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For Sale: Halforums

#1

Dave

Dave

Okay, maybe not for sale. But how'd you like to lease a slightly used Halforums for 1 month?

While the wife is out of work I find myself increasingly in the shithouse financially. I may end up having to do this again in January, but if someone wants to step up and own themselves a website for a month, I will give the information to pay it.

Cost is $155 and will NOT go to my PayPal, but directly to the Webhost so you know I'm not taking your money and running to Walmart to buy something shiny.

I'm doing it this way because I don't want donations and don't feel I'm bad enough off to start crying in my beer.

If you want to be the guy or girl you can step up here. If you want to do it and remain anonymous you can send me a PM and I'll give you the information there.

There's no hurry as the bill doesn't come due until the 4th so if you want a few days to think about it you are welcome to do so.

Whomever steps up will get to choose a skin for the new site and I'll rename it in their honor.


#2

Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

Pm sent, yo!


#3

checkeredhat

checkeredhat

I can't afford to lease it from you, but this seems like enough of a reason to show my gratitude to you for everything you do to keep this place up and running for the rest of us. And to Poe, or whoever winds up taking over for a month, same thing.

I am just so glad this place exists.

Hope your financial luck turns around real soon, Dave.


#4

Espy

Espy

As two poor grad students my wife would kill me if I spent that much on the forum BUT if some folks want to split the cost a few ways I'd be down for pitching in.


#5

Dave

Dave

I've had an anonymous donor in November and I think that same anonymous person may do it again. I'm waiting on them to respond.

And I hope you all know how much I hate even making this stupid thread. Which is why it's marked "Stupid".


#6

Gusto

Gusto

Damnit, Dave, open donations.


#7

figmentPez

figmentPez

so you know I'm not taking your money and running to Walmart to buy something shiny.
As long as you keep the forums running, I wouldn't care if you used leftover donations to sprinkle gold-dust on your bran-flakes.


#8



rabbitgod

so you know I'm not taking your money and running to Walmart to buy something shiny.
As long as you keep the forums running, I wouldn't care if you used leftover donations to sprinkle gold-dust on your bran-flakes.[/QUOTE]

That's pretty ballin'


I can't help this month, but I'd be down for a ESPY style split in January.


#9

drifter

drifter

Damnit, Dave, open donations.


#10

Jay

Jay

That


#11

Dave

Dave

No.

:p


#12



makare

His pride gets in the way of saying he needs money unless it is one lump sum.


#13

Hylian

Hylian

Damnit, Dave, open donations.
↑[/QUOTE]


↑ ↑
↑ ↑ ↑


#14

Espy

Espy

I don't want to brag but I had this amazing idea while I was away from my computer and so I felt like I should come in here and say it's time to open the site up for donat...



Damn it Gusto. Stop stealing my thunder.:angry:


#15

Dave

Dave

His pride gets in the way of saying he needs money unless it is one lump sum.
That's part of it, I suppose. The other part is knowing that there are people a lot worse off than me and I don't want to put up "donations de jour" kind of things. I'll get through just like always.


#16



makare

Those people worse off then you might enjoy a chance to give a buck or two for something they like but nooooo you have to do it this way. So they end up just feeling like crap, "I can't even afford the forum for one month. I hate myself" and then they all go on violent drinking binges that land them in jail where they make special friends, whether they want to or not, with their cell mate

And all because you can't put up a simple donation button.

You bastard.


#17

Dave

Dave

I love you, makare, but please don't drop the soap.


#18

MindDetective

MindDetective

I guess you could always give us something in return, Dave, for any donati... Oh wait, you do.


#19

Gusto

Gusto

I can't afford [nor do I have the interest] to buy the site for the month. I can afford to support a good chunk of it for that month.

Call it a Christmas present, if you want.


#20



makare

I can only afford to bust your balls but damn it it will be the best ball busting I can muster. Cuz I care for you. :hug:


#21

Cajungal

Cajungal

Damnit, Dave, open donations.
↑[/QUOTE]


↑ ↑
↑ ↑ ↑[/QUOTE]

What if we promised not to start 80 bajillion "We love dave" threads this time? In fact, I'd like to take this moment to say that I hate you. Always have.


