Frequently Asked Questions.... about the WEBSITE project

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I will be posting your private email responses to our "money" plea in this thread (with your name left out, of course)

Some of the questions are the same, so I thought it would be helpful:

I'll be happy to contribute to this project. I don't know how much or when I'll be able to. I do have one concern. Yes, the Last Days site has a lot of cool stuff happening. Yes, it would be nice to have a site like that. But I would want to be sure we don't leave a lot of people out in the cold without access to something of that calibre. It's only been a couple of months that I've had a system capable of using that site. And I wouldn't have it it now if I hadn't sold my life to Prodigy for the next three years. There are still lots and lots of people out here with slower cpu's, slower modems, less powerful sound abilities (if any), etc. Let's not leave them behind, with no access to the message.

Great point. At the very first page, we will have the option to SKIP THIS INTRO and go directly to "the old fashioned" stuff, the Forum, Church links, etc. so that EVERYBODY will have access. But the times, they are a changin...175 million computers now have the Shockwave plug-in!

Thanks for whatever you can pledge. I am hoping to have the pledges in by the end of this week, so I can begin developing the site. Anybody know one of the mega-churches out there? They could do it with one check....But alas, that would be too easy...

Duane,

Impressive, to be sure. Where are you located? What do you do for a living? What church do you attend? Who would be doing the modifications to the page I just previewed? Would the churches who contribute to this project have the opportunity to preview the finished product before their name is attached to it?

Sorry for all the questions. Just curious. And perhaps interested.


I preach for a small church in Chiefland, Florida... Our website is listed with the others...I am hoping you and others can help write the new page.... So yes, the churches who contribute will actually be the ones writing the stuff... ie, articles on faith, repentance, baptism, etc.. It will be a group effort...

No money will be asked for unless (until!?!!) the whole amount is pledged...Then checks would be made payable to 1st Christian....and we will pay the web designer...

I will pledge at least $10, but you need to give me an address so I know where to send it to.

First Christian Church
6591 NW 140th St
Chiefland, FL 32626

You will find that most open pleas are largely ignored. Everyone always thinks that someone else will do it. (especially where $ is involved) While I really enjoy duking it out with the others on this site... I really am financially limited on what I can do. There are so many wonderful things that can advance the cause of Christ, and only so many resources to go around. Please forgive me for not being able to financially support yours. Will you accept my thanks for what you are trying to accomplish? I know that they are not much but I'll add prayer to them too!

Sure, but hey, ten bucks? I know the church you're at...surely they pay you better than that! My wife says she'll loan you ten bucks and you can pay her back $1 a month. (just kidding! I can tease you...)

1. OK, I will pledge $_50.00__ to this Website project, I cannot send the money until about two weeks but I will personally pledge to the project the amount that I have entered. I did not ignore your initial post about this matter, Duane, but I was waiting until I got the money to send to you. Please e-mail me with the details of the proper address to send the money. My e-mail at home is: xxxxxxxxx. I appreciate your work and your desire to support the truth. May our Lord bountifully bless you with the knowledge of the truth and the wisdom to teach and defend it...

Keep those pledges coming! It's the 1st Annual Christian Church Telethon!

Nope, thou shalt not be ignored. I thought I told you that I would support the labor. You will get my 50 bucks, which I do hereby solemly promise and I will try to make it more if I can. Keep up the good work anyway. Love, Bro. xxxxx

50 is enough.... if "enough" join in...

Put me down for 20--10 for me and 10 for the guy that couldn't afford it...and just one question...who is contributing the most? The PKers or the nons? Just wondering... I support PK and have a feeling we're winning... I challenge--er, never mind!

I'm not even gonna touch that one!

Wow, Duane, your web site is beautiful. I am setting up mine and wish I could have it as beautiful as yours. However, there is a problem. In *getting saved* nothing is said about obedience needed to accept the grace of God. Other than that I give thumbs up to your web sight.

That is not our site....We are trying to raise the funds needed to do a similar site where the TRUE plan of salvation is presented....Unfortunately, thats big bucks for Shockwave design...$1500......So far we have about $300, so we are getting there...

In that case I might send you $10.00.:-)

Might? HA! I wil consider that a PLEDGE!

I choose not to contribute at this time because I think it is too expensive. I have been working with computers and the web for many years. We dreamed of the Internet when I was working on a TRS80. I bought a TI99 for the sole purpose of it's speech processing. There is a lot of hype out there and some people are making big bucks at other people's expense and ignorance. I have been searching for my own niche to do the same, but with integrity too, if that is possible.

Just from my limited experience on creating web pages, sites, and materials, it can be done much cheaper. You can buy a full fledge web design program and have your own site for about $695.00, then you must learn it. I have a program called Trellix, which came bundled with my WP2000 which builds web multiple level web pages and mixes graphics, sounds, video, etc. I got it out and began reading it yesterday, it will do what you are looking at, and more. It will design web sites for network environments across many different machines. On a lower level WP2000 will create web pages in which you can mix graphics, sound, video. My wife is familiar with MSPublisher and it will take a page and turn it into an html document. That program was free, with my printer and it doesn't take a lot of expertise to do it. I have heard others mention Shockwave and it is good, but have you also seen the Graphics\Video generator with the Real Player, it does similar things and some of it is free.

