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Anthony
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« on: November 12, 2011, 03:13:04 PM » |
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Economical Gamer was launched back in 2007. That may not seem like too long ago but when you think about it, it was actually a very different era. The landscape for bargain hunting was entirely different.
Online retailers didn't put their catalogues on the internet, importing was just for obtaining games you couldn't buy in stores, the Australian dollar sat around 50-60 US cents and digital distribution via the likes of Steam could not be taken seriously. It was back when nobody had HDTV. Plus it was also when Economical Gamer was conceived and built.
It made sense to make Economical Gamer a blog with central management. As official websites were often useless sources for information, people appreciated the accuracy and completeness an edited article brought. With the time at my disposal I could even drop everything to confirm a sale tip and come back with a complete list of items. Related content was regular and alternative content like reviews and additions to the free game database filled in the gaps. Economical Gamer was your one stop source for bargains and contained absolutely everything you needed to know.
I'm not sure that accurately describes Economical Gamer today. Competition like Ozbargain, PALGN and GameCafe often have content that is missing from this site and the community can get information direct from the source before it hits our front page. As my available time slowly evaporated so did the quantity and quality of the front page content, shrinking as the volume of content grew. It has reached a point where I literally post bullet points and the bargain chat is cluttered with discussions that should have front page articles.
I suppose everybody wants to know what is planned for the future? Well continuing the way things are now is not an option. It will continue only for as long as it has to, until the public beta of a new system I am developing goes live. It is a complete overhaul and it is being coded entirely from scratch. Economical Gamer will become completely community driven; with no more content delays or decentralised discussions.
Something like this is a big build, done in and around my already short supply of time. Over the coming months (I suspect many, many months) I hope that this article serves as recognition and an apology for the hiccups that take place on the website. Whether it be another feature that gets cut, missed content, inaccuracies, time delays or not properly crediting a submission or source.
In the mean time I will remain tight lipped on the new site, to avoid a situation where I might accidentally over promise (Peter Molyneux style). When the beta launches it will be a genuine beta (missing features etc) but I still hope it will be enough to replace the current website. It will all depend on submissions from the community.
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« Last Edit: November 12, 2011, 03:15:36 PM by Anthony »
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snuke
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« Reply #1 on: November 12, 2011, 05:06:59 PM » |
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Looking forward to the future Anthony.
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Steve
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« Reply #2 on: November 12, 2011, 07:08:21 PM » |
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What a great read.
"I hope that this article serves as recognition and an apology for the hiccups that take place on the website."
Certainly no need to apologise. Ecogamer is a fantastic resource, even with supposed imperfections. Just think how many trillions of dollars you have saved people since 2007. Seriously though, that is a staggering thought just how much money everyone must have saved since the start. I can't even begin to remember all the times I've saved (from sales) and gained money (from trade ins)... not to mention all the fantastic games that I've discovered from seeing games on sale and then researching them... and the community of people that now exists. Thanks heaps Anthony!
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« Last Edit: November 12, 2011, 07:11:24 PM by Steve »
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Kriminy
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« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2011, 07:32:15 PM » |
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Likewise, no need to apologize. I've been very happy with how ecogamer has been: it has certainly helped me saved a fair amount of cash when buying games.
As for the future, I'll be happy for anything. I didn't really know much about the running of this site, but I appreciate everyone's input into the site as well as all the tips coming in.
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suicine94
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« Reply #4 on: November 12, 2011, 08:19:24 PM » |
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Yes times are changing... no for 3-4-1 tradiong too...
What does this "future" mean for Suicine94'sinsite to wisdom? interesting times indeed.
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GeEkNeRd
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« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2011, 09:41:53 PM » |
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Bring it on Anthony. It's been awesome thus far. You'll have my support.
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videogamer
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« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2011, 12:05:02 AM » |
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Love this site. Please keep the bargain chat the same or similar, it works well (most of the time).
I'm curious as to see what your overhaul entails. Thanks to all contributing members who have saved
us much dough in the past few years.