#22

PatrThom

PatrThom

Can't. Not won't, can't. Sorry. I mean that.

--Patrick


#23

doomdragon6

doomdragon6

I'll do it if we can put Kami-Con ads up all over the place. ;D


#24

Terrik

Terrik

Yeah I hate Dave and I'd never, ever give the old man any of my hard earned money. However, I may accidentally click a link that led to some sort of withdraw of currency without my knowledge.

I'm clumsy like that.


#25

CrimsonSoul

CrimsonSoul

His pride gets in the way of saying he needs money unless it is one lump sum.
So Dave is like the peachtree financial commercials "it's my money and I need it now!"


#26

Math242

Math242

if you need it again in January, just send me a pm and i'll pay the bill


#27

Jay

Jay

3 Step Process

- Give in to your pride and open donations to the masses of the mundane.
- Find new host at a more reasonable rate, 150$ a month is fucken BALLS. Do you even get revenue from this site in any fashion?
- Kill vBulletin


#28

Espy

Espy

Is 150 a month a lot for a forum? I don't know much about that sort of thing.


#29

Terrik

Terrik

But you're a SUPER MOD. I thought you had...special powers or something. You should know these things.

My world is shattered :(


#30

Espy

Espy

I'm a big picture kinda guy. I don't deal with the little stuff. Except the bannings. I looooooooooove dealing with the banning.


#31

Jay

Jay

Depends on what we use our forums for. $150 a month for a recreational discussion forum is insane though. I refuse to believe that with so many of us in here, primarily geeks, we cannot find a decent host with a decent plan.


#32



Disconnected

Call it a Christmas present, if you want
don't call it a comeback


#33

strawman

strawman

The reasons why this package is $150/mo:

* It's fully managed (which means they keep the server software up to date to protect against security concerns, as well as manage the firewall, DDOS attacks, etc)
* They are specifically aware of the nature of the forum software being run, and tune their servers and databases to manage the particular load forums place on the servers
* They have a phone number and one can call them for immediate assistance with technical issues.

It's reasonable for people who want to take a hands-off approach.

If you want to cut the cost, though, you're going to need someone who has the skills and desire to manage some of the above issues.

But when you take into account the savings:

Unmanaged Dedicated Server | Aspiration Hosting - Premium Hosting Solutions

and find you can get a quad core processor, 8GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive, 4TB bandwidth for $50 less a month, and this is a dedicated server, not a shared vps, then it becomes hard to justify the high cost of a "specialized" server, since the quad core 8GB combination would be blazing fast for any large forum, nevermind our relatively small forum.

Note that I'm not suggesting this as a solution, I have no experience with that host. One can find and compare hosting companies and pricing via HostMonk - Compare hosting packages - VPS hosting, Web hosting, Dedicated hosting and many other sites.


#34

Jay

Jay

1/3 of the price. That's about right.


#35

Dave

Dave

The main reason it is $155 is because for a time we were using a metric fuck-ton of CPU. Once we switch to Xenforo we won't need what we have. I plan at that point to look around and move to a lower-cost host.

Here's what we have now:

VPS4



This is from a vBulletin specific site called URLJet.

I'm looking at a site called WiredTree and moving to this:



See why I'd change? I know a guy who uses WiredTree and he says they are WONDERFUL.


#36

Adam

Adammon

Give me a week or so Dave, I should be able to spot you a month or two.


#37

Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

I'm still willing to bid on making this place Poeforums.

God help you all if he takes me up on it.


#38

Dave

Dave

Just got word: December is taken care of.

Thanks for the offers. I hope by January I can close stupid threads like these...


#39

KCWM

KCWM

Just got word: December is taken care of.

Thanks for the offers. I hope by January I can close stupid threads like these...
If you'd stop being stubborn and accept donations, you'd never have to open stupid threads like these. :D


#40



rabbitgod

Just got word: December is taken care of.

