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
Comments? Suggestions?
I’ve been a monthly donor for years, and believe the key is to increase that area of participation. Find a way to identify , at a glance, who the monthlies are.
Maybe a different color to the font of their handle, maybe a gold star, or a mini American flag icon next to your name. Maybe different colors for different levels of monthly donation amounts. Platinum stars for those giving over a hundred?
I believe that if the monthlies were easily identified, more people would proudly participate that way.
I’d like to add that monthlies should have the ability to change their handle, of course as long as a history went with that change. Im so sick of mine I could spit, and would pay a few more bucks to change it.
But now that Oracle owns them, I'm a little concerned they're going to become Oracle-lite.
Does it taste like chicken?
Hey, I blamed it on the organist.
Excellent idea! Thank you for sharing it.
You’re welcome and thank you!
I think that's a good idea, as well.
I don't like the pay to post idea as it could create a traceable link to someone.
I make my donations through money orders that theoretically shouldn't be able to be traced back to me. Use cash to buy it and nobody knows who it's from in real life. You can put a post it note on the donation to indicate the FReeper from whence it came.
Sorry for being rough. It’s just that PHP should be shot in sight, when possible, to prevent further damage to the codesphere.
“Java, C++, PHP, whatever is not the issue.”
Kind of is, kind of isn’t. An open source project usually needs a pool of qualified developers on some common platform. It’s a balance between “enough good programmers can use this” and “it’s easy enough to get the job done with this”. On industry you hire under a profile; in open source you try to maximize the chances for a volunteer.
“The technology used is secondary.”
Up until the design phase, yes, mostly.
You may be on to something with the idea, suggestion, that specific projects be taken on and accomplished and then on to the next as a means to solicit funds. Our family has more than once given to such projects, or absorbed a specific item, that we would not have been aware of had it been buried in the general expense accounting. However, I consider it the right thing to do that I pay for a service I use to the extent that I do, in particular the Free Republic site. I consider that over many years we have subscribed to multiple magazines and newspapers at a time, costing a bundle each year and now we have stopped it all. We now contribute to several places we frequent for our news and several more for charitable reasons. Beyond a doubt, many persons using and depending on this site could contribute to FR without being pinched if they just took the time to do so.
THOUGHTS FROM A FORMER NON-MONTHLY CONTRIBUTER...
From time to time, I’d throw a few dollars to Free Republic. But I would “justify” my not being a regular monthly contributor based on the large numbers of FReepers who had ideals, values and opinions contrary to mine.
To save time, I’ll not list all the many political, religous, cultural differences, but suffice it to say - Free Republic is all over the place in our core values.
I’d say; “If ever Jim zots those (fill in the blanks), then I’d get on board”.
But.... I’ll parrot what others have said. If everyone thought like me, then what a boring place this forum would be. And while I get agitated and irratated at opposing viewpoints, I realize that - over all - this is a healthy mix of opinions that challenge and motivate me.
So. I just set my bill pay feature to send $10.00 monthly. I spend way more than that a month to suscribe to my local newspaper. I spend way more than that to be assaulted and offended with PMSNBCBS crap coming in from Time Warner.
So, Mr Robinson, keep up the good work. Keep up the nasty tone of the Religious Forum. Keep zotting those trols. Keep tweaking those servers. Keep up the blogpimpers, the Freepathons, the Libertarians, the brilliant insight and commentary - all the bad things and all the good things that make Free Republic great.
Do I smell an incoming Freeploading zot?
We use to post excerpts of writings and speeches of leading professional news-makers, and then follow up lively discussions.
Now there's too much posting of links to videos without posting an excerpt of the video and an opinion on it. It's getting to be just too much bla, bla bla.
One solution is to insist that only articles are posted that can be joined without viewing the link to the video. To top it off, charge a fee for every post, ~5$, until the poster reaches a deductible amount. This would get rid of a lot of junk on FR.
As Rush likes to say ' news businesses fail because of lack of content'. And content is what is lacking at FR. We had it and lost it.
Sumpin' like womens.
So you want to drive another person away? That’s why this site is failing now. Why can’t some of you see that? A thread was started. I voiced my thoughts and BAM.
Your monthly donation is very much welcome, Responsibility2nd. Thank you very much.
I read the post that you have cited.
A post (ideally in the religion forum) which simply advocates belief in Mormonism (or Judaism, or Buddhism, or Jehovah's Witness"ism", or anything else, even Islam) is not an attack on your faith.
That would be nice.
Don’t have to worry about losing income on that one. ;)
Great post, R2. And I know we don’t see eye to eye on much.
I enjoy FR and have donated, but this site and tech thinking is ancient to be honest.
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