The entire story on our site's performence, where it's headed and everything else - Page 7 - RedsZone.com - Cincinnati Reds Fans' Home for Baseball Discussion

TeamDunn · 01-18-2003, 10:59 PM

EZBoard *Gold* boards do not have any pop ups or ads at all. And if you did not want a gold board then individuals can pay $12 a year to avoid any pop ups on any boards they visit.

And like I said there are boards there with many many more members than this board.

LexingtonRedsFan · 01-18-2003, 11:49 PM

Like some others, I also am an infrequent poster, but a daily observer to this board and will do what is necessary to ensure that it stays!!!! I dont have the time (or patience) to daily search for every source of news/rumors on the Reds and I ALWAYS KNOW that I will be kept "up to date" on ALL the information that is circulating out there by the other posters and would be saddened if this site wasnt here! I will state now that I will do what is necessary to help out in making sure that this great site and source of information stays up and running.

I am not for sure who to send money to, could someone please send me email and let me know who to send a check to??

Take care everyone and God Bless and GO REDS!!

Kevin

M2 · 01-19-2003, 01:05 AM

Rather than go through a service provider for the server would it make more sense to snag one on EBay and load the software yourselves?

I was at one company about a year ago where they showed me the five shimmering-new linux servers they bought at $900 a pop (replaced $45 K of Unix with them).

From what I understand, you can get a used NT server for a lot less than that.

It's probably more of a hands-on tech commitment than you guys want to take on, but it sounds like the monthly lease on a dedicated server quickly exceeds the actual value of the server itself.

GAC · 01-19-2003, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by RFS62
You know, it just occured to me that anything short of our own server and we're in exactly the same position that we so often lament about the Reds.... a small market website.

Boss and GIK, let us take care of this for you. If you decide you want to add banner ads, then that's certainly your call. I for one agree with Creek in that I don't like them.

The quality of the content of this site is what makes it great. Personally, I would pay for a months service if Old Red Guard would just agree to post more!!!

We take pride in this place, and we may argue among ourselves a lot, but I have no doubt that there is a substantial core of regulars who will come up with the money it takes to never, ever have to go through the down time that the crashes of the past year caused.

As for the chat room issue, I believe that if more people would try out the chat room during a game, they would love it. It's the greatest sports bar I've ever been to, and I've been in a few.

Whatever you guys decide, never doubt that we're behind you and we are never going to let this place die like so many other boards before this one.

Amen buddy (or should I say "dude"?

).

I say the donation route is the best and surest way to solve this problem. A "no frills" approach. And IMHO, you don't need to have raffle or auctions in order to get members to donate.

You guys provide us with a valuable service. And the effort you expend on this site is awesome. Especially for guys who are also trying to carry on a personal life and/or go to school.

If my only sacrifice is that I may have to donate $10-$20 a year in order to keep this site up and running, then that is well worth it in my book.

It cost me $79/year to join a Brown's site called "BerniesInsiders", and it is money well spent IMHO (but I also got a personal autographed NFL football from Bernie himself

).

And I bet you there are people who frequent this site daily who are paying for subscriptions to similar sites, such as ESPN's Insider.

And as far as I'm concerned, this site provides just as much valuable info (it's just Red's centered). If I want to know what's going on with the Reds... this has become the site to go to.

It's better than the Enquirer for that news "you need to know"

We need to make a choice here before the new season starts that uses a server that will more than meet our membership demands, bandwidth, data transfer rate, etc...and still provides us room to grow.

And if it ends up costing us $150/month, then IMHO, this membership will more than come through by using the simple method of voluntary donations.

P.S (to SF)... chatrooms don't have doors. Which is probably why we don't see you in there you silly wabbit

Caveman Techie · 01-20-2003, 10:17 AM

Boss,

While I don't post too often I do frequent this site an awful lot.

Anyway I have a friend who has a website on a dedicated server and he said he would be willing to try adding Redszone.com to his server and then split the cost with you. If this is something you might be interested in PM me and I'll put you in contact with him.

traderumor · 01-20-2003, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by savafan
But of those 1172 members, a little over 350 of them have never even made one post.

For those familiar with church memberships, this sounds like a church budget meeting.

westofyou · 01-20-2003, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by savafan But of those 1172 members, a little over 350 of them have never even made one post.

There was a short time when the default insisted that you register just to look at the site, that can account for a plethora of those folks.

GIK · 01-20-2003, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by redlegz
Boss,

While I don't post too often I do frequent this site an awful lot.

Anyway I have a friend who has a website on a dedicated server and he said he would be willing to try adding Redszone.com to his server and then split the cost with you. If this is something you might be interested in PM me and I'll put you in contact with him.

