Forum users - Would you mind ?

[Cookie]

As a "thank you" to those that provide this forum for us would you be willing to donate 50p, £1 or £2 or more to help those that do a sterling job in providing this to us to help with the continuation of it.

If you have already donated,many thanks,but if you haven't or would like to again,or you find it hard to do so via credit card, but would like to help via a small cash donation,no matter how small,a collection bucket will be situated by the turnstiles as you enter the ground on Saturday v Heybridge Swifts so that we can do our bit to help sustain this magnificent forum.I believe the costs of running this(& other forums)are growing each day & if we can do something to help then I think we should make an effort..

I'm sure it will be welcomed & appreciated by those that provide this service for us. Many many thanks! Lets stay "focus"ed!

[knighty101]

id rather money was collected for the club, the running costs of a forum are less than a night in the pub.

 

[TonyM]

Well thats the first reply,I think its a NICE gesture?.We all use this fourm and somtimes when it has a problem we all feel somewhat lost without it,its free,yes you can use it but there is always somebody running it,making it work for the likes of us.I would gladley donate to this,and Legend maybe you should PM Ian and ask him just how much it costs to keep this fourm going for the likes of us...NICE post COOKIE.

[Dave Dixon]

I will put in on saturday.

It feels like my right arm has been chopped off when it is down.

[TonyM]

Nice one Dave.

[Ian_Sanderson]

there is a link on this page left hand side which enables you to make a donation to the site

[Cookie]

Thank you Ian.Very helpful of you to point that out..Thats one of the reasons for having this thread.For those that don't have a credit card,or cant or prefer not to,or like myself never get around to it via the link.I think most ARE aware of the link(hence the initial post containing the words "if you have already donated,many thanks"), but some people may NOT have been aware of it its true so many thanks for being helpful on this occasion.

Generally people will not give it a second thought but a few coppers here & there in a bucket on entering the ground both makes things simpler & more convenient to people..Its not expected to raise mega-money but anything we can get will be helpful & would at least show we are appreciative.It will be a one-off so anything we can give Ian W,who works extremely hard on our behalves would be extremely welcomed I'm sure.

Incidentally I was asked to start a thread on this(not by anyone who runs the site,might I add).It wasn't my idea but having thought about it I agree it would be a good gesture.

I am shameful to admit to not having made a donation previously but just this once at I can at least put a few of quid in the bucket to show my appreciation & it will certainly make me feel better at the same time knowing that I have contributed,albeit it in some small way.

Its purely up to the individual as to whether they give or not & no-one will think the worst of anyone if they cant afford a small donation on this occasion.As you say Ian there is still the link you mention that can be used on other occasions.

[TonyM]

Yes Ian we know,but it would be nice if the GATE fans could club together and make a donation from the MARGATE fans,dont worry we dont include you in this.

[Rob_Butler]

Always trying to make a cheap dig, you should be ashamed.

[Bitch]

Dig deeper and put 50p in

[Gringo]

Get rid of the two Ramsgate divs and i will make a donation.

[djw]

Does a percentage go to the mods (joke)

[Gringo]

No sorry your to friendly with Butler. lol

[djw]

Thats right gringo. You have got to be two faced to be a mod !

[Hornet]

I'll donate-love this (our) forum. Kept me sane on many an occasion-and driven me insane on many an occasion.

It's a comfort zone-just think if wasn't here and how much we'd miss it.

[AncientBlue]

Originally Posted By: Hornet

I'll donate-love this (our) forum. Kept me sane on many an occasion-and driven me insane on many an occasion.
It's a comfort zone-just think if wasn't here and how much we'd miss it.

Well spoken Hornet. I'll donate as well.

[knighty101]

Originally Posted By: TonyM

and Legend maybe you should PM Ian and ask him just how much it costs to keep this fourm going for the likes of us...NICE post COOKIE.

the cost of running a forum is the same as the cost of running a normal website like www.margate-fc.com no more than 49 pound a year for unlimited bandwidth. with a mysql, asp server with php shtml etc.

only yesterday i created a E-commerce business case for total costs of a websites build, the main cost for them was out sourcing the website build. aka the man hours.

now i do agree running a site like this is not easy because of the sheer scale, and the man hours must be fairly high, but id still rather cash went to the club.

[Cookie]

Its O.K Legend.You have your own thoughts on the subject & thats fair enough.I had heard that a "loss" was being made,(substantially more than you mention might I add)hence the highlighting of donations.I personally don't have a clue as to how much it costs.

We help the club as much as we can also.However this is a one off & a goodwill gesture too.Its your choice where you donate,& quite rightly too that YOU decide where your money goes.No-ones going to think any less of you if you decide not to give I promise.Well I wont anyway.Theres no obligation to donate by anyone! Don't feel you are being pressured into anything because thats not the way it is.

If we collect a few quid then it will great but the donation will have been from the "gate fans" regardless of who donates & who dosen't.

If we fail to make any money then at least we made the effort.

 

[Jeff Trice]

Legend's figure sounds about right to me - at least from what my accountant's tell me...

[Ian_W]

Guys - I appreciate this thank you.

 

Legend - if you can find me hosting at £49 per year that will run this site then please send me the link! I will share it in turn with many other large forums who would love such a deal

 

The site would crawl on a server that had hundreds if not thousands of other sites on it. There is no such thing as unlimited anything - if a site used too much bandwidth you would be asked to leave the server - you also cannot have control to install scripts that are essential for speed and functionality. In the small text you will find a get out clause that if your site affects others - i.e. slowed anyone else down you will be asked to go elsewhere.

 

I currently pay between $400 and $600 per month (it can vary due to variable costs) - this is a high powered dedicated server, with ample memory, raid hard disks etc. - so that it can cope with 500+ people online at any one time (note our highest was almost 1,000 people on within a 30 minute period) - it also means we can expand and deal with all peaks.

 

Associated costs are software (licences to be renewed yearly), 24 hour maintenance of the server etc...

 

As you know we get people getting desperate if the site is down for 5 minutes - on shared hosting it just would not survive.

 

I hope that answers some of your questions - if you have any queries or can suggest ways for me to save money please PM me

 

Of course I do not include the time of myself and others