We are currently running a fundraiser so we can improve site functionality. Our goal is $500, which will be used to upgrade our forum software; this will provide us with new features, software support, and security updates. Remaining funds will be used to sponsor a contest once our goal has been met. If you'd like to make a donation, you may do so here. Donations are taken as new Supporter subscriptions. Learn more about Supporter Membership. If you'd like to donate a custom amount or would like to do so without Supporter membership, you may send to support@writingforums.org (via PayPal). New supporter donations (within the past seven days) have been included towards our fundraising goal. If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions regarding the fundraiser, you may share them in this thread. Thank you for your support.
This sounds like a good idea, which I would like to support. It's a very valuable place for writers to meet and share thoughts, ideas and friendship from people who understand. I have paid a 12 month donation.
I'd like to chip in when I get a bit more money...is it possible just to do it via my debit card though? I don't have paypal.
Daniel, I'm pleased to support the site and you should have received my paypal payment for a 1 year membership. I'm not especially fond of using excess funds to sponsor a contest. I'd rather see you set them aside as a reserve for overall site improvements and features.
I have a question about this fundraiser thing. I don't often see improvements on the site (not that I'm trying to complain about it). The reason why I made this statement is because I want to know if it cost more to add features or make any changes to the site (besides banwidth costs)? Just curious.
If I understand Daniel right, he pays for the software the site is based on (BBForum), and needs the money to upgrade the software license. He probably only makes smaller changes himself. I've also paid for a one year sponsorship, and think it's a good idea to let the money go directly to site improvements. I don't think monetary contest rewards are a good idea - better with a symbolic reward, like a pin or coffee mug.
Upgrading to vBulletin 4 will certainly make a difference to this site and, in my opinion, is well worth the spend. I look forward to seeing the transformation.
Hey everyone, First off, thank you all so much for donating. With the amount raised so far, I'm confident we'll be able to afford the upgrade in the recent future instead of the distant one. We've raised over 50% of the goal! Thank you! Mallory - I believe someone mentioned it, but you can use your debit card through paypal. We don't accept debit/credit cards directly. To be honest, paypal is would be considered much more secure than if we offered a different payment processor (they're sort of the standard). James - The funds will primarily cover the software upgrade (around 75%-80% of the fundraiser is exclusively for this). The software upgrade is becoming more necessary with security issues and the increase in spam attacks. If I may ask, why are you wary of the funds for a contest? Are there any specific site improvements you think should come first? I'd appreciate your thoughts. Funky - The software is from the same company, just a more recent version. It will provide better security, better spam filters, the ability to create pages and articles (which will be will be used selectively by administration, but will also speed up development of the ezine if it comes about), improved search quality, redesigned user interface, blog improvements, and many more smaller feature improvements and administrative features. It will also give the site access to free third party features that are only available to the latest version. Reggie - Pretty much all site improvements will cost something. The only ones that won't are things that I can do myself (design, for example) - however, my work's probably still inferior to that of a paid designer. Server improvements, as you mentioned, are one costly improvement. Fortunately we've been okay with our server for a while now and probably won't need to upgrade for a while. Software improvements also cost significant amounts; this includes situations like now where we need to upgrade the software license, but can also include custom software solutions (such as our Writing Workshop restriction feature, which was a paid software improvement).
I've been using vB4 for more than a year now and I think that members here will really see a difference. It really ties the site together as a social network as well as a writing forum. There are regular security upgrades, with new features and improvements being introduced and the software is much more user friendly and flexible than previous versions of vB. This is a really good move for this site.
That's actually very good to hear. Aside from the pricetag, I waited because the initial release was unstable and got a lot of criticism. I'm sure that's all been resolved though, by now.
The latest version is indeed very good. The latest version now also has the ability to retain the formatting of your writing when copying it over from Microsoft Word!
Done now Good to hear that the upgrade will bring some very useful features, especially help with formatting straight from Microsoft Word! I also think using some of the funds for a contest is a nice idea. It will perhaps encourage more people to enter, and it's done all the time in writing magazines. So why not?
We did it! We reached and exceeded the goal! I finished off the $500 by donating the last $15 It was so close, I had to finish the job. I just wanted to take the time to say that this place is definitely worth it, as I am sure others would agree, and I am very happy to have helped out. Daniel, good luck upgrading the site and thanks for this venue to talk about writing with all the great people here! Thanks to everyone who has helped me with my writing and who has been a friendly virtual face!
Yay the goal was reached! Feel a bit guilty for not donating, but when I have more money I will be sure to show my gratitude to this site financially. Good luck with upgrading the software, and hope it goes smoothly.
Three cheers! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! A forum I go to was using VB3.8.7 and kept having database errors and other nasty issues. Upgraded to VB4 and voila~ Runs great 99% of the time. (Minor errors, server glitches, etc account for 1%...)
I'm glad to hear the fundraising goal was achieved; software that runs more smoothly is always a great thing. If I might make one suggestion to others on the site: if your only copy of a work exists here, be sure to copy it to your hard drive before the upgrade. I'm certainly no genius when it comes to computers, but my experience has been that when upgrades take place on a forum, work can be lost (due in no part to the skill or lack thereof on the part of those implementing the upgrade). As a general rule, it's always best to have copies of any work posted anywhere.
Thank you all for your contribution - we finally made the goal. I'll be purchasing the software any day now. If testing goes well we could see the latest version as soon as this weekend.
It's good to see some changes on this website, and I look forward to seeing them. I know a few websites I get on has just now bought new software, and it looks good on the news.
