cda said:
I do not know if you would be willing to post the yearly cost or would want to, But for me I would know how much and maybe how often I should be contributing
The yearly cost varies based on the number of updates, renewals and cost of the dedicated server along with repairs of the system and troubleshooting by the IT department. It is several thousand at a minimum. We had to do a migration that cost over $500 in labor from the IT department for 10 hours of work. I am trying to keep my head above water on this and today as an example, I am still here 13 hours straight doing maintenance and making minor changes, adding forums, etc.
The hard cost that does not include me is what is several thousand per year. My time is free and this year alone I had over 5,000 emails and daily troubleshooting with people who could not log in, lost their password, wanted their name changed, etc.
I think that it is reasonable that if I have a couple hundred bucks left over at the end of the year I deserve it. I have 2 other Administrators helping me and I still have at least 2 hours a day dedicated to this site whether you see me post or not. Honestly, I average about $300 or so left over each year. We do our big push in January for money after the holiday because that is when the server fees are renewed. I'm happy with my $0.41 hour that I am averaging as long as I don't lose money.
Maybe someones else wants to take on this burden, otherwise I need your financial help. I just got a new IT person at a very reasonable rate so we are going to take advantage of that and finally do a security update that has been hanging for a while.
Every year I bite my nails hoping there will be enough money to cover the costs because there are so few people that actually step up to the plate and contribute money and it seems to be the same people over and over who give of themselves. I assumed responsibility for this and don't want to let anyone down. This has proven itself to be a valuable resource for many and will continue to for many years as long as I am willing to spend the time, money and effort to maintain it and keep it current with today's technology. The company I own has the resources and the financial ability to front the money every single year and pay the bills while I wait for the contributions to come in. With the new system in place, we will have a better idea of where we are because membership as a Sawhorse is on a time limit and has to be renewed. i need consistency and less nail biting.
OK, rant is over