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Re:How much $ are you OK with for forum support?
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TOPIC: Re:How much $ are you OK with for forum support?
#1028058
RoadstarTerry (User)
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Re:How much $ are you OK with for forum support? 3 Weeks, 6 Days ago  
+1 in your sentiments. I do think that an upgrade will help make it work better and I too am willing to pay to support the Clinic
 
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#1028060
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Re:How much $ are you OK with for forum support? 3 Weeks, 6 Days ago  
davej wrote:
I think putting dollar amounts out there right now is putting the cart before the horse. I think that whom ever is going to do the work to keep things going will have to come up with an amount that it is gonna take to to migrate to whatever system and other cost involved is gonna be. IMO that is the only way we will know whether or not it is possible to keep going and how much it will cost to keep going in the future.

I also think it's too early. We don't even know what the potential expenses might be. It totally depends on the path we choose going forward.

For what it's worth, I look at starting a GoFund me campaign, but they charge a processing fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 per donation. So I didn't proceed.
 
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#1028077
Doc_V (User)
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Re:How much $ are you OK with for forum support? 3 Weeks, 5 Days ago  
Just quickly chiming in, did not read all comments but from the skimming I've done the past couple days...

As far as "how much" I think it would be most effective first determine how much will be needed to port and run the site, then go from there. Asking what people will pay up front limits what you'll get.

Secondly, while I understand the economics of it, making this a "pay to play" site would *greatly* diminish participation. Which is why I suggested ads to help offset the cost. Do we know the site metrics? I.E. What the average visits and clicks have been historically and more recently? That right there will tell you how much you could expect to get from ads money.

I would also seek out sponsors, i.e. Yamaha dealers, custom shops and aftermarket mfgrs, especially those who specialize in R*... They need us as badly as we need them... Knowing the site metrics [visits and clicks] will help to sell that.

Once we know operational costs and potential ad revenue, If more money is needed beyond that, then you can start asking for donations, like we all did for the Celina bike build... I think that will net you more money in the long run.

Also it will need to be broken down to near term expenses to port or archive the site and get a new one up and running... And longterm operational expenses. Once we know those, it will give us points to work from. It may be necessary to do an initial fund raiser to come up with the initial development costs and I think that's were most who said they'd be willing to kick in some cash were thinking... Ala "Save the Clinic" fund.

I hope some of this is useful. I'm not a technical guy when it comes to SQL and Drupol etc., and I have very limited financial resources or offer, but I've got a lot of project management and business development exp. and would be glad to offer my assistance in any way I can; including help with seeking out sponsors and generating a sustainable revenue stream to help maintain the site..
 
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Last Edit: 2018/01/29 13:58 By Doc_V.
 


It\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s been lots of fun guys... Thank you Gram and catch you all on the other site.
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#1028079
Doc_V (User)
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Re:How much $ are you OK with for forum support? 3 Weeks, 5 Days ago  
Here's a rough plan outline to consider:

    - Determine- Port or Archive and the *time/ cost* involved for each. Then choose which path going forward.
    - Is Feb 28th the drop dead date? If so, whatever is done will have to go live in 4 weeks! Can that be done?
    - Is Gram willing to extend the shut down date while we perform the transition? If so, what, if anything will that cost Gram so we can compensate him?
    - What will be the new backend system the site will be based on going forward? [that will help determine the upfront and long term operational costs as well as transition time needed.]
    - How much will it cost initially to keep the site alive and longterm run it indefinitely? [think ten year down the line]
    - Get the site metrics [visits and clicks] in order to start fleshing out potential ad and sponsorship revenue.
    - How much additional revenue will be required to offset any shortfall form ad/sponsorship?


Once we know how much it will cost, and the funds to work with, that will determine how we proceed forward.

In my opinion, whatever plan we choose, we should keep it simple to insure a smooth transition and completion that keeps the URL active rather than getting too ambitions and risk the site dying on the vine before the work is completed.

Lastly - and this is just my $.02 - The URL is "roadstar"clinic and I think it should stay that way, opening it up to all other Yamaha cruisers would dilute what makes this site valuable. i.e. Play to our strengths, don't try to compete with other existing sites. Plus you would loose many of those who already know of the RSC, but haven't been around lately, when they come looking. Once the site is "saved" we can consider sister forums for other Yamaha cruisers if we want to.

Doc_V
 
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Last Edit: 2018/01/29 14:11 By Doc_V.
 


It\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s been lots of fun guys... Thank you Gram and catch you all on the other site.
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#1028080
BubbaKahuna (User)
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Re:How much $ are you OK with for forum support? 3 Weeks, 5 Days ago  
Good stuff, keep it going.

I originally asked about comfort level of money involved mostly to see if anyone would pay anything at all.
Seems like a small fee isn't a big deal by the response.

The only actual cost up-front of a new site & archiving the old threads would be the new forum software platform (at least for me to do it).
There are free SW available but most of it is pretty stripped down.
Every feature costs more as you have a "Must Have" list so paying for a premium software package is probably going to be required for everyone to:
1. Not have to know what they're doing. EZ is not cheap.
2. Include image handling software as part of the forum. See #1 above.

If we could keep the technical discussion in the technical thread it'll be easier for everyone to keep it organized.

 
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This fits in here, right? I mean, I can make this fit in here ... right?

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#1028082
txulrich (User)
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Re:How much $ are you OK with for forum support? 3 Weeks, 5 Days ago  
I'm ok with paying some monies to keep the RSC going. For me this falls into 2 distinct buckets:

1) The cost to setup a new system and port what can be to it. I envision this to be a 1 time charge.

2) On-going annual participation fees. Whether it's a tiered setup or a fitz-all will have to be determined by those doing the work.

No matter how this turns out, I'm willing to kick in something for both portions. Just want to see this continue. I've learned a lot here, truly enjoy the camaraderie and love to give back when I can.
 
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#1028100
brad_g (User)
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Re:How much $ are you OK with for forum support? 3 Weeks, 5 Days ago  
A couple late night rambles to go with what's been said.

Like others I'd toss in some $$ to defray costs to get things setup and running ($100 etc.to a go fund me)

As for monthly/annual fee, I'd go with as long as it was on the lower end ($25/50 annually). But in all honesty, if add revenue can support it I think it will help to get more people in the door and coming back. Or maybe free but some perk to paid members.

I think getting everything we've got here ported over would take more resources than we'll have available (my honest opinion). But the idea of an archive section where the valuable data could be retained would be awesome. Even old topic threads. As long as they're searchable the information is still there even if you can't add to it or comment.

Use whatever software is easy to setup and gives us the base things we need. Major customization will continue to plague going forward.

While the R* itself is no longer a current model I don't think opening it up to all Yammi models is the answer either. I already belong to one of those, they tell everyone to come here for expert advice. A niche isn't bad if done well.

I'm an IT guy by trade but unfortunately this area isn't my forte. But if someone taking the lead needs added help I'd gladly help with a little guidance.

I bounce across a couple other bike forums but RSC is the place I always have a tab open during the day. So you could say I spend way too much time here listing to what you all have to say.

I'd also vote that while this is all being spun up, if we could find a way to help Gram ($$ or whatever) to keep the roadstarclinic.com domain pointing to an active site until a cut over is ready that would help as well. As another member said, don't want people leaving and searching for an alternate home.

Brad
 
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