Happy New Year 2013 and Announcement from AK370Z 01.03.2013

AK370Z · 01-03-2013, 04:39 AM

Hello Everyone,

It’s been a while since I posted an announcement. So I thought why not post them all together in one thread so that it’ll be easy for you to remember or keep track (I always try to post one first week of January every year)

First, I’d like to wish everyone a VERY Happy New Year! Hope you had good time with whoever you celebrated (or spent it) with. A new year is like a blank notebook. The pen is in your hands. It is your chance to write the story and you can write it however you want to - it's up to you to make the choices. With courage, faith and efforts you shall conquer everything you desire. I wish you nothing but happiness, prosperity and success for this year (and years to come.)

I’ll briefly explain what I went through. Hurricane Sandy flooded the whole downstairs of my house with about 42” of water. I lost washer, dryer, gas heat furnace, hot water heater, lawn mower, two sets of sofas, mattress, two television sets, home theater systems, some furniture, refrigerator, and various small miscellaneous items. Just the cost of hot water heater and gas furnace was $7000! Rest of the items of course cost another $7,000-$10,000 dollars. I still have to cut the drywall (up to flooded level) and remove the insulation etc. I only have basic flood insurance (no content coverage) meaning I’m only covered for the hot heater and furnace (no other content) with a large deductible. To make things worse, FEMA straight up denied us . I guess the help is available to those who do not work and are on food stamps but for middle class like us, there’s nothing. However, I would like to take this time to especially THANK each and every member who used the “donate” button and helped me. I know who you are and I’ll always remember your help. From $5 to $50 to $200 – every single penny you donated is appreciated by me. Thank you!

In the following paragraphs, I’ll list the announcement/changes/requests I wanted to share. I’ll try to be as brief as possible but you know that never happens since I like to explain everything.

Daily Back up time: I have changed our daily backup time to WEEKLY (and monthly) back up time. It was a great to backup daily when we had 15,000 members and small database. Now, it’s just impossible! Members were complaining of DB errors during backup and it was taking forever to tolerate daily. So our weekly back up time is 4:00 am EST, 3:00 am CST, 2:00 am MST, 1:00 am PST EVERY Saturday night. Statistically, that’s one of the slowest night
New member verification: I have put in a new manual verification method for all new members. Basically, when a new member registers, their username ends up in a queue. During this time, they can browse all sections and read everything but they cannot post. I check this queue 2 times a day and manually accept them. This method has SIGNIFICANTLY cut down on spam accounts. I’m going to say the percentage of spammers since I started this method is 0%! It’s very easy for me to detect spam accounts and I can delete them right away before these scumbags ever even making into the forum . Any spamming you saw during last 15 days probably from old spam accounts. Although it takes an extra 30+ minutes of my day to manually check this queue, I still don’t mind doing it because it keeps the forum clean and members threads spam free .
Post Reporting: I am actually trying out a new method for “reported posts”. It gives me a much quicker access to the reported posts than before. So if you see something that’s against the forum rules or inappropriate, PLEASE use the reported post button and bring it to my (or mods) attention. I rely on you guys to report any wrong thing you see. That’s how we can keep the forum free of problems. I feel that moderating a forum is a group effort and each and every single one of you can help. I expect from our old school (older) member to TEACH our new members if they are doing something wrong. That’s what separates you from the crowd not your post count.
T-shirts: I would like to apologize if I have upset anyone or wasn’t able to deliver a new set of THE370z Tshirts. I do not like to rush into something like that. Last time when we (me and sunsational04) did this, we did not had this many members yet it took us weeks and weeks of processing. Every day it would take us 3-4 hours processing these t-shirts for a good 3-4 weeks. I want to keep things very organized as I’m solo this time around. So, I’m hoping to launch a THE370Z STORE where you can pay, put address, etc and all I have to do is print and ship. I can’t put a time estimate when it’ll happen but It’s in my “to do” thing.
Promotion: I’d like to take this time and recognize our moderators and super moderators that keep this place in order when I can’t be here(frost, Triple’s, cow etc). I do have a regular job, a family and normal life outside the forum. Sometimes it’s not possible for me to check everything here all the time. Triple’s has been a supermod for a while. First, he started off with a Super Mod ll account in early 2011. Then he was given the full SM status in his own account in September’11. I think it’s time for me to promote him to Admin Assistant. Congratulations Triple’s . I'd also like to take this time and congratulate Frost to his newly promoted Admin Assistant status. He has been our SM for about a year now. Great job you guys! As for other pms I have gotten for moderator or other positions from you guys, I have them saved in a folder. I will reach and contact accordingly when I need to recruit more mods. Even if I don’t reply, I haven’t forgot about you. Also, sometimes the words that mods/supermods choose or how they say something in a pm MAY offend you (someone) etc. Please don't take it personally. I push them(mods) to make sure members abide by the forum rules I set forth. Sometimes the choice of words can make someone happy or mad. If any mod has ever made you upset or you didn’t like the "wording" of a pm you have got, I personally apologize. They do not mean it in a bad way. I promise.
Keep your albums/pics PG: I have noticed that some members here using our pic album system to upload girls in bikini, other picture etc(I'm talking about pictures right below THE370Z forum banner on top on index page). Now remember, these pictures are seen anyone who refreshes our forum index page. I want you guys to keep your avatar PG and I really don’t like half naked girls in the albums. I have no problem with you uploading your livingroom or garage pics, your Z pics, trip to _____ pics, hobby pics, inside joke or movie or other game pics etc as long as they are PG. If you are uploading something that’s NOT PG into our album, you can make the album “private” at least or use other source of uploading (mega upload) etc. Just a friendly warning. I’m not going to give you hard time if you have one but from this point on, please avoid it.
Forum goals: I will be continuing to tweak settings here and there. So if you see changes or something different, I’m trying to keep the forum running at optimum speed. I do like to update the software of the forum but I’m NOT a fan of the new outlook. But for the sake of security and new features, I may look into it in future. It’s going to be a huge project and you guys will be updated. I may boost up the server right before summer starts although it's running fine as of right now

