Canonfire!

Thu Mar 17, 2011 4:20 pm Greyhawk Online is ***NOT*** Closing

Hi all -
E-mails to those that have sites on GHO will be going out today as well.
I can't afford the hosting. It's been fun, but GreyhawkOnline.com, OerthJournal.com and ThePale.org will be closing down in the next day or so - when I turn off the paypal account.
If/when I can have them back up maybe I will. Please download all that you need before the end of the weekend.
Issak
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Theocrat Issak

Thu Mar 17, 2011 6:30 pm

Donations fail? SSM may have some bucks to help out with. Emphasis on MAY, haha.

Fri Mar 18, 2011 4:39 am

I posted this to Facebook and ENWorld.

If Greyhawk-related bloggers could pick it up, we may be able to spread the word and generate more donations too.

I can also cover the immediate hosting costs for the next month, while we try to sort through better/cheaper hosting options.
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Allan Grohe https://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/greyhawk.html https://grodog.blogspot.com/

Fri Mar 18, 2011 4:46 am

I would be willing to cover the hosting of the sites. I would need to see how much bandwith is being generated though, to determine the costs.

The only condition I would have would be that the domains are tranfered to my prefered provider.

PM me if you are interested.

Fri Mar 18, 2011 7:01 am

Unfortunately, donations don't help, unless you are a truly massive site with thousands of users (like Enworld) and an aggressive fund-raising program (like Enworld). Why pay for something that is free! Everything on the internet is free, right? I keep Maldin's Greyhawk for fun, and expect nothing in return (except maybe a pat on the back once in a while LOL), however I've had a Paypal "Donate" button on my website for a couple of years now, and have never not once ever received a donation. That, despite it being one of the most popular Greyhawk websites on the net, right there at the top of Google searches using a number of parameters, including far more generic searches than "Greyhawk" (like "underdark" or "RPG mapping"). Fortunately I have a real job that pays ok to support my hobbies. ;)

Denis, aka "Maldin"
Maldin's Greyhawk http://melkot.com
Just cuz I wanna!

Fri Mar 18, 2011 7:26 am

Closing down Cry

Sorry to hear it; a selfish question, what happens to the OJ journal

Fri Mar 18, 2011 7:38 am

I fail to understand how people can just standby and not support something that they have had the benefit of for so long .... THAT IS WHAT IS REALLY SAD! Confused

I am willing to see if I can take the site hosting over but it all boils down to how much it costs and if I can get a better rate. Our currency Rand vs. Doller is almost $1 = R7.50 which is not great.

For me the bottom line is I have had the benefit of the use of all the great material that has been available on these sites and not I can give back.

So why dont the rest of you DO THE RIGHT THING and GIVE BACK A LITTLE!
A little can go a far way!

Many of you may not like the tone of my post, Sorry but it is the truth I have seen the same thing on many different sites. Everyone loves things for free, but dont ask for a little help or a small donation, the only thing you will see is the empty forum thread that you have started!

If the cost is too great to host the sites then lets look at alternatives, maybe we can consolodate things into one site. I am sure that there are other options.

From myside I am willing to help where I can.

Fri Mar 18, 2011 7:53 am Alternative to Hosting Your Own

What about moving the site to myspace or facebook and using links for .pdf downloads from file sharing sites? Wouldn't that be free?

Fri Mar 18, 2011 8:03 am

There are all sorts of reasons why Myspace and Facebook are not the place to host anything, not the least of which are their terms of service (anybody ever read them? I have!) and the complete inflexibility of an extremely messy and distinctly unfriendly format. Myself, I've already directly offered to host parts of GHO to the individuals concerned.

Also, I see on Enworld that Morrus has offered the possibility that he may be able to help. Issak... check out the Enworld thread and contact Morrus. I don't know what he plans on proposing.

Denis, aka "Maldin"
Maldin's Greyhawk http://melkot.com

Fri Mar 18, 2011 9:10 am

Damn the economy. Love the site, wish I could help. Sad

Having spoken with Issak, I know his situation isn't much better than mine.

This is not sad news . . . this is terrible news. Cry

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Mystic's web page: http://melkot.com/mysticscholar/index.html
Mystic's blog page: http://mysticscholar.blogspot.com/

Fri Mar 18, 2011 10:33 am

Here's the ENWorld thread:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/303075-greyhawk-online-com-oerthjournal-com-danger-shutting-down.html
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Allan Grohe https://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/greyhawk.html https://grodog.blogspot.com/

Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:24 am

I would be willing to donate some money...maybe it would be good to set up a fundraiser?
best,
kikai

Fri Mar 18, 2011 12:16 pm

Anyone wishing to donate merely needs to go to the site and click on the paypal link.

