State of the Forums Address

[Mike]

First, what would it cost for a data line capable of handling our network traffic?

At best, over double what the new server would cost.

And then we have a lot of other issues that sour the milk. Hosting in a colo center has all kinds of advantages that would be either tremendously expensive or impossible to duplicate.

Our server is located in a datacenter with dual network feeds and a 100% uptime guarantee on the connection. How could we ever justify the expense of a second connection to have the same uptime coverage?

The datacenter has Leibert and Powerware UPS service, a 2400 amp DC plant, a complete diesel generator for backup with both autostart and autotransfer, a 24 hour fuel storage capacity and a fuel delivery contract with a 2 hour guarantee.

Full environmental control of temperature and humidity.

it is a secure site using biometric scanners for technician access, with techs on site 24/7/365.

There's no way to realistically provide that same level of protection and uptime on a box sitting on my desk.

And finally, is it possible to find a sponsoring company that already has the high speed data connection that is willing to allow you to put a server behind that network?

If you were fortunate enough to find someone willing to colocate a server like that, what happens when outages (power, RAM, HDDs, power supplies, etc.) occur? How am I going to have 24/7/365 access to another company's datacenter? How am I going to ensure security of the datacenter in general and my server in particular? How many drives should I keep on hand and how much RAM? Because those are expendable items that I can now have hot-swapped, at no cost, if failure occurs. I would be responsible for swapping these kinds of parts out myself. Again, this is where it pays off to colocate in a large datacenter, where network lines, power backup, security and tech presence is a cost shared by thousands of customers.

Yes, most server management is done remotely. But the physical management is always under control, because there are always techs on hand to handle physical issues.

There was an offer the other day by (?can't remember who?) to host all the pix we wanted to store, could this person handle forum traffic as well? Don't worry about loosing control of things, you already manage it remotely, correct?

I've posted to that other topic about how his hosting company is using smoke and mirrors to sell shared hosting packages. As I said in that post, if a company like that really offered unlimited storage and transfer, I would already be running with them.

Believe me, I've done tons of cost comparisons that have led me to where I am today. I'm tighter than bark on a tree and won't spend a dime I don't have to spend. I've got spreadsheets full of options offered by different hosts, comparing services, options and prices. Saving $5/month to go with a host that has as much as 2-3 hours of downtime a week is not a bargain in my opinion. I could have had a server in another datacenter that would have given me twice the transfer I now have. But the networks were all poor quality and the datacenter is notorious for that being a problem. I decided I didn't want any problems.

Yes, we could be using free software. A search of the site will give you a lot of reasons we're not using free software. When I started with actual Web forums, I used some of the free packages out there. If they had a decent level of support and security, I would still be using them. their own faults are because they are free. Anyone that wants to figure out how to crack a phpBB forum can download the software at no charge and practice to their heart's content. Although it really doesn't take long to find the chinks in phpBB's armor. If this was a gamer's site with a handful of teenaged kids sharing lies about their WoW scores, I really wouldn't care about it. This is a site populated by a lot of adults who have entrusted information to my database and I intend to make sure it is as secure as I can possibly make it. The server was cracked, a couple years back. Someone gained root access to the server, but they never managed to crack the security at the account level and none of our databases were cracked. I worked with the host and we developed a system that pretty much ensures no one will ever get access to my server ever again. I have things locked down so tight, I get a pair of warning e-mails when I log onto the server.

If I could get by using a $4 host, I would be all over it. If I felt a free forum package could provide the same level of security, I would still be running it. (Actually, I do run some test forums on phpBB3, SMF and MyBB, just to stay abreast of what those packages have to offer.) there's virtually no difference in cost between them, but I also run a vBulletin 3.8.x test forum and a vBulletin 4.0.x test forum on a test site and I have access to a xenForo installation running on a pal's test site. Believe me, we're running Invision software for a reason.

