[Sorry for the cross-post, but I wanted to make sure everyone saw this.]
As many of you have noticed, the bellefree forum is ad-free. From the start, we have wanted a board that was well moderated, high quality, and free from those annoying pop-up ads. Unfortunately, as with most good things in life, this comes at a cost. As much as I hate asking for money, I think given our growth, the time has come...
EZBoard charges for boards according to the number of average page-views per day. As we have grown, our page views have risen. Currently, we are averaging ~1600 page views a day, which means that it's going to cost us $70 for the next 6 months.
Currently, we are paying this out of pocket, and we will continue to do so. But we would also appreciate your help if you are a regular on this board.
Here's how you can help:
1. Contribute to our community chest.
If 14 people contribute $5 to the community chest, we will be able to cover our costs for the next 6 months. If we can round up $140, then we can renew for a year, and lock in our costs at the current page view level. You can contribute, by going to the main bellefree page, and clicking on direct payment. Any money contributed to the chest can only be used to pay for renewing the EZBoard service, so you don't have to worry about anyone misusing your contributions.
2. Become an ezSupporter
For about $12/year you can become an ezSupporter. This does two things for you and us. First, your page views on bellefree forum will not be counted when calculating the overall cost of the site. In other words, your being a supporter will reduce our overall cost (especially if you join in the next 30 days, because our new rate as of Nov 5 is going to be based on the previous 30 day's average page views). Second, you will have the additional benefit of having ad-free access to *any* ezBoard, including Shane Glines' Drawing Board. If money is tight, I suggest just signing up as an ezSupporter.
I can understand that some of you might be reluctant to pay for the service, but the fact remains that EZBoard is providing a very valuable service at a ridiculously low price. Think about it: for about $17, you can both contribute to our community chest and become an ezSupporter. That's the price of a movie + popcorn. And how many hours of entertainment do you get out of this?
The bellefree forum always has been, and will continue to be, a site that is run by the community. We hope that you are all still enjoying the site, and that if you have any suggestions or problems that you feel welcome to contact us about it. Speaking for myself, this forum and all of you have helped me rekindle a long lost love for art, and I feel greatly indebted to all of you. Thank you for the inspiration!
And thank you for reading.
Ben
P.S. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to tack them onto this thread.
As many of you have noticed, the bellefree forum is ad-free. From the start, we have wanted a board that was well moderated, high quality, and free from those annoying pop-up ads. Unfortunately, as with most good things in life, this comes at a cost. As much as I hate asking for money, I think given our growth, the time has come...
EZBoard charges for boards according to the number of average page-views per day. As we have grown, our page views have risen. Currently, we are averaging ~1600 page views a day, which means that it's going to cost us $70 for the next 6 months.
Currently, we are paying this out of pocket, and we will continue to do so. But we would also appreciate your help if you are a regular on this board.
Here's how you can help:
1. Contribute to our community chest.
If 14 people contribute $5 to the community chest, we will be able to cover our costs for the next 6 months. If we can round up $140, then we can renew for a year, and lock in our costs at the current page view level. You can contribute, by going to the main bellefree page, and clicking on direct payment. Any money contributed to the chest can only be used to pay for renewing the EZBoard service, so you don't have to worry about anyone misusing your contributions.
2. Become an ezSupporter
For about $12/year you can become an ezSupporter. This does two things for you and us. First, your page views on bellefree forum will not be counted when calculating the overall cost of the site. In other words, your being a supporter will reduce our overall cost (especially if you join in the next 30 days, because our new rate as of Nov 5 is going to be based on the previous 30 day's average page views). Second, you will have the additional benefit of having ad-free access to *any* ezBoard, including Shane Glines' Drawing Board. If money is tight, I suggest just signing up as an ezSupporter.
I can understand that some of you might be reluctant to pay for the service, but the fact remains that EZBoard is providing a very valuable service at a ridiculously low price. Think about it: for about $17, you can both contribute to our community chest and become an ezSupporter. That's the price of a movie + popcorn. And how many hours of entertainment do you get out of this?
The bellefree forum always has been, and will continue to be, a site that is run by the community. We hope that you are all still enjoying the site, and that if you have any suggestions or problems that you feel welcome to contact us about it. Speaking for myself, this forum and all of you have helped me rekindle a long lost love for art, and I feel greatly indebted to all of you. Thank you for the inspiration!
And thank you for reading.
Ben
P.S. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to tack them onto this thread.
