A personal message from Don
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A personal message from Don
Hi all
Just in case you haven't seen the post I put up this morning on the RealSurf home page (see below), I wanted to bring it to your attention.
After many years, I've finally decided to do another fundraiser for both the Forums and RealSurf's home page.
As I note below, advertising income has sputtered away to just the barest trickle in the last few years. Recently it's got so bad that I'm paying server and accounting costs out of my own pocket. This is not a good thing and I really have to act.
Please have a read of the following and then stay tuned. I will be asking for your help!
-Don
________________________________________
Here’s a head’s up for RealSurfers everywhere…
…yours truly is setting up a crowdfunding campaign for RealSurf.
Why?
RealSurf’s ad income really fell off a cliff a couple of years ago and now it’s so patchy that lately I’ve been making up the shortfall out of my own pocket – which, obviously, is not really sustainable. (And no, I don’t get a zack for my Saturday morning radio spot on our ABC !)
In addition to covering the hosting and bandwidth costs, there’s a list of things I’d really like to improve and extend – both on RealSurf and its forums. Chief among these is a major redesign to improve the way the site and forums look; not only on desktops and notebooks, but on the phones and tablets many of our visitors now use.
So rather than try to run a fundraiser the way we did years ago, I’m turning to a crowdfunding platform called Pozible.
The way it works is simple: I describe a clear set of objectives and set a target amount I need in order to meet said objectives. Then I create a series of ‘rewards’ at different dollar amounts, eg, $25 gets a RealSurf stubbie, $100 gets a stubbie and, say, a cap, etc. A good person such as yourself picks a reward/pledge amount and commits to pay via credit card or paypal.
The campaign runs for a limited period of time (generally a month or two).
Pozible will deliver funds only if the target is reached in the allotted time. (This helps ensure that goal-setting is realistic.)
If the effort were to fall short, RealSurf gets nada, nothing, zee-roh. (So, I’m going to be very conservative about the goal I set)
And this is important to understand: if it doesn’t work, those of you who pledged don’t get charged anything at all.
On the positive side, some really successful crowdfunding initiatives see their targets met well before the closing date – which is why it’s important to have “stretch goals” (ie, telling folks where any extra funding will go). I’m going to come up with some of those as well.
As you might imagine, there are lots of calculations to be made and many boxes to tick before I can launch the campaign. My goal is to have all those boxes ticked by the end of this week.
Then the campaign will have to be reviewed by the good folk at pozible.com before we can kick things off.
If you’d like to offer advice, comments, etc, please feel free to email me via don [at symbol] realsurf [dot] com.
Get that wallet ready and keep on smilin’!
Just in case you haven't seen the post I put up this morning on the RealSurf home page (see below), I wanted to bring it to your attention.
After many years, I've finally decided to do another fundraiser for both the Forums and RealSurf's home page.
As I note below, advertising income has sputtered away to just the barest trickle in the last few years. Recently it's got so bad that I'm paying server and accounting costs out of my own pocket. This is not a good thing and I really have to act.
Please have a read of the following and then stay tuned. I will be asking for your help!
-Don
________________________________________
Here’s a head’s up for RealSurfers everywhere…
…yours truly is setting up a crowdfunding campaign for RealSurf.
Why?
RealSurf’s ad income really fell off a cliff a couple of years ago and now it’s so patchy that lately I’ve been making up the shortfall out of my own pocket – which, obviously, is not really sustainable. (And no, I don’t get a zack for my Saturday morning radio spot on our ABC !)
In addition to covering the hosting and bandwidth costs, there’s a list of things I’d really like to improve and extend – both on RealSurf and its forums. Chief among these is a major redesign to improve the way the site and forums look; not only on desktops and notebooks, but on the phones and tablets many of our visitors now use.
So rather than try to run a fundraiser the way we did years ago, I’m turning to a crowdfunding platform called Pozible.
The way it works is simple: I describe a clear set of objectives and set a target amount I need in order to meet said objectives. Then I create a series of ‘rewards’ at different dollar amounts, eg, $25 gets a RealSurf stubbie, $100 gets a stubbie and, say, a cap, etc. A good person such as yourself picks a reward/pledge amount and commits to pay via credit card or paypal.
