"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

[Windflier]

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.

If I may, an even better solution is for Jim Rob to allow banner advertising, which only unpaid members would see. Paid members would not see the ads.

This would allow the site to maintain the same level of posting traffic, with the added benefit of adding a second (and much needed) income stream to the management.

There are many, many Freepers who own businesses that would buy ad space on FR in a heartbeat if it were offered. I would.

[Chickensoup]

Jim is saying if we want it to continue we have to fund it.

The mechanism is through donation. So if we want it we need to ante up for it.

That is the bottom line.

There are a lot of deep pockets here at FR as well as others.

Time to decide how important this forum is for the country, for your family, for the future and for your sanity.

[paulycy]

The mechanism is through donation.

So, there is no point in trying different donation-catching techniques like listing specific fund raising goals for specific needs like a new server? Is that what you're saying? The one and only method is the quarterly donate-or-don't FReepathon?

[Chickensoup]

speaking of living forever. Maybe it is time to think about leaving FR a little something in your will?

[brytlea]

I knew about that, I guess I just didn’t realize the seriousness of things.

[metmom]

If I were to re-write FR I'd re-write it with virtually the same interface and possibly an even more simplified interface based on John's experience over the years dealing with the code. It needs no graphical bells and whistles. It just needs speed and stability IMO.

Agreed.

[Quix]

ABSOLUTELY INDEED.

I’ve been slapped down hard and turned right around and donated to my meager ability.

[Quix]

I agree.

[Chickensoup]

So, there is no point in trying different donation-catching techniques like listing specific fund raising goals for specific needs like a new server? Is that what you’re saying? The one and only method is the quarterly donate-or-don’t FReepathon?

A donation is a donation to me. Attach it to what ever we want to attach it to. Heck, I would love to see all sorts of kinds of donations. Heck I would love to see us donate to off shore FR.

[dforest]

I promise, later in the week I will raise my debt ceiling.

Times are tough right now, but I would not complain about the quality of FR.

I have few places to go to get insulted more than once a day.

[HKMk23]

Politics and religion don't mix.

We hold these Truths to be self-evident: that all men are CREATED equal; that they are endowed by their CREATOR with certain unalienable rights...
[emphasis, mine.]

So, about the purported incompatibility of religion and politics...

To what foreign nation were you referring?

[KC Burke]

Jim,

Thanks for #588 to update those that don’t know the site’s history.

The truely wonderful thing about FreeRepublic.com was an individual with patriotic yearnings for information and communication set it up with what he could muster up on his own. It is as patriotic a move as anything I have seen in recent years.

The Clinton era Whitehouse saturday picketing started with poster MrConfettiMan (bless Joe’s dear memory) went to the White House alone and posted a thread, “ I was there, Where were you” to talk of his individual action. Your individual action, legal and constitutional, prompted Joe and all of us to take action and discuss it.

Users have the unfortunant tendancy to see a personal project like this and treat it like it is a commercial enterprise. They suggest, gripe, complain, demand, argue and in general forget that they are but visitors to your hobby — trying to save out nation. You are very patient with all of us and sharing as well.

Thank you.

[going hot]

Other than that, I wouldn’t know what to do with all the money.

Well, there is always the donations to the conservative candidate of your choice.

:-)

[Windflier]

>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.

Yes, it's alive, but RightNation has about 1/100th the traffic that Free Republic does. I'm a member there, too, and the place is a ghost town, compared to FR.

There also seems to be some embargo on Sarah Palin articles going on there. Not sure what that's all about.

[Lazamataz]

Why use a similar name [like FreeRepublicNews.com]?

Affiliation. Name recognition. Instant market.

[Quix]

Yeah . . . those

Italians taking over the text were something else.

or

center

. . . those were the days

[Rich21IE]

Well, I wouldn’t mind banner ads with girls in skimpy bathing suits.

[NormsRevenge]

FR was started on zero capital. It was a hobby that has grown terribly out of control. It was a one man shop when I set it up. Amy came in later to help me administer it, then John took over the programming a couple years later and redesigned and rewrote it all at least three times since. He built the servers it runs on. Now it may be that if we had the money we could order all new equipment and redesign and rewrite the software again with an eye for making it all bullet proof, but that would require lots of money and probably hiring some additional talent and it would require time. But we have no money and no access to money. And we are reluctant to take on any additional debt.

Now we could go commercial. We could sell ads. We could sell subscriptions or memberships, We could sell t-shirts and hats. But the moment we do, we invite scrutiny and copyright lawsuits. Before going commercial we would have to scrub our archives of any possible copyright violations. And we’d have to tighten up our current operations to make sure no one posts anything that could get us into trouble with any publisher of stories, photos, images, etc. And with sharks like Righthaven swimming around, there will always be room for trouble. And going commercial still wouldn’t guarantee enough income to build and maintain a paid staff, bullet proof software, redundant systems, etc.

I’m an old dog and I like to keep it simple. We have a nice little system here. We are comfortable with the hardware and our software and our providers and it works fairly well. Actually, very well. We have some occasional problems and have been down a few times but as I said, there are no guarantees that if we had double or triple the size of our hardware or our staff that we still would not suffer some downtime occasionally. It happens.

And we’re perfectly comfortable with donor funding at a shoestring level. I’d hate to complicate the thing by going commercial. We are grassroots and it makes sense to me to keep it all grassroots and uncomplicated if we possibly can.

I see no reason whatsoever to panic about our systems our staffing or our funding.

---

You’re talking multiple millions spent to create&maintain FR and its infrastructure and functions.

Well Done, Sir! That’s stimulating the old economy!

The ROI on your investment and your family’s as well can never be adequately calculated nor appreciated as much as it should be by this nation and Republic for which we claim as our own.

Old dogs know best. They know where the shade is and they know how to use it.

To those who would wish to take FR to another level,, perhaps it is time to do battle with new technologies as the Robinsons have and see what you can deliver.

—

as to - ‘we’re perfectly comfortable with donor funding at a shoestring level.’

Charlie Chaplin did pretty well on the same diet, shoestrings and sole.. ;-)

Giddyup.

[vox_freedom]

I have been thinking about this all morning.
Jim is saying if we want it to continue we have to fund it.
If it is important we have to fund it.
If we want it to be more/different/better we have to fund it.
If we want it to continue to putt along we need to give more that we are giving.
If we want to build a better bigger system here, we had better be giving a lot more.
Food for thought.

Well said. I would just add the cliche' question, "Where in the world would we be without FreeRepublic.com ?"

BTW, this is the ONLY world-wide-web where we can be assured of conservative opinions, viewpoints, and articles and free discussion. That is why I actively support the FReepathons and JimRob's decisions regarding (t)his site.

Oh, and I may as well post this too:

Where in the world would we be without FreeRepublic?

Just Click the Earth to Donate!

[metmom]

It’s amazing how many times I’ll do a Google Search on something and the very first result is a Free Republic page.

You know, I've taken to doing google searches to see if something has been posted on FR since the search function here is iffy. And especially since people DON'T USE KEYWORDS!!!

I've found it to be very useful in avoiding dupes.