Posted on 02/06/2012 7:21:59 PM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo
As many of you know, and as many of you don't know, this Freepathon is to raise money for the current quarter, not one down the road. We need to get this one over with and now.
November brings the most important election in our lifetime. FR must be up and running and healthy if we are going to make a difference.
If you have donated in the past, please donate again. If you give something every quarter, try to give something every month. If you are a monthly donor, give dollar-a-day a shot, if you can.
John needs some new equipment to stay on the air and we all understand that. Equipment gets old and wears out, just like you and me ;-)
Please help FR in any way you can. If you can.
We need to be here in November for reasons that should be obvious to all.
I'll shut up now, I've said my piece.
God Bless,
3
It was Jack-in-the-Box tacos with a side of onion rings and a large chocolate shake.
Cured what ailed me.
Oh, pshaw. I figured that out years ago.
That’s a question for Jim Robinson, but I wouldn’t anticipate an answer.
It's totally obvious.
Those folks with the handles:
Admin Moderator
Sidebar Moderator
Lead Moderator
They are the moderators. Duh.
Although I have to say that Sidebar is one of my all time favorite top-ten moderator names.
That looks KILLER!
Wow. That is beautiful. I may cry.
And you are SOOOO in trouble! Religion Moderator? Hello?!
Oh yeah, that’s some sustenance right there I’ll tell you what.
Like the cops in a part of town where you never go...
Crikey, do we WANT to?
They’d off the whole internet and then come over to the house raising hell.
I got enough folks doing that already.
Keep an iced keg or three on hand, just in case.
Until they’re needed to patrol elsewhere. Hmmm.
Shhhhhhhhhh.
Don’t OUT me!
I'm going back to eating my dinner. :-)
Zots are still free....enjoy
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Viking Kitty/ZOT ping list!. . . don't be shy.
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Viking Kitty/ZOT ping list!. . . don't be shy.
So? I don't think anyone here is deluded to not realize they are paying salaries, this is a business, not a charity. I saw a comment a long time ago I steal for these types of occasions.
For every program that needs writing, you have to pay a programmer. For every server that is maintained, you have to pay someone to maintain that server. For every legal filing, you have to pay someone to file. You don't expect people to do this out of charity?
Let's look at the big picture numbers. FR runs on about $375K per year (a bargain considering comparable sites like DU take over a million a year). From what I understand, FR has four employees (not counting all the mods, not sure if they are volunteers or not). Four employees at $375K is $93K/employee. Not exactly rich. I wouldn't do it for that. However, that number is before you pay for a single piece of hardware, software, legal fee, etc.
Sure, things may be able to be done 'cheaper', co-locating servers, getting cheap open-source software, outsourcing programming and maintenance to India (I'm sure that would go over real well), etc. With each of these things, FR would give up autonomy and lose that 'it' that makes FR, FR. These are decisions that the owners of this site have to make. The members of this site, however, every single fundraiser, have stamped their approval on how it is operated by meeting fundraising goals every quarter. Sure, sometimes it takes a little longer, sometimes it is quick, but it is always met.
This is a free market and the customers are still buying the product. If you don't like the product, you are free to not donate. Simple as that.
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