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jorats said:
At this point, it will shut down only if we can't raise enough funds by the end of February or the number of visits drops down considerably.


Did you put the donate here button back?
 
We were going to put it back up when we got closer to the date. I find it easier to keep track of the donations by doing a "blitz" instead of all year round but if it's easier on the members to contribute whenever they can, then we'll put it back.
 
I love this forum and I don't understand why such a lovely one would become so dead. I will also try to post more, if that would help. I try to encourage friend to post on here as well although it's not always successful. If the forum does ever close down, will all data be lost?
 
I know I'm new, but I'd also be willing to donate. This was the only forum that felt "right" to let my rat loving son read. It feels safe. I know we'll do things wrong as new rat owners, but we're willing to learn.
 
jorats said:
We were going to put it back up when we got closer to the date. I find it easier to keep track of the donations by doing a "blitz" instead of all year round but if it's easier on the members to contribute whenever they can, then we'll put it back.

Whenever you put the link back, I'm sure you will advertise it. You can count on my financial help for sure.
 
Unepuce said:
jorats said:
We were going to put it back up when we got closer to the date. I find it easier to keep track of the donations by doing a "blitz" instead of all year round but if it's easier on the members to contribute whenever they can, then we'll put it back.

Whenever you put the link back, I'm sure you will advertise it. You can count on my financial help for sure.

Me too!
 
ChrisK said:
Unepuce said:
jorats said:
We were going to put it back up when we got closer to the date. I find it easier to keep track of the donations by doing a "blitz" instead of all year round but if it's easier on the members to contribute whenever they can, then we'll put it back.

Whenever you put the link back, I'm sure you will advertise it. You can count on my financial help for sure.

Me too!
Me three! :nod:
 
I know I've been absent from the forum for awhile now, but god, I wish I could help. For me it's a matter of, do I need the rat forum, or do my babies need their spays? And spays came out on top, which sucks, because it was this forum that helped me learn to rear and take care of my little baby girls when I first got them months and months ago. If we lose the forum, I'll probably cry because it's not just an informational thing, it's a community thing, it's a sentimental thing.
 
This will probably sound rude - but I don't know how the forum can be costing so much money to run?

I'm not trying to be rude at all - just wondering, is it something to do with having the domain name rather than the forum? I thought you could get phpBB for free too but I don't know if that's an option.
 
Rachael said:
This will probably sound rude - but I don't know how the forum can be costing so much money to run?

I'm not trying to be rude at all - just wondering, is it something to do with having the domain name rather than the forum? I thought you could get phpBB for free too but I don't know if that's an option.

The forum software (phpBB) is free. The forum staff also offer their time and expertise for free as well. The expensive part is the web hosting cost. Jorats would know for sure, but I think the yearly web hosting cost for the forum is in the neighbourhood of $500 USD. We started off with a cheaper plan, but as the forum grew and members requested more services, like the chat room, the cheaper plan was no longer an option.
 
Yes, it's the server that costs us $549 US a year, converted to CAD that's $565. I don't ask for any other money than for the server. The mods' time, the admin's time and mostly Kevin's time is all free. KMG 365 is the one who keeps all the glitches from glitching, researches for better add ons, researches for better ways to keep the gazillion spammers out and when it's time for an upgrade, he spends all night setting it up and making sure it works. We are so very lucky that Kevin does this for us.
 
Research adding some games to the forums... Some websites host ad-related games people can play to earn you guys money.
 
I think the main issue here is not the money, but traffic. I believe this all came about because activity on the forum had significantly decreased while the workload for the Shack's "staff" didn't decrease at all. It must be very depressing to put all that time and effort into a project when you see your community deserting you. I for one will never let the Shack close down for a financial issue, and I know I am not the only one who would be willing to donate a little available extra if it ever came to that extent.

The Shack has to "live" - live as in surviving, of course, but also live as in being an active, busy entity. We need to make sure all of Jorats, Kevin and all our wonderful moderators efforts are recognized and appreciated to their real value - P.R.I.C.E.L.E.S.S.

So we need to keep visiting, and posting stories and pictures, and asking questions, and helping one another, as this is what the Shack truly became to be: a community.

Wow... that came from my heart, wouldn't you say? :oops:
 
Wow - I didn't realise it was so expensive.

I wasn't trying to have a go and I know that the team put a lot of time into the forum. I genuinely didn't know that the forum cost that much to run, that's why I wondered if it was to do with the domain / website instead.
 
Being a new member I'm still getting my feet wet, posting a little, reading a lot. This is the first forum I've ever joined and did so when I started dealing with a respiratory issue and was feeling very much in the dark. I Googled "rat forum", read through some posts on a few, and settled here. There is such an amazing sense of community here. I rely on you guys for solid, reliable information and enjoy everyone's stories and pics. I'd be incredibly disappointed to lose you guys.

Thank you for all the work you put into keeping this forum going!

There are a couple of things that I'd like to propose:

Since most vet offices have a space where you can post notices, what about creating a snazzy flyer that we can print out and post at our vet clinics? Perhaps that would help in recruiting new members and increase activity. As a newbie I can say that I wouldn't have known about the forum unless I Googled out of desperation.

And in order to help with the financial aspect, what about a fundraiser or two? (Bake sale, online auction, etc.) I have some experience helping raise funds for the SPCA Montérégie and it's not too difficult to raise a few hundred dollars, especially if you have a strong community willing to share any connections or resources they may have access to (i.e. venue space, product donation, etc.) Any money that isn't used to put toward the yearly fees to keep The Shack running could perhaps be put into a fund to help subsidize health care.

Please don't go! Most people cringe when you say "rat"...you guys ask for pics! :D
 
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