And welcome to Canonfire! Kikai! Happy

_________________
Mystic's web page: http://melkot.com/mysticscholar/index.html
Mystic's blog page: http://mysticscholar.blogspot.com/

Fri Mar 18, 2011 12:28 pm

Just saw mention of this on EN World.

If there's anything those of us at the Dragonlance Nexus can do to help, please let me know via e-mail (trampas at dragonhelm dot net). Plus I'm sure you'd get some support from the folks at The Piazza.

Fri Mar 18, 2011 2:24 pm

Wow, loosing that site would be a tragedy. And such short notice. There must be something that can be done?

-Havard
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http://www.thepiazza.org.uk/bb/index.php

Fri Mar 18, 2011 3:22 pm

How much is needed to keep the site running?

Fri Mar 18, 2011 3:34 pm

I fervently hope that the Oerth Journal, Grodog's website, and Mortellan's comic find new hosting soon, but from all appearances Issak was paying far more than he needed to. I'd rather a new host was found than see anyone continuing to be gouged.

Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:31 pm

I use one.com to host my domain. I just checked and a domain account with 3000MB of storage would be $50/year.

I'm willing to pay that sum for a year, to keep the site running. It is a Danish company but I think they do host for people and businesses from lots of countries.

PM me if you like.

//Anna

Fri Mar 18, 2011 7:43 pm

How much is it for the year I'm willing to donate and I would suggest placing a commentary just before the donate button as such.

Please note the fan material provided on this site is free. However hosting services are not. Your donations will be used to continue hosting this site and making it available to all fans of Greyhawk.

Thank you

The Theocrat Issak

Too bad we did not know sooner but let us know I like your Pale stuff alot and would hate to see it go bye bye.

Fri Mar 18, 2011 8:36 pm

Let's nip something in the bud right now. I see that Morrus of enworld has offered to help/possibly help. If that's the case, as a prolific contributor to this site in the past, I would demand that ALL connections between GHO and CF be severed.

ENWorld is a for profit business enterprise that is predominantly funded by idiots so addicted to it that they wont let it fail, as it should have years ago. Those donations go into Morrus' pocket.

The material on this site cannot be used to earn anyone money, no matter how indirectly, GHO was never about that.
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What would Raxivort do?

Fri Mar 18, 2011 8:44 pm

Fri Mar 18, 2011 9:26 pm

Let me just add this:

We, the gh community, owe Issak/Theocrat a great debt for his time and money over the better part of the last decade in keeping GHO running and lending server support to CF's file hosting.

Join me in wishing him and his family the best in tough times.
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What would Raxivort do?

Fri Mar 18, 2011 10:29 pm

Sat Mar 19, 2011 12:02 am

RE: OJ Downloads backup site

Sat Mar 19, 2011 3:08 am

I would like to Thank Isaak for funding GHO for all of these years. How many dozens of D&D books/adventures he passed over due to GHO expenses we'll never know. I raise my glass to you sir!

Sat Mar 19, 2011 3:14 am Refurbishment

This could be an opportunity to reorganize the content so it can be presented in a fresh way.

The critical thing is the data - the actual files themselves - and that there are enough backups, etc.

Given the economy and hosting options, can I suggest that the different sections of content perhaps be put up on free WordPress or Blogger blogs? I believe that Blogger allows for ten static pages.

Thus, instead of one big 'website', perhaps dividing the content up into numerous 'departments', each with ten static pages, could be an opportunity to have a dedicated (and free) way to offer the downloads. The articles could be pasted into blog postings, etc. Turning a singular site into a network of blog entities offers a granularity of effort, so multiple people could perhaps donate small bits of time to help out. Migrating a large, monolithic website can be overwhelming.

Blogs also utilize their own metrics, so after several weeks it might be good to see which files/articles are being accessed. Those that are not could perhaps be bundled together into a Zip file and re-hosted that way.