Shoot me a PM, redlegz. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Ryan the Reds Fan · 01-20-2003, 01:47 PM

Hello all!!

Its been a while since I've really had time to post here, but you know sometimes they actually expect me to work for my paycheck.

But I am up for any route Boss and GIK take here. I am with CQ in being against making this a pay site, and don't think anyone needs "recognition" for donations. This site as we all know is the best source of Reds info anywhere, and we have Boss and GIK to thank for it. I know the loyal members whether posting members or not will come through with enough donations to keep the site going. I know even though I don't get here as much as I used to or would like to, I am willing to throw in a donation of whatever is needed.

I think at this point we should let Boss and GIK investigate the available options and then let us know how much we need to come through with, I think the paypal link would be great with a ticker of what we have raised to date by it.

We will not let this site go by the way side, it is too much fun for us all, and I know we all respect and appreciate everything all of the Mods have done for it, especially Boss and GIK.

Thanks to all who have made and kept this site what it is today!!

haassolo · 01-20-2003, 02:31 PM

Sorry for a late post but these are my concerns. If is is pay to play sort fo thing we may lose new members, and people who like other teams. For example, would people like ramp101 stick around. Also, I am relatively new and without the sight being free I would have been unable to discover the sight. I am willing to pay for it now, but I do not think I would have without having that initial free experience. I agree with most of the post, that we need a fund drive. A subcription is too messy. The owners would need to set-up security, worry about hackers, cash checks and deal with the mail, plus there are a ton of legal issues, such as peopole get angry about getting booted, locating missed checks, keeping accurate records. The lest goes on. Philosophically, I think that the Interent should be free and that includes this sight, I think a fund drive is the best solution. We can kick it off and accept donations. We can also do events. I live here is Chicago and I can help organiza a trip to Milwaukee to see the Reds, we can use extra money to help with the sight. I know that is a long shot idea, but it is something that we can work on.

GIK · 01-20-2003, 03:05 PM

I have also asked a couple other admins of some sites our size or larger with similar or greater traffic for their advice. Hopefully we'll have a good solution in place shortly.

Boss-Hog · 01-20-2003, 05:32 PM

Just got back from Lexington, so if you're wondering why I haven't responded to this thread/your PMs, that's why. Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions...we'll be reviewing them all. Personally, I don't much like the idea of a banner system just because I hate the damn things. By the way, I didn't want to give anyone the impression that the site was in serious jeopardy of shutting down - I just wanted to emphasize that our bills are about to go way, way up. If people are really willing to contribute enough to keep our site running efficiently on a dedicated server, then I sincerely thank you people and say let's do it.

savafan · 01-20-2003, 05:36 PM

HUZZAH!!!

GoReds · 01-20-2003, 06:54 PM

Boss - just a suggestion. Why don't you run a poll to get a feel for what you might expect in the way of donation? Something to the effect of $50 or more; $30-49; $20-29, etc. That might give you an understanding as to what you might expect to help you plan your next step.

RBA · 01-20-2003, 07:38 PM

Just one more thing to think about. I know a board that when it gets more traffic than it can handle, it only lets members who have donated into the board for that time only.

For example: The Reds trade Castro for Colon. One of the mods/administators "turns a switch" and those that are paying/donated customer could only go to the site at that time. All others are diverted to a page where they could donate (via paypal) for entry into the board during peak traffic periods.

01-20-2003, 10:17 AM	#95
Caveman Techie Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 820	Dedicated Server Boss, While I don't post too often I do frequent this site an awful lot. Anyway I have a friend who has a website on a dedicated server and he said he would be willing to try adding Redszone.com to his server and then split the cost with you. If this is something you might be interested in PM me and I'll put you in contact with him.

01-20-2003, 02:31 PM	#100
haassolo Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Chicago Posts: 523	Sorry for a late post but these are my concerns. If is is pay to play sort fo thing we may lose new members, and people who like other teams. For example, would people like ramp101 stick around. Also, I am relatively new and without the sight being free I would have been unable to discover the sight. I am willing to pay for it now, but I do not think I would have without having that initial free experience. I agree with most of the post, that we need a fund drive. A subcription is too messy. The owners would need to set-up security, worry about hackers, cash checks and deal with the mail, plus there are a ton of legal issues, such as peopole get angry about getting booted, locating missed checks, keeping accurate records. The lest goes on. Philosophically, I think that the Interent should be free and that includes this sight, I think a fund drive is the best solution. We can kick it off and accept donations. We can also do events. I live here is Chicago and I can help organiza a trip to Milwaukee to see the Reds, we can use extra money to help with the sight. I know that is a long shot idea, but it is something that we can work on. __________________ Whoa whoa whoa, Miss Lippy. The part of the story I don't like is that the little boy gave up looking for Happy after an hour. He didn't put posters up or anything, he just sat on the porch like a goon and waited. That little boy's gotta think 'You got a pet. You got a responsibility.' If your dog is lost you don't look for an hour then call it quits. You get your ass out there and you find that f***ing dog! Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