Thanks for the offers. I hope by January I can close stupid threads like these...
If you'd stop being stubborn and accept donations, you'd never have to open stupid threads like these. :D[/QUOTE]

+1...billion


#41



Element 117

Just got word: December is taken care of.

Thanks for the offers. I hope by January I can close stupid threads like these...
If you'd stop being stubborn and accept donations, you'd never have to open stupid threads like these. :D[/QUOTE]

+1...billion[/QUOTE]

a two to ten dollar donation from the active users would go a long way. And it's easier than asking a single sponsor to foot the bill.


#42

Shakey

Shakey

Personally, I'd feel a whole lot better knowing you weren't stretched so thin by hosting this place. You're not helping anyone by taking it all on your self. It seems there are a lot of people willing to help keep this place going strong, take advantage of that.


#43

Cajungal

Cajungal

I say what I said a while back... put up the donation button when you need it... take it down when you don't want any more money.

Then use the excess to take us on a mod cruise.

:awesome:


#44



makare

Dave does what he thinks is right. Nothing we say will influence him.


#45

Cajungal

Cajungal

Cruuuuuuuuise.


#46

Shakey

Shakey

I think doing a funding drive in the spring or summer would be awesome. Let people either donate money or art to be sold/auctioned. Only take enough to cover hosting for a year, and call it quits.


#47



makare

Well it wouldn't hurt to keep raising enough for the monthly contests.


#48

Shakey

Shakey

I agree, but I think if dave wants to keep something as his own, maybe that could be it.


#49

Hylian

Hylian

Cruuuuuuuuise.

you made me think of this




#50

Espy

Espy

Man, I love the idea of a funding drive. I'd sell my services. If you know what I mean.


#51

Steve

Steve

Dave is like your dad at Christmas time. You want to buy him a gift to show him how much you appreciate him but when you ask "what would you like for Christmas?" you get the response "don't waste your money on me. I've got everything I want." Dave, a donation jar is not begging, it's giving the rest of us a chance to show you how much we appreciate you keeping this forum up and running. And I would have no problem if my donation was used by you personally instead of used to host this site. You've given enough of yourself to this site to earn a little reward.


#52

strawman

strawman



#53

phil

phil



#54

strawman

strawman

Dave is like your dad at Christmas time. You want to buy him a gift to show him how much you appreciate him but when you ask "what would you like for Christmas?" you get the response "don't waste your money on me. I've got everything I want." Dave, a donation jar is not begging, it's giving the rest of us a chance to show you how much we appreciate you keeping this forum up and running. And I would have no problem if my donation was used by you personally instead of used to host this site. You've given enough of yourself to this site to earn a little reward.
That may be an apt analogy, but on the other hand he may merely be holding out because he doesn't ever want to be perceived as doing this for the money, or worse, finding out that it can be turned into a profitable enterprise and being lured into that path.

Alternately, accepting any funds, to some degree, yields a small, but annoying, "You owe us" and turns him into a low-paid employee, rather than the loving benefactor.

Could also feel like "selling out."

But most of all, I think he views it similar to inviting us all over for a barbecue at his place. He'll cover the food, make sure the grill is hot, and provide the atmosphere, and all we are expected to do is entertain him endlessly with our wacky, yet heart-string-tugging, antics...


#55

Shakey

Shakey

Alternately, accepting any funds, to some degree, yields a small, but annoying, "You owe us" and turns him into a low-paid employee, rather than the loving benefactor.

Could also feel like "selling out."
I can understand that. That's why I think a funding drive would be good. Its like public television, we like the programming and want more, so let us support it. Let us at least cover expenses...


#56

Bumble the Boy Wonder

Bumble the Boy Wonder

Alternately, accepting any funds, to some degree, yields a small, but annoying, "You owe us" and turns him into a low-paid employee, rather than the loving benefactor.

Could also feel like "selling out."
I can understand that. That's why I think a funding drive would be good. Its like public television, we like the programming and want more, so let us support it. Let us at least cover expenses...[/QUOTE]

I love this idea. I would draw SO many penises to be auctioned to you guys.

So many penises.


