I think they will, they are some amazing features that covered like....oh....90% of the things people ask for in the Site Feedback every day. This will make the people already here happy and wanting to stay and hopefully bringing in more memebers as well ^.^

@ jelly - I think we noticed about yan not being able to stop... just not with that...

D: yans learning to code? o.o we're screwed...

I actually didn't know yan was THAT amazing, thats really cool in my opinion. I dont actually know yan all that much, I talked to him....like...once I think xP

From what I know.... he's creepy... >.>" seen him post on jelly's profile before? *shivers*

* How did Inso's announcement about the state of the avatar industry affect you?

It made me really sad, for one thing, since avatar sites(especially Mene as of late) are my main way of connecting with people on a regular basis. I probably would not use the internet nearly as much if avatar sites did not exist. I may try to find a little extra change for donating each month, although I'm already a frequent donor. It would be nice to see more items, virtual or otherwise, available for purchase. One can only use so many CIs. xD

* What do you think about all of the changes that have been happening around the site in the past couple of weeks? Do you have a favorite? XP

I'm liking all the recent updates, although with so many all at once, it's kinda mean of you to ask me to label one as my 'favorite'. However, I have to say that all the updates to the avatar system have been spiffy, and incredibly useful. The new color selector for hair is probably my favorite though. ^^ I also like the shop previews.

* How do you think these changes will evolve our site and affect the future of the community?

Well, I'd hate to see Mene evolve too much, as it's a lovely site, with a cozy community, and friendly admin who are really on top of their game compared to other sites. However, more tweaks making the site easier to use, and therefore more friendly to new users, is an excellent idea.

* Where would you like to see Mene a year from now? How about in five years?

It would be nice to see Mene flourish and grow, without deviating too far from its roots. In the words of Dolores Umbridge:

Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited.

* To make Mene appeal to a more diverse group of people, what kinds of things do you think we should focus on? This is a bit of a market research-type question, but I want to know what other types of sites are popular with people who frequent Mene.

Multiplayer games or pets seem like they would draw a large audience. The kind of sites I usually frequent really would not give any good ideas to help Mene's growth, as I only frequent anime-related sites, avatar forums, YouTube, and Failbook. Although Neopets used to be great fun. I sometimes go back to play the games. xD

You know... I can remember way back when... once upon a time and all that...

Mene was young and small and only one person ever saw a dime of the money that was donated. The staff worked their butts off and never got so much as a thank you from anyone but other staff and some users. As we began to build tiered levels of staff, I can remember having to beg and plead to get things done. I remember a ton of drama and stress but behind the scenes and out in the forums, and the only ones caring about it were the women who are still here as your AAs.

The forums began to blossom, the site was sold, and the prospect to begin paying the artists came in to play. It was the best decision we made. They deserve to be paid for every pixel and piece of art that they do. The AA's and mod staff. You can't put a price tag on what we do, and if we were actually paid for every single hour we spend here we'd surely go broke. Many of you never see me (I use myself as an example since I'm notorious for being invisible) but I'm here every single day for more hours than I care to admit. We all are, and we're all working for you.

Sure, we vent to each other and sometimes there are kids on this site we'd just like to strangle. Entitlement runs deep in a lot of users. jelly nailed it. People want something for nothing and it simply doesn't work that way. We're tasked with figuring out how to bring fresh perspective to the site without ruining the heart and soul of the community, and doing it in such a way that we can be profitable.

We've (the upper staff) have known about the situation with Menewsha financially for quite some time and have been brainstorming ideas and bantering back and forth with Inso to see where we might find fresh faces who'd be interested in being here. I've even drug my own child to this site so she can meet some of you and make friends and become part of the community that I truly love and enjoy both being a part of and being an assistant administrator for.

I see us breaking through it and coming out on top and I see great things ahead for our community.

Sorry this is a little disjointed. I kind of just let things spill out however they're going to.

and yan is indeed truly awesome. I don't get to talk to him all the time but he's one of the people I'm proud to have as my friend.

Thank you mama juru, and jelly, and inso, and yan, and CK and all the rest of the staff for careing so much. I'm sure you'll figure it out, I have faith in you.

I think Mene will come out okay. There are too many users and staff that love the site to death to let it go under. I think people here are unique in how they care about the site compared to other avatar based sites. I've never been to a site where the members cared about community more than anything else and I think that's a pretty awesome thing to have in a site.

Originally Posted by Sizzla

Hey guys! It's been a long time since I've made a thread in Community Discussion, and while it's one of my favorite forums, it doesn't see much activity. :sweat:

So now that there have been so many changes happening 'round these parts, I'm hoping that this forum will start hopping! :D Let's see those new threads guys! XD


So... back to my topic. Let's talk about Menewsha, mid-2010. Crazy things are happening! New features released left and right! A dream avatar creator is in beta! XD

Yet, with all these wonderful additions, our community is in peril. :( This makes me terribly sad, and I know I would be quite upset if we had to close the site. This community has become quite a large part of my life in the past few years, and it's like home to me... *sniff*

So, I have some questions for you all:

• How did Inso's announcement about the state of the avatar industry affect you?
• What do you think about all of the changes that have been happening around the site in the past couple of weeks? Do you have a favorite? XP
• How do you think these changes will evolve our site and affect the future of the community?
• Where would you like to see Mene a year from now? How about in five years?
• To make Mene appeal to a more diverse group of people, what kinds of things do you think we should focus on? This is a bit of a market research-type question, but I want to know what other types of sites are popular with people who frequent Mene.

Let's see... Inso's announcement saddened me for the fact that, like most, Mene has become my home. And if I could ever think of a good idea to help out (and just maybe I can donate more), I will do so.

I like the idea of all the changes being made and improvements there are. As for a favorite, I have to say that the DAC and transparency for items are tied.

How will it affect Mene? I'm not sure yet. I do think it will add some interest to the site for those who join avatar sites for the avatars.

I would like to see Mene still running for as long as I am able to type. I do not want to see it become as horrid as Gaia is but I have a lot of faith in Mene.

Well, the only other forums besides Mene that I go to is other avatar sites (and even then, I still go to Mene more) and a site called Game Podunk. It's a site dedicated to video games and they hold contests to win games and sell some at discounted prices. Not sure if that helps with the market research... I think Mene should focus on its strong points. The community and how diverse the age groups are that get along.