Consider Helping out

[Synergy Forge]

Hello all, I don’t venture out of my thread much, preferring to keep a low profile, but I would like to ask all of the customers here if they would consider donating 5 dollars to the site every time they have a successful order. I realize that not everyone can do it and there are some that won’t do it, but the guys that run this site vet every source here rigorously for your protection. They also monitor continued behavior to continue those protections. So we all benefit in some way, is it worth 5 bucks a cycle?

Recently the site went down because of some fees that weren’t paid. It was only down about 30 minutes I believe but I got more than a few emails from customers making sure everything was OK. I spoke with @“CaptainAmerica” and found out that there was no funds for the site and that breaks my heart. So I have reached out to all the sources and asked them to give a little every month, just as I am asking the customers. No funds go in their pockets, it is 100% used for administrative purposes.

We are all a band of brothers and sisters here sharing a common benefit. Lets make sure the site stays up, as well as up to date and impervious of hackers> Please give a shout out below if you are willing. And the next time you make an order ask your source: Are you giving back to our community?

 

[CR1970]

I had just made a comment that I should probably start donating. Very reasonable request and will do so once I reload some BTC. Honestly, I thought it was mandatory for src’s.

 

[TSEliot]

Excellent topic. Without SST we have to source from sketchy folks. We are really on the amazon prime of steroids, it’s only fitting to contribute.

 

[Heavyweightmover]

Donated. Hate to admit but my first time since it started. Without y’all I’d have to read through the crazy rants on meso to find a decent review.

 

[Synergy Forge]

CR1970" pid='82539' dateline='1582337489:

I had just made a comment that I should probably start donating. Very reasonable request and will do so once I reload some BTC. Honestly, I thought it was mandatory for src’s.

We are not required to pay them a single dollar. As I understand it the site is run on a shoestring budget. It’s funny how we with so little can do so much!

---

TSEliot" pid='82541' dateline='1582337987:

Excellent topic. Without SST we have to source from sketchy folks. We are really on the amazon prime of steroids, it’s only fitting to contribute.

Collectively we all receive great benefits, it’s wonderful to see that the idea is so well received.

---

Heavyweightmover" pid='82543' dateline='1582338251:

Donated. Hate to admit but my first time since it started. Without y’all I’d have to read through the crazy rants on meso to find a decent review.

That is amazing!

 

[Bluesec]

SF has discussed this with us prior to this post and we do sign-off on this and the consideration of the idea.

 

[Truckertrash]

Had less than $5 left in a wallet. I sent what was in it and will send more when I re-up.

 

[Vinyard14]

This is an awesome idea. I’ve always taken this site for granted and never really thought about what goes on behind the scenes to keep it running.

Donated now and will absolutely continue doing so with every order.

 

[ForgotMuhName]

I don’t want to sound like a selfish prick but it’s gonna come off this way to some people who read my comment:

Why not have verified sources pitch in on this as well? It’s part of how some other forums stay afloat and even just 1% of sales donated to the site from each source would probably be more than the cumulative donations from end-users combined. I’m not trying to relieve users of footing the bill, but it would make a bit of sense if, on top of user donations, sources sent a bit of money toward the site as well.

Let’s be reasonable: Very few users here will donate anything. Most are probably barely even spending 500 bucks a year on this stuff and that may even be a stretch for them to budget. I’m sure we have some wealthy folks around here who can afford thousands a year in gear or more and to them a donation isn’t going to even budge their bank account but the majority of users aren’t running much and likely don’t want to or can’t spend anything additional.

To build upon the concept of sources handling the bulk of donations, it could easily be covered by simply increasing prices by a % equivalent to the % to be donated. So if you’re going to donate 1% of your sales, just increase prices by 1%. This will be barely noticeable to users and then that small amount they’re paying extra will end up going right to the servers thus unintentionally causing them to donate money to site upkeep.

Last alternative I could think of is having people pay to access the forum but that would be like a last resort in the event that nobody is donating anything at all and I would hope it doesn’t get to that point.

 

[Synergy Forge]

ForgotMuhName" pid='82563' dateline='1582358455:

I don’t want to sound like a selfish prick but it’s gonna come off this way to some people who read my comment:

Why not have verified sources pitch in on this as well? It’s part of how some other forums stay afloat and even just 1% of sales donated to the site from each source would probably be more than the cumulative donations from end-users combined. I’m not trying to relieve users of footing the bill, but it would make a bit of sense if, on top of user donations, sources sent a bit of money toward the site as well.