#57

LittleSin

LittleSin

Could I draw the complimenting boobs and vagina's?


#58

Cajungal

Cajungal

One hundred dollars! NO! TWO HUNDRED!


#59



makare

Alternately, accepting any funds, to some degree, yields a small, but annoying, "You owe us" and turns him into a low-paid employee, rather than the loving benefactor.

Could also feel like "selling out."
I can understand that. That's why I think a funding drive would be good. Its like public television, we like the programming and want more, so let us support it. Let us at least cover expenses...[/QUOTE]

I love this idea. I would draw SO many penises to be auctioned to you guys.

So many penises.[/QUOTE]

I have no clue what the context of this is but I have to say that considering how cutesy what you draw is those would be the cutest penii on earth.


#60

Bumble the Boy Wonder

Bumble the Boy Wonder

I'd even write another story to be read by grandmother bumble, all about the winning bidder! BAM. TEN YEARS OF SITE UPKEEP PAID FOR


#61

Cajungal

Cajungal

Oh my God, BRING BACK GRANDMOTHER BUMBLE!!!


#62



Roxxoredizorz

Since no one will go as far to say this, Dave, you're being a prick.

To be honest, this isn't your site, this is our site. I don't believe that you should pay for the, lets say, 5000 posts a month (Which you obviously don't, sarcasm for point's sake).

Don't think of it as us giving you money, think of it as us giving the server money. We all know (hopefully) that you don't spend this money on yourself, and that's why we donate.

Now, I'm not saying to open the donation button for the rest of this websites life, because that would be ridiculous. Just open it for the month of December.

And I'm not saying for everyone to donate hundreds of their money, just donate a reasonable amount. Dave can ride our wave for a bit, and then pick up his surfboard of pride, and walk the beach until next December, when we do it again.

I feel I would feel better if this was the case.

Don't think of it as us paying for you, think of it as us paying for us.


#63

PatrThom

PatrThom

Cruuuuuuuuise.
you made me think of this [pancaaaake img][/QUOTE]Funny. You made ME think of this.

--Patrick


#64

Krisken

Krisken

Dave, don't listen to Roxxor. We don't.

You're not a prick, dude.


#65

ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

If Dave does not open donations up to anybody, I will post pictures of myself.

Naked pictures.

Trust me. You do not want that.


#66

phil

phil

Combined with the batman animated GIF that made me lawl


#67

MindDetective

MindDetective

The PBS model would be a pretty good one for this site, I think.


#68

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

Open up donations and I'll finish the story of what truly happened to "Mabel"....


#69

Dave

Dave

Open up donations and I'll finish the story of what truly happened to "Mabel"....
:jaw:


#70

Dave

Dave

Shego convinced me.

I'll explain my reasons more for doing/not doing donations.


#71

Dave

Dave

Okay, I put up the Donations. You can see them on the front page and/or the sidebar in the Main Forum area.

Here's my reasoning behind why I don't like to open up the donations thing.

We all have issues. We all have money problems of one sort or another. Why the hell am I so special that I feel that I can open myself to take your money to help myself when there are others - probably on this board - who are worse off? (Actually, if someone here is worse off I feel sorry for you!)

Does taking your money make me feel like a low-grade employee? Nah. Hell, I already do more work for this place than I do for my real job! (That's a joke if you are reading this, boss!) It's not a joke.

Seriously, though, it has more to do with the fact that I don't want to be "that guy". You know him - the guy who always wants to go out but never has any money so he has to borrow from you.

So there you go. Donations are open. All money will be used for the site and nothing else.

And in case I haven't said it lately...thanks, folks.


---------- Post added at 11:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:02 AM ----------

Now what happened to Mabel, damn it?!?


#72

Adam

Adammon

Seriously, though, it has more to do with the fact that I don't want to be "that guy". You know him - the guy who always wants to go out but never has any money so he has to borrow from you.


Believe me when I say you were more "that guy" the way you were doing it then just having a donations option up.


#73

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

Very well, fair enough.

The saga continues soon....


#74



makare

I thought Mabel was chippy's story.


