03-01-2013, 11:57 AM
And today more changes appeared in my inbox.
RANKINGS HQ - IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Please Read!
As some of you might know, Rankings HQ recently turned 3 years old. Many of you might not know that I actually starting publishing rankings systems for miniature war-games over 10 years ago. It is amazing how much the web site has grown in that time and that is something I will always be proud of. RHQ has grown from 2 game systems for 2 countries to 5 game systems across more than 20 countries, and boasts over 8,000 active users. What started out as a small hobby site has turned into a sophisticated rankings software platform with a vast array of features and millions of lines of data.
Unfortunately the growth of the site has resulted in RHQ becoming a victim of its own success as I am no longer able to effectively process the hundreds of queries, requests and result uploads that hit the site every week. The miniature war-gaming side of RHQ is still very much a hobby indulgence for me; the site is free for all users and tournament organisers, and as such I can no longer justify the hours each day that I spend on maintaining the rankings for so many gaming communities.
For many of you the site will remain free and nothing will change, as your ranking groups have acquired an Affiliate sponsor. For those groups that do not have a sponsor by March 31st 2013 it will cost players US$12 a year to remain as part of the group.
Before I go any further let me list the ranking groups that have already attracted Affiliate sponsors (listed in the right hand column): Warhammer 40K (USA, UK, AUS); Warmachine/Hordes (UK, AUS, NZL); Flames of War (UK); Malifaux (UK). For players of these ranking groups there will be no change for 2013!
WHAT DOES AN AFFILIATE SPONSOR MEAN?
Essentially, an Affiliate sponsor means a company, organisation, club or group of gamers becoming an "Affiliate" on RHQ, who provides financial support to cover the time/costs required to maintain and publish the rankings for a given ranking group. All affiliates on RHQ have their own customised home page which they use to communicate with users in the ranking groups they "own". An example of an affiliate home page can be seen here: http://www.rankingshq.com/a/irresistibleforce
Affiliates are able to advertise their products & services through their home page and banners that appear in the relevant game system forums they sponsor. They are also able to send out communications to the users in their ranking groups. An affiliate does not have to be a retail store, it could be a podcast, a miniature manufacturer or any other company in the miniature game industry.
Ranking groups that are sponsored by Affiliates provide entry for players to that group for free during the term of the sponsorship.
WHAT HAPPENS TO EXISTING DATA FOR RANKING GROUPS THAT DO NOT ATTRACT A SPONSOR?
All existing data, profiles and rankings will operate as normal up to March 31st 2013. After that date only players that purchase 12 month memberships to the ranking group(s) they are part of will appear in the ranking tables.
Note that players that do not purchase a membership will still maintain their profile which will still accumulate their tournament results, they will just not appear in the ranking tables.
WHAT HAPPENS TO RANKING GROUPS THAT DO ATTRACT AN AFFILIATE SPONSOR?
Ranking Groups that get a sponsor will continue as they have done the last 3 years. Players will be able to join the groups for free and all registered players in the ranking group(s) will appear in the ranking tables each month.
HOW CAN I HELP TO GET AN AFFILIATE SPONSOR FOR MY RANKING GROUP?
There are many benefits for a business in the industry that wants to become an affiliate. If you know a local store, business, club or podcast that might be interested, send them a link to the affiliate benefits page and pass on the RHQ email address (contact@rankingshq.com).
A list of existing affiliates can be found here.
THE BEST I CAN DO
Between now and the 1st of April 2013 I will be doing everything I can to attract sponsors so that Affiliates can be found for all the ranking groups on RHQ. I want to send out a heartfelt apology to everyone that has supported the site all these years, however I simply cannot devote the enormous amount of time and money required to support the 8,000+ registered users on the site.
I hope you understand this has not been an easy decision to make. I have been deliberating over it for most of this year and have spoken to many players, tournament organisers and friends about my predicament. The decision to stop maintaining the rankings for free after all this time was a very difficult one to make.
If you have any questions or comments, please make them on the appropriate thread on RHQ (this message will be posted there as well) or you can contact me via the email address contact@rankingshq.com. I will try my best to answer all questions and will get back to you as soon as I can.
Regards,
Andrew Galea
RANKINGS HQ - IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Please Read!
