Sulake cracking down on VIP

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ostinato

Would it be possible to register as a charity?

People will not be paying for VIP features, but will simply be donating towards the charities main goal - to raise money for a specified charity. And if management choose to, these people may just by chance receive features others don't. They can't complain for that surely - as admins, mods etc. have different features from normal users so why not just make those who donate to charity coincidently get something extra.

That way, we could give the donations towards a charity, but in the UK the company is actually allowed to keep a percentage for the upkeep of the company.

The charity could even be interchangable, with users getting to vote each month which charity the donations go to?

---

omg steal our idea why don't you! Hahaha but yeah we've got the best discussion going on this, and it's actually quite feasible. I'm more than happy to look into it fully because obviously I have a duty to look after the community and from what I can tell they ain't too happy about this :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jrh2002

Great idea :)

not many will know this but its eitherr 90 or 95% of charity donations can be used as expenses and only 10 or 5% needs to go to the cause :o

---

lol yeah that was mentioned, it's pretty nifty just as long as we don't make *actual* profit

LOL JOINT IDEA.

I'm thinkign along the lines of introducing like a 'Charity Department' with a Charity Manager. And we will nto actually be breaking any rules because we are simply asking our forum users to donate towards the charity that we as a company support (just like ASDA and big retailers support charities and ask you to donate instore etc.)

And then those who donate, will become part of the charity group that will be dedicated to promoting the charity etc. and it just so happens that they get the same vip features as they would have.

They can't penalise us for having 'staff'. It is the same principle as nvrspk having a green name, smods havign a red etc. - we just choose that our charity workers have the colour of their choice.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FlyingJesus

omg steal our idea why don't you! Hahaha but yeah we've got the best discussion going on this, and it's actually quite feasible. I'm more than happy to look into it fully because obviously I have a duty to look after the community and from what I can tell they ain't too happy about this :P

---

And as well as doing the donation service, we should offer other alternatives to make money such as runnign sponsors or competitions etc. to prove we are actually dedicated to the charity as long as we actually give them a set percentage each year.

If you dont fight this please delete my account please :) I will be ashamed to be and have been part of something with no heart left in it :( this is why i mention habbox losing its way over the last year or so :( properclone and jack etc would have fought this tooth and nail and sierk would have took this as far as possible.

Come on NVR kick some arse and dont roll over for these idiots.

Do habbo think some sites are to powerful? they realise the small ones run for a few pounds per month and the big ones cost 100s so will most likely die out :( FIGHTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT if you dont the site will collapse.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jrh2002

If you dont fight this please delete my account please :) I will be ashamed to be and have been part of something with no heart left in it :( this is why i mention habbox losing its way over the last year or so :( properclone and jack etc would have fought this tooth and nail and sierk would have took this as far as possible.

Come on NVR kick some arse and dont roll over for these idiots.

Do habbo think some sites are to powerful? they realise the small ones run for a few pounds per month and the big ones cost 100s so will most likely die out :( FIGHTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT if you dont the site will collapse.

---

I will fight!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jrh2002

If you dont fight this please delete my account please :) I will be ashamed to be and have been part of something with no heart left in it :( this is why i mention habbox losing its way over the last year or so :( properclone and jack etc would have fought this tooth and nail and sierk would have took this as far as possible.

Come on NVR kick some arse and dont roll over for these idiots.

Do habbo think some sites are to powerful? they realise the small ones run for a few pounds per month and the big ones cost 100s so will most likely die out :( FIGHTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT if you dont the site will collapse.

---

I agree. There is definitely a way around this, we just need to get together and think it through.

Continuing with the charity idea, it is no different to MissAlice donating her furniture which she has paid for, for competitions etc. and in return she gets a wee mention on the homepage or whatever.

Technically we are just accepting donations on behalf of the charity which is affiliated with us and we wil be passing on to them and using to turn it into greater for the charities benefit. It will then be presumed that those who donate generally have an interest in the charity overall and so will be put in a charity usergroup which is created to signify those dedicated to supporting the charity and therefore those who you will perhaps see around promoting it etc.

