But I generally dislike both the 'pressure to join' and the resulting elitism that sort of thing usually brings. I'm much happier with anonymous donations.
Well, there goes my burning desire to have a diamond encrusted $ sign for my avatar thanks to Mr. Humility over here!
Black lives matter!
Wise words of warning from Smoove B: Oh, how you all laughed when I warned you about the semen. Well, who's laughing now?
$iljanus wrote: ↑Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:23 pm
Well, there goes my burning desire to have a diamond encrusted $ sign for my avatar thanks to Mr. Humility over here!
$iljanus wrote: ↑Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:23 pm
Well, there goes my burning desire to have a diamond encrusted $ sign for my avatar thanks to Mr. Humility over here!
LOL...(hmmmm, that could work actually)
Edit: And to live up to my new avatar courtesy of Blackhawk I threw in some funny money Canadian dollars into the pot. Hope it helps!
Black lives matter!
Wise words of warning from Smoove B: Oh, how you all laughed when I warned you about the semen. Well, who's laughing now?
Ohhh... I want bling too.... Maybe like a nice shrubery...
Difficulties mastered are opportunities won. - Winston Churchill
Sheesh, this is one small box. Thankfully, everything's packed in nicely this time. Not too tight nor too loose (someone's sig in 3, 2, ...). - Hepcat
I thought the previous idea about having a specific forum for shilling Amazon goods with links. That should satisfy their requirements, no?
We already have several threads that discuss products, so it would be pretty easy to just add links and a disclaimer (you have to have this in a visible place) that OO may receive a commission on any purchases made from linked products.
Maybe, but it isn't going to be practical (or really even desirable) to come here and link every single item we buy before purchasing it. Not only would it be an extreme pain, it wouldn't exactly be private. And I have a feeling that the majority of income OO got through Amazon came through tons of routine purchases rather single games/food processors/books. We might be able to bring back a trickle that way, but not the kind we had when people put their entire shopping cart full of office supplies and household goods through the link.
Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Sep 10, 2018 9:46 pm
Maybe, but it isn't going to be practical (or really even desirable) to come here and link every single item we buy before purchasing it. Not only would it be an extreme pain, it wouldn't exactly be private. And I have a feeling that the majority of income OO got through Amazon came through tons of routine purchases rather single games/food processors/books. We might be able to bring back a trickle that way, but not the kind we had when people put their entire shopping cart full of office supplies and household goods through the link.
Sorry, was not clear. I simply meant that we could use links to Amazon for the stuff we already talk about, and have threads for (which there are)...not to create a thread or even post a reply with links before you buy something.
I created a thread a while back about cool shit I was into or buying, house stuff, etc. There were quite a few products mentioned in that thread that could be purchased on Amazon, as one example. Remove the link up top, and make product links for things we are already talking about. Bam! Back within the TOS rules for Amazon affiliates.
That's why I was suggesting (I don't know if it's technically possible) to run a script that crawls our forums and then pulls out things we've linked to and deposits them on a front page for OO. It would add a blog entry (or whatever) with the Amazon link, a picture and maybe of blurb of "see what people are talking about..."
So it would be a curated list of posts that feature product mentions, pumped to a front page (of sorts) that faces outward for Amazon to see and (theoretically) attracts buyers.
Smoove_B wrote: ↑Mon Sep 10, 2018 10:29 pm
That's why I was suggesting (I don't know if it's technically possible) to run a script that crawls our forums and then pulls out things we've linked to and deposits them on a front page for OO. It would add a blog entry (or whatever) with the Amazon link, a picture and maybe of blurb of "see what people are talking about..."
So it would be a curated list of posts that feature product mentions, pumped to a front page (of sorts) that faces outward for Amazon to see and (theoretically) attracts buyers.
I'm not sure you would even need to pull the links and put them on a page front and center to satisfy the Amazon TOS. AFAIK, you just need to have that disclaimer on the front page, and visible, saying that "this site might receive commission on any links you click to Amazon" or something similar. The product links can be buried within the content, no problem.
