Potential community sale...

[heedpantsnow]

Glad to see people working together toward a solution.

I would love to see a gh donation become the norm for selling stuff and for sure for GB's. If $5 were added to every cap set it would already be a good way there.

We can all edit our for sale listings to include a donation for each item sold. If it becomes the norm then I think it wouldn't feel burdensome and could be a good line of cash flow.

[dyrdevil]

Glad to see people working together toward a solution.

I would love to see a gh donation become the norm for selling stuff and for sure for GB's. If $5 were added to every cap set it would already be a good way there.

We can all edit our for sale listings to include a donation for each item sold. If it becomes the norm then I think it wouldn't feel burdensome and could be a good line of cash flow.

With community vendors becoming increasingly popular and the rising trends in keycap prices I wonder if this would just drive people away from gh... 

edit : a donation option is an excellent way to do this, my comment applies more to the idea of a mandatory fee

[Sneaky Potato]

I'm interested iMav, let's talk.

Please PM me if you need additional help. I am 100% on board with purchasing GH if it means not letting it fall into the wrong hands. I don’t want this website turning into an ad-Infested cesspool.

[xondat]

I'm interested iMav, let's talk.

Please PM me if you need additional help. I am 100% on board with purchasing GH if it means not letting it fall into the wrong hands. I don’t want this website turning into an ad-Infested cesspool.

I am too.

It might be worth PMing iMav with a figure you're thinking of contributing (at least that's what I think is a decent way of working towards a solution lol).

[fendent]

I'd be happy to advise and partake on any technical aspects of a transition if need be. I'd also be willing to make semi-regular contributions to overhead.

[brianjking]

I'm happy to help out on technical needs. I can't do much financially at the moment, but will definitely do what I can.

[chuckdee]

Patreon or not, this is major overpaying for hosting. You do not need a dedicated server for this forum.

I'm on another board where they made the exact same claims, but forums are not all equal.  With the amount of traffic they get here, I'd not be surprised if that's needed for bandwidth.  Don't judge until you know what usage is like.

[.]

I have never even noticed the donate button to be honest with you. That said, I think a cheaper server and a patreon page would help significantly.

[Sneaky Potato]

I'm interested iMav, let's talk.

Please PM me if you need additional help. I am 100% on board with purchasing GH if it means not letting it fall into the wrong hands. I don’t want this website turning into an ad-Infested cesspool.

I am too.

It might be worth PMing iMav with a figure you're thinking of contributing (at least that's what I think is a decent way of working towards a solution lol).

PM’d. I will gladly purchase this site and turn it over to the capable mods and community. I will even pay the month to month costs without need of community contribution.

For obvious reasons, I would prefer to be a part of a community group that purchases the site. But I hope iMav at least a considers me a backup before giving up the site to a non-community based party. I will buy it at any time.  I may have not been there on day one but I’ll be damned if I sit around and watch this site go to hell.

[Puddsy]

I'm interested iMav, let's talk.

Please PM me if you need additional help. I am 100% on board with purchasing GH if it means not letting it fall into the wrong hands. I don’t want this website turning into an ad-Infested cesspool.

I am too.

It might be worth PMing iMav with a figure you're thinking of contributing (at least that's what I think is a decent way of working towards a solution lol).

PM’d. I will gladly purchase this site and turn it over to the capable mods and community. I will even pay the month to month costs without need of community contribution.

For obvious reasons, I would prefer to be a part of a community group that purchases the site. But I hope iMav at least a considers me a backup before giving up the site to a non-community based party. I will buy it at any time.  I may have not been there on day one but I’ll be damned if I sit around and watch this site go to hell.

100% on board for a community effort

[Hak Foo]

I will say to look at what happened with Deskthority if you're thinking about transferring it to the community- they started out with an elaborate "let's do everything above the board" legal club structure and that added a fair bit of overhead.  They eventually just folded back into a "one guy owns it and takes donations" model.  Not sure what sort of hassles would be involved in setting up a non-profit in the US to run GH.

I wonder if it would be too absurd to ask the party interested in purchasing to make themselves known and pitch to the community.  That would let us have a window into their motives and the ability to theorize 'is this firm likely to be a trustworthy partner for many years, or are they just trying to buy relevance in a trend, then drop it all for fidget spinners next month?"

[Puddsy]

I will say to look at what happened with Deskthority if you're thinking about transferring it to the community- they started out with an elaborate "let's do everything above the board" legal club structure and that added a fair bit of overhead.  They eventually just folded back into a "one guy owns it and takes donations" model.  Not sure what sort of hassles would be involved in setting up a non-profit in the US to run GH.

