You most definitely haven't wasted anyone's time, and I'd dare say that many were likely surprised that you offered to pick up this banner, especially considering your own giveaways, the dedication those require and also the different ways in which they're organized.
Just, once again, than you for all you do.

Let's wait a bit for volunteers. And if nobody wants to maintain giveaway manually, we can start working on web-application.

Automation and shift work will save a lot of time, making maintainers position more attractive for candidates.

I think, such project can still have the community atmosphere, if we put special effort in its design.

You wasted nobody's time. Seriously, no worries, Doc. This was a discussion that needed to happen and your participation was appreciated. ;) Running a central community giveaway of that magnitude involves so much invested time and energy. It's practically a full-time job.

I'm just happy you still plan on hosting your personal giveway events from time to time. :D

^ Good point.

Awww, too bad. But at least you gave a reasonable guidelines for future hosts.
Though maybe we should still have "Community Giveaways" thread where such personal giveaways will be announced?

Don't we have that already?

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/how_does_one_make_a_gift_aka_gifting_on_gog_for_dummies

Wow! I didn't know that.

Thanks.

Since Doc stepped aside concerning the community giveaway and no one else wants to (or has the time to) do it manually I thought about details on how to implement automation.

As I already mentioned, I'm willing to do the technical groundwork of implementing a web app that does the job. What's left is defining the job the web app is supposed to do.

My ideas:

*) The web app needs users to log in. So any eligible user who wants to participate needs to PM me for an account. The rules for eligibility stay the same, anyone who is an active member of the community will get a login if he wants one. I will probably recognize most regulars by name anyway but since I can't know everyone please make my job easier by providing some examples of meaningful participation when you write me. I do reserve the right to judge if posts are meaningful. The posts don't always have to be special or helpful. Even a bad joke is a meaningful attempt at humor. However, trolling threads or spamming release threads with your pet peeves (Devotion, Russia, achievements, etc.) is not, IMHO.

*) Since users are pre-approved as upstanding community members there is no need to check again for eligibility when claiming a game from the giveaway. Everyone who has a login and has not been banned can pick up games up to the maximum number allowed (which will stay at 1 per month in the forseeable time) from the web app and gets the key mailed immediately. Everyone with a login will be able to see who picked which key and you consent to that when you participate. That is needed for accountability. Of course, only the GOG user names will be shown and of course I will also not give the e-mail addresses to anyone and they will only be used for mailing you the keys.

*) I will create a thread in which people can read the rules in the first post. When I find out how to post to the forum from the web app I will also automatically update the list of available games regularly and post to the forum who picked which key. The thread is also supposed to be used to ask questions about or discuss the giveaway, as well as thank the donors when you get a key.

*) Please don't try to hack the web app. While nothing is fool proof or absolutely error free I can assure you that I know a bit about programming and web apps and it will be a tough nut to crack. Attempts at misuse will be logged and perma-bans will be handed out for them. So please don't be that guy.


In the end the only things that require human intervention will be:

*) Writing, improving and maintaining the web app: That is something I can do. Writing will be quite a bit of work but that only needs to be done once. And a little bit of bugfixing and some small improvements every now and then is something I can handle.

*) Adding new users: That will be a bit of work in the beginning, but will most likely trickle down to very little work after about 50-100 users, when all the regulars already have a login. I should be able to handle that with no problems as well.

*) Feeding the web app with keys: I'll try to make this as easy and hassle free as possible and give some trustworthy people (I'm thinking especially of Doc here) the rights to feed the app with keys themselves. So you can PM me or one of them the keys if you wish to donate to the giveaway.


What are your thoughts on this? Is this kind of automation a good idea? Or do you think it is not 'human' enough and keys should be handed out manually? Would you participate in a giveaway like this? Or support it with keys? Any comment is welcome.


One last thing: While traditionally the keyholders opted not to participate in the giveaway (probably to prevent accusations of foul play) I would like to break with that tradition and participate. Of course the same rules that apply to everyone will apply to me as well, meaning I have to pick the game from the web app and can only get one game per month. If you feel that I should not participate when I host (or not host when I participate) please say so now.

My comment is that it's another idea for a GOG Community Giveaway that will be off GOG, not involve any participation here in itself, and also require making an account elsewhere. Plus, as I said before, automation instead of an actual person managing it just makes it... artificial, nothing about a community.
That said, would I make that account and have a look at what's available? Well, not entirely sure, but definitely more likely than I am to end up regularly checking a 3rd party chat service for this.
Would I give keys to it, however? Well, even if I'd break from the boycott caused by GOG's direction in order to get some keys to give away (which I was considering at some point this year, albeit cheap keys at that), highly doubtful I'd give them to something that's not actually set entirely here, and... "human".

I probably wouldn't use something like that -(vs. just going to discord) but I appreciate the creativity - I might still donate to it since donating presumably wouldn't require a login.

I wouldn't be completely opposed to such a proposed web app, but also prefer the "just here on the forum" approach. (I also think emailing the keys is a bad idea, since many non-tech-savvy users might give you the same email address as they use to log in to gog, which is just a security disaster waiting to happen.)

You'd have my axe! (And a few keys donated.)

I'm also of the opinion that it would be better to keep it here on GOG, after all it's the tradition.

And Doc, you already gave/give us too much, so you don't need to apologize for anything. Just that you thought doing it yourself shows that you really care. So thank you for your dedication.

I considered volunteering to do it myself too, if everyone would be ok with it of course, but I think you're a better fit. You have my thanks and support too.

And you have my bow.

What do you think of the idea of someone managing it for a specific time? For example, each manager holds the role for 6-12 months? I'm sure the time needed to work on managing this is what is putting most people off.

The idea that this is a service by the community for the community will be even clearer (referring to random passer-bys who have in the past complained about not getting any keys).

Think of it as community service. If I knew that in 6 months' time I'd be relieved of my duties, I'd be more open to managing it, for example. But maybe that's just me.

You can be "relieved of your duties" at any point by just calling your incarnation of the giveaway over and seeing whether someone else will pick up after. The first lasted less than 3 months. The second, 9.5.
And if it's a fixed "term", what if someone would like to continue? And, of course, what if nobody else will be ready to pick up just then?

Don't think there is, or at least there shouldn't be, an expectation for someone to keep managing it forever, or to continue the trend of each manager holding on for longer than the previous one. If it comes to it, a person could gather some donations, then launch an incarnation of the giveaway and manage it until that batch and maybe whatever else will trickle in soon after it starts is gone, or it's clear that the few titles left aren't interesting, then end it / pass it on. That'd make it more of a recurring event with the same set of rules, maybe typically after major GOG sales, than an ongoing community "feature", but if the long-term commitment is the issue...