Just scanned the recent threads which contain products, where this idea would work (and many of them contain multiple product recommendations):
Talk to me about vacs
Under-desk bikes
Amazon Prime (TONS of products listed in this one)
Book threads
Music threads
Kindle Daily Deals thread (I bet this one would pay for the annual sub alone)
I've been looking for something like this
Oh, ok. I don't actually know what the TOS are. I don't mind chipping in to a PP account, but if there's still some way to skim money from referral links, I don't think that should be completely ruled out.
Moat_Man wrote:
Thu Jul 26, 2018 6:17 pm
I can never remember to use the Amazon.ca link so I set up a monthly $5 donation through Paypal. Please let me know when you see it come through in the next few days so I know it's working. I hope it helps. Thanks.
Moat
I'd like to state for the record that I am prescient. Now I don't have to do anything during this crisis except say... suck it Amazon.
P.S. While my initial donation was intended to be anomomous (thanks Trump!), I am brazenly patting myself on the back while simultaneously telling you, dear reader, that it's very easy to click on the PayPal donation link above and set something up. At $5/month we need... 20 people? to get... carry the 4... Most of the monies that we need... per month. Yeah... Math...
Quite a few donations coming in, appreciate it folks. I'll start a counter in the banner on progress for the year vs costs for the year so people are aware. I don't mind making up the difference if there is one, and I bought that month with OVH so I can deal with personal stuff this side and not stress over the deadline to move.
As for Viglink etc, Amazon said in their termination email "This is not up for appeal. You must remove all Amazon branding, and links. Any future accounts you open with Amazon (I'm assuming affiliate accounts) will be closed immediately". Dicks.
Holy crap OO, just started going through email and plugging this stuff into a spreadsheet to track it all - some serious generosity here. Factoring in exchange rates, monthly donation setups and one time inputs - we are currently sitting at $1037 Canadian funds for the next 12 months.
Rough costs on SoYouStart (if we move there) - similar hardware config (same data center, older hardware that goes to this tier from OVH) and half the bandwidth (not really an issue for us) the cost for the year approximately is $1020 Canadian. If we stay at OVH on this server, the costs are $1800 Canadian.
I'm going to look at what it would take to migrate, but no matter which way we go you folks are pretty amazing. There were many donations (some very large, some small and recurring - it all adds up). Any extras we will figure out a way to give back to the community.
Would it be too much of a pain to start up a regular 'State of OO Finances' check-in? Maybe quarterly, if monthly is too much?
It'd be nice to see something like:
We currently have X monthly donation subscriptions.
At X subscriptions, we would need $Y/month from each to keep afloat
We have enough reserves to keep the lights on for Z months.
Or at the very least, it'd be nice to have some kind of 'suggested donation' for the monthly subscription.
FishPants wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:29 am
As for Viglink etc, Amazon said in their termination email "This is not up for appeal. You must remove all Amazon branding, and links. Any future accounts you open with Amazon (I'm assuming affiliate accounts) will be closed immediately". Dicks.
Too bad the Octopus Overlords had to die, but I'm sure the Cephalopod Czars will be just as welcoming.
wonderpug wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:19 am
Would it be too much of a pain to start up a regular 'State of OO Finances' check-in? Maybe quarterly, if monthly is too much?
From what I understand, GreenGoo is really good with reporting financials and loves keeping track of this stuff.
Also, that's crazy about the Amazon notification. It seems...draconian.
wonderpug wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:19 am
Would it be too much of a pain to start up a regular 'State of OO Finances' check-in? Maybe quarterly, if monthly is too much?
From what I understand, GreenGoo is really good with reporting financials and loves keeping track of this stuff.
He's too busy posting - maybe his wife could help out?
wonderpug wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:19 am
Would it be too much of a pain to start up a regular 'State of OO Finances' check-in? Maybe quarterly, if monthly is too much?
It'd be nice to see something like:
We currently have X monthly donation subscriptions.
At X subscriptions, we would need $Y/month from each to keep afloat
We have enough reserves to keep the lights on for Z months.
Or at the very least, it'd be nice to have some kind of 'suggested donation' for the monthly subscription.
That is the one benefit of a Patreon link - you see how close you are to the monthly goal and how many supporters you have.
It doesn't have to be anywhere near as elaborate as this one, but it gives you the gist if you haven't seen one before.
wonderpug wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:19 am
Would it be too much of a pain to start up a regular 'State of OO Finances' check-in? Maybe quarterly, if monthly is too much?