I have to admit, there are times when I really wonder what's to be gained by trying to keep things alive. I have a pal up in the Chicago area that operates a vBulletin forum that is smaller than this site. He pulls in an average of $1,000/month in revenue. He owns a half-dozen sites like that and that's how he earns his living. He has 6-8 moderators on each site and a co-admin on each site. He spends a week each month playing cards out in Vegas. Me? I run myself ragged, trying to keep all of my sites up and running, trying to do forum and blog work on the side and trying to work a regular job to boot. The last time I had any time away, for anything remotely resembling a vacation? I took a 3 day weekend and drove to Connecticut to visit Total Performance and then stopped in PA on my way home to have dinner with some friends. That was back in April of 2007. Almost 4 years ago. Back in '09, I drove to KY on a Saturday morning to see some pals of mine in a band from Glasgow, Scotland. I drove back home that same night. My T-Bucket project? It consists of a primered body, sitting atop a frame on jackstands, down in the garage. The few times there have been a few extra dollars that could be spent on the car, there's been no time to work on it. And then I get someone like Bob, who thinks I've naught better to do than play silly games with him and it leaves me wondering why I even bother. I co-admin and moderate enough other sites that I could keep my foot in the door with forum software. I really don't have to operate any sites of my own, they are often more hassle than they are worth anyway. Why should I worry about keeping servers hardened, trying to keep software upgraded, trying to stay atop of possible software problems, trying to stay atop problems like Bob on the sites and trying to make sure I can afford to pay for it all? What's in it for me? What do I get in return for all the time I spend here, trying to make things better?

Screw it, it's time to call it a day. Give me ten more minutes of this stuff and I'll be taking bets on how quickly I can delete a fully functional IPB forum from a server.

 

[Keeper]

This is always tough when it comes to money and the Internet...it usually comes down to "Why should I pay when I can get it for free"

I pay $50 a year to be an "Alliance Member" on the HAMB. Why? Because there is incentive to do so. Namely discounts from suppliers. One order from most any of the sponsors and the $50 is covered and then some. I did not join so I could post pics or have an avatar, I joined for the discounts from the sponsors and the fact that there is a huge amount of info on that site.

I have saved more money from the info/support posted on this site then anywhere else. I would gladly pay a yearly fee, but you have to offer some incentives to get people interested.

You still have those t-shirts everyone screamed for last time? You join up you get a t-shirt. (I still want a coffee mug!!) A little keychain with your username on it...something. Discounts from sponsors 5-10% goes a long way.

 

[benT]

Mike: I for one appreciate all you do here, but I can understand your frustration. I've read through the reply's to your SOTF and thought about it for a while. Here are my rambling thoughts:

Donations: I for one enjoy this site and frequent it more than any other on the net (my girlfriend says I have two addictions--hot rods and the T bucket site). I like that its not a pay site and I feel good when I can contribute financially. I would prefer that this not turn into a "pay" club as it makes is more open to new folks and allows a more free exchange of communication and ideas. I think stepping up for the future is the right idea, but if parties that participate here do not step up financially, it could be trouble. I was very encouraged when I looked the current contributors: many have small post counts which tell me that the a lot of the "lurkers" do see the value in it. Heck, I was a lurker here for a long time before I posted (or to be honest, contributed funds). I like the idea of giving some preferential treatment to contributors to encourage donations, but I can't say for sure what "perks" would do the trick or are available. It doesn't seem like it would take to much for a few more folks to step up and contribute only a few dollars here and there. We all know you're not getting rich on us and the time and aggravation is really not even worth 10 times what gets donated every month.:smashpc:

