Posted on 01/11/2011 5:28:06 AM PST by paulycy
FYI -
Here are statements from Jim about the future of FreeRepublic.com for those who missed them. They are quite serious.
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"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."
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[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.
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- Jim Robinson
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2653583/posts?page=168#168
Socialist generation? Silly Albion. All I asked for was truth-in-posting. Jim actually addressed my question quite professionally, and at no time did I say he shouldn’t get any money out of the deal. I just wanted to know what in-the-know poster was correct, and who was wrong.
This is what gets people ticked off - posters such as you who insult others for asking questions. (Now, if you didn’t mean to insult me, let me apologize for assuming that.)
Besides, you ask for a donation, you get questions. It’s an American thing,ya know, not a socialist thing.
If he was saying that there would be a charge, I wouldn’t argue with him since it’s a business and he’d be selling his service. I didn’t ask for the ability to micromanage (as evidenced by my comments about paperclip pricing). I just asked for him to clear the air about the ‘facts’ being bandied about.
Now since he didn’t seem all that offended, why are you?
Were you on some of the FB threads? Freepers do NOT trust FB. They have that GPS stuff hidden that tells others where you are. We’ve had some Freepers stalked by lefties and had addresses and phone numbers published on leftist sites. It really is a concern.
Sorry paulcy, Albion is using a straw man here. Neither you nor I asked for ‘every detail’. In fact, from the comments I reviewed (and I gave up after several pages), most people haven’t asked for every detail either.
imho
There have been enough suits . . .
that it’s just a huge hassle and potential to probable expense to protect those rights and boundaries.
I think Jim made the right call on that issue.
Please put yourself in Jim’s shoes and wheel chair as best you can.
FR is his baby and his life in a lot of respects.
He’s not a teenager any longer.
He likely would prefer to preserve his precious bodily fluids for battles that matter most.
Wasting time, energy, resources, hassle, blood, sweat, tears and sheer aggravation on battles that are not automatically central to FR’s priorities
is a waste
he’s likely not willing to bother with.
I don’t blame him. I think that’s wisdom.
His current category cuts out a lot of frustration, hassles and entanglements that are just not worth it to begin with.
Congratulations! Your Website is Worth $1,950,175.
report: www.freerepublic.com
http://www.valuemyweb.com/value_report/97725-report777d21d980f82aa8b4f26f4a4d3dda1d
One report put its value at almost $7 million!!
Of course, that assumes a willing buyer and a willing seller. Jim seems uninclined to sell. And I’ve seen a forum site lose 90% of it’s users due to unwise changes by a new buyer. It was a textbook example of how to pee off a user community and lose most of the value of a web site.
I don’t necessarily trust facebook. I was only mentioning a new FR feature that Jim himself had experimented with. Jim is obviously looking to the future himself. The whole point of my thread is simply to talk openly about current limitations and future solutions to FR’s technology and funding. That’s all.
I'm just saying that we need to use caution when upgrading. Not everything is suitable for FR. Or even safe.
That FR is valuable is pretty much beyond question. But FR’s inherent cash value seems like something that Jim would want to pass down to his family, or borrow against in a family emergency. That could explain why he merely says he hopes they carry on with FR when he is gone.
We might need to stay focused on the only way Jim wants money to flow into FR and that is donations.
FReeper Albion Wilde suggested a separate and independent Foundation that can raise money and donate it FreeRepublic.com. I like that idea a lot.
I suppose we could raise money and then Jim could spit in our eye and tell us no but I bet he wouldn’t... ;0)
Agreed. These things need to be done by knowledgeable professionals who have the best interests of Free Republic in mind. So far we are not at the point of picking those people yet, except for Jim and John of course, so you needn't worry. Jim will always be in charge and have veto power. It's his baby. :0)
Did you ever get to read the history of FR? It's just amazing how it grew.
Yes, I did. Thanks for that link.
I saw my shiny new tagline on a t-shirt in the adhd sectio... wait, do you like waffles?
What is up with FR?
We can’t seem to handle live events anymore?
Which is ok I guess, I would still come here, but the live threads/breaking news threads are really where FR used to shine.
Anyone know what is going on that is different?
Yes. I just had several hours of not being able to access FR from my home office computer.
I know he doesn’t. It was making a put up or shut up point.
So did everyone else smarty pants.
onyx said it might have been a logjam in the router but wasn’t sure.
That's what we're trying to find out on this thread.
I know that you know. :-)
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