For fun I thought I would share with you all how this got started. It was a simple PM actually to Chef with a proposal for what would be this site, he of course approved it, added some suggestion which I had implemented into the site, and away we went. So here it is my initial proposal for what would come to be the site you are now reading.
(Note - it took a bit to get it all off the ground the proposal was sent out almost a month prior to the "official launch" of the site. Also a lot has changed since the initial proposal like having our Facebook group, as well as handling submissions directly through the site, but you get the idea of what I was going for that eventually became this site.)
Hello Chef,
I am writing this to you today because I have a proposal I was hoping you may find interesting and would allow. That proposal is simply a competing network to the A.N.N. As stands now the A.N.N. page is rather all over the place and pretty cluttered, it is a chore to try and find one post as well as looking rather jumbled an outdated. Please let me clear I have no desire to replace them I just want to give players more options as to where they can go with their submissions. The rules would be simple as to this competing channel. If they post to and through A.N.N. they could not post the same thing to ours and thus get paid double for one submission.
So I figured seeing as I was running submissions through on both sites (at the time A.N.N had its own web site as well as the tumblr site we see in game now) as was may as well have it look cleaner, be more user friendly, and ultimately be easier for those on that staff to access , post and find. I do have the site up and running as stands at the moment. I feel it is cleaner, more user friendly, and very much less cluttered than the A.N.N. I have supplied sample posts on this site so that you may see for yourself and get an idea/feel for what I am saying in comparison to A.N.N. I have filled it with things I wrote only in case you do not go for this idea. In doing so I had to secure permission from one player whom I did a pre clan war interview with so you can see how even those look on site.
I did not want this to be a copy or clone of A.N.N. but rather a competing network much like NBC, has to contend with say Fox, CNN etc. If you do not approve then I simply will not announce this site exists for submissions, and continue on working with A.N.N. with no word mentioned of this other site and continue to load up and check everything as I do now. One major change in this site is the submissions. To submit here you have to provide an email address even if it is as simple as a yahoo address.
I feel that will also cut back on alts trying to cash in for niodes. Some players are comfortable with things as they stand so A.N.N I am sure would still get the bulk of the submissions but as I said competing network and this site would be the new kid on the block. I would handle story submissions much the same way with user name and Id#s to be turned in once a week but it would come from me and this site as opposed to A.N.N. As always ideas, questions, advice etc are welcomed. I just thought this may be fun to do as well as a easier more accessible user interface than the A.N.N. as it stands now. I thank you for your time and consideration on this matter.
Pat Willis
And there you have it from that proposal we have this site you are reading now, honestly we couldn't have done it without you guys and gals. So thank you for a great year, all the submissions, and providing us with a reader base to make this all worthwhile. Also of course our thanks here at Galaxy Gathering to the wonderful development team who make Mecha Galaxy a joy to play, and be a part of, long may it live!
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534