Sponsorship: what about increasing (slightly) the costs for business sponsorship? I don't mean by much, but as the traffic here increases, so does the traffic on their sites and hopefully business for them. Like most "free" sites on the internet, the advertising pays for it really. I don't think this site is obnoxious with its advertising, as most of it is from venders we support and use. Is there a possibility of adding additional Premium sponsorships? Those are currently $50 each month and all 4 have been sold for quite a while now. Our business for one, would take one of these spots immediately. I know we have discussed sponsorship in the past but a few things have kept us from doing it: 1: This summer was a bit up and down for our business for several reasons, but since then we've been rocking and rolling and we are expanding our services as well as doing some direct selling of coated headers. 2: We feel like the "premium" sponsorship is the only way to go as these are seen on every page on the forum. We'll gladly sign up tomorrow if we can secure one of these spots. PM me if this can happen and I'll get started on the images and payment. I'm really surprised a company such as Speedway hasn't realized the super low cost of advertising to their market on this site. We forum members should take an active role in encouraging new sponsors to come see what's going on here. I bet a few emails here and there would get some good interest. If every active member (posting or lurking) sent an email to a potential sponsor, we could add a few more good businesses to support this site.

Gallery: I'll admit that I do not use the Gallery and have only looked at it a bit. I prefer to link my photos from other sites like PhotoBucket as It is easier and I thought keeps the files off of your server. One of your past posts seem to indicate that this was not the case but I am still not sure. I'm also not sure if I should be sizing the files ever smaller if this is the case... Can you clarify a bit more for me? I'll gladly switch up how I'm posting pics, but I just need to know what is the preferred way. To me if the gallery is really not being used by the members here and its costing extra dollars, then it can be the first thing to go. Its a "perk" that is not necessary for the forums to survive. Most of us can just use external file hosting sites if we want to link to a personal gallery.

Tech Library: there is some good stuff there and I have some great ideas for contributions, but I admit that I've been pretty busy with work projects and home projects. I will make it a priority to get a few of the articles done as it is important. I do think if regular donators get a "perk" the tech library would be a good one. If it does cost a lot extra, and we can't afford it, then it can go too.

I see it as this, if we as a forum (this motley group of like minded t-bucket driven gearheads) cannot pull up our big-boy pants and help support the cost of this site, then we all part ways and do our own thing. Mike can cut the cord altogether. But I think something special has been created here that should not be left to die. To support this place for us to share ideas, ask questions, and be able to guide the next generation of T bucket builders/owners, all of us need to take part financially and try to give what you can when you can. We all have had extra strains on our wallet these last few years, but as have been said, we're talking about the cost of a few cups of coffee, or a lunch out. Its worth it to be able to connect with this diverse and spread out community. And, I suspect deep down, that Mike wants this place to survive and thrive...headaches and all.


:soapbox:

 

[one finger john]

Mike, I feel frustration in every line you put down (including the minor tiff w/Bob). My brother in the head of IT in a large, high end, foreign car dealership here in SoCal I have watched him slowly break down both physically and emotionally from the stress of his job. I can only imagine you have stressed yourself in the same manner as my brother. You need to leave for a while and experience other places and be able to bring back stories of new adventures. Doesn't have to be forever. I feel you need something different. Can you put everything on autopilot for a couple of weeks and just go to your day job? Better yet, a vacation? Maybe a trip overseas. Get out and clear your head. Experience something different. I think you know how to do that, but put lots of things ahead of yourself. There's only one you, so take care of yourself.

PM me if you need a cheering section. John

 

[B.C.]

I have an Idea, Call me 870-425-8000 or I will try to get ahold of you. I have seen what a pay to play club can turn into and realy like the format here. I do under stand there is a cost and it must be paid for.

 

[CrAlt]

I'll go for the yearly deal if thats what everyone wants.


BUT

Mike,

The cold hard facts are on this forum you have 26 members that have over 500 posts that have posted at least once this year. Over at Hot Rodder's Bulletin Board, the membership is 93,293, posting 1,327,719 posts to 178,306 threads. Not to mention 40,912 photos in the gallery. Is this forum's resources taxed so much by those 26 members, that expensive upgrades and larger capacities are needed?

Bob

I am also wondering this too.. Im a member of a few larger sites and they don't have anywhere near the things this site has. Just old school UBB software with no large attachments and no one seems to care. The classifieds are just normal forum area's that you make a new topic for new ad's.