It'd be nice to see something like:
We currently have X monthly donation subscriptions.
At X subscriptions, we would need $Y/month from each to keep afloat
We have enough reserves to keep the lights on for Z months.
Or at the very least, it'd be nice to have some kind of 'suggested donation' for the monthly subscription.
I really like this idea. OO has become everyone's baby. We're here and we're willing, but we have to know what's needed!
FishPants wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:29 am
As for Viglink etc, Amazon said in their termination email "This is not up for appeal. You must remove all Amazon branding, and links. Any future accounts you open with Amazon (I'm assuming affiliate accounts) will be closed immediately". Dicks.
Too bad the Octopus Overlords had to die, but I'm sure the Cephalopod Czars will be just as welcoming.
wonderpug wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 10:19 am
Would it be too much of a pain to start up a regular 'State of OO Finances' check-in? Maybe quarterly, if monthly is too much?
It'd be nice to see something like:
We currently have X monthly donation subscriptions.
At X subscriptions, we would need $Y/month from each to keep afloat
We have enough reserves to keep the lights on for Z months.
Or at the very least, it'd be nice to have some kind of 'suggested donation' for the monthly subscription.
No I don't think that's unreasonable at all; I could probably just put the current amount vs hosting costs in the header where the amazon link used to be?
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FishPants wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:29 am
As for Viglink etc, Amazon said in their termination email "This is not up for appeal. You must remove all Amazon branding, and links. Any future accounts you open with Amazon (I'm assuming affiliate accounts) will be closed immediately". Dicks.
Too bad the Octopus Overlords had to die, but I'm sure the Cephalopod Czars will be just as welcoming.
What are the advantages of $1037 per annum Canadian over a "shared hosting" or "VPS" site?
Looking around as someone who's ignorant, dedicated server hosting for php seems to be on par with what you're paying but I'm sure you already knew that.
LordMortis wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 2:19 pm
I'm none too smart on the needs for hosting our forum, but what of the recommendations from PHP themselves?
What are the advantages of $1037 per annum Canadian over a "shared hosting" or "VPS" site?
Looking around as someone who's ignorant, dedicated server hosting for php seems to be on par with what you're paying but I'm sure you already knew that.
It's interesting to poke around, even if I have no idea what I'm looking at.
We had a VPS back in the day, and it couldn't keep up with the database size (seriously, you guys are prolific). Dedicated server meant we weren't being slowed down (a la the days of click submit and wait 10 seconds, or if people were impatient with multiple clicks = multiple posts). Then I went with a discount hosting provider that absconded with our server and took off in the middle of the night, and that's how we landed at OVH -- it's a big company that isn't in the habit of screwing their customers over.
We will see where we land donation wise, but I may throw in the difference and keep it where it is - the OVH monitoring/instant support is good when a piece of hardware craps out. SoYouStart would have more delays on repair, and I think the automated monitoring is less -- I'll need to send them an email and understand what the actual differences are in environments (vs older hardware and half the bandwidth).
Moat_Man wrote: ↑Tue Sep 11, 2018 2:14 pm
Doesn't Patreon take a percentage? How is it compared to Paypal?
I don't know how Paypal works, but Patreon takes 5% and transaction fees average 5%, so the site would get 90%. (Scroll down about half way.) The benefit is the automated accounting and you can contribute as little as $1/month.
I'm not pushing it or anything, just offering options that I've heard of.
Bah that sucks, but I will definitely consider a donation if that's what it takes. I guess back to TNC/Amazon Smile for my Amazon purchases. At least I used it fairly recently for OO.
My blog (mostly photos): Fort Ephemera - My Flickr Photostream
“You only get one sunrise and one sunset a day, and you only get so many days on the planet. A good photographer does the math and doesn’t waste either.” ―Galen Rowell
I am incompetent and can’t find the PayPal details to send some cash OO’s way. Can somebody point me to a link?
I forgot to call it "a box of pure malevolent evil, a purveyor of
insidious insanity, an eldritch manifestation that would make Bill
Gates let out a low whistle of admiration," but it's all those, too.
-- David Gerard, Re: [Mediawiki-l] Wikitext grammar, 2010.08.06