As some of you might know, Rankings HQ recently turned 3 years old. Many of you might not know that I actually starting publishing rankings systems for miniature war-games over 10 years ago. It is amazing how much the web site has grown in that time and that is something I will always be proud of. RHQ has grown from 2 game systems for 2 countries to 5 game systems across more than 20 countries, and boasts over 8,000 active users. What started out as a small hobby site has turned into a sophisticated rankings software platform with a vast array of features and millions of lines of data.
Unfortunately the growth of the site has resulted in RHQ becoming a victim of its own success as I am no longer able to effectively process the hundreds of queries, requests and result uploads that hit the site every week. The miniature war-gaming side of RHQ is still very much a hobby indulgence for me; the site is free for all users and tournament organisers, and as such I can no longer justify the hours each day that I spend on maintaining the rankings for so many gaming communities.
For many of you the site will remain free and nothing will change, as your ranking groups have acquired an Affiliate sponsor. For those groups that do not have a sponsor by March 31st 2013 it will cost players US$12 a year to remain as part of the group.
Before I go any further let me list the ranking groups that have already attracted Affiliate sponsors (listed in the right hand column): Warhammer 40K (USA, UK, AUS); Warmachine/Hordes (UK, AUS, NZL); Flames of War (UK); Malifaux (UK). For players of these ranking groups there will be no change for 2013!
WHAT DOES AN AFFILIATE SPONSOR MEAN?
Essentially, an Affiliate sponsor means a company, organisation, club or group of gamers becoming an "Affiliate" on RHQ, who provides financial support to cover the time/costs required to maintain and publish the rankings for a given ranking group. All affiliates on RHQ have their own customised home page which they use to communicate with users in the ranking groups they "own". An example of an affiliate home page can be seen here: http://www.rankingshq.com/a/irresistibleforce
Affiliates are able to advertise their products & services through their home page and banners that appear in the relevant game system forums they sponsor. They are also able to send out communications to the users in their ranking groups. An affiliate does not have to be a retail store, it could be a podcast, a miniature manufacturer or any other company in the miniature game industry.
Ranking groups that are sponsored by Affiliates provide entry for players to that group for free during the term of the sponsorship.
WHAT HAPPENS TO EXISTING DATA FOR RANKING GROUPS THAT DO NOT ATTRACT A SPONSOR?
All existing data, profiles and rankings will operate as normal up to March 31st 2013. After that date only players that purchase 12 month memberships to the ranking group(s) they are part of will appear in the ranking tables.
Note that players that do not purchase a membership will still maintain their profile which will still accumulate their tournament results, they will just not appear in the ranking tables.
WHAT HAPPENS TO RANKING GROUPS THAT DO ATTRACT AN AFFILIATE SPONSOR?
Ranking Groups that get a sponsor will continue as they have done the last 3 years. Players will be able to join the groups for free and all registered players in the ranking group(s) will appear in the ranking tables each month.
HOW CAN I HELP TO GET AN AFFILIATE SPONSOR FOR MY RANKING GROUP?
There are many benefits for a business in the industry that wants to become an affiliate. If you know a local store, business, club or podcast that might be interested, send them a link to the affiliate benefits page and pass on the RHQ email address (contact@rankingshq.com).
A list of existing affiliates can be found here.
THE BEST I CAN DO
Between now and the 1st of April 2013 I will be doing everything I can to attract sponsors so that Affiliates can be found for all the ranking groups on RHQ. I want to send out a heartfelt apology to everyone that has supported the site all these years, however I simply cannot devote the enormous amount of time and money required to support the 8,000+ registered users on the site.
I hope you understand this has not been an easy decision to make. I have been deliberating over it for most of this year and have spoken to many players, tournament organisers and friends about my predicament. The decision to stop maintaining the rankings for free after all this time was a very difficult one to make.
If you have any questions or comments, please make them on the appropriate thread on RHQ (this message will be posted there as well) or you can contact me via the email address contact@rankingshq.com. I will try my best to answer all questions and will get back to you as soon as I can.
Regards,
Andrew Galea
Star Wars Legion - Rebels
Guildball - Alchemists
Blood Bowl - Lizardmen
Guildball - Alchemists
Blood Bowl - Lizardmen