I wonder if it would be too absurd to ask the party interested in purchasing to make themselves known and pitch to the community.  That would let us have a window into their motives and the ability to theorize 'is this firm likely to be a trustworthy partner for many years, or are they just trying to buy relevance in a trend, then drop it all for fidget spinners next month?"

willing to bet it's some random chinese company that isn't keyboard related at all

[jackhumbert]

I shot an email to Zeal about this as well, but I'd be happy to help contribute to keep things running as things are now. I think the Patreon in combination with community/vendor-based (and community-approved) ad buys could easily pay for the server costs. Having exclusive rewards/giveaways for the different contribution levels on Patreon could be a neat thing to try.

[Oblotzky]

I will say to look at what happened with Deskthority if you're thinking about transferring it to the community- they started out with an elaborate "let's do everything above the board" legal club structure and that added a fair bit of overhead.  They eventually just folded back into a "one guy owns it and takes donations" model.  Not sure what sort of hassles would be involved in setting up a non-profit in the US to run GH.

I wonder if it would be too absurd to ask the party interested in purchasing to make themselves known and pitch to the community.  That would let us have a window into their motives and the ability to theorize 'is this firm likely to be a trustworthy partner for many years, or are they just trying to buy relevance in a trend, then drop it all for fidget spinners next month?"

willing to bet it's some random chinese company that isn't keyboard related at all

Nah it's Razer, they'll try to suppress this niche before normies discover it and demand alu housings for 150$.

[Puddsy]

I shot an email to Zeal about this as well, but I'd be happy to help contribute to keep things running as things are now. I think the Patreon in combination with community/vendor-based (and community-approved) ad buys could easily pay for the server costs. Having exclusive rewards/giveaways for the different contribution levels on Patreon could be a neat thing to try.

4 footer ads at $100/month each would cover it

just open it to community members

id rather have an ad for a GB than for corsair

[jackhumbert]

I shot an email to Zeal about this as well, but I'd be happy to help contribute to keep things running as things are now. I think the Patreon in combination with community/vendor-based (and community-approved) ad buys could easily pay for the server costs. Having exclusive rewards/giveaways for the different contribution levels on Patreon could be a neat thing to try.

4 footer ads at $100/month each would cover it

just open it to community members

id rather have an ad for a GB than for corsair

Definitely. There are larger vendors that it might be nice to get support from, though. We could limit those sort of sponsors/ads to one of the four or something too.

[oumakavoula]

been lurking for over a year and never occured to me that there could be a financial problem, maybe had there been a donation indicator for the on going month cost would have got me and other people to donate

[necromanx]

I would like to expose my interest in buying the site as well...

1) I have no intentions to change the forums besides keeping the software / servers secure.  This forum serves a specific need in the community that currently is not covered anywhere else.
2) I would not change anything in the current moderator/administrator scheme.
3) I am interested in making the community grow by expanding beyond the forums.  (events, branding)
4) I am open to work with the community to figure out how to implement a method of paying for operational costs such as Patreon. 

Why?
This community plays multiple big roles in the community and I see a business perspective in that.  There is no way I would change anything to upset its users but I am certain that with my company we can make this community grow and profit from it one way or another.

[iMav]

$10K for such a large and active niche community is a bargain, please be aware of it.

As I have mentioned, I am open to other offers.

[Koriko]

I shot an email to Zeal about this as well, but I'd be happy to help contribute to keep things running as things are now. I think the Patreon in combination with community/vendor-based (and community-approved) ad buys could easily pay for the server costs. Having exclusive rewards/giveaways for the different contribution levels on Patreon could be a neat thing to try.

4 footer ads at $100/month each would cover it

just open it to community members

id rather have an ad for a GB than for corsair

Regardless of any fundraising efforts, the owner is still massively overpaying for hosting this site. If the cost was brought down to reasonable levels, one month at the current rate could pay for three months at a more financially-optimized pricing solution. If your house is on fire, you don't keep building hoping to outbuild the fire, you attempt to put it out.

Patreon or not, this is major overpaying for hosting. You do not need a dedicated server for this forum.

I'm on another board where they made the exact same claims, but forums are not all equal.  With the amount of traffic they get here, I'd not be surprised if that's needed for bandwidth.  Don't judge until you know what usage is like.

There are plenty of larger forums and forum networks that aren't on dedicated servers. Curse comes to mind.

[donut_sauce]

Having exclusive rewards/giveaways for the different contribution levels on Patreon could be a neat thing to try.

I like the idea of a having different "account" types offered.

• Free (0$/mo)
• Pro (4.99$/mo)- Allows GIF avatars, emojis, allows for requesting name change, whatever
• Business (19.99$/mo)- Grants posting GBs, Ad space,etc..

I know this probably sounds awful and corporate-y but I do think it would create a constant revenue stream to pay for cost as opposed to just quick burst of donated cash.

[.]