Wow.. so much for keeping it brief. I’m sorry but I had a lot to express. Thank you so much for all the support you’ve given this forum and me. The370Z forum is nothing but a software without your participation and contribution. Looking for a good year and hoping to keep things steady without drama here for 2013. Thank you.

shadoquad · 01-03-2013, 05:23 PM

I think I speak for just about everyone in saying that I'm sorry you got hit so hard in Sandy.

Everything else looks great as far as updates.

But I asked you to fire Triple's, not promote him

01-03-2013, 07:59 PM

Agreed with Shadbr0. Also, answer my PM!

rebe945 · 01-05-2013, 10:24 PM

to hear about what happened. It just pisses me off that the govt cant help evryone who was affected. Its our tax dollars. Then those political fools throw in perk in the recent fiasco. Good Luck

HArturo319 · 01-06-2013, 12:22 AM

Dude I'm glad you keep it classy. My account at my350 is still active, but boy am I close to closing it. It is tacky.

Cheers to the370z!

01-03-2013, 04:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
AK370Z Administrator Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: NJ Posts: 9,930 Drives: 09 370Z MB Sports M6 Rep Power: 10	Happy New Year 2013 and Announcement from AK370Z 01.03.2013 Hello Everyone, It’s been a while since I posted an announcement. So I thought why not post them all together in one thread so that it’ll be easy for you to remember or keep track (I always try to post one first week of January every year) First, I’d like to wish everyone a VERY Happy New Year! Hope you had good time with whoever you celebrated (or spent it) with. A new year is like a blank notebook. The pen is in your hands. It is your chance to write the story and you can write it however you want to - it's up to you to make the choices. With courage, faith and efforts you shall conquer everything you desire. I wish you nothing but happiness, prosperity and success for this year (and years to come.) I’ll briefly explain what I went through. Hurricane Sandy flooded the whole downstairs of my house with about 42” of water. I lost washer, dryer, gas heat furnace, hot water heater, lawn mower, two sets of sofas, mattress, two television sets, home theater systems, some furniture, refrigerator, and various small miscellaneous items. Just the cost of hot water heater and gas furnace was $7000! Rest of the items of course cost another $7,000-$10,000 dollars. I still have to cut the drywall (up to flooded level) and remove the insulation etc. I only have basic flood insurance (no content coverage) meaning I’m only covered for the hot heater and furnace (no other content) with a large deductible. To make things worse, FEMA straight up denied us . I guess the help is available to those who do not work and are on food stamps but for middle class like us, there’s nothing. However, I would like to take this time to especially THANK each and every member who used the “donate” button and helped me. I know who you are and I’ll always remember your help. From $5 to $50 to $200 – every single penny you donated is appreciated by me. Thank you! In the following paragraphs, I’ll list the announcement/changes/requests I wanted to share. I’ll try to be as brief as possible but you know that never happens since I like to explain everything. Daily Back up time: I have changed our daily backup time to WEEKLY (and monthly) back up time. It was a great to backup daily when we had 15,000 members and small database. Now, it’s just impossible! Members were complaining of DB errors during backup and it was taking forever to tolerate daily. So our weekly back up time is 4:00 am EST, 3:00 am CST, 2:00 am MST, 1:00 am PST EVERY Saturday night. Statistically, that’s one of the slowest night New member verification: I have put in a new manual verification method for all new members. Basically, when a new member registers, their username ends up in a queue. During this time, they can browse all sections and read everything but they cannot post. I check this queue 2 times a day and manually accept them. This method has SIGNIFICANTLY cut down on spam accounts. I’m going to say the percentage of spammers since I started this method is 0%! It’s very easy for me to detect spam accounts and I can delete them right away before these scumbags ever even making into the forum . Any spamming you saw during last 15 days probably from old spam accounts. Although it takes an extra 30+ minutes of my day to manually check this queue, I still don’t mind doing it because it keeps the forum clean and members threads spam free . Post Reporting: I am actually trying out a new method for “reported posts”. It gives me a much quicker access to the reported posts than before. So if you see something that’s against the forum rules or inappropriate, PLEASE use the reported post button and bring it to my (or mods) attention. I rely on you guys to report any wrong thing you see. That’s how we can keep the forum free of problems. I feel that moderating a forum is a group effort and each and every single one of you can help. I expect from our old school (older) member to TEACH our new members if they are doing something wrong. That’s what separates you from the crowd not your post count. T-shirts: I would like to apologize if I have upset anyone or wasn’t able to deliver a new set of THE370z Tshirts. I do not like to rush into something like that. Last time when we (me and