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View Full Version : Shack Update - January 2009



ShackHost
01-09-2009, 05:48 PM
Wow...it's 2009 already! Happy New Year! We are excited about making 2009 another great year for The Stamp Shack. We have several announcements about some upcoming updates and games for the community.


Shack Plus Membership:
We have been listening to Shack members feedback and reviewing forum posts and it seems clear to us that most members prefer the benefits and privacy of having a Shack Plus membership to support the site and keep advertising to a minimum. We are exploring creative ways to keep The Stamp Shack financially healthy for you without the aggressive advertising that has “ruined” other sites. In order to help accomplish this we will be changing the Shack Plus membership to $12.00 a year effective February 1, 2009. We have really struggled with this decision, but feel this minimal increase is needed to keep The Shack running the way you expect it to. We realize that some members may be upset by this change, but we hope that you will agree that this minimal increase of 17 cents a month is still a great value for all that The Stamp Shack makes available.

We are also speaking with several stamping manufacturers and supply companies to see if we can provide Shack members a way to shop for their supplies and support The Shack at the same time. We'll see how it goes and as always we will continue to adjust any plans based on your feedback.


Bingo:
It's time for another game of Bingo! This time we recognize Gina K. Designs (http://www.ginakdesigns.com) as the sponsor who is providing a $25 gift certificate for the winner. Registration is now open until January 31st for all Shack Plus members. The first round of numbers will be announced on February 2nd . Click here (http://stamp-shack.com/cmps_index.php?page=bingogame) to join in the fun.


Shack Plus Raffle:
We’re going to try a new contest to recognize new and renewing Shack Plus members (http://stamp-shack.com/cmps_index.php?page=shackplus). This event is sponsored by Gina K. Designs (http://www.ginakdesigns.com/) and features a $25 gift certificate to the winner. Between now and the end of February each new Shack Plus member and each renewing Shack Plus member will automatically be entered into a raffle for the prize. At the end of February we will randomly draw one of the qualifying Shack Plus members as the winner. We think this will be a fun way to encourage junior members to enjoy the benefits of a Shack Plus membership and help support the site. We would like to have a new drawing each month if this first one is well received.

We have created a new forum for this contest here (http://stamp-shack.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=241). Let us know what you think about this new raffle contest.


The Shack Deals & Discounts Forum:
We have received multiple requests for a place where members can share great stamping deals and promotions they have found that other members may want to know about. Based on these requests we have created a new forum called “The Shack Deals & Discounts (http://stamp-shack.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=240)” that will be part of our Stamp Talk section. The forum is available to Shack Plus members (http://stamp-shack.com/cmps_index.php?page=shackplus) to share great new stamping deals, special offers and coupon codes they have found. We hope you will find this a fun and money saving place to be.

***We do need to point out that the Shack Guidelines (http://stamp-shack.com/forum/showthread.php?t=259) on Business Advertising have not changed. These guidelines specifically prohibit self-promotion of products that you sell or profit from in any way. Sarah (loobylou), will be the primary moderator for this forum, along with support from the entire moderator team, and will remove any posts that violate these guidelines. If you wish to promote your own products please PM us to consider a sponsoring opportunity.***


Shack Maintenance:
A significant update to the main software that The Stamp Shack runs on has been released. We will be reviewing the new release and scheduling an upgrade soon. During this time the site will be unavailable for several hours. We will perform the upgrade during the Eastern time zone late night hours to minimize the number of members impacted. We will announce a specific date and time prior so that you have advanced notice of when the upgrade will take place.


Finally, a very specially thank you to our Shack Moderators, Sarah, Christie, Barb and Lidia. They do an incredible job keeping our site clean of spam and making sure our discussion boards follow the Shack Guidelines that keep this the friendliest stamping place on the net. We all owe them a big thank you for their dedication to the Shack.

We hope 2009 brings you much fun and friendship. Thanks for making this such a great community to call home.

cindi
01-09-2009, 06:42 PM
thanks for the update, it's great to know whats going on, and know ahead of time! Speaking for myself, the extra 2.00 to keep the shack operating as is..is a sound investment..I'm fine with it. and I can't wait to play a new game of Bingo! Thnaks Gina K for sponsering our game. now the only question is...will I be the lucky raffle winner???? lol
Thanks for the update.
:)

oh ya..and a big thanks to our moderaters..you gals rock!

