I know there are several forums ont he same subject around, but I didn't see any under Non-art Website Issues, so here goes.

First off, I think that the cadre membership should either be granted or not for the best commentators. I have mixed feelings about it, so I don't know which, but a decision should be made. Although I do like the fact that contest winners recieve membership, I am not sure how it would pan out for people desperate for cadre membership suddenly commenting everything they are allowed to click on. Depending on what qualifies as a "qualifying comment" could change everything.

Second, although the lack of ads sure is convenient, there has to be other perks that could be offered. Perhaps a small, yet special, portfolio containing ~3-5 images of the artist's personal favorites among his/her work. Another idea (which could be open to everyone) would be the ability to mark a single image that the author feels is getting to little attention. Being marked could give it a ~25% increase in the probability of it coming up in the comment request.

Third, perhaps there could be some type of tiered system giving honor to those who have been cadre members for a long time, say for over a year or who have donated over $50 (in which I fit neither, mind you). A title could be placed on their profile underneath the potential HKotDA noting their continued support. Also, whether this would be for immediate or middle members (6 months?), maybe a few more spaces on the profile page would be nice. I am not looking for "What I am listening to" or "Last thing I ate", but you know what I mean. It would be nice to know a little bit more about (whether bio or personality) those who contribute to this site. Maybe this is too similar to projects, but possibly hobbies? Instruments?

Maybe I should change the title to just "Ideas", because this one is open too. I would personally give $5-10 for a little sticker in the window of my car that has a spider icon and says "caedes", and I think many others would as well. Only do it if you could make a little profit off of it. While we are at it, I could ask for a discount at any and all petrol stations, but I am rather serious about the sticker idea, so I better not.

Please do add to this list if you have ideas, but I pray that none of you will recommend a cadre-deletion fuction for useless comments, or mine is up immediately. :-)

did u put a lot of effort into this idea!...*starts reading*

I like the 25% chance for the comment request feature but wouldn't that also interfere w/those that really need the comments?

A bio page is also another great idea...maybe a link to a seperate page with things to fill out or just a blank page w/text about the person.

Also...the decal thing...not bad :) I kind of like it :)

Also..maybe a feature to delete double posts instead of having the flood control error thing.

I agree, all of your ideas seem like good ones. Having bios would be nice, the sticker thing. . .awesome. If you're looking for publicity for the site, the stickers will deffinately help, I liked that t-shirt idea too, possibly u could start a Caedes Enterprise. I'd buy allot of things & I liked the cadre idea as well, I'm behind you (both) 100%. I hate the flood control errors too. ;)

RE: .. Cadre Membership for commentors: ... well, as you say, people would just comment themselves into a membership .. unless said membership was only for a day .. ;o) .. they'd be halfway thru their second upload for the day and ... "oh! your membership has expired" .. "please return when you have exploited the system again"

I think a good thing would be to have CADRE gladiator battles with lions .. Rank should have its privledges .. and that would be a cool privledge

and and and ... the vassals could sell soda pop in the stands

I always interested in finding new perks to give to the Cadre members. I think that it is also important to keep the site as usable and friendly as possible to non-cadre members as well. So any benifits that the cadre gets should not be derived by taking functions away from the non-members. I think that your ideas meet those needs quite well. Probably the first major addition will be a way to give cadre members the ability to get more comments on their images if they want (as you suggested) as well as a journal or or other type of open content are on their profile page. Thanks for the idea and keep them coming! =)

A journal or simply a few extra blanks would work. As I said before, 99.9% of us don't care what you are listening to, so the journal might be abused. :-D

Many websites are getting paraphenalia (spelling???) available for purchase for their members. Acid Planet recently asked their members if they would be more likely to buy a t-shirt, ringer, or hoody incorperating the cost of each, and Homestar Runner has had that type of stuff around forever! I suppose the t-shirt contest was for a reason, one which I won't try to push any faster than others deem necessary, but seeing as we can buy calendars and posters, would a bumper sticker or window icon be a whole lot of work? I am not askign that as a rhetorical question, I just don't know.

As for the desired-comment feature, it could be available to everybody as well. If you have ever played 's online, you have experienced the "Welcome to the free world. To activate your controls, become a member for the new, low price of $89.00 a month. Keep in mind that the designers are not responsible for your being mauled to by those able to move." More perks would be nice for the cadre, but that doesn't mean that non-cadre members should be punished. Approach the desired-attention feature with caution.

I recently discovered that my gym membership pass allows me to get 2¢ off per gallon of gasoline at a little Indian-run place that I tend to frequent because of the friendly salespeople, so that is where that gag came in. Let me know when you have enough power to work miracles and I will recommend it again. ;-)

Maybe if we start calling it the "Cædes Cadre", only the dedicated would know how to talk about it. It would keep out the riffraff. ;-)

All of your ideas seemed fairly sound to me, and I especially liked this one:

"Another idea (which could be open to everyone) would be the ability to mark a single image that the author feels is getting to little attention. Being marked could give it a ~25% increase in the probability of it coming up in the comment request."

Great job on the ideas.

Well, I think Caedes should spring for a wine tasting party, myself.......

Featuring Napa Valley Wineries.....

In Napa Valley

I better change the age listed in my profile before anybody else notices... ;-)

Fast !

w00t! .. (*lives 50 miles from Napa Valley*) .. (*dances a jig*) ...

wait ... you're all going to have to book hotels .. ya ain't staying at my place .. it's for your own good ... I sleep walk

No problemo....I got family in Danville, I'll bunk there

w00t! .. (*lives 20 miles from Danville*) ...

that's roughly 40 kilometers for our European brethren

See that ? I probably fell over you back in June, we were lots & lots of places......d'ya like Pete's ?

I said twenty miles ... not twenty feet ... is pete the heavy breather with the olive oil stains on his shirt .. hangs out at the park, by the swings

if so .. then .. yeah, I like pete .. what's not to like

My sister-in-law to be Myhuyen dragged us there since it's supposed to be better than Starbuck's.....couldn't prove it by me, the only way I like coffee is if it's junked up with chocolate, & whipped cream,& ice..........yummm frapacchino.....

Or, like my husband the strong coffe drinker sez.....crapacchino

*ponders...makes note to Keifer that not all Europeans use km....like the UK for example*

*ponders...makes note to Keifer that not all Americans use a conversion factor of 1:2 for m:km...like my math book and 5:9 for example* ;-D

All well & good boys, but what the heck does that have to do with Caedes springing for a wine tasting party ?!

I don't care about m:km...let's stay on track here.....

Bring on the booze !

Send me a plane ticket.. lol