PO dead?

[Doot]

Hey guys. I know I joked about cupcakes earlier and it was primarily to be a "place hold" for the discussion. I know this same debate can get heated, well concern not so much as debate. I see where everyone is coming from.

To speak frankly, the memberships became so overwhelming (even while pulling in reserves for the art team) that rather than cause frustration on people awaiting orders we decided to shut down shop so we could re-evaluate. We lost a lot of the focus on what started this place and we tried to recapture the vision.

Just to remind anyone (and introduce those who may not know) I started PO as an inside joke for me, Sciler and Sakura and it sort of spread. We began on another community filled with great people and outgrew the thread space enough to start our little corner.

There is no way we would have gotten there, or here, without our members. I have not forgotten that. There's probably not anyone who really understands how much I love this place, as much as I could tell you, but I know that others do love it to their capacity. That is and has been appreciated for so long. It's what keeps me paying the web space without complaining or asking for compensation. It's what makes me check in on my Miniopians even if the board isn't that active.

There has been a loose vision for what I ever wanted for PO. We began before anime truly hit mainstream in the US due to a combined love of the near "cultitude" of Japanese animation. As the years have rolled by we have tried to carve the niche that differentiates us from the Gaias, the Neopets, the (fill in instant avatar/pet generator websites here) and the way we did that was with the custom art. Not only were you getting an avatar but you were getting one that would be guaranteed not to replicate (in any items) another on this site. It has resulted in over 200 completed, individual personas that have taken on their own little life in this world with so many more ideas waiting in the wings in the brains of the artists (I mean the writers too) and non-members. It's been very difficult to juggle the tasks and hats we all have been wearing to keep the site going.

PO became such an extension of our local staff's lives that we were meeting as much as three times a week to work on our "hobby". We wanted to keep our online family happy - sometimes forsaking the happiness of our at home families. We tried while ignoring our limitations. As with all families, this caused some difficulties/disagreements/arguments/structural changes and we would work through them and come out stronger until we became so overwhelmed and collectively exhausted that we toss down our proverbial pencils and keyboards and took a step back.

We left half complete drawing boards, boxed up years of art evolution and convention swag and decor, abandoned reinventions of the site and its progression due to frustrations of being so consumed in Blue that the imagination set aside for it became depleted - new ideas becoming rehashes of old stale ideas. We decided to turn to the one thing we felt we hadn't had time for anymore, the community. Upon getting deeper, culminating the relationships, we were able to see we lost some regulars along the way because we had been so consumed in memberships. This was at no fault but our own and now, without the proverbial carrot of enticement to dangle, we've faced a conundrum. We decided to keep the site up. Even if we didn't have our table at the con anywhere we'd still have our home base on the internet.

It certainly hasn't been fair to our members to leave everything in such ambiguity and it certainly was never my intention to do so. Yes, I've been consumed with side projects, trips and life events that take my concentration away from PO but it doesn't mean I don't think of Miniopia daily. I liken it to that invisible string tied to the inside of my belly button pulling and beckoning me home.

I haven't walked away from you guys. I want you to know this. I'm still collecting in my head what I want PO to be. I fear the solution at this time isn't opening up memberships because it'd be perpetuating the same anticipations everyone here is expressing and I don't want that to happen. I'd love to be able to present the golden apple, to open multiple doors, to whisk everyone away to another adventure. My heart aches for that ability. When I can, I want to be sure it's something that's equally impressed on you as your decision to sign up in the first place. I just can't allow myself to deliver worn out and unimaginative progressions to my little blue family. We'll get through this one way or another and I feel it (yes, behind my belly button) that it will be magical.

Otherwise, I'll be baking cupcakes for the rest of my life.

[Blackmage]

[Ultrawolf]

Ze Plaaane! Ze Plane has arrived!

[Al the DLOE]

Thank you Doot for finally coming out and saying your word on this. Let me say it has been fun and I too want it to continue. I believe in this point I can speak for the majority: Let us in your public inject the magic we have or at least give us a shot at some power to do something by letting a few of us join staff to help this along. Back to just speaking for myself, It sounded to me like you were saying the place IS dead but we are waiting on the cleric to come rez it. Many of us have wanted to help and as we saw in this thread, our voicing angered or does still frustrate some of the leaders..,

I like this place and want it to at least survive preferring it to grow. I would volunteer to do some myself but what i can give is limited as my art doesn't match the mold, am more blunt than a polished brick in my points, and have a more cold logical, limited emotion outlook on how to proceed from here. You know i am so warm and fuzzy but is why i keep a helmet on, so you never have to face me.

Let Us be the sprinkles to your cupcakes or let us suggest the filling for them... (BTW Fawkes's mom makes killer lemon creme filled cupcakes)

[Nogrick]

Doot, does your magic invisible string connect to your voice box that says five of my favorite Doot phrases?

In all seriousness, I think at one point in time I was one of those people who tried to push you guys so hard. I think at the time when you guys were doing podcasts and read the surveys that you might know which one was mine. I guess we all want PO to be this awesome entity of awesomeness (not like it isn't that already) that we do forget about some of the things that go on in peoples lives. It's a tough thing when something you did for fun becomes such a strain on you. I think we all can understand that. On the other hand, I think the strongest thing about PO is the community and that is something some of those other sites don't have. It's totally cool to have an avatar with crazy items like on other mentioned sites, but I find that each one I try I can never really connect with anyone on there. That's what I love about Qdoba Mexi... I mean PO. I like being able to hangout with you all, even if I don't post regularly. PO is still my homepage, since the beginning of time, 5 years. Heck, I liked it so much, I paid for it 3 times. Yeah, I did get a sweet drawing for it, but I got to interact with all you guys more too. And I'd pay 3 more if I have to. The community comes first though, and the bells and whistles are just that.

Wowzers </mini-rant>

Now on to cupcakes. One Word:













Funfetti.

[reaper]

[Bumblebee]

I always wanted to see more comics- but, then, I've always wanted to regularly CONTRIBUTE to the comics... but coloring comics has really eaten up so much of my time.
I would LOVE to see the art attributes of PO pop around more. I'm still very impressed by the artists on the staff- especially Doot, CK, and PRG- the three artists I've first known here I kinda miss doing Avi' art/colors- despite my lack of actually doing many of those...

I won't lie- I've stopped being a "regular" here a loooong time ago.
I do hope I get a lot more time in the future. I still want to finish my PO Pirates vs Ninja wallpaper- and I'd like to at least pump life back into the comics section.

PO still rocks the chibi !
Hopefully all our schedules can settle down one day for PO to come back to life- but until then, this place is still fun to lurk around