The campaign runs for a limited period of time (generally a month or two).
Pozible will deliver funds only if the target is reached in the allotted time. (This helps ensure that goal-setting is realistic.)
If the effort were to fall short, RealSurf gets nada, nothing, zee-roh. (So, I’m going to be very conservative about the goal I set)
And this is important to understand: if it doesn’t work, those of you who pledged don’t get charged anything at all.
On the positive side, some really successful crowdfunding initiatives see their targets met well before the closing date – which is why it’s important to have “stretch goals” (ie, telling folks where any extra funding will go). I’m going to come up with some of those as well.
As you might imagine, there are lots of calculations to be made and many boxes to tick before I can launch the campaign. My goal is to have all those boxes ticked by the end of this week.
Then the campaign will have to be reviewed by the good folk at pozible.com before we can kick things off.
If you’d like to offer advice, comments, etc, please feel free to email me via don [at symbol] realsurf [dot] com.
Get that wallet ready and keep on smilin’!
Re: A personal message from Don
If I can pay for Freeride Voice I can certainly pay for the mad massed voices of the RealSurf Forums, let's put our money where our mouths have been.
(That is a worry) Donate a Grooterful amount. I'm in.
(That is a worry) Donate a Grooterful amount. I'm in.
Jaffa, I'm opinionated, and I'm sometimes right. So?
Re: A personal message from Don
Grooter will answer the call!
It's possible to hate the filthy world and still love it with an abstract pitying lovesome cnut wrote:There are only two real problems that we face in life, knowing what we want but being unable to know how to get it and/or not knowing what we want
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Re: A personal message from Don
Thanks for those encouraging remarks!
Nice to get that kind of feedback so quickly.
As soon as I knock over a short piece for Photo Review's app version about using Nikon's new 800mm, I'm back on to the crowdfunding stuff. Today's project will be researching topics such as the optimal length of time for a crowdfunding campaign, the number of donation/reward levels that works best and what those levels should be.
In the end the result will be what it'll be, but I'm going to do my best to learn from others' experience before I set up the campaign.
Naturally any experience, thoughts or advice on any aspect of the topic will be gratefully received!
Nice to get that kind of feedback so quickly.
As soon as I knock over a short piece for Photo Review's app version about using Nikon's new 800mm, I'm back on to the crowdfunding stuff. Today's project will be researching topics such as the optimal length of time for a crowdfunding campaign, the number of donation/reward levels that works best and what those levels should be.
In the end the result will be what it'll be, but I'm going to do my best to learn from others' experience before I set up the campaign.
Naturally any experience, thoughts or advice on any aspect of the topic will be gratefully received!
Re: A personal message from Don
Don't promise to give away too many incentives.
Realistically, the crowdfunding proposal lives or dies on the quality of the idea, not on how many hats or waterbottles you could get.
Realistically, the crowdfunding proposal lives or dies on the quality of the idea, not on how many hats or waterbottles you could get.
Re: A personal message from Don
I'm happy to contribute. It's incentive enough that it keeps this thing going
marcus wrote:and that vicco dude, whatsisname?
Re: A personal message from Don
Wot he said. Besides, I've been getting misty-eyed lately about it being close to 10 yrs since the forums began so I'd definitley chip in.swvic wrote:I'm happy to contribute. It's incentive enough that it keeps this thing going
andy2476 wrote:
Ricky gets my vote. I hate undercover tards.
- The Mighty Sunbird
- Huey's Right Hand
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Re: A personal message from Don
Count me in.
Although my employer may disagree. Productivity an all that..
Although my employer may disagree. Productivity an all that..
Erase.
Re: A personal message from Don
Looking good.
Thanks guys.
Obviously I'm in, too.
Thanks guys.
Obviously I'm in, too.
Beanpole
You aren’t the room Yuke You are just a wonky cafe table with a missing rubber pad on the end of one leg.
Skipper
I still don't buy the "official" narrative about 9/11. Oh sure, it happened, fcuk yeah. But who and why and how I'm, not convinced it was what we've been told.
You aren’t the room Yuke You are just a wonky cafe table with a missing rubber pad on the end of one leg.