01-20-2003, 05:36 PM	#103
savafan Maple SERP Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 17,485	In the spirit of the Ohio Renaissance Festival, I say... HUZZAH!!! __________________ This is the Cal Ripkin Jr. of typos. If you ask me to join your fantasy baseball league and I select Legolas in the first round, don't be angry at me. It's not my fault I've read up on the players and you haven't.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

01-18-2003, 10:59 PM	#91
TeamDunn Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Northern Ky Posts: 4,801	EZBoard Gold boards do not have any pop ups or ads at all. And if you did not want a gold board then individuals can pay $12 a year to avoid any pop ups on any boards they visit. And like I said there are boards there with many many more members than this board.

01-18-2003, 11:49 PM	#92
LexingtonRedsFan Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 509	Like some others, I also am an infrequent poster, but a daily observer to this board and will do what is necessary to ensure that it stays!!!! I dont have the time (or patience) to daily search for every source of news/rumors on the Reds and I ALWAYS KNOW that I will be kept "up to date" on ALL the information that is circulating out there by the other posters and would be saddened if this site wasnt here! I will state now that I will do what is necessary to help out in making sure that this great site and source of information stays up and running. I am not for sure who to send money to, could someone please send me email and let me know who to send a check to?? Take care everyone and God Bless and GO REDS!! Kevin

01-19-2003, 01:05 AM	#93
M2 Posting in Dynarama Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Boston Posts: 26,668	Rather than go through a service provider for the server would it make more sense to snag one on EBay and load the software yourselves? I was at one company about a year ago where they showed me the five shimmering-new linux servers they bought at $900 a pop (replaced $45 K of Unix with them). From what I understand, you can get a used NT server for a lot less than that. It's probably more of a hands-on tech commitment than you guys want to take on, but it sounds like the monthly lease on a dedicated server quickly exceeds the actual value of the server itself.

01-20-2003, 01:47 PM	#99
Ryan the Reds Fan Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 808	Hello all!! Its been a while since I've really had time to post here, but you know sometimes they actually expect me to work for my paycheck. But I am up for any route Boss and GIK take here. I am with CQ in being against making this a pay site, and don't think anyone needs "recognition" for donations. This site as we all know is the best source of Reds info anywhere, and we have Boss and GIK to thank for it. I know the loyal members whether posting members or not will come through with enough donations to keep the site going. I know even though I don't get here as much as I used to or would like to, I am willing to throw in a donation of whatever is needed. I think at this point we should let Boss and GIK investigate the available options and then let us know how much we need to come through with, I think the paypal link would be great with a ticker of what we have raised to date by it. We will not let this site go by the way side, it is too much fun for us all, and I know we all respect and appreciate everything all of the Mods have done for it, especially Boss and GIK. Thanks to all who have made and kept this site what it is today!!

01-20-2003, 03:05 PM	#101
GIK Administrator Join Date: Apr 2000 Posts: 4,056	I have also asked a couple other admins of some sites our size or larger with similar or greater traffic for their advice. Hopefully we'll have a good solution in place shortly.

01-20-2003, 05:32 PM	#102
Boss-Hog Administrator Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 6,007	Just got back from Lexington, so if you're wondering why I haven't responded to this thread/your PMs, that's why. Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions...we'll be reviewing them all. Personally, I don't much like the idea of a banner system just because I hate the damn things. By the way, I didn't want to give anyone the impression that the site was in serious jeopardy of shutting down - I just wanted to emphasize that our bills are about to go way, way up. If people are really willing to contribute enough to keep our site running efficiently on a dedicated server, then I sincerely thank you people and say let's do it.

01-20-2003, 06:54 PM	#104
GoReds Cruisin' for trouble Join Date: May 2000 Location: Fredericksburg, VA Posts: 3,287	Boss - just a suggestion. Why don't you run a poll to get a feel for what you might expect in the way of donation? Something to the effect of $50 or more; $30-49; $20-29, etc. That might give you an understanding as to what you might expect to help you plan your next step.

01-20-2003, 07:38 PM	#105
RBA CELEBRATION TIME Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: San Marcos, CA Posts: 13,939	Just one more thing to think about. I know a board that when it gets more traffic than it can handle, it only lets members who have donated into the board for that time only. For example: The Reds trade Castro for Colon. One of the mods/administators "turns a switch" and those that are paying/donated customer could only go to the site at that time. All others are diverted to a page where they could donate (via paypal) for entry into the board during peak traffic periods.