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cheapo
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« Reply #7 on: November 13, 2011, 10:52:28 AM » |
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Thanks to all contributing members who have saved
us much dough in the past few years. Indeed and thank you Anthony for keeping it going since you launched it. I'm sure you'll continue to steer the site in the right direction and if it ever comes down to contributions/donations to keep the site going, I will gladly oblige. |
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suicine94
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« Reply #8 on: November 13, 2011, 02:53:49 PM » |
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I'm sure you'll continue to steer the site in the right direction and if it ever comes down to contributions/donations to keep the site going, I will gladly oblige.
Anthony do you get advertisment $$$ for the views on the site? you should.I bring 10s of thousands of ppl to discover my wisdom. need to charge for that **** |
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Anthony
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« Reply #9 on: November 14, 2011, 08:00:58 AM » |
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Nice to hear all the support. Although I do feel the need to apologise because there are bargains I am aware of that don't reach the site. That is fail in my books. What a great read.
"I hope that this article serves as recognition and an apology for the hiccups that take place on the website."
Certainly no need to apologise. Ecogamer is a fantastic resource, even with supposed imperfections. Just think how many trillions of dollars you have saved people since 2007. Seriously though, that is a staggering thought just how much money everyone must have saved since the start. I can't even begin to remember all the times I've saved (from sales) and gained money (from trade ins)... not to mention all the fantastic games that I've discovered from seeing games on sale and then researching them... and the community of people that now exists. Thanks heaps Anthony!
LOL, nice to hear, but I think the reality is that people are spending more since coming here. I know I have been spending more with all the tips. Once upon a time I couldn't imagine owning 50 games for a single console, but there ya go. |
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Anthony
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« Reply #10 on: November 14, 2011, 08:09:38 AM » |
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Love this site. Please keep the bargain chat the same or similar, it works well (most of the time).
I'm curious as to see what your overhaul entails. Bargain chat will be going for good, it won't be needed for the new site. Every game will have its own page with conversations and data attached to it. Those conversations will be available on the game's page, homepage (spanning all games), a collection of lists (latest, most popular, etc), RSS feeds and hopefully be available via other means that I'm unwilling to share because they won't be available for at least 12 months. Only two 'features' are missing from this concept. The Twitter integration and the ability to post to it from every page. The new site involves searching for a game first (but this will throw all existing data for a game in front of the user, hopefully reducing duplicate questions and tips). Not as rapid, but far more organised and equally visible. |
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Anthony
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« Reply #11 on: November 14, 2011, 08:13:50 AM » |
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I'm sure you'll continue to steer the site in the right direction and if it ever comes down to contributions/donations to keep the site going, I will gladly oblige.
Anthony do you get advertisment $$$ for the views on the site? you should.I bring 10s of thousands of ppl to discover my wisdom. need to charge for that **** I get enough to cover the cost of VPS hosting, that is enough. I work full time and run a business outside that (not including Economical Gamer). My biggest priority is reducing my input into the site without compromising update frequency. Hence I'm considering a Beta to replace the home page when the application is only 10% of my 'vision'. |
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ianinozzie
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« Reply #12 on: November 14, 2011, 09:37:42 AM » |
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You have done a wonderful job Anthony. Absolutely no need for any apologies; I think the majority of us understand that everyone has real-life commitments and you can't devote 100% of your time to this site, which is essentially not-for-profit!
I have enjoyed posting on here and reading discussions and seeking bargain deals. It's a fantastic community and I have made a number of friends (perhaps not in real life but at least socially over the internet) from Ecogamer.
Keep up the good work and know that you'll have my support always!
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Surrender?! SURRENDER?!
Do you think this letter on my head stands for France?
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Charlie Miso
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« Reply #13 on: November 14, 2011, 12:01:53 PM » |
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Ecogamer fo'life ya'll
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ianinozzie
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« Reply #14 on: November 14, 2011, 12:51:56 PM » |
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Ecogamer fo'life ya'll
Seconded. |
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Surrender?! SURRENDER?!
Do you think this letter on my head stands for France?
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