Let’s be reasonable: Very few users here will donate anything. Most are probably barely even spending 500 bucks a year on this stuff and that may even be a stretch for them to budget. I’m sure we have some wealthy folks around here who can afford thousands a year in gear or more and to them a donation isn’t going to even budge their bank account but the majority of users aren’t running much and likely don’t want to or can’t spend anything additional.

To build upon the concept of sources handling the bulk of donations, it could easily be covered by simply increasing prices by a % equivalent to the % to be donated. So if you’re going to donate 1% of your sales, just increase prices by 1%. This will be barely noticeable to users and then that small amount they’re paying extra will end up going right to the servers thus unintentionally causing them to donate money to site upkeep.

Last alternative I could think of is having people pay to access the forum but that would be like a last resort in the event that nobody is donating anything at all and I would hope it doesn’t get to that point.

No sir, you don’t sound like a selfish prick. I understand where you are coming from. I have reached out to ALL the sources on this board, verified or not, and asked them to do a little something on a recurring basis. I asked for a bit more substantial donation than 5 dollars. I am nobody to be soliciting donations, just a source that benefits from a community and is compelled to be vocal about trying to help. If everyone that benefited from this tight community that we have, donated a little something once in a while, we could have an incredible site with tons of options for pictures, communication, as well as research. I’m not complaining about what we have now but you have to consider this site was thrown up at the last second in haste so that we COULD have a continued community after /r. I love it and think they did a great job with what they had to work with. Now lets take it to the next level! Moreover, what incentive does the admin have for continuing the site? He doesn’t make money on it and it costs him time and money. I don’t want to lose what we have, there is no other site on the internet like ours. So I am advocating on their behalf for support.

If you can’t swing 5 bucks then that’s cool, no harm. But for those that can it would go a long ways. I’ll continue to work on the sources to donate, and yes I agree that they should carry the lion’s share, but it never hurts to ask everyone since we all benefit. Thank you for your response, that in and of itself helps. And don’t forget to ask your source when you order if they have donated recently!

 

[appropionate]

TSEliot" pid='82541' dateline='1582337987:

Excellent topic. Without SST we have to source from sketchy folks. We are really on the amazon prime of steroids, it’s only fitting to contribute.

Don’t mean to put down SST but >90% of the good sources from here are present on other gear boards as well - there’s no reason to consider SST more/less sketchy than other places.

What’s unique about SST is the low amount of noise making it easier to find the good posts with good grammar by good posters

 

[CR1970]

You seem to be a good and very business oriented man Synergy. I for one really enjoy our handful of solid and proven src’s. A lot of guys won’t admit to having ever been “taken” due to pride or embarrassment but I damn sure have and more than once. The excellence that these handful of src’s provide along with the screening and discretion that the mods use in determining such make this a board that needs to be nurtured by its consumers as well as providers and one that only a seasoned consumer having experienced both good and bad along the way can truly appreciate. Reoccurring donations will not only relieve administration of its burden but taking the board to new heights with the same privacy/protection to both vendor and consumer that only the mods and technology can provide. You’ve got my participation.

 

[appropionate]

CR1970" pid='82583' dateline='1582384619:

The excellence that these handful of src’s provide along with the screening and discretion that the mods use

I’m wondering if you’re new here because there have been plenty of source scams/disappearances like on any other source board - which nothing short of omniscience/future sight on behalf of the mods could realistically prevent.

 

[Thatsalongwalk]

Sent what I could right now…love the page

 

[Synergy Forge]

CR1970" pid='82583' dateline='1582384619:

You seem to be a good and very business oriented man Synergy. I for one really enjoy our handful of solid and proven src’s. A lot of guys won’t admit to having ever been “taken” due to pride or embarrassment but I damn sure have and more than once. The excellence that these handful of src’s provide along with the screening and discretion that the mods use in determining such make this a board that needs to be nurtured by its consumers as well as providers and one that only a seasoned consumer having experienced both good and bad along the way can truly appreciate. Reoccurring donations will not only relieve administration of its burden but taking the board to new heights with the same privacy/protection to both vendor and consumer that only the mods and technology can provide. You’ve got my participation.