And with google ad's they break even.

The Yamaha V-star site im on is way bigger and its on free-bee Delphi groups.. it looks like its from 1992 and hardly does threads but its very active.

IMO its all about the PEOPLE. Its people that attract more people. A strait up Pay to play is just going to drive off people to some other site and turn of new users because every other site out there is free.

Maybe a tiered membership where payers get to have a sig image and attachments? But free users get to have free rain but no attachments and no fancy sig pics.

 

[railroad]

I looked at making a donation after finding and using the site, but saw it was PayPal, which I do not use. I did not pursue any other means of donating. I would gladly made donations to keep the site up and running. If it is past surviving on donations, I hope a solution is possible. If a better percentage on donations will do, please provide an alternate method of payment and I will do my part.

thanks,

 

[all-world1]

I kinda like raidmagic's idea of the membership and donation combo. It gives the guys, who can't afford the membership, the ability to participate and contribute. I have no problem with the membership fee....the way I see it, for guys that are building buckets, this site is more valuable than all magazine subscriptions combined. Mike, you are doing one heck of a job.

 

[lincolnuT]

Looks like change is in the air.......

 

[Mike]

OK, here's how it plays out from this point forward.

This place is a financial loser. It takes me 20+ hours a week to keep an eye on things, maintain things and upgrade things. Every hour I spend here is an hour I am not spending with contract work. But it is quite safe for me to say I spend between 80 and 100 hours a month here, trying to take care of the place.

On an average month, this site produces $35 of profit. After all the bills get paid, $35 is what is left. And you know what? I might be willing to spend 80 - 100 hours a month on a hobby I enjoy, but this place outgrew the hobby stage several years ago. How many of you can afford to work for 44¢ an hour (at best)? How many of you are even willing to work for 44¢ and hour? For over a year, my accountant has been trying to pound that into my head. And after spending the last day considering things, I now understand what he's been trying to say. The amount of money I can earn in that same number of hours is scary or insane or maybe it's both, but in any instance, I'm not going to be spending as much time around here as I have. Because there is no percentage in it. John Doe registers for this site and is amazed at how much enjoyment he gets from the place. I log in here and am amazed at all the B.S. there is to be dealt with, day in and day out.

People like deckofficer make the mistake of thinking they know what's going on around here, but the bottom line is that most of you have no clue.

It's something always new around here. And it never ends. Someone is having trouble understanding how to start a new topic. Someone is having trouble understanding how to reply to a topic. Someone is having trouble setting up an avatar. Someone thinks there are pictures on a topic, but they can't see them. Someone is having trouble trying to display pictures in their posts. A couple days ago, the system I used for tracking donations pitched a shoe and dumped a regular donating member out of the system, for some unknown reason. Then one day I get an e-mail, letting me know the license for some piece of software is due to expire and needs to be renewed. The host generates an invoice for me at about 2:00 AM, the first of every month, regular as clockwork. As soon as I get the bills all paid, then I start worrying that we might not generate enough revenue to keep the place running when the next round of bills all arrive. Then someone contacts me because they think so and so is being rude and needs to get canned. Then someone can't sort how to fill out a simple registration form and cannot register for the forum. Then someone sends me an e-mail, with their panties all up in a bunch because I won't allow them to register with a restricted e-mail address. Then someone comes along and suggests I add a new bell or whistle to the forum. Then someone gets their nose out of joint and threatens me with a lawsuit because I won't delete their account and all their posts when they get a boo-boo lip and want to stomp out of here. Then someone refuses to hear wise counsel about their rotten behavior on the site and I need to push things to the next level. Then those same assholes end up on another site, lying about what really happened here. Then I get people coming from that site to tell me what those same assholes are saying. Then the spammers develop a way to get around our security and I need to get rid of them before they cause problems. Then a piece of software has a new release and I need to upgrade. But I've modified the files in the original release to make the software work better for everyone, so I have to go back through and edit all the new files to accomplish the same end. And then a software upgrade suddenly has 'new and improved' features that no longer work the way they should. Then someone gets a pissy with me because I won't operate this forum the way some else operates theirs. Then someone pitches a shoe because I have a standard policy of not accepting personal checks. And then that same someone derails a topic set up to ask each one of you how you would like to see your forum proceed. And then the doctor is in my face, asking why my blood pressure is always so high.

