"If FR dies, that’s that." - Jim Robinson [Jim's reply at post # 588]

freerepublic.com ^ | 1/11/11 | paulycy

[paulycy]

FYI -

Here are statements from Jim about the future of FreeRepublic.com for those who missed them. They are quite serious.

===

"Well, I can say that there are definitely two things that will never happen. 1) Banner ads. 2) Oracle [a completely new database system.] And a third is a total replacement [of the current damaged system.] Don’t have the financial wherewithal."

"To those who wish to leave because of it, see ya."

"If FR dies, that’s that."

===

[To: paulycy]

Hey, you want us to get an all new system with all new software and add a few more pricey techs, system programmers and database administrators to keep it all working 100% of the time 24/7/365? Well, start coughing up the big bucks.

It’s going to take tens of thousands of donations and many with at least three zeros each after the comma to accomplish the task. And that would be EVERY month like clock work to make the payroll. Once you take on a big load of expensive overhead, there’s no going back. As it is, we get a couple thousand donations per quarter averaging about $30 bucks each and there’s no guarantees we can cover this quarter’s expenses much less next quarter. We’re on a pay as we go system and we have zero employees.We just ask for enough to pay the bills.

Throwing more money at the problem won’t solve it. [This latest glitch] was a technical issue and we just had to keep troubleshooting until we found it. And no, we’re not going to invite a bunch of strangers in to get their hands on our secure systems. John has been programming since he was 14 and he’s pushing 40 now. He built these systems and he’s an expert in them.

And no, we are not going to throw out our software and rewrite it and no we’re not going to move on to some other database system. There are no guarantees that any other system can do a better job and not without hiring a staff to build and maintain it and that’s for sure. And we don’t have the financial wherewithal to do any of that anyway. Maybe if we had a couple million bucks at our disposal and a couple years to do it in we could build an iron-clad system. And maybe not.

All I can say is, if someone else can do it better and cheaper, then please step right on up and get ‘er done!! I’ll bow out and retire. Thankyouverymuch.

Hit it boys:

https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/

And no, we have no plans of taking FR commercial. I like it the way it is. Not sure I could handle getting rich.

===

- Jim Robinson

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2653583/posts?page=168#168

[pt17]

Here’s my 2 cents if anyone cares....

FR feels like s a horse n buggy in it’s last days. Here’s why I don’t donate: because I could give money out the rear and if I say just the slightest wrong word, such as “what the hell is with all the Mormon bashing?” there’s a good chance I’ll be banned.

If you want FR to survive you can convert to a new board format, add banners or KILL one of the friggin hundreds of other boards that take up space.

I agree with you. This is one slow, old buggy (albeit a very important modus) in an age of fast automobiles.

[Marty62]

Absolutely.

[Ripliancum]

I guess you haven’t seen the ratios.

[pt17]

PS:Since you post here I guess you like this horse and buggy too. Hypocrite.

Perhaps in your haste to put this person down because he/she disagrees with you (usually a left-wing liberal trait), you missed the possibility that he cares about the site.

[MarineMom613]

I fell in love FR since I found it from a link thru Drudge during the Dan Rather Fiasco.
I would be more than happy to pay a monthly fee/yearly fee as a member. Outsiders that want to see what’s going on can either pay up (non refundable) or just read. No posting privledges if not a paid member. That would also cut out a lot of the trolling. I would hate to see FR gone. It would be like losing a part of myself.
I am now a monthly donor, but when I get home tonite I am going to make an extra donation.
God Bless You Jim and John Robinson. And Thank you!

[IndyTiger]

Lurking since 1999, FReeper since 2002. Have donated from time to time.

I agree with you. I don't have a problem with a few ads on the site either. The constant fundraisers are distracting to me.

[Frantzie]

LOL! But Larry Ellison is the master of the universe and has an amazing yacht. Maybe if FR did not have endless daily press releases from Apple by Apple pimps, images of the newest Russian or French jet or nonsense and blog pimping then the system would not overload.