Sat Mar 19, 2011 11:09 am

Hmm, I thought for sure I posted to this.
GHO was always about being a collection of stuff that was randomly found on the internet. You know you right click on a picture, download a document and have no idea where it came from.
As it is, GHO will be staying open - it will stay on its current server for the next month or so and then transfer to a new server location. I'm unsure of the bandwidth requirements for the OJ as its not had an active issue in some time. It's when a issue is out that the bandwidth is a hog.
I appreciate all the help that many have offered. A new host will be found, whether that is with a company that hosts sites or something else.
All options for hosting are being considered and if it is not a typical host but one that can offer what is needed for the GHO sites but generates feelings I will take that into consideration.
As for a re-arrangement of GHO, I'm all for that. But I don't know what should be done in that arena. WYSIWYG.
Issak
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Theocrat Issak

Sat Mar 19, 2011 2:26 pm

Issak Thats great that another month will be granted however what you did alone is fine support GHO on your own funds. My offer for helping the site continue running still stands If several people are willing to help pay for hosting costs alone I don't see that as profiting. Profit means the funds would be used for anything but payment costs for hosting the site. Also no one is obligated to contribute its a donation no strings attached. My help is only on funds as I have no experience in hosting a site or even putting one together.

I wish you and your family well.

Sat Mar 19, 2011 6:20 pm

I just sent $25, which should give us time to sort through things (and if it's not needed, I'm sure Issak can put it to good use).

I'm pretty sure that we'll be able to work out free hosting with Doug @ http://ntrpgcon.com/ and we'll keep everyone informed as things progress.
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Allan Grohe https://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/greyhawk.html https://grodog.blogspot.com/

Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:26 pm

I think that what it comes down to is that people are willing to pitch in. You just have to shake the tree every so often. I know I don't have a job right now and I have a 15 month old baby, but I for one appreciate all the work guys like Theocrat put in for us nerds and I'll gladly throw in some $$ to help out. These sites are invaluable resources for me time and time again in my games. Just let me know how I can help.

Sun Mar 20, 2011 5:48 pm

Mouse thats great but I would say your family comes first. When your back on your feet feel free to pitch in. I went through a ruff patch bsck in 2001 and then it took til 2003 for me to find something else. Lucky for me my kids are grown though still in my house my sons only 16 but his sister is 19 so their under my wing until they can fend for themselves. I'm doing ok right now so it doesn't hurt to help right now.

Wish you and your family well.

Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:42 pm

Greyhawk Online Will Stay Open
I wanted to say thank you for your support.
I've had GHO for several years. I've had some issues with keeping it open on occasion and even asked and received some help. Usually though, I get the typical caveats - you can't pay $20 a month for Web hosting and you need to move. For those, I've typically said I appreciate it but that's not something I want to do. The reason for not wishing to move from the servers is that the current host has me set up as a reseller. Which means that each of the domains that I have (5) are distinct from the others. When you go to GreyhawkOnline.com - that's where you go. When the 5 people in the world that have ever gone to SyberWerks.net - they go to SyberWerks.net. Each is managed separately and each are unique.
This has worked for several reasons - and was one of the reasons I was able to have the space that I did 10G and 100G of bandwidth. Most important to me was the separation of each site.

However, posting that I was closing down - I received some donations that I did not expect. I didn't expect Allan to post on Facebook, EN World and contact others that could help. I just didn't want to spend the money any more. But now that it's not my money, it's the Greyhawk communities money, I suppose I sorta have to keep the sites open. =:->
While I've liked the control of keeping sites separate and having a reseller account, it doesn't seem as prudent or necessary as it once did. Thus, with the move to a new hosting company - there are about three that I've talked with and discussed my needs that fill the overall goal - the sites will be staying open. But if you go to ThePale.org a re-direct will send you to GreyhawkOnline.com. I suppose it's not that big of a deal. The OerthJournal.com will re-direct to GreyhawkOnline.com/OJ or something. I don't know the specifics of how that works just yet. Same for GolarionOnline.com - a redirect will go to GreyhawkOnline.com/Golarion.

This means that the World of Greyhawk Comic will stay open and that url will remain the same (www.GreyhawkOnline.com/wogcomic). Allan's things will still be at their url's. It's things like the OJ's that'll have different URL's - if I'm to understand it correctly. The Maps collection will still be there. I'm unsure of how we handled uploading of new material - but it can be there. Same with all those other little things, like the Urudnd site, Abyss's folder and such.

So give me another couple days to talk more indepth with the hosting companies - this also means that while Morrus at EN World and Doug at Texas Con offered hosting, GreyhawkOnline.com can remain independent. GreyhawkOnline has always been associated with CanonFire.com but seprate enough. This also means that The Thursday Group and the editors of Oerth Journal will still have the freedom they've always had. To write and keep Greyhawk as true to the ways as needed.
This also means that Golarion can get some of the same treatment - if desired. But it does seem that with the Wayfinder (issue 4 is now out) and Paizo's own support - that site can be just behind the scenes at GreyhawkOnline.com/GolarionOnline.

