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Star Archive - Markus speaks out...
I copied this from his forum for everyone to read since a lot of people
aren't going back any longer. In this, he gives his explanation about the why's and how's of the current changes. Make your own decisions... -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alright, as many have been wondering, or find it unfair that they are charged for information they themselves have been added, i will take this time to explain what exactly i am doing in the Star Archive, and why it is so time consuming. First of all, you have to imagine the huge amount of submissions, ranging from 250-400 per day, sometimes more. All these submissions are read and verified as much as possible. Think for a moment, with 400 submissions, even if each submission only takes a minute how much time this takes in total. Many of these submissions are possibly fraud, sometimes up to 30% will not be added in the end (usually it's 10-20%). In Addition to reading each submission (or viewing each autograph), there are other duties attached to submissions, such as correcting the spelling of a celebrity name within a submission (so there are not created two listings for an identical celebrity). This may not sound much, but it takes time to check the alphabetical index for a celebrity with similiar writing. Furthermore, addresses get corrected as well. Ever noticed that all addresses are formatted the same way? 1234 Street Los Angeles, CA 90124 USA many submit them as 1234 Street, LA,CA 90124, or similiar. These are corrected as well. Again, this only takes seconds, but it simply adds up. Not to forget that all addresses are checked before adding them, i.e. if the address for an agency actually exists or not. While this is not 100% accurate, and never can be, this has proven to result in a much more reliable address database in the long run. Then, after the submission itself has been viewed, there comes the next step. Checking if the address submitted is already listed. Now, this has taken considerably less time with the re-programmed "add test result" dialog, but it still happens, especially when it comes to fulfilling requests. Another issue are submissions that contain a reply address in the tester's comment. This address has to be copied and added as a new address. Again, this only takes seconds, but still, it adds up. Scanned Autographs are viewed to filter pornographic images as well as invalid or double submissions. Each Request submitted will first be spell checked, and corrected if necessary. Again, i check if the celebrity already exists in the Star Archive, i.e. if he is already listed with another name, or if the submission has been misspelled. This, in short concludes the submission part. Again, each of these steps has been optimized down to less than a minute, but if you think about up to 400 submissions per day, i hope you can see how this adds up. Each of this steps assures the unique quality of the Star Archive, and makes it easier for you to access the information. Of course, this is not everything. After the submissions have been reviewed, it is time to answer e-mails, including those from celebrities that do not longer want to be listed. Not all of these celebrity e-mails are friendly, many feel swamped by a sudden amount of people they believe are not fans but are simply trying to get as much free stuff as possible. Legal charges have been threatened more than once, which is also a reason why the Star Archive can no longer remain free (but this is a topic of it's own). So these e-mails have to be answered as well, usually immediately. This takes time as well, a lot more than reviewing a submission. Then (as if this would not be enough ), there comes the part of managingwhat is behind the Star Archive, the part you do not see. This includes paying the bills (obviously), but also the complete advertising management (contacting companies that might be interested, companies that have their campaign expire soon, making changes to a company's campaign, creating advertising banners, and more). But most importantely, it contains creating new features to the Star Archive. Not all features are features you can see, many are added to the Administration Area because they have been requested or because they have proven to be necessary. Not all features that are planned will eventually end up in the Star Archive; but it has taken time to complete them. This all has reached a level within the last year that kept me busy during the week as well as the weekend (do YOU know any other website that is managed and updated during the weekend?). A level which was simply not possible anymore, no matter how much you and i would have liked the Star Archive to be kept free. I will not be a student forever, and there will come the time (pretty soon, actually), where i would have to decide between taking a job, making a living, and closing the Star Archive; or - which i prefer, and i hope you to - to dedicate my time to the Star Archive. But this would not have been possible without this change, as the Star Archive, despite all efforts, still required more and more money, money which i simply do not have. I sincerely hope that this will help many of you to understand why the Star Archive can no longer be free. I will also write further explanations on other topics whenever there is time, but believe me that there has been no other choice; the only other alternative would have been to close the Star Archive -- Mike Gummby3 ~~ Star Collector ~~ www.star-collector.net --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.521 / Virus Database: 319 - Release Date: 9/25/2003 |
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