Maybe FR should just have a separate site for Apple press releases and other product pimping.

[ExTexasRedhead]

I urge everyone to donate today. Our troops are defending us overseas; FR is defending freedom here at home. FR must stay alive and active in order to expose the Elitist’s attempting to take over our freedom. The Left would love to see FR go away; we won’t let that happen!

Freepers are patriots who love their country. Thank you JimRob for giving us a home on the web!

[Scythian]

However, something has changed recently. We used to allow different types of conservative viewpoints here, but lately, if you’re not an Evangelical, New-Earth Creationist, Rudy-Hating, Mitt-Hating, goldbug conspiracy theorist, you don’t belong here. That is entirely missing the point of what FR is intended to be. We’ve become a circular firing squad, and have already killed off 80% of our own people.

I think what you are talking about is the massive purge that took place recently, you remember "all those third party will never work folks", there were hundreds of them, maybe a thousand or more, well they all left, they were all GOP establishment hinchman, good riddance ...

[GeronL]

but lately, if you’re not an Evangelical, New-Earth Creationist, Rudy-Hating, Mitt-Hating, goldbug conspiracy theorist, you don’t belong here

There are a lot of non-evangelicals and a lot of non-creationists on FR and whats a goldbug conspiracy theorist?

If you like the crossdresser and RomneyCare how conservative can you be?

My favorite threads include the science threads, sci-fi threads and the archeology threads.

[JohnG45]

... we have a good thing going ...

"We had a good thing going, going gone." Stephen Sondheim

I hope we won't find ourselves singing that song.

[Responsibility2nd]

Bump

[driftdiver]

I saw on one of these threads there are 300,000 registered users on FR. I have no idea if that’s accurate.

Jim said a couple thousand people give $30 a quarter. Thats $60,000 which isn’t much to keep servers and bandwidth running.

If 100,000 gave $10 it would blow it out of the park. Its not Rush’s job to support FR just because he’s rich.

If a person can’t afford $10-$20 a quarter to support FR they should probably sign off and work a little harder. Just my 2 cents.

[metmom]

Before I start contributing regularly I would like to feel that I will be welcome here in the future.

If you don't feel welcome, then why keep coming back?

Keep it objective. If you use the site, donate.

Not donating based on hurt feelings just doesn't strike me as being terribly mature. And it's not just you who's made comments like that.

If you use the service, pay for it. If you don't like it and don't want to pay for it, don't use it. It's simple really.

But don't try to hold FReepers and JR hostage with threats of withholding money until they fall in line with what you demand in behavior.

Not liking how a business is run is no justification for not paying for service received.

[tgusa]

All - if you aren’t monthly supporters, give a little. We all probably spend more on cigarettes or beer or wine, or in my case soda, in a month than a monthly donation would amount to.

[Marty62]

OH pahleeze. I’m Catholic and have suffered a great deal of anti-Catholic postings.
It is the nature of America that people have their own personal prejudices,and they are allowed to voice them.

do I take it personally NO.
Is it my responsibility to defend YES. Although most of the time I just ignore.
If Beck is THAT thin skinned and vindictive then you are right he shouldn’t donate.

[wita]

Text is king here, and I like it that way. Generally speaking.

Agreed!

[Ripliancum]

You bring up a good point. If the 3rd party, all or nothing, my way or the highway approach can work, then FR fund raising should be a good barometer for the financial effort it will take to elect a 3rd party candidate.

If the recent purges have a negative impact on FR, what does that say about the future political fallout?

[Scythian]

Jim said a couple thousand people give $30 a quarter. Thats $60,000 which isn’t much to keep servers and bandwidth running.

In all honestly that's a shit-load of money, we host for far, far cheaper, a fraction of the cost actually. It's costing the FR almost a half mill to host per year? You can do the same for pennies on the dollar.

[GeronL]

I guess you haven’t seen the ratios

I saw the numbers that Greg West fool vomited up and they were probably made up out of thin air. Even if true it amounts to less a thread a day, big whoop.

