[kreuzberger]

Our free allocation period of server space and grunt after the Great Fire is coming to an end, so we will be in for around 250€ / year to keep the lights on. For the avoidance of any doubt, my own time will remain free of charge until the apocalypse renders that no longer possible.

The options, as I see them, are as follows;

* A mandatory subscription of 1€ / month for all users.
* An optional subscription of 1.50€ / month for users who wish to or can contribute.
* Adsense (google) advertising being introduced - at least, for a trial period of perhaps three months.

Any surplus would be donated to a good cause, such as the RNLI or a foodbank, for example.

I will happily set up a poll in order to articulate our shared and settled view, but, in the meantime, everyone is welcome to offer their own thoughts and comments.

Please don't be shy and please also remember that it was @timbo who got us out of the parlous situation in the first place.

[Abernathy]

Has anybody asked Elon Musk ?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Please count me in for a contribution. No ads and no Elon....

[Samanfur]

Likewise.

[Bones McCoy]

Will certainly chip in my share.

[zuriblue]

Yep I’ll be happy to contribute. PM me an IBAN.

[Youngian]

Gladly contribute, let us know your details.

[Watchman]

The annoying man from Loughborough is in

[Abernathy]

Of the options set out by Kreuz in the OP, I don't fancy a monthly subscription, whether optional or mandatory.

I'm happier about stumping up for a chunk of the immediate cost(s) of sustaining the site for the foreseeable future (12 months?).

Niet ?

[Yug]

Don't talk to me about money. I'm a Yorkshireman. We're the reason they put corners on coins. It weren't thousands of Yorkshiremen marching on That London to petition t'king. It were everybody else. They wanted corners on coins so when a Yorkshireman owed 'em money they could tek a spanner to it an' gerrit off 'im.



Kreuzie obviously has the right size spanner. I'm in.

[Lardboy]

Happy to chip in. Or if you use AWS, I can throw some credits your way.

[Andy McDandy]

Of the options set out by Kreuz in the OP, I don't fancy a monthly subscription, whether optional or mandatory.

I'm happier about stumping up for a chunk of the immediate cost(s) of sustaining the site for the foreseeable future (12 months?).

Niet ?

This.

Occurs to me that we have however many members, of which a smaller number post regularly, or at all. Some of the ghost members may be bots, others may be former regulars who have got the hump with us, been mortally offended by someone here, or got out a bit and found something better to do.

Traitors, every single one of them.

But it means that a subscription fee is hard to calculate. Does the person who posts once or twice a year pay the same as the people who vivit regularly? Do you get differing levels of member access?

Easier to do a once a year drive for the fee. The advantage there being that we can spend the rest of the year looking for alternate hosts, who may be a bit cheaper.

[Bones McCoy]

Of the options set out by Kreuz in the OP, I don't fancy a monthly subscription, whether optional or mandatory.

I'm happier about stumping up for a chunk of the immediate cost(s) of sustaining the site for the foreseeable future (12 months?).

Niet ?

I'll also express a preference for not doing subscription.
In my case too many of the bloody things are already confusing me.

I'm perfectly happy to bung in my annual contribution up front.

[Bones McCoy]

Have we consideed selling blue ticks....

[Rosvanian]

I'm in.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Just seen this. I'm in too. Thanks for putting this out there.

[The Weeping Angel]

I'm fine with paying.

[kreuzberger]

Right, we can share some space with my old partners - a full-strength server with plenty of capacity - for a contribution of 15 € to their biscuits-kitty. That takes us to 180 € per annum plus a tenner for the domain. We could probably find a way to shave a few pennies off that and avoid management / monitoring software costs, but I don't really think that this is practical.

One thing I also can't be arsed with is the admin of accounts and subscription lists, renewal emails going out, reminders, blah - blah - blah. An "honour" system is something with which I would be entirely relaxed. Any new members will be automatically asked to make their contribution.

I propose, then, that we take the full sum and divide it by the number by the number of votes for the options which will appear here as a poll within the next few minutes. The winning "option" will be implemented on the evening of Monday, 23rd.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

FBM

[zuriblue]

Works for me.