I put the city up on Planet Minecraft:
http://www.planetminecraft.com/project/aquain-a-realisticly-planned-underwater-city/

Ok, we now have creative.  Have we seen a spike in interest or growth in members? 

It doesn't look like it.  There wasn't a spike in members when PVP was added either.

I'm not sure we need to make big changes really, perhaps we just need to do a better job of marketing the server.  Some suggestions:

- Add new voting sites, or switch out the ones we do have. 
- Promote the server more on Minecraftforum.net and Planet Minecraft. 
- I know a good video or two were made, perhaps put them up on the main Opticraft.net site to better attract visitors
- I've heard some suggest that grief traps are driving away too many people, perhaps we can try ending those?

I really hope someone is giving some serious thought to the fact that this server is dying and is working on a plan to stop that.

We have mentioned that we would like this to Opti, so he does know, we need him to link up the vote sites and rewards etc. Still awaiting a response.

Perhaps a bit of a reminder is in order.

I'm getting married today!!!!!!!

Wait, you think net neutrality was already the law? And then something changed? What is that based on?

As for regulation, in most cases regulations end up supporting big businesses at the expense of small ones, this impedes competition. Regulations always impose additional costs on companies, the big ones can afford to deal with the extra expenses, small ones can't. They also make it costlier and more complicated for new companies to enter a market. 

Look at deregulation of the airline industry. When it was heavily regulated there were few airlines and they charged high prices. Once the industry was deregulated prices dropped significantly, competition increased and everyone benefited.

I don't think you understand exactly what is going on. We do need them to regulate the internet, especially in this case. While Mr's TL;DR is not exactly what is happening with net neutrality, it is basically what will happen if it goes away.

In simple terms, net neutrality says that everyone has the right to the internet equally. An ISP has to provide the same speed to a low end site like this one as a high end one like netflix. Cable companies would love to get rid of net neutrality because then they could basically blackmail sites like netflix and say if you dont pay us money, we will slow down our users connection speeds to your site resulting in a loss of customers.

Net neutrality is essential to every person who uses the net, most people just don't realize it. So yes, we do need it regulated.

I understand the issue. 

Is it a deep injustice that my cable provider charges more for HBO than for the other channels?  Should the government force cable providers to provide all channels for the same price?  Should the government force phone companies to charge the same for local and international calls?  That doesn't make any sense, but that is what net neutrality is arguing for.

Companies like Netflix are making money hand over fist by using the physical network built and maintained by ISPs, and those ISPs have to incur additional costs to support the large bandwidth taken up by those other companies.  It is only fair that ISPs try to recoup some of those costs.  Now, would I prefer they didn't?  Sure.  I don't want to pay extra for anything, whatever it is.  But these kinds of regulations have massive unintended consequences, most likely this kind of extra red tape will result in all of us paying more for Internet access.  It'll probably result in reducing choice as well.

The Internet as we know it has thrived in a low regulation environment, once we start choking it with federal regulations it is going to destroy the free, innovative environment we know and love.  Cable companies may be the bad guys now, but I assure you once this Pandora's box is opened there will be plenty of new bad guys who need the government to kick to the curb. 

This isn't some crusade against big business, this is picking winners and losers between big businesses.  Netflix, Google, and others are huge, massive corporations.  They don't need the help of government to make money, they are pretty good at it.  Helping out their bottom line at the expense of other companies is not a proper role for government. 

And again, if you are going to use the government to pick winners and losers, is it really too much to ask that a law be passed?  Isn't that how things are done in democratic societies?  Rule of law and all?

Quote from: SalsaInABowl on September 11, 2014, 02:23:40 pm

Quote from: 100penguin100 on September 11, 2014, 07:07:56 am

but they'd still make a killing from all the new people  buying it as it becomes ever more popular.

Minecraft is nearing the end of its lifetime from what I see. I don't know if I'm missing something but it feels like it.

Idk why you keep saying this.. it is not true.  Just because our server (unfortunatley) has lost players, minecraft is not less popular.  More kids than EVER are playing minecraft, buying minecraft books/merch, and generally becoming hooked to the game.  If you walk through any elementary school I guarantee you will find 30 kids with minecraft shirts on, and lots more who play it.  (I know this from younger siblings + mentoring in elementary schools)

Agreed.