sunsational04) did this, we did not had this many members yet it took us weeks and weeks of processing. Every day it would take us 3-4 hours processing these t-shirts for a good 3-4 weeks. I want to keep things very organized as I’m solo this time around. So, I’m hoping to launch a THE370Z STORE where you can pay, put address, etc and all I have to do is print and ship. I can’t put a time estimate when it’ll happen but It’s in my “to do” thing. Promotion: I’d like to take this time and recognize our moderators and super moderators that keep this place in order when I can’t be here(frost, Triple’s, cow etc). I do have a regular job, a family and normal life outside the forum. Sometimes it’s not possible for me to check everything here all the time. Triple’s has been a supermod for a while. First, he started off with a Super Mod ll account in early 2011. Then he was given the full SM status in his own account in September’11. I think it’s time for me to promote him to Admin Assistant. Congratulations Triple’s . I'd also like to take this time and congratulate Frost to his newly promoted Admin Assistant status. He has been our SM for about a year now. Great job you guys! As for other pms I have gotten for moderator or other positions from you guys, I have them saved in a folder. I will reach and contact accordingly when I need to recruit more mods. Even if I don’t reply, I haven’t forgot about you. Also, sometimes the words that mods/supermods choose or how they say something in a pm MAY offend you (someone) etc. Please don't take it personally. I push them(mods) to make sure members abide by the forum rules I set forth. Sometimes the choice of words can make someone happy or mad. If any mod has ever made you upset or you didn’t like the "wording" of a pm you have got, I personally apologize. They do not mean it in a bad way. I promise. Keep your albums/pics PG: I have noticed that some members here using our pic album system to upload girls in bikini, other picture etc(I'm talking about pictures right below THE370Z forum banner on top on index page). Now remember, these pictures are seen anyone who refreshes our forum index page. I want you guys to keep your avatar PG and I really don’t like half naked girls in the albums. I have no problem with you uploading your livingroom or garage pics, your Z pics, trip to _____ pics, hobby pics, inside joke or movie or other game pics etc as long as they are PG. If you are uploading something that’s NOT PG into our album, you can make the album “private” at least or use other source of uploading (mega upload) etc. Just a friendly warning. I’m not going to give you hard time if you have one but from this point on, please avoid it. Forum goals: I will be continuing to tweak settings here and there. So if you see changes or something different, I’m trying to keep the forum running at optimum speed. I do like to update the software of the forum but I’m NOT a fan of the new outlook. But for the sake of security and new features, I may look into it in future. It’s going to be a huge project and you guys will be updated. I may boost up the server right before summer starts although it's running fine as of right now Wow.. so much for keeping it brief. I’m sorry but I had a lot to express. Thank you so much for all the support you’ve given this forum and me. The370Z forum is nothing but a software without your participation and contribution. Looking for a good year and hoping to keep things steady without drama here for 2013. Thank you. RustyM2001, m4a1mustang, HKYStormFront and 10 others like this. __________________ The370Z Signature Pictures ll Want to rock our forum decals on your car? Then click here! ll How to Embed YouTube Videos In a Post STOP! (Hammertime) ll Become a Premium Member Click HERE ll F.A.Q. Are You a Nissan Dealer? Click Here to Become A "Supporting Dealer" and Start Listing Your 370Zs In Our Inventory Section My Monterey Blue Z ll My Exhaust --> My Intake --> G3 Nissan's Official Response Regarding Oil Temp Issue: CLICK HERE Need a Set of Cheap Winter wheels /Tires? Then Visit The Banner Link Below and Place Your Order. You'll Help Keep The370Z Alive.

01-03-2013, 05:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
shadoquad A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: . Posts: 42,608 Drives: . Rep Power: 3885	I think I speak for just about everyone in saying that I'm sorry you got hit so hard in Sandy. Everything else looks great as far as updates. But I asked you to fire Triple's, not promote him m4a1mustang, Pintsize725, DEpointfive0 and 1 others like this.

01-05-2013, 10:24 PM	#4 (permalink)
rebe945 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: middleburg hts, ohio Posts: 491 Drives: 2009 370Z black 7at Rep Power: 15	Sorry to hear about what happened. It just pisses me off that the govt cant help evryone who was affected. Its our tax dollars. Then those political fools throw in perk in the recent fiasco. Good Luck

01-06-2013, 12:22 AM	#5 (permalink)
HArturo319 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 323 Drives: 2013 PW NISMO Rep Power: 12	Dude I'm glad you keep it classy. My account at my350 is still active, but boy am I close to closing it. It is tacky. Cheers to the370z! __________________ Me And Zoloft Get Along Just Fine

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01-03-2013, 07:59 PM	#3 (permalink)
blue660r01 Guest Posts: n/a	Agreed with Shadbr0. Also, answer my PM!