Yes, most of that stuff is occurring on this site, on a daily basis.

Are you catching my drift here? If not, I can go on. And on. And on. Because it is always something. And the best I can hope for is to be paid 44¢ an hour for my time? Screw. Me. To. Tears.

So here's what's going to happen, and why.

I've gone through here, trying to eliminate enough deadweight in an effort to jam this site back onto a smaller server. It's just not feasible. I can stop our growth by locking the place down, but having a discussion site where people cannot post or even register to post doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? I'm not going to frustrate myself any further, by trying to come up with solutions to make the site smaller. I've busted my backside for 4+ years to grow this site, not to make it smaller and less appealing. No, I am not going to run the stability and security risks of running open source software. I've always made sure we are running the latest and most secure versions of software, so it would take 12 - 18 months before conversion scripts would become available to convert this site to another software package anyway. Either we are going to carry on as we have since Day One, or I'm going to tumble this place to the ground.

Here's how it's going to work. Or how it's not going to work, but that's entirely up to you. I'm going to move to the larger server option, simply because it is a better financial move for the long run. Yes, it's going to take a lot more money to make it happen, but life's a bitch. Either we'll take on enough donations and keep moving forward, or we won't and the site will simply go away. If you see the donation module is coming up short of the quota on the last day of the month, you are either going to help the site out, or you are going to kiss it good-bye. Your choice, not mine.

We're not going to have forum memberships. It's not going to happen. I'm not turning this site into a bluidy club.

What I am going to do is revise how forum usergroups are set up. Regular forum members are going to lose some of their privileges and donating members are going to gain some new privileges. The people that support the site will enjoy some additional advantages because of their generosity. The people that do not financially support the site will be able to continue using some of the forum features, but in a leaner, stripped-down mode. If that pisses anyone off, too bad about you. I don't like it any more than the next guy, but the fact remains that it takes a cash diet to keep a site like this one alive. No one will be holding a gun to your head, demanding anyone open their wallets. If you don't care enough about the site to support it, then you're not going to enjoy all the perks of those who do. If you simply cannot afford to support the site, you will still be able to use the most basic features of the site. We're not going to run you off, just because you're experiencing some financial difficulties of your own.

I'll be making an announcement within the next 24 hours of what account differences will be like. I'm sure there will be some people upset with the changes. If you are one of those people, do me a favor and keep it to yourself, I'm not getting paid enough to listen to your complaints. No one else visits this site to listen to you piss and moan, so suck it up. You can choose to deal with it or you can choose to move to greener pastures. I give you my word, no one will be forcing you to make either decision.

I don't like being in the position of making difficult decisions like these. But hey, when you see the kind of money this place brings down each month, you can see I'm the one getting the big bucks to make those decisions.

There will be three methods of making donations. There will be no exceptions to these three methods, so don't waste my time by asking, protesting or bitching about it. I am making no observations as to the worthiness of your personal checks, I merely have enough rubber checks sitting in a folder to remind me to never again take a personal check from anyone.

1. The donation module will take you to PayPal, where you can make a donation with a credit/debit card, or by sending funds from your own PayPal account.

2. If you would like to send a cashier's check or money order, PM me for the address and an account number you will need to note on the check, so your donation will be properly recorded..

3. If you would like to send a payment through your banking institution's online bill payment system, PM me for the address and an account number you can supply your bank, so your donation will be properly recorded.

Of the three options, PayPal is the quickest and easiest for both of us. If you are leery of using PayPal, I understand. If you use one of the other payment options, I don't have to cover PayPal's fees on the payment, so there is an advantage to that.

