Hi guys,
We're looking at drupal with a specific application of helping build band/artist fanbases and communities.
the recent (this tuesday) debacle on U2.Com has highlighted a need for using band websites and fan communities in a constructive and practical way to ensure real fans - not touts or scalpers - are at the front of the cue when gig ticklets go on sale.
What U2.COM were trying to do was setup a system - based on their original propoganda fansite system where real fans could get hold at face value tickets. It was very successfull and other bands, like Radiohead, Prince and others copied the model.
It wasn't perfect and one problem was that because the propoganda site was free to join, the savvy touts and scalpers simply infiltrated it with bogus accounts. They changed the propoganda site after the last big tour and started a new pay-per-view website club for fans in the hope that would work better.
Unfortunately for the band - their system went seriously pear-shaped this tuesday...fans had paid $40 to join a priority ticket sales club. But it crashed and was overloaded.
Which leads me to the topic of a REWARD.MODULE for drupal.
Am not sure how exactly it would work, but, I was thinking of something simple along the lines of:
a) the module would track the length of time a user is registered and regularity of logging in.
b) how many posts they make to the forums/blog