[writer33]

Not donating based on hurt feelings just doesn't strike me as being terribly mature.

Stop this silliness with maturity, metmom. Now, really! /s :-)

[musicman]

"I think each person who posts should get a star by their name for donation."

But some people might think
that you COULD be
if you don't do the "people thing"
and Donate to FR!!
Click Here !!

[Ripliancum]

Beck is hardly thin skinned or vindictive. But I do not think he would financially support a site where his faith is openly mocked on a daily basis. There are plenty of good causes out there asking for money.

[j.argese]

Just a few points:

1. The problem with pay to post is quite clear. A sugar daddy/mammy makes a significant contribution, posts a hateful lib screed, gets banned and revokes donation.

2. Politics = passion, like it or not. How many purges have occurred since I started reading here in 2000? I wasn't a fan of George W Bush then. Had an anointed aura about him and thought Ambassador Keyes was a better choice.

3. Many people don't feel welcome him based upon the actions of several cliques of FReepers. Self-appointed guardians of what is and isn't conservative, incorrectly.

4. Bloggers are a point of contention. The ill-conceived war on bloggers, poorly planned and more poorly executed is absolutely ridiculous. Bloggers are a potential source of revenue. If you wish to "pimp" your blog, pay the piper, if not, no more excerpts. If they wish to take advantage and harvest readership, make them pay.

5. When I grew up, it wasn't polite to ask somebody how much they got paid. Asking for a breakdown of costs lacks class and nobody's business.

[Mom MD]

Agree as well. One of the reasons I just became a monthly donor. If someone wants cutesy they can go somewhere else. I like having a place to come for information and (mostly) intelligent discussion

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

PS:Since you post here I guess you like this horse and buggy too. Hypocrite.

I visit because I'm a news junkie. Any other insults you want to hurl?

[writer33]

You, sir, are going to hell! /s :-)

[battletank]

“Then it would be a non-profit if Jim wanted that I suppose.”

Someone up thread posted this which got me to thinking....

I have absolutely no idea what being non-profit would entail, or what requirements would have to be met. Perhaps they are insurmountable and/or against principle in some way? Would it help to be non-profit by allowing tax write offs for donors? Perhaps that would bring in more high dollar contributions?

I know...I’m dumb as a rock about this, but sure would like answers?

[Ripliancum]

Were have you been the last couple of months?

[listenhillary]

Maybe 10% of the registered users are active posters.

[driftdiver]

“In all honestly that’s a shit-load of money, we host for far, far cheaper, a fraction of the cost actually. It’s costing the FR almost a half mill to host per year? You can do the same for pennies on the dollar. “

You know not what you are talking about.

You can get an econo website for $20 a month. Those are seriously limited on bandwidth and capacity.

To support a high number of users and bandwidth you need dedicated servers and mega bandwidth. That is very expensive.

I could care less if Jim is getting rich off this. I don’t think he is but he deserves it for all the work he and others have put into FR.

[Frantzie]

I think product pimps for Apple and other products should pay much more. I would pay extra if I did not have to wade through multiple daily Apple press releases and I dislike Microsoft even more.

[Marty62]

I have been here 13 years, and with the exceptions of a 2 year absence, I have not seen DAILY attacks on MORMONISM.

I don’t spend a lot of time on the Religion section so maybe that is where it is occuring. Just don’t frequent that section if it bothers you THAT much.

[paulycy]

5. When I grew up, it wasn't polite to ask somebody how much they got paid. Asking for a breakdown of costs lacks class and nobody's business.

Jim has repeatedly stated on this forum that he gets no pay from FR. So I'm not sure which costs would be nobody's business. All we are asking for is the estimated cost of the fixes required for the system to be mended or improved. Is there a problem with that?