From this point forward, if anyone is experiencing difficulties with the forum, the Library or the Gallery, use the Support tab in the NavBar to submit the issue to the appropriate section of the Bug Tracker. I will require all submissions to include as much pertinent data as possible, in order to diagnose the source of the problem. Try as I might, I cannot read anyone's mind, so you will be sharing the process of diagnosing the problem with me. If you are asked to submit additional information and fail to do that, the issue will be closed on the Tracker.

I'll be working throughout the next few hours, restoring all of the applications to the site. I will then address the issue of determining what options will be given to supporting members and non-supporting members.

This site was designed for adult use. If you come here and act like a child, be prepared to be treated in the same manner. If you come here to make an ass of yourself, be prepared for me to jump right in to help you. If you cannot read, comprehend and remain within the guidelines and rules by which this forum and ALL of its members are governed, be prepared to find yourself on the outside looking in. At 44¢ an hour, I am not going to waste time with people who cannot fit in around here. Instead, I'm going to be dealing with them as quickly and as easily as possible. You read into that whatever you choose. If you think any of this makes me out to be an asshole, you ain't seen nothing, yet. And if you doubt me, then go right ahead and try me.

It's the dawn of a new era around here, people.

 

[railroad]

Mike,

I guess I can take a little "dressing down" as a result of what all you do and put up with. I don't know how far, pats on the back, go with you, but you know when they are for real and when they are B S. I cannot imagine doing the work you do on the site. Thanks for creating a comfortable place to let your hair down and jaw with some good people.

 

[Gerry]

Thats all fine with me.
Do what you need to do. I will be here as long as it running
Gerry

 

[Corley]

Mike,

Looks like you've explored all the options and know what works best for you. We are behind you 100% in whatever direction you take us. I apologize if my probing was just coverring old ground for you, and a thorn in your side. Just like the leader of a ride, you lead and we will follow. I hope you can either find a way to make managing this simpler, or find a way to offload some of the crap details to some of us. (I know that last part is not very likely though!)

Corley

 

[one finger john]

Thats all fine with me.
Do what you need to do. I will be here as long as it running
Gerry

x2

John

 

[Gerry]

hey John
You always pop up when your needed
Gerry

 

[one finger john]

I support this site & Mike completely. Having witnessed the toll that IT work has taken on my brother, I more than understand the rigors and rewards of the job. My offer of support is sincere and will remain an open door. A person can only do what they can do, be whoever they are, live however they want. Any thing less is a waste of that life. And DO listen to your doctor's recommendations. And DO try to get away and experience something different (keeps the brains lubricated). Go back to Scotland, tour the Isles, vaca in RIO !!! Life is too short. Find some one you trust and skip out for a couple of weeks. At the most, take an IPad with you. I don't know why, but an IPad seems to be the perfect "I can't do any work, all I have is an IPad" type of thing. No work allowed ! Take a camera and come back with 200 shots of what you saw and what you did. Or more. If ya gots some money, remember you canna take it with you. Spend some on yourself.
Remember that everyone you meet, no matter how altruistic they are, they are still out to take care of themselves first. Join the crowd. Take care of yourself.

John

 

[Gerry]

Mike
If you decide to come to Scotland and dont contact me I will Haunt you to your grave
Gerry

 

[fordsbyjay]

I guess I am a little late but I figured I would post anyways.

As far as the gallery and the library they would be the first thing I would cut. They are nice but non essential and the reality is that 99% of the people that have a question are going to ask in a thread not search through a library of information.

I am not big fan of having to pay. To me that would drive members away that may still provide good tech.

I have been a supporter and it is a new year so I will wait to see the new levels and react accordingly. I like the multi level deal to accommodate people with different financial priorities.

 

[hulkamania]

OK, here's how it plays out from this point forward.

This place is a financial loser. It takes me 20+ hours a week to keep an eye on things, maintain things and upgrade things. Every hour I spend here is an hour I am not spending with contract work. But it is quite safe for me to say I spend between 80 and 100 hours a month here, trying to take care of the place.