Thank you sir, I do try to conduct myself with a note of professionalism while remaining humble. I’ve been taught my whole life that if you take care of the people then the money will take care of itself. That is all I’m trying to do here, help take care of the community. I feel that there is substantial growth opportunity, both quantitatively and qualitatively. We can add new users and and increase our collective knowledge, as well as features to enhance that wisdom. We are are seeing sources already jumping on board. Big thanks to @“ExpressPCT” for his support already. I feel honored to be among such great and generous people.

 

[CR1970]

appropionate" pid='82606' dateline='1582398722:

CR1970" pid='82583' dateline='1582384619:

The excellence that these handful of src’s provide along with the screening and discretion that the mods use

I’m wondering if you’re new here because there have been plenty of source scams/disappearances like on any other source board - which nothing short of omniscience/future sight on behalf of the mods could realistically prevent.

Yeah I’m new and no doubt you’ve seen it all here. As a newb, the site does make a good impression with only a handful of src’s with only a handful of complaints (that I have seen) I know that a src can exit at anytime and will just as I’ve witnessed on the larger board that I left. It is however a nice little corner to try to keep alive and protect from an end user standpoint while hoping the solid src’s remain. I agree with you, and there’s always gonna be room for debate, but as Synergy stated, right now it’s about staying alive so in that a few bucks here and there for donation is nothing really.

 

[appropionate]

how much does hosting a low traffic barebones forum like this actually cost per month? I naively assumed it would be 10-50$ per month maximum

 

[Ishitrainbows]

Thanks for reminding us of this Syn. I placed an order with you on Friday so donated when I saw your post this morning.

This has to be one of the friendliest, low drama and helpful boards out there. We also have a whole raft of good quality sources with very good and open working relationships. Thanks to the mods for the work you do for us behind the scenes, long may it continue

 

[Synergy Forge]

appropionate" pid='82678' dateline='1582461681:

how much does hosting a low traffic barebones forum like this actually cost per month? I naively assumed it would be 10-50$ per month maximum

A lot of the cost is relative to the amount of traffic that the site gets, the content that takes up disk space, how many emails are associated, whether it is on a shared vs dedicated server, as well as the required operating system of the host server. Additionally, there is obfuscation costs, anonymous hosting fees in addition to normal hosting costs, domain registration and lease, as well as maintenance and backup. These costs are not exhaustive, merely what I could pull off the top of my head. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a hosting package that was under 50 bucks. Of course that excludes the basic click to build websites. I have not looked at a lot of hosting companies but that has been my experience. 50 is about where it starts, and you add on as you go.

That is one cost though. It is the most direct cost that I can see but I’m sure there are others. Additionally, and here was my main concern, how incentivized is someone to do something when they pay out of their own pocket so that others might have enjoyment? I might enjoy walking dogs but when it starts to cost me money I start to lose interest and it quickly becomes a hassle; I start to wonder if it’s worth it. Eventually I discontinue and those dog owners need to find a new whipping boy. I realize this is not your go-to site, so you might not be as invested as some of us, but I love that you are here and active and help the community grow in your own way. That is a donation in and of itself despite being non-monetary.

I also want to touch on a portion of your comment about bare-bones. We want more and I know more is coming, in fact it’s close from what I have been told. That costs money and if there’s no money then there aren’t any upgrades.

My main focus was having the sources donate but without the community asking their sources if they donated then they’ll forget. There’s a lot of moving parts to running a store. I got the idea from the other site you frequent. Some testing service that people donate to? You guys continually ask sources to do that and that is what I would like to accomplish. I started with the sources and then moved to the users for two reasons: I felt that it would benefit all of us, and it feels really good (for most) to give back to a place that has helped so much and asked nothing in return.

I love your style and your questions, they really provoke a lot of thought. Thank you for your contributions.

 

[appropionate]

Synergy Forge" pid='82683' dateline='1582470932:

I also want to touch on a portion of your comment about bare-bones. We want more and I know more is coming, in fact it’s close from what I have been told. That costs money and if there’s no money then there aren’t any upgrades.

Let’s look at Meso: they’re huge and have a source donation setup and ads which should make for a decent income - yet their forum setup is pretty similar (except for having PM).

As for testing, there’s already independent labs (Janoshik and a couple others) covering that aspect. Spending money on features that other websites have already specialized in (reddits gear wiki/compound threads as an information resource for example) seems a waste - a sticky/compendium compiling all useful websites/resources would suffice I think.

So which necessary features are you thinking of precisely that would require an investment?