Paula Carden
01-09-2009, 06:55 PM
I agree with Cindi- the increase isn't much considering what we have here.
I too appreciate the update and to know of some future plans.
Gina K has been awesome in her sponsorship here of gift certificates etc... we all think she and her place are fantastic.
The moderators as usual are wonderful and keep us in line!!
Thanks to all of you and our new hosts.

tojoco
01-09-2009, 07:03 PM
Thanks for the Shack news and updates. Increasing our membership fee by $2 is piddly compared to everything that we receive here. Thanks so much for keeping this website going; and also to our moderators for a job well done.

ccstampin12
01-09-2009, 07:41 PM
I'm thinking the extra $2.00 will be just fine with me. I have no idea what it takes to run Stamp Shack, but I surely don't want lack of money be the cause for it to leave the internet!
I think there are a lot of members who rely on the Shack for social and crafty friendships and this is a very important part of our lives.
I am happy for our update from our Shackie Hosts. Thank you!
HUGS to all the moderators, too.....great job, girls!
Joanie

Firecracker
01-09-2009, 08:01 PM
I agree $2 increase with me is fine. I love spending time at the Shack with my friends. I can't wait to play bingo again. I'm not very good. Thanks GinaK for the prizes. That is awesome of you. Hugs, Heather

keltie
01-09-2009, 08:24 PM
Yes it is good to hear what is happening here at the shack?And sorry Cindi you can't win because that lucky ticket is mine/ LOL
Heather

Far North
01-09-2009, 09:04 PM
Hats off to the hosts for trying to seek alternatives to annoying advertisements and keeping our software current and running smooth!

Yippee, skippy!!! to Gina K for her sponsorship! Heather, you can have the Bingo pot if I can have a Gina K's gift certificate!!! Gina you are the best for sharing with us after just hosted fantastic New Year's challenges and prizes on your site!

And a Big huge thanks to our Shack Moderators, Sarah, Christie, Barb and Lidia---you make things sparkle around here! Your time is greatly appreciated!

cindi
01-09-2009, 10:10 PM
Yes it is good to hear what is happening here at the shack?And sorry Cindi you can't win because that lucky ticket is mine/ LOL
Heather

ok, the game is on!!
lol
:)

Artyfarty
01-10-2009, 04:46 AM
Thanks for the update xx

ditto to all that is said already $2.00 increase is fine by me, shack is my 2nd family and a fab place to be.

frankiesue
01-10-2009, 09:09 AM
Thanks for this Update.....

I'm happy with all the changes that are being made the $2.00 increase is nothing copmpared to the friendships that I have made on the forum. And the moderators do a wonderful Job..... Well done ladies


I do have one question though and this is to why the raffle is only being run in January and February??? it seems a little unfair to others that joined in the later months....

coco_kitty
01-10-2009, 09:43 AM
Thanks for the update:) I'm fine with the fee increase as it's far less than I've paid on other, less useful things:p

limeyscrapper
01-10-2009, 10:07 AM
Well - I'm broke after my trip, but even I can afford an extra $2.
The Shack is still the best deal around in my opinion.
Thanks for all the great new ideas and looking forward to winning the Bingo ( it must be my turn!)

Patty
01-10-2009, 10:18 AM
$2 is fine with me. For all the time I spend at the Shack, it's more than reasonable. Thank you all for the great job you do---I'm sure I could never imagine how much time it takes. I love it here.

logcabincreations
01-10-2009, 11:08 AM
I agree with the increase and thank you for all you do. And thanks to all the moderators too.

directmailscrapper
01-10-2009, 11:09 AM
No problem with the increase from me! I'm amazed that you can do all of this for $12 a year. I've paid more for magazine subs that I don't even read! And I can't go a DAY without the Shack!

ShackHost
01-10-2009, 06:41 PM
I do have one question though and this is to why the raffle is only being run in January and February??? it seems a little unfair to others that joined in the later months....

We really appreciate the positive feedback and look forward to a great year. The reason why the first raffle contest is only January and February is because we want to have a new contest each month so everyone has a chance of winning during the year. This is our first time trying a new game so we figured we would give it a try for the next month and if it went well keep doing it every month.