On an average month, this site produces $35 of profit. After all the bills get paid, $35 is what is left. And you know what? I might be willing to spend 80 - 100 hours a month on a hobby I enjoy, but this place outgrew the hobby stage several years ago. How many of you can afford to work for 44¢ an hour (at best)? How many of you are even willing to work for 44¢ and hour? For over a year, my accountant has been trying to pound that into my head. And after spending the last day considering things, I now understand what he's been trying to say. The amount of money I can earn in that same number of hours is scary or insane or maybe it's both, but in any instance, I'm not going to be spending as much time around here as I have. Because there is no percentage in it. John Doe registers for this site and is amazed at how much enjoyment he gets from the place. I log in here and am amazed at all the B.S. there is to be dealt with, day in and day out.

People like deckofficer make the mistake of thinking they know what's going on around here, but the bottom line is that most of you have no clue.

It's something always new around here. And it never ends. Someone is having trouble understanding how to start a new topic. Someone is having trouble understanding how to reply to a topic. Someone is having trouble setting up an avatar. Someone thinks there are pictures on a topic, but they can't see them. Someone is having trouble trying to display pictures in their posts. A couple days ago, the system I used for tracking donations pitched a shoe and dumped a regular donating member out of the system, for some unknown reason. Then one day I get an e-mail, letting me know the license for some piece of software is due to expire and needs to be renewed. The host generates an invoice for me at about 2:00 AM, the first of every month, regular as clockwork. As soon as I get the bills all paid, then I start worrying that we might not generate enough revenue to keep the place running when the next round of bills all arrive. Then someone contacts me because they think so and so is being rude and needs to get canned. Then someone can't sort how to fill out a simple registration form and cannot register for the forum. Then someone sends me an e-mail, with their panties all up in a bunch because I won't allow them to register with a restricted e-mail address. Then someone comes along and suggests I add a new bell or whistle to the forum. Then someone gets their nose out of joint and threatens me with a lawsuit because I won't delete their account and all their posts when they get a boo-boo lip and want to stomp out of here. Then someone refuses to hear wise counsel about their rotten behavior on the site and I need to push things to the next level. Then those same assholes end up on another site, lying about what really happened here. Then I get people coming from that site to tell me what those same assholes are saying. Then the spammers develop a way to get around our security and I need to get rid of them before they cause problems. Then a piece of software has a new release and I need to upgrade. But I've modified the files in the original release to make the software work better for everyone, so I have to go back through and edit all the new files to accomplish the same end. And then a software upgrade suddenly has 'new and improved' features that no longer work the way they should. Then someone gets a pissy with me because I won't operate this forum the way some else operates theirs. Then someone pitches a shoe because I have a standard policy of not accepting personal checks. And then that same someone derails a topic set up to ask each one of you how you would like to see your forum proceed. And then the doctor is in my face, asking why my blood pressure is always so high.

Yes, most of that stuff is occurring on this site, on a daily basis.

Are you catching my drift here? If not, I can go on. And on. And on. Because it is always something. And the best I can hope for is to be paid 44¢ an hour for my time? Screw. Me. To. Tears.

So here's what's going to happen, and why.

I've gone through here, trying to eliminate enough deadweight in an effort to jam this site back onto a smaller server. It's just not feasible. I can stop our growth by locking the place down, but having a discussion site where people cannot post or even register to post doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? I'm not going to frustrate myself any further, by trying to come up with solutions to make the site smaller. I've busted my backside for 4+ years to grow this site, not to make it smaller and less appealing. No, I am not going to run the stability and security risks of running open source software. I've always made sure we are running the latest and most secure versions of software, so it would take 12 - 18 months before conversion scripts would become available to convert this site to another software package anyway. Either we are going to carry on as we have since Day One, or I'm going to tumble this place to the ground.