Do we have someone who is with Shockwave, like in our Churches or something? I have heard it mentioned before and it sounds like someone is trying to get some income for their children or friends. It is great to make those big bucks if you can get people to pay it. In Real Estate we used to talk about value, as whatever the market will support. So the cost of homes is greatly fueled by the Realtors themselves. But, is it always morally right to charge any price that you can get even if the job can be done cheaper and still make a profit? The OT has lessons on that.

I am not yet ready to take on a project like what was created for the last days site, but it will be only a matter of time for me to reach that ability. I am confident that I can now create web pages for people with little expense involved, except my time. My wife worked for a local company last year and they spent $150.00 to have one web page created. It did not have any links, only an email address. They saw them coming and took the money and ran. I laughed when I found out how ignorant the owners were to spend money that easy.

On the other hand maybe I am completely missing the boat, when I have this ability and I am spending my time preaching instead? I have made my choice and God comes first. The way I see it, that service for the web page is probably worth about a week's wages, maybe. It should cost between $250.00 to $500.00 to do it. Never would you need to spend the $5000.00 and even $1500.00 is a gross profit margin to earn on it. That is just my opinion.


Thanks for the reply... I agree.... I have been working on html myself...

Creating a page is quite easy... by the way, tell me what you think of the new intro I just put together at:

http://www.thechristianchurch.com

Just a matter of source code.... And there are a lot of scams out there...

I have done my homework on this one though... I have been into newsgroups with the guys (and companies) who are doing the shockwave sites.... I have asked them flat out what their rates are, and what they are charging... I have sent them to the lastdays.org site and asked them what they would charge to do one just like it... I was told $3500 - $5800.

I contacted businesses who have shocked sites, and asked them what they costed .... same figures, some even more.

Finally, after much prayer, the idea hit me...(direct revelation? Nah.) why not ask the guy who actually did lastdays.org? It turns out he is a christian who designs web sites, and lastdays.org is his own personal site. He is a highly respected (in the "shockwave" community) shockwave pro, and also a highly paid one... and you are right, it is "what the market will bear"..... and currently businesses seek him out (not the other way around) and pay him $5000 to do sites with this kind of intensity... it takes himself and two others about two weeks to do one like this from scratch...

so this is not even close to the analogy about someone getting ripped off on a $150 cheapo site... He would definitely be doing us a favor....

but keep asking around, point them to lastdays.org, and ask them if they can do it for less... I did.... it won't happen.... :)

Part of the savings is due to the fact that he has already done the technical work on this one... it would be cookie-cutter, we would just change the wording...

How about this:

If you chip in ten bucks to this, and we EVER find out that the same thing COULD HAVE been done for less, I will personally send you your ten bucks back...

PS... you shouldnt have said you also dabble in webmaking... I'm gonna be calling on you for help..... dont forget to tell me what you think of the new intro...

PPS. I forgot to mention that the guy actually is only asking $1000 .... So you figure $695 to buy a program (assuming that program teaches Shockwave) and that leaves you $300 to learn it and DO it... (true, you still own the program when youre done)

Anyway, the other 500 is budgeted for hosting, search engine submissions, future changes... whatever... I felt it best to make our goal high but reachable... so we really only need to raise $1000 to get it going... and WE'RE A THIRD OF THE WAY THERE!

Duane, I have seen the new intro. and that is great, couldn't have said it better, and your choice of scriptures were excellent. Ok, you have done your homework. And you should be in sales. My wife says she will dis-own me if I spend any more on this computer stuff, but, I am in for $10.00 personally.



-- Anonymous, October 21, 1999

Answers

Duane,

The lastdays.org site looks great, my concern is who will control the content of your site...with so many contributing financially?

Also someone mentioned a problem...

"Wow, Duane, your web site is beautiful. I am setting up mine and wish I could have it as beautiful as yours. However, there is a problem. In *getting saved* nothing is said about obedience needed to accept the grace of God. Other than that I give thumbs up to your web sight."

And you responded...

"That is not our site....We are trying to raise the funds needed to do a similar site where the TRUE plan of salvation is presented....Unfortunately, thats big bucks for Shockwave design...$1500......So far we have about $300, so we are getting there..."

Then later you mention that the guy who actually did lastdays.org is a christian and it is his own personal site...

"Finally, after much prayer, the idea hit me...(direct revelation? Nah.) why not ask the guy who actually did lastdays.org? It turns out he is a christian who designs web sites, and lastdays.org is his own personal site."

Now let me ask you...if he has not presented the True plan of salvation and does not follow it, how is he a christian?

I have been considering support for this, just want to make sure ALL the turth of salvation is taught.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 1999


Two Great questions! We control the content... That is, it will be written by US, the people in this forum. I will be asking all of you to help write various articles...

The fact that the designer has different ideas about the plan of salvation is irrelevant... Perhaps he will learn something through the material WE send him....

-- Anonymous, October 22, 1999

I don't spend as much time here as some do. Our guys will talk about what we will do.

-- Anonymous, October 23, 1999

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