#75

phil

phil

Wait who's Mabel?


#76

Bumble the Boy Wonder

Bumble the Boy Wonder

Soooo, you shan't be needing penis drawings or grandmother bumble?

:(


#77

KCWM

KCWM

I post on a large music forum (50K plus members). The admins of that site offer subscriptions, which range from $12 to $50. The lowest allows access to their Emporiums, or forums where users sell gear. The next step up allows for an increased PM box and the ability to change your user title, and the largest of which allows for more PMs, a customer user title, and avatars. Other than that, as far as I understand it, the extra funds are used for the site, for example to pay for defense in the event of a lawsuit (which, sadly, does happen).

Does that model work for this site? Not necessarily, but they realize that they can't support the site out of the generosity of donations (the way it used to be) or out of their own pocket. They leverage the user base and that base's desire to sell gear to pay for the site. And, as a relatively frequent poster on that site, I do not mind paying, even if I sell little gear.


#78



makare

You can do it anyway. Do eet.


#79

phil

phil

Woa, woa, let's not go crazy here bumbs. You go right on ahead.


#80

Shegokigo

Shegokigo

I thought Mabel was chippy's story.
Mabel is everyone's story. She's touched us all in one form or another... my account with her... well that's a longer story....

Wait who's Mabel?
Memories of Mabel - Halforums Wiki Reference

--

I will be posting a full recount in a new thread to catch up those who do not know what transpired previously....


#81

Allen who is Quiet

Allen, who is Quiet

Man, I forgot about that meme.

Everybody involved, well done. Well done.


#82

ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

I think I speak for everyone, Dave, when I say that no one wanted you to take the full brunt of responsibilities for the site, especially financially.

We're a community. Frankly speaking, this is probably the closest community that I've been proud to be a part of. We've ALL supported each other in one way or another, even financially a few times. Heck, if I ever get this book finished and published, I hope that people will be buying it. :)

We all want to see this forum continue and we all want to do something to contribute to its success.


#83

MindDetective

MindDetective

I'm glad you opened up for donations. I will toss in my two cents later. Personally, the donation option should be available for limited times, much like PBS does. If people get used to not using the button, we will all learn to not use it. Keep it open for a couple of weeks twice a year (or whatever is necessary) and it could serve as an effective way to supplement the site costs.


#84

Cajungal

Cajungal

Soooo, you shan't be needing penis drawings or grandmother bumble?

:(
He doesn't need them... but I do.


#85

Gusto

Gusto

Grandmother Bumble reading the completed Mabel Manifesto, please.


#86

Allen who is Quiet

Allen, who is Quiet

Also, penises.


#87

Cajungal

Cajungal

Smiling ones! With bowler hats!


#88

Allen who is Quiet

Allen, who is Quiet

And they're best friends with Mr. McGreg, the man with a leg for an arm and an arm for a leg


#89

Gusto

Gusto

And they're best friends with Mr. McGreg, the man with a leg for an arm and an arm for a leg
DOCTOR

NICK

RIVIERA!?


#90

Andi

Drachenherz

Okay, I put up the Donations. You can see them on the front page and/or the sidebar in the Main Forum area.

Here's my reasoning behind why I don't like to open up the donations thing.

We all have issues. We all have money problems of one sort or another. Why the hell am I so special that I feel that I can open myself to take your money to help myself when there are others - probably on this board - who are worse off? (Actually, if someone here is worse off I feel sorry for you!)

Does taking your money make me feel like a low-grade employee? Nah. Hell, I already do more work for this place than I do for my real job! (That's a joke if you are reading this, boss!) It's not a joke.

Seriously, though, it has more to do with the fact that I don't want to be "that guy". You know him - the guy who always wants to go out but never has any money so he has to borrow from you.

So there you go. Donations are open. All money will be used for the site and nothing else.

And in case I haven't said it lately...thanks, folks.


---------- Post added at 11:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:02 AM ----------

Now what happened to Mabel, damn it?!?

Fuck you Dave. Don't take yourself so important. This isn't about you.

It's about the forums.

