BuckeyeSkins said:
Just out of curiosity....if we send money for the server upgrade during non fundraising periods i.e. sending money just for the heck of it to help out more, does that still qualify us for additional medals count? I like those those little thingys at the top and would have no problem whatsoever tossing a few more bucks in the server pot. I've already donated for the spring 05 fundraiser but have been thinking very seriously about sending in a few more bucks to help the cause. I love this place and want to do whatever I can to keep it up and running. It isn't that I want to be publicly acknowledged but I am unabashed sucker for doo dads at the top.
I just sent LongwoodBuck a PM asking her to send me the contributor's list (at least until 21 is back) and I'll make sure everyone gets their medals. Might as well put some of my admin abilities to work huh?
I'm not sure how we will handle donations that arrive during non-fundraiser periods. I'm open to anything. I will certainly (at the very least) hook folks up with some reputation points. I'll talk with Clarity & the rest of the staff to see what the best solution might be. Part of the problem is timing. In the past we've just run a spring and a fall fundraiser. The need has never been that great and Clarity (in particular) wanted any fundraising to be very low key. The event was a specific time and if you donated you got a medal. When the drive ended, that was that. Now with the server issues, we've (IMO) gone a bit overboard. Everyone and all the ideas have been nothing but well intentioned, but they may have hurt the specific fundraiser a bit. The donation links were placed on the front page continuously, the T-shirt sales, talk of friendly games (poker) to raise money, auctions, etc., etc. All of this, I think, leads to a desensitizing of our community. Just a general "buzz" about raising money that is always hanging in the air. That has hurt (at least initially) the beginning of this drive. Folks have donated thru the links before the drive started, they've bought t-shirts, they're working on other projects too ... there's just not that big of an impact when we started this drive. It's not good or bad, just different.
Now I certainly hope as many people as possible feel the site is worth contributing to, but I hope we don't constantly hang this around everyone's head. That would be completely the opposite direction that Clarity would want. It took me some time before I could send in some cash this drive, it's probably the same for others. While the guilt trip might be a good motivational tool, it certainly doesn't leave people with the warmest feeling when it's all said and done. I hope that we can point out the positive aspects of BuckeyePlanet, the features and a community you just can't find on other sites, and that folks will realize it's worth a few bucks to keep this place growing and thriving.
The need is great right now, that's why some folks might seem a bit edgy. So please don't misinterpret all the preaching and salesmanship you are hearing. It is only the well intentioned hopes of many great members. They see the danger looming ahead if we don't fix our server problem now. If we buckle down now, we can get over the "hump" and have clear sailing for years to come. We will enable this site to become the place it's destined to become. If we lag, and fall short of our goal, we risk a great deal. One failure of the current server would be a huge blow, possibly ending BP. Even if we continue along as we are, the site will continue to slow down as more folks become members. Any future plans for added features and fuctionality would be severly curbed or scrapped altogether.
So you see, we sit at a perplexing crossroad. We can make a big push and ensure that BuckeyePlanet is healthy and viable for years to come, but the goal will be difficult to reach. Or we will continue on as before. Fundraisers will continue in an unending cycle and we'll make some progress, but the funds will be sapped and erroded each time by all the miscellanous expenses. Licensing fees, software upgrades, legal issues, programming costs, and on and on, will nickle and dime any gains to the point where improvement will be nonexistant and server failure a constant concern.
So there you are. I will relinquish the soap box with one final thought. I sure wish Clarity were able to post with regularity at this juncture. All the thoughts, proposals, angles and ideas would be elequently stated in one or two posts. Everyone would understand with very few words and a precise "clarity" why THIS fundraiser is important to BuckeyePlanet. But that is his talent, not mine. Hope you're feeling better soon Clarity.
