Yet another archive update - and a request for volunteers

[liars-dance.livejournal.com]

I expect you are getting bored of these updates by now, but...

We have now established that we are not in possession of the necessary account/payment verification required to permit us to financially support the archive with the current web host.

margot_iris has let us know that she has back up files of the site, meaning that the archive could be re-established with a different web host when the current period ends in June next year. However, alex_quine then raised the issue of rugbytackling.com being part of govi20's estate and therefore covered by probate, meaning that any future work on the site might require contact with her executors. To be honest, just the possibility of this scenario makes me feel very uncomfortable, and I personally am not prepared to investigate the matter further. Others might feel differently of course, so...

I am looking for a volunteer (or volunteers) with the relevant web skills to a) explore what will be required to keep the RT archive available from next June onwards, and b) providing all requirements are met, to organise its transfer when the time comes. Clearly, a decision will need to made as to whether the archive continues to be a live one (i.e. someone taking on responsibility to update it as Carol did) if that is possible, or a historical one - which is what would have been the case had we simply been able to continue to fund the existing host site. Another important issue is to manage donations from members who have said they wish to help pay for the archive (through a paypal account seems to be the obvious choice). For your information, I understand that Carol paid around €45 in total (€8 for the domain name and the rest for hosting the archive).

I am also taking this opportunity to let you know that I am standing down as maintainer/owner of rugbytackle; my lovely friend and co-maintainer moldava has already stood down. I have been thinking about doing this for a while and the sad deaths of Carol and Jeanne have only confirmed my need to take more than a few steps away from all things fandom related. Besides, I have been mod here on RT for the last seven years and a change is well overdue. Any takers please? If there are a number of volunteers, I can name all of you as maintainers but you will need to agree who is the owner (since 2011, this has been a Livejournal requirement); see here for details. Under normal circumstances, the role of community maintainer is far from onerous! I was maintainer when milochka kept the archive and when govi20 took it over, so the owner/maintainer does not need to be the same person who looks after the archive, though obviously it could be.

Please let me know (lj message me) or leave a comment here if you would be willing to take on either the RT archive role or the maintainer role or both. I will not be taking part in any future archive or community development, so if you want to make sure the archive is transferred successfully, then please come forward and nail your VigBean colours to the mast, so to speak!

Thanks
Heath