This is no different to nvr having a green name, or smods a red one - it is the same principle completely that we have the right to choose which colour our usergroups have - and it just so happens that those who choose to donate to the charity are part of the group containign previous vip features.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ostinato

I'm thinkign along the lines of introducing like a 'Charity Department' with a Charity Manager. And we will nto actually be breaking any rules because we are simply asking our forum users to donate towards the charity that we as a company support (just like ASDA and big retailers support charities and ask you to donate instore etc.)

And then those who donate, will become part of the charity group that will be dedicated to promoting the charity etc. and it just so happens that they get the same vip features as they would have.

And as well as doing the donation service, we should offer other alternatives to make money such as runnign sponsors or competitions etc. to prove we are actually dedicated to the charity as long as we actually give them a set percentage each year.

---

Charities are a bit more complicated than "here you go, have some money", hence charity donations for VIP would still look like any donation/sale method. What would be different is if we were "sponsored" by our chosen beneficiaries to get it, because then the reward is from them and not the site. It would be like getting one of the pin badges for giving a quid to Cancer Research init. I don't think we need a new department for it really seeing as how we already have one that doesn't have a lot to do atm *waves and jumps and screams* but yeah I think getting more into charity is a good idea even if we don't save VIP by doing it.

That said, I still think we can get around the VIP business without resorting to anything else, but I'm into the idea of charity now because of our discussions haha

Imagine Sulake trying to close or impose sanctions on a site that is fully supporting Child Line or similar? all profits go to the charity and a greedy corporate company is trying to close them down :o
Sulakes name would be so damaged in the press :)

This is a great idea and i would do it and then see the morals of sulake :)

Yeh well just restructure the current community department or whatever to make it more focussed towards the charity aspect, as if this went ahead it would be a very core focus of the website that would need to be totally integrated throughout.

I agree, the idea of getting a charity to sponsor or support us would be very benefical and would encourage and support it even more.

I donno if we would get away with the idea of giving them a sort of badge thing for donating, as that's kinda similair to vip maybe?

LOL yeh I'm enjoying the discussion haha

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FlyingJesus

Charities are a bit more complicated than "here you go, have some money", hence charity donations for VIP would still look like any donation/sale method. What would be different is if we were "sponsored" by our chosen beneficiaries to get it, because then the reward is from them and not the site. It would be like getting one of the pin badges for giving a quid to Cancer Research init. I don't think we need a new department for it really seeing as how we already have one that doesn't have a lot to do atm *waves and jumps and screams* but yeah I think getting more into charity is a good idea even if we don't save VIP by doing it.

That said, I still think we can get around the VIP business without resorting to anything else, but I'm into the idea of charity now because of our discussions haha

---

Precisely, I'd propose using as much of the money to keep the servers up etc as is needed (simple maintenance costs) and then have the rest go off for charitable uses. We'd be strictly non-profit and frankly if Sulake let us do it they'd even get a good name from us probably

And I didn't mean giving them a badge lol, I meant that's the equivalent of getting VIP for a donation

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FlyingJesus

Precisely, I'd propose using as much of the money to keep the servers up etc as is needed (simple maintenance costs) and then have the rest go off for charitable uses. We'd be strictly non-profit and frankly if Sulake let us do it they'd even get a good name from us probably

---

Exactly, we just take what we need to keep the site running and no more. The rest going to charity. TBH without this whole vip fiasco, I think thats a good idea in general as the money is actual going to something rellevant and meaningful.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jrh2002

Imagine Sulake trying to close or impose sanctions on a site that is fully supporting Child Line or similar? all profits go to the charity and a greedy corporate company is trying to close them down :o
Sulakes name would be so damaged in the press :)

This is a great idea and i would do it and then see the morals of sulake :)

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jrh2002

Imagine Sulake trying to close or impose sanctions on a site that is fully supporting Child Line or similar? all profits go to the charity and a greedy corporate company is trying to close them down :o
Sulakes name would be so damaged in the press :)

This is a great idea and i would do it and then see the morals of sulake :)

---

Exactly, if they challenged us upon it, we can easily confront them upon their element of corporate social responsibility and if it came to it, with the huge community base on here, together we could publicly humiliate their reputation. I am pretty confident if a good few hundred of us got in touch with a couple of news papers, technology websites etc. and all of us spoke about how terrible it is they make us boycot a charity for their own corporate greed - they would backtrack pretty quickly.