn about roulette.....


It's way too easy to take things for granted, so again thank you.....


Just one small problem for me, all the threads that I had marked to be notified about before the forum went off-line are now NOT notifying me......



Is it my fault ?? Is there something I can to at my end to fix it Etc......


Cheers....[smiley=beer.gif]

[purple]

Well done Victor,
This is a great forum. Compared to the other place which really stinks of the deepest doudou thanks to a handful of Wa*&%%kers and a moderator on permanent vacation this site is a roulette players' paradise! May we all live and prosper

[purple]

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