"Vinyls" for your signature (New!)

[Carolc]

MouseScrappers has been a labor of love since spring of 2009. It began with an idea I had to create an environment where Disney layouts could be organized (so I could get some inspiration whenever I needed it). Along the way many fun features have been added: a variety of challenges, chats and "pins" to name a few. Little did I realize how much time I would spend supporting MouseScrappers, though! Much of it is behind the scenes. Not only have I spent a lot of time tending to the software (installing/configuring/modifying/patching and finding hosting solutions), but I also receive quite a lot of messages from members each week (e.g. questions, ideas and sometimes complaints) - and I try to answer each one. In addition I embarked on two huge community projects during 2011: making books for "Wish" families, and coordinating a fundraiser benefiting a very worthwhile organization. What began as as a late night/early morning hobby has now become my full time job. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and want to click the little "Turn off site" link to give myself a break, but invariably someone always comes along to tell me how much they like it here and how wonderful the community is, or they tell me how many new friends they've made here. It makes me very proud to have had something to do with that so I press on. I've purposely avoided the 'donate' button for the last two years. Revenue that comes in from sponsors has covered software costs, hosting fees, and a portion of my MouseScrapper "meet" bills. But because of recent changes in my financial situation, I no longer feel guilty about asking for donations from those who appreciate the time I've put into the site. So you'll notice a new link on the site.

To show my appreciation for donations, I will give you a new type of point we haven't used yet. You can use these points to get something new for your signature - but there is just one catch... you won't know what the item is until you get it!

Here is how it works:

- Click the green "Donate" link in the nav bar. For every dollar you donate, you will receive 25 "PayPal Donate" points. There are two options in the drop down: $2 or custom (which can be anyting from $1 and up).

- Once the new points are in your account*, go to our "Virtual Pin Shop" and look for this icon:
Click on "Buy this item now" and the system will randomly select one of 80 new 'vinyl' icons and will add it to your inventory. Each one takes 50 donate points.

- If you don't care for the design, "sell it" back to the store and try again. You can keep doing this as many times as you want until you get one you like (disregard the statement that you will get 38 points back, you will get all 50 back). (Don't hit the back button or you'll just buy the same design).


Notes: this is loosely based on Disney's popular Vinylmation concept/craze, insomuch as you can't select a design ahead of time, but you always have the option of getting a different one if you don't like it or if you get tired of it. There are currently 80 designs in this system (and there are tons more to choose from when I have time to make more, though not all look good in miniature size). I selected bits from a number of different series (e.g. attractions, Big Eyes, villains, flags, urban, cupcake, cutesters, Muppets, Star Wars). You can give your vinyl to someone else, but make sure they really want it because you unfortunately can't get rid of something that was gifted to you (unless I figure out how to hack that code too, lol ).

The max number of pins/vinyls is 30. If you already have 30 then sell one of your existing pins back to the shop before you click on the mystery icon.

*Important: Unfortunately, the points don't go into your account immediately. The system requires that I manually acknowledge ('confirm') each donation first. When I do the system will automatically send you a PM letting you know I received it. Once you receive this message, you'll have to post something somewhere (anywhere) in the forums.. this will trigger it to recalculate your points and pick up the new point type. The recalculation seems to occur every ten minutes. Sorry that it is not direct... This is a mashup of two different add-on modules (plus some of my own code to get the 'mystery' component to work), so there are some functional limitations that we have to live with.

Let me know if you encounter any issues (or if your points don't show up within a day).

I'm hoping that this new twist on our existing "Pin" system adds a little bit of extra fun and mystery to your MouseScrapper experience. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks in advance for playing!


Disclaimer: MouseScrappers is not a non-profit organization. If you have questions concerning tax write offs you should consult a tax advisor before donating. I am not selling the 'vinyl' signature images and will not deny them to anyone that specifically requests them in writing.