Donation drive: voice actor database!

Thanks to your help, we've been able to work on a new character database that will soon launch, pending some design finalization and final code. Moderators have been steadily adding characters for the last few weeks in preparation.

The character database was the first step to the ultimate goal, a more robust people database, including voice actors. Keep reading past the current total needed for more info on what this includes!

I want a voice actor/staff database and can donate towards the site's growth! I'll donate now!

Total needed (for basic VAs): $800 $380 $360 $260 $225 $130 $70 GOAL MET!

All donations made now are currently going towards finishing the character database, which is in great need of help right now!. If you don't see your name listed below, you'll likely see your donation show up on the char db link just posted :) Thank you again for all your support of Anime-Planet.

Sometime soon, I'll have the full 'staff database' proposal posted - after character database is finished and launched :)


Voice Actor/Staff Database Supporters:

Gleipnir: $1
Anonymous: $15
SlaserX: $50
tychon, site benefactor: PI (aka, $314.15)
cassiesheepgirl: $40
ArcDaRat: $20
R.A.: $5
mjf314: $5
aritentd: $20
Valiantos: $10
HaseoPKKiller: $20
H4ndy: $6
Koji: $25
Gleipnir: $9
XSandor: $5
K.M. (alias unknown): $10
Raven: $20
Yorishimo: $20
mokyuu: $25
Rhesian: $10
yolhaj: $10
Omurqi: $30
R.G.: $10
anime4320: $5
cloudsquall45: $15
Nermel: $30
Nermel: $69
sonis: $1


Doing a full people database is a big task, at least half of which is the admin system which will allow moderators to easily link people & roles with anime and manga. As the cost of the FULL feature is pretty high (though not high considering how many users we have and how easy it could be if we just had $1 each), I've slimmed down the spec to only include the most basic functionality just for voice actors.

This would include:

-An upgraded people database table with more abstract information, to be scalable for future roles such as director/etc

-An admin setup to add voice actors, with the language they speak, to anime

-A database table for languages & flag images

-Refactoring how manga artists/authors are stored in teh database (as a first step towards more roles for staff), and updating the code to use the new db schema

-Voice actor option in the advanced search

There is also a lot of back end work that has to be done to lay the foundation for all people database stuff, which is not included above.

The cost of the above is about $800. That means out of Anime-Planet's 90,000 registered site users, only 800 - less than 1% - could pay off the feature. Usually the same few people donate for each donation drive, but everyone else gets to use the features anyways. Help show your support for AP and give those few frequent donors a break! ^_^

Now, to build the FULL people database would cost roughly another $600 (I don't have a finalized number, but it's roughly that). That would include:

-An alphabetical listing of all people (ie any staff member) in the database
-Updated admin functionality for adding all types of roles
-A very robust people search with lots of filter options (role type, language if a va, etc)
-Favorite functionality for staff members

For now, I'd like to at least get the voice actor piece covered as our dev could get going on that immediately, while me & others continue with getting characters launched. If there ends up being enough donations to cover the people database all-up, that's great too, but for now just getting enough for the people database will mean we can move forward.

I want a voice actor/staff database and can donate towards the site's growth! I'll donate now!

I have zero interest in characters, but I put something in for voices. I loathe PayPal, so please keep this as anonymous as possible.

sothis said:

-An admin setup to add voice actors, with the language they speak, to anime

Click to expand...

(there are rare cases where the Japanese actors work on the English dub as well)

Awesome! I'm excited to see this functionality. This is just one more thing that A-P does.

Sounds awesome! Will be donating once paypal fills up again (bank -> paypal transfers always take 1-2 weeks)

thank you to everyone who donated so far!!! due to another insanely generous donation from tychon (at the whimsical amount of PI) we're already over halfway to the basic VA database! (and everyone else who donated, your gifts are just as generous :))

at this rate, i might just call this the all-up staff db drive and we'll get the full staff database ready to go (all the 'extra' stuff above). ill update this accordingly a bit later if donations come in just as quick.

yay!!

thanks arcdarat!!! $20 closer towards our goal :D

Don't have much interest in this database, but just dropped in 6$ to support A-P for my frequent use ^^

sound like a great idea, tossed in $20 for this cause :P

thanks guys!!! once i get home ill post the donations that have come in since the last update :)

Never used the forums before but I use the site so thought I'd donate something. $25 for you. Peace.

I thought it was about time I donated something, so you got $10 from me :)

Sent in another $9 since my paycheck came in. :3

updated the rest of the recent donations!

we're only $260 away from funding the basic VA database - once we reach that goal ill get a more exact estimate for the full staff db piece.

not sure if you want to help AP grow and have an awesome VA database? here's a mockup of one area that VAs would show up (the new characters tab):



^^that's dummy VA data of course, but va's would show up next to the chars, amongst other things included in the cost of the feature.

everything helps! if youve used AP for more than an hour, please help us out by donating less than the cost of an hour of minimum wage - even $5 helps when tons of people do it. every hour of work we put into the site either costs money, or is time we could be spending on having real lives, watching anime or doing hobbies like you probably do, so your contribution into the site you love is highly appreciated. help us make AP awesome!

5$ donated for the pew pew VADB :)

seems to me like it would take a lot of manpower and work to get the DB filled out. How are you going to do that? Is just anyone going to be able to help fill it out, or do you have set people who are going to do it? In any case I'd love to help out with that if you've the need for it. :)

yes i will need people to help fill it out - but so far we still need quite a bit of funds from the community to build it in the first place ^_^

if you have AP friends who dont read the forum, tell them about this cool feature so we can get going!

true true, unfortunately I don't have any friends that use the site, so I can't really help you there :(

In time, we'll reach it eventually or over the course of a few paychecks at the least. =P

I submitted $20 for the time being.

updated, thanks much!!!! <3

only $225 left for the basic VA functionality - then ill update the amt needed to include the full staff db

Hi there, I thought I just donate some 20$ too, I am really looking forward to that new database.
More donations might come next month ;)