Again, I want to thank you - the community as a whole - for your support.
I'll update this again before actual moving to the new host. Of course, this means that if you need or want Web space for your Greyhawk, Golarion and gaming Website needs - the sites will be there for you to use as before.
Ardently Yours,
Theocrat Issak
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Theocrat Issak

Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:24 am demands of site closure

Mon Mar 21, 2011 1:31 am Re: demands of site closure

Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:49 pm

Wonder if Cebrion wants to change the title of the thread.
GreyhawkOnline.com, OerthJournal.com and ThePale.org are staying open.
Thanks to the Greyhawk Community I've just made arrangements with a new hosting company for the GHO sites.
It'll take me a day or so to move everything over - it was going to cost extra to keep the same type of program I've been using, and with cost being part of the whole issue, I felt more manual labor on my part was better than another $45.
I've got to FTP everything and write down any ftp users and email accounts and re-set things up. Of course WOG Comic and Allan's sites will be the first ones restored, but if things are down for a week - don't stress it. I'll even see if I can get away with a few other special things I've had in my PDF box for a while that a few people have seen (but are likely stored in the archives of CanonFire).
Again, thank you for your support. I do appreciate it and if there's something you think GreyhawkOnline.com should have and its within the bounds of what I can do - we can see about doing it (provided you manage it!).

Theocrat Issak
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Theocrat Issak

Mon Mar 21, 2011 1:19 pm

Huzzah!!!

Mon Mar 21, 2011 2:06 pm

Woo-hoo!

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Mystic's web page: http://melkot.com/mysticscholar/index.html
Mystic's blog page: http://mysticscholar.blogspot.com/

Mon Mar 21, 2011 5:45 pm Re: demands of site closure

Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:19 pm Re: demands of site closure

Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:33 pm Re: demands of site closure

Mon Mar 21, 2011 8:02 pm Re: demands of site closure

Mon Mar 21, 2011 10:41 pm

All Right enough on all parties! GHO will stay open. Thats good enough for me and I doubt Issak ever intended to profit from his hosting of the site.

Never once did I see him request money. He simply notified the GH community of his rough patch and he would no longer be able to fund GHO. An offer for aid is not profit. With that being said Chatdemon and Samwise bring up valid points if the site was to become a for profit site many problems could be derived from it and any sites associated with it.

I'm not even going to touch the individual contributor portion of it. But profiting on content though original yet one of wish you do not own the IP to is a very dangerous game to play.

I think the comment about severing ties with CF was more of a precautionary one for the benefit of CF than one of disrespect to GHO.

It was good to see a Samwise post again. I miss hearing about his Keoland campaign.

Everyone else contribute what you like but I think we can all be a bit more civil in here.

Wed Mar 23, 2011 3:16 pm

GreyhawkOnline.com should be up now on the new host. I had to edit the index page and removed some things. I think Mort's WoG Comic site is working - but you might have to add /index.html to any saved link.
I have Kickball tonight and a free movie preview of Win Win tomorrow night and a job interview on Friday and Friday Night Pathfinder Society and Saturday Pathfinder and then WifeFIEND care on Sunday. So it might not be this weekend that everything gets cleared up.
At least I'm getting some PC/NPC/Monster Killing in.
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Theocrat Issak

Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:52 pm

Blargh, my comic front page is showing what the site was in 2009? Must be an old archived file. Time to try out FTP...

...and denied! I'll be emailing ya Theo. ;P

Thu Mar 24, 2011 7:03 am

There's a couple of glitches, true, but Issak will get it worked out. Happy

He's just as busy with other things as we all are, and yet he still manages to get more done than many that could be named. Evil Grin

Exercise faith in the Holy Theocrat! Cool

_________________
Mystic's web page: http://melkot.com/mysticscholar/index.html
Mystic's blog page: http://mysticscholar.blogspot.com/

Thu Mar 24, 2011 11:55 am

Plz clear up the confusion Confused

What exactly is the current status of the site and how can the board help Question

Now is not the time to bicker and point fingers but too come together. rolleyes

Thu Mar 24, 2011 5:49 pm

Come together...

. .... right now....

. .... Over me!

Dum dum dada duuuummmm duuuummmmm

Dum dum dada duuuuummm dummmmmm....

Sorry. Had to get that off my chest.

Denis, aka "Musical Maldin"
Maldin's Greyhawk http://melkot.com
Where there's stuff.

Thu Mar 24, 2011 7:16 pm