Having exclusive rewards/giveaways for the different contribution levels on Patreon could be a neat thing to try.

I like the idea of a having different "account" types offered.

• Free (0$/mo)
• Pro (4.99$/mo)- Allows GIF avatars, emojis, allows for requesting name change, whatever
• Business (19.99$/mo)- Grants posting GBs, Ad space,etc..

I know this probably sounds awful and corporate-y but I do think it would create a constant revenue stream to pay for cost as opposed to just quick burst of donated cash.

Bad idea to essentially block community members from running group buys.

[Puddsy]

Having exclusive rewards/giveaways for the different contribution levels on Patreon could be a neat thing to try.

I like the idea of a having different "account" types offered.

• Free (0$/mo)
• Pro (4.99$/mo)- Allows GIF avatars, emojis, allows for requesting name change, whatever
• Business (19.99$/mo)- Grants posting GBs, Ad space,etc..

I know this probably sounds awful and corporate-y but I do think it would create a constant revenue stream to pay for cost as opposed to just quick burst of donated cash.

Bad idea to essentially block community members from running group buys.

good incentive to keep randoms from running bad GBs

see: AL1, 60S, those wood VEA wristrests, and more from within the past year

[Puddsy]

I would like to expose my interest in buying the site as well...

1) I have no intentions to change the forums besides keeping the software / servers secure.  This forum serves a specific need in the community that currently is not covered anywhere else.
2) I would not change anything in the current moderator/administrator scheme.
3) I am interested in making the community grow by expanding beyond the forums.  (events, branding)
4) I am open to work with the community to figure out how to implement a method of paying for operational costs such as Patreon. 

Why?
This community plays multiple big roles in the community and I see a business perspective in that.  There is no way I would change anything to upset its users but I am certain that with my company we can make this community grow and profit from it one way or another.

in favor

get in touch with zeal maybe

[duckboi]

Having exclusive rewards/giveaways for the different contribution levels on Patreon could be a neat thing to try.

I like the idea of a having different "account" types offered.

• Free (0$/mo)
• Pro (4.99$/mo)- Allows GIF avatars, emojis, allows for requesting name change, whatever
• Business (19.99$/mo)- Grants posting GBs, Ad space,etc..

I know this probably sounds awful and corporate-y but I do think it would create a constant revenue stream to pay for cost as opposed to just quick burst of donated cash.

I will say I’m not a fan of this, it would turn away new members of the community and locking group buys to business accounts would stifle a lot of people from being able to do interesting projects.

[necromanx]

Having exclusive rewards/giveaways for the different contribution levels on Patreon could be a neat thing to try.

I like the idea of a having different "account" types offered.

• Free (0$/mo)
• Pro (4.99$/mo)- Allows GIF avatars, emojis, allows for requesting name change, whatever
• Business (19.99$/mo)- Grants posting GBs, Ad space,etc..

I know this probably sounds awful and corporate-y but I do think it would create a constant revenue stream to pay for cost as opposed to just quick burst of donated cash.

Bad idea to essentially block community members from running group buys.

good incentive to keep randoms from running bad GBs

see: AL1, 60S, those wood VEA wristrests, and more from within the past year

There are other ways to have a little bit more control over GB quality but gating people out with little to no income but with a great idea would be a bad thing for the community. 

[xondat]

$10K for such a large and active niche community is a bargain, please be aware of it.

As I have mentioned, I am open to other offers.

Do you want people to talk to you about a community based buy, or present what we talk about ourselves?

[donut_sauce]

Having exclusive rewards/giveaways for the different contribution levels on Patreon could be a neat thing to try.

I like the idea of a having different "account" types offered.

• Free (0$/mo)
• Pro (4.99$/mo)- Allows GIF avatars, emojis, allows for requesting name change, whatever
• Business (19.99$/mo)- Grants posting GBs, Ad space,etc..

I know this probably sounds awful and corporate-y but I do think it would create a constant revenue stream to pay for cost as opposed to just quick burst of donated cash.

I will say I’m not a fan of this, it would turn away new members of the community and locking group buys to business accounts would stifle a lot of people from being able to do interesting projects.

I don't know, I think there are a lot of examples of this working well (Discord has Nitro, Dribbble has Pro accounts) where the vast majority of users are free accounts.

I do agree that projects should not be hindered. Maybe IC's are free but launching a GB needs an account upgrade. Maybe there's no business account even.

All I'm saying is I like the idea of there being account types that cost something per month and give a couple perks to you meanwhile Geekhack gets to actually generate it's own income.

[Poesjuh]

First of all; sad to hear it’s a struggle for you iMav. I’m a fairly new member I would say yet Gh has changed my life (and wallet mostly) forever. I do agree with you preferring it staying within the community!