Here's how it's going to work. Or how it's not going to work, but that's entirely up to you. I'm going to move to the larger server option, simply because it is a better financial move for the long run. Yes, it's going to take a lot more money to make it happen, but life's a bitch. Either we'll take on enough donations and keep moving forward, or we won't and the site will simply go away. If you see the donation module is coming up short of the quota on the last day of the month, you are either going to help the site out, or you are going to kiss it good-bye. Your choice, not mine.

We're not going to have forum memberships. It's not going to happen. I'm not turning this site into a bluidy club.

What I am going to do is revise how forum usergroups are set up. Regular forum members are going to lose some of their privileges and donating members are going to gain some new privileges. The people that support the site will enjoy some additional advantages because of their generosity. The people that do not financially support the site will be able to continue using some of the forum features, but in a leaner, stripped-down mode. If that pisses anyone off, too bad about you. I don't like it any more than the next guy, but the fact remains that it takes a cash diet to keep a site like this one alive. No one will be holding a gun to your head, demanding anyone open their wallets. If you don't care enough about the site to support it, then you're not going to enjoy all the perks of those who do. If you simply cannot afford to support the site, you will still be able to use the most basic features of the site. We're not going to run you off, just because you're experiencing some financial difficulties of your own.

I'll be making an announcement within the next 24 hours of what account differences will be like. I'm sure there will be some people upset with the changes. If you are one of those people, do me a favor and keep it to yourself, I'm not getting paid enough to listen to your complaints. No one else visits this site to listen to you piss and moan, so suck it up. You can choose to deal with it or you can choose to move to greener pastures. I give you my word, no one will be forcing you to make either decision.

I don't like being in the position of making difficult decisions like these. But hey, when you see the kind of money this place brings down each month, you can see I'm the one getting the big bucks to make those decisions.

There will be three methods of making donations. There will be no exceptions to these three methods, so don't waste my time by asking, protesting or bitching about it. I am making no observations as to the worthiness of your personal checks, I merely have enough rubber checks sitting in a folder to remind me to never again take a personal check from anyone.

1. The donation module will take you to PayPal, where you can make a donation with a credit/debit card, or by sending funds from your own PayPal account.

2. If you would like to send a cashier's check or money order, PM me for the address and an account number you will need to note on the check, so your donation will be properly recorded..

3. If you would like to send a payment through your banking institution's online bill payment system, PM me for the address and an account number you can supply your bank, so your donation will be properly recorded.

Of the three options, PayPal is the quickest and easiest for both of us. If you are leery of using PayPal, I understand. If you use one of the other payment options, I don't have to cover PayPal's fees on the payment, so there is an advantage to that.

From this point forward, if anyone is experiencing difficulties with the forum, the Library or the Gallery, use the Support tab in the NavBar to submit the issue to the appropriate section of the Bug Tracker. I will require all submissions to include as much pertinent data as possible, in order to diagnose the source of the problem. Try as I might, I cannot read anyone's mind, so you will be sharing the process of diagnosing the problem with me. If you are asked to submit additional information and fail to do that, the issue will be closed on the Tracker.

I'll be working throughout the next few hours, restoring all of the applications to the site. I will then address the issue of determining what options will be given to supporting members and non-supporting members.

This site was designed for adult use. If you come here and act like a child, be prepared to be treated in the same manner. If you come here to make an ass of yourself, be prepared for me to jump right in to help you. If you cannot read, comprehend and remain within the guidelines and rules by which this forum and ALL of its members are governed, be prepared to find yourself on the outside looking in. At 44¢ an hour, I am not going to waste time with people who cannot fit in around here. Instead, I'm going to be dealing with them as quickly and as easily as possible. You read into that whatever you choose. If you think any of this makes me out to be an asshole, you ain't seen nothing, yet. And if you doubt me, then go right ahead and try me.

It's the dawn of a new era around here, people.

Mike..please check your inbox.

 

[all-world1]

Mike, hats off to you. A good solid decision with absolutely no political correctness...I love it!!! If only our meatless politicians could do the same as you, this would be a better place to live. Count me in.