[US_MilitaryRules]

I am already a monthly donor but i would like to up my amount. How do I do it? Also put the answer in the FAQ’s on the donate link. Thanks

[GeronL]

Beck is hardly thin skinned or vindictive. But I do not think he would financially support a site where his faith is openly mocked on a daily basis

Okay, Jim should ban Mormon posts, period. pro and con. Then there wouldn't be a problem right?

/sarc

[Ripliancum]

Yes, it’s the Religion Forum. Some days it’s a half dozen anti threads. Some trickle into the Beck threads, and Jim moved one to the Breaking News last week, but outside of that, they are mostly in the RF. Most have their settings to view everything, so they get everything, not just news.

[GeronL]

1. The problem with pay to post is quite clear. A sugar daddy/mammy makes a significant contribution, posts a hateful lib screed, gets banned and revokes donation.

No Refunds

[max americana]

>FR should require a paid subscription to post any article.<

I agree. I’m a paying member of Rightnation as well and no one can post articles until they are a paid member and it has worked to keep the site alive since 2003. God forbid we see another vanity article (sarc)

[driftdiver]

10% sounds about right, still a bunch of penny pinchin folks.

[colorcountry]

All this hate speech leads to violence! We need to stop it here and now. Who cares about the first amendment anywho!!!

</ sarcasm>

[tomkat]

Absolute agreement w/yall and others re the clean, unobtrusive look of this site v. most of the headache-inducing sludge on the web.

I cheered when John 86'd the marquee function, but kinda miss the days of having to close tags and subsequent give/take of grief & laughs for not doing so !

[GeronL]

You, sir, are going to hell! /s :-)

lol. Possibly, but I have doubts.

[new cruelty]

5. When I grew up, it wasn't polite to ask somebody how much they got paid. Asking for a breakdown of costs lacks class and nobody's business.

J, for anyone who is interested, Jim hasn't been shy about listing the budget and recurring expenses.

[the rifleman]

The check is in the mail. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do if this place went under. I've been visiting this site since 98 and remember reading posters like Dogone and Fishog. Using info here I've planted the seeds of conservatism in the minds of the youth that I worked with. It's been the perfect tool to arm them against the liberals who would just plow them under.

I also know that some big names in the media surf this site. When Hannity and Rush cite their “sources” who do you think they are talking about? I know who their talking about. FreeRepublic is a conservative think tank and investigative body like no other. If their reading I hope to hell they pony up. If an old retired burn out like me can collect some aluminum cans to send in funds so can they. Jim Thomson keeps everything confidential.

[JoeProBono]

[metmom]

I like the way FR looks now, as well. it’s easy to read and easy to navigate. It’s very user friendly for non technical people like myself.

No emoticons, please.

And NO avatars, PLEASE. (I can’t stand them)

I’d rather not have FR cluttered up with all kind of extraneous visual distractions. Plus, inappropriate ones would just be one more thing for the mods to monitor, like they need any more work.

And no editing.

All that opens the door for is someone posting something really nasty and when people complain, editing it out and denying it. Then it becomes a your word against mine and causing a lot of bickering.

I know the mods are busy enough, but I’d rather have it edit free for the potential problems editing could cause.

[CottonBall]

DV: “I’d be willing to pay $30 per year or $58 for two year subscription.”

MM: Might be good to require subscription in order to post. But it should be available for everyone to read,as I expect troll types need to read the discussions. They could learn something important. Trolls (from D.U., etc.) would be less likely to post and stir up trouble if they had to pay money.

I like your ideas. Free to read is good because we need to get the conservative point of view out there and not be exclusive. I'd pay for a subscription to post, though I seldom post. And keeping out the riffraff is a side benefit.

Although, I wonder if the money taken in could actually decrease by charging to post - compared to the donations. TPTB would need to do an analysis on the number of regular posters and figure the cost based on that number. Some will bail, no doubt.

[certrtwngnut]

I have been here only 3+ years & just made my first contribution. I would hate for FR to go away. Even though I don’t post I do read here everyday & reply. This is a great forum. Let’s keep it going.

[metmom]

There are more than ten times that number of registered screen names, are there not?