Having that said, a paid subscription would not be my preferred solution. It’s not so much that I’m against paying for a forum I’m on a lot, but they all add up.

And the $20 a month option just to buy GB’s is a killing machine imho. Not an assault, I do get the reasoning behind it. I think there are better solutions for that though. (For example; someone that runs a GB for the first time has to have someone with experience helping / councelling.)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BlindAssassin111]

I do agree that projects should not be hindered. Maybe IC's are free but launching a GB needs an account upgrade. Maybe there's no business account even.

There shouldn't be a paywall for GB running, because GBs can run free on MM and DT, so there would be no reason to ever run small buys here if you can do it free with other audiences.

[Puddsy]

Having exclusive rewards/giveaways for the different contribution levels on Patreon could be a neat thing to try.

I like the idea of a having different "account" types offered.

• Free (0$/mo)
• Pro (4.99$/mo)- Allows GIF avatars, emojis, allows for requesting name change, whatever
• Business (19.99$/mo)- Grants posting GBs, Ad space,etc..

I know this probably sounds awful and corporate-y but I do think it would create a constant revenue stream to pay for cost as opposed to just quick burst of donated cash.

Bad idea to essentially block community members from running group buys.

good incentive to keep randoms from running bad GBs

see: AL1, 60S, those wood VEA wristrests, and more from within the past year

There are other ways to have a little bit more control over GB quality but gating people out with little to no income but with a great idea would be a bad thing for the community.

i personally have almost no income, so i get it

im just kinda salty about people running bad GBs

its defo a bad idea now that ive thought about it more

[_ODIN_]

I would be ok with a few adds on the site. Maybe a baneron the site.
The important thing is, that this site needs to stay in the hands of the community.

[necromanx]

I would be ok with a few adds on the site. Maybe a baneron the site.
The important thing is, that this site needs to stay in the hands of the community.

Even with me showing my interest in buying, I 100% agree with this. 

[iMav]

I encourage anyone interested in purchasing the site to PM me. 

[Remsky]

Heavily against gating GB's under account types. Discord nitro works because of emote and avatar incentives. You don't see discord forcing people to pay for nitro in order to start their own server. Locking GB opening rights to those with a paid account type is just going to drive people away. Besides, there is no gurantee that it will increase the quality of GB's anyway. Ivan was a moderator and look at how his buys turned out. People being smart, asking questions, and taking precautions is what exposes bad buys from good. Not paywalls.

tldr; Paywalls are a **** idea

[Halverson]

Girlshark nudes to pay for site

[Corgiattackkk]

I shot an email to Zeal about this as well, but I'd be happy to help contribute to keep things running as things are now. I think the Patreon in combination with community/vendor-based (and community-approved) ad buys could easily pay for the server costs. Having exclusive rewards/giveaways for the different contribution levels on Patreon could be a neat thing to try.

4 footer ads at $100/month each would cover it

just open it to community members

id rather have an ad for a GB than for corsair

I actually like this idea. It would bring attention to GB and vendors within our community and ad space being bought may also help bring attention to GB's that may be close to hitting MOQ that people may miss on the forums.

[Sneaky Potato]

I would prefer to keep GH how it is, just my personal opinion. No ads, GB fees, etc.

Just my two cents.

[Zeal]

I will but this out there. The first offer of $15k will take it.  (regardless of any other offers)

Done.

[M]

I will but this out there. The first offer of $15k will take it.  (regardless of any other offers)

Done.

MY MAN

[necromanx]

Huh that feels a bit rushy but please accept this message as my 15K offer.

[ramnes]

I will but this out there. The first offer of $15k will take it.  (regardless of any other offers)

wtf

rather make an Ebay auction at this point

[xondat]

I will but this out there. The first offer of $15k will take it.  (regardless of any other offers)

So you want quick money instead of wanting the community to buy it?

[Puddsy]

I will but this out there. The first offer of $15k will take it.  (regardless of any other offers)

So you want quick money instead of wanting the community to buy it?

i mean... wouldn't you? he clearly needs the cash

cough

[.]

I will but this out there. The first offer of $15k will take it.  (regardless of any other offers)

So you want quick money instead of wanting the community to buy it?

I think he just wanted to end this 'no I'll buy it' thing going on

[xondat]

If a group of community members can beat the offered price, I will gladly turn over the website to them.

I was hoping this'd be the case.

Oh well. I guess those banks cannot wait.

[Poesjuh]

I vote Necromanx


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Puddsy]

I vote Necromanx


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

i think zeal has a better knowledge of how the site/community works

[Sneaky Potato]

Regardless of who ends up with it, I just want it owned by members of the community.

[necromanx]

I vote Necromanx


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

i think zeal has a better knowledge of how the site/community works

I am not even contesting that ;-)