And it's about time you opened up them donations. ;-)

(And thank you for all the hard work you put in this forum, keeping it running and offering a platform for us. And yes: You ARE doing the right thing by opening up the donations. I mean, it's not like you are putting a gun against our heads and DEMANDING our money... You are ALLOWING us to share, to participate and to be able to keep this platform going. Don't forget that.)

---------- Post added at 07:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:00 PM ----------

And, yes, THIS:

I think I speak for everyone, Dave, when I say that no one wanted you to take the full brunt of responsibilities for the site, especially financially.

We're a community. Frankly speaking, this is probably the closest community that I've been proud to be a part of. We've ALL supported each other in one way or another, even financially a few times. Heck, if I ever get this book finished and published, I hope that people will be buying it. :)

We all want to see this forum continue and we all want to do something to contribute to its success.


---------- Post added at 07:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:01 PM ----------

And yes, I actually changed my username back to "Drachenherz"... That's somehow so much more "me" than my real name... :Leyla:


#91

Baerdog

Baerdog

Drachenherz makes you sound like a mysterious foreign investor who mysteriously invests in Halforums for reasons that are...mysterious.


#92

Andi

Drachenherz

Drachenherz makes you sound like a mysterious foreign investor who mysteriously invests in Halforums for reasons that are...mysterious.
Drachenherz sounds more badass than andi. Period.


#93

strawman

strawman

Drachenherz makes you sound like a mysterious foreign investor who mysteriously invests in Halforums for reasons that are...mysterious.
Drachenherz sounds more badass than andi. Period.[/QUOTE]

Drachenherz sounds like a unit of frequency measurement.

Kilohertz
Megahertz
Gigahertz
Terahertz
Drachenherz

Alternately it sounds like the punchline to a children's joke regarding an injured fire breathing reptile.

I approve :thumbsup:


#94

Krisken

Krisken

Nobody with a German sounding name could be evil.


#95



Jiarn

Yeah but Andi + TF2 Medic picture was epic.


#96

Andi

Drachenherz

Drachenherz makes you sound like a mysterious foreign investor who mysteriously invests in Halforums for reasons that are...mysterious.
Drachenherz sounds more badass than andi. Period.[/QUOTE]

Drachenherz sounds like a unit of frequency measurement.

Kilohertz
Megahertz
Gigahertz
Terahertz
Drachenherz

Alternately it sounds like the punchline to a children's joke regarding an injured fire breathing reptile.

I approve :thumbsup:[/QUOTE]

This officialy made me laugh. I like.

---------- Post added at 10:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:22 PM ----------

and to serve:




Ze Doktor iz at your sserviz...


#97

Baerdog

Baerdog

I know what you should go as next Halloween. :D


#98

PatrThom

PatrThom

I know what you should go as next Halloween. :D
Alton Brown? Giles?

--Patrick


#99

Baerdog

Baerdog

Nope.


#100

North_Ranger

North_Ranger

Sheldon Cooper?


#101

Andi

Andi

Yikes! Back from Drachenherz to Andi, even my avatar has been changed... What's going on? I paid for that name-change! Where are my halbucks? *shakes fist angrily*


#102



Biannoshufu

Yikes! Back from Drachenherz to Andi, even my avatar has been changed... What's going on? I paid for that name-change! Where are my halbucks? *shakes fist angrily*
*smacks your face with a pine cone repeatedly until you stop talking or typing and chill out.*


#103

Krisken

Krisken

Interesting choice of corrective device.


#104

Dave

Dave

Yikes! Back from Drachenherz to Andi, even my avatar has been changed... What's going on? I paid for that name-change! Where are my halbucks? *shakes fist angrily*
Name changes are easy but I'm taking the functionality away from the users as we had several people use it multiple times. It were annoying.

And welcome back!


#105



Biannoshufu

Name changes are easy but I'm taking the functionality away from the users as we had several people use it multiple times. It were annoying.

And welcome back!
Now we just create alts. It are a workaround.


#106

Dave

Dave

Now we just create alts. It are a workaround.
The typo were on purpose.


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