Skipper
I still don't buy the "official" narrative about 9/11. Oh sure, it happened, fcuk yeah. But who and why and how I'm, not convinced it was what we've been told.
- crabmeat thompson
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Re: A personal message from Don
I will auction off 25 minutes of 'free time' with El Rancho from the waist down.
All proceeds go to realsurf.
All proceeds go to realsurf.
Re: A personal message from Don
Count me in too.
BTW I have had a positive experience already with pozible. An unrecorded band wanted some studio time to record a CD and they enlisted pozible. For my pledged 25 dollars I was rewarded with their signed CD.
A win/win for both of us.
BTW I have had a positive experience already with pozible. An unrecorded band wanted some studio time to record a CD and they enlisted pozible. For my pledged 25 dollars I was rewarded with their signed CD.
A win/win for both of us.
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Re: A personal message from Don
Hi all
So encouraging to read your posts, thanks!
I'm getting pretty hopeful about how this might go because unlike many crowdfunders, RealSurf has been around long enough (almost 18 years!!!) that we've got quite a few friends. Last time we did a whip 'round (5 or 6 years ago I think), social networking wasn't anything like as advanced, so I'm quietly hoping that when things kick off, many of our friends will be putting the word out to their networks...
I take your point alakaboo re the incentives. You're right, my main focus has to be on articulating just what I'd do to improve the sites with the dough we raise.
I don't plan to allocate a huge amount of the target to knickknacks. And those that I do offer will be easy to deliver (having been through the t-shirt thing a few times, I'm wary of taking on anything that involves size and colour choices!). While I haven't got to the point of deciding what rewards (to use the pozible term) I'll use, here are a few that have come to mind so far: stubbie holder with logo and word 'Forums' on it, caps with same, postcards with shots of nice waves (I've got 10,000 plus images to hunt through for something), screen wallpapers of nice waves, a RealSurf calendar with a dozen waves from the last year,
If you guys have any thoughts on any aspect of this, well it is a forum, so you know what to do!
Looks like some fun waves on the east coast for the next couple days so I hope you all get your share!
So encouraging to read your posts, thanks!
I'm getting pretty hopeful about how this might go because unlike many crowdfunders, RealSurf has been around long enough (almost 18 years!!!) that we've got quite a few friends. Last time we did a whip 'round (5 or 6 years ago I think), social networking wasn't anything like as advanced, so I'm quietly hoping that when things kick off, many of our friends will be putting the word out to their networks...
I take your point alakaboo re the incentives. You're right, my main focus has to be on articulating just what I'd do to improve the sites with the dough we raise.
I don't plan to allocate a huge amount of the target to knickknacks. And those that I do offer will be easy to deliver (having been through the t-shirt thing a few times, I'm wary of taking on anything that involves size and colour choices!). While I haven't got to the point of deciding what rewards (to use the pozible term) I'll use, here are a few that have come to mind so far: stubbie holder with logo and word 'Forums' on it, caps with same, postcards with shots of nice waves (I've got 10,000 plus images to hunt through for something), screen wallpapers of nice waves, a RealSurf calendar with a dozen waves from the last year,
If you guys have any thoughts on any aspect of this, well it is a forum, so you know what to do!
Looks like some fun waves on the east coast for the next couple days so I hope you all get your share!
Re: A personal message from Don
A Realsurf calendar would be a great idea.
Beanpole
You aren’t the room Yuke You are just a wonky cafe table with a missing rubber pad on the end of one leg.
Skipper
I still don't buy the "official" narrative about 9/11. Oh sure, it happened, fcuk yeah. But who and why and how I'm, not convinced it was what we've been told.
You aren’t the room Yuke You are just a wonky cafe table with a missing rubber pad on the end of one leg.
Skipper
I still don't buy the "official" narrative about 9/11. Oh sure, it happened, fcuk yeah. But who and why and how I'm, not convinced it was what we've been told.
Re: A personal message from Don
Dougal, we don't need your crap in this topic or anywhere in General Surf Discussion.
Pull your head in.
Take this as your last warning.
Pull your head in.
Take this as your last warning.
Beanpole
You aren’t the room Yuke You are just a wonky cafe table with a missing rubber pad on the end of one leg.
Skipper
I still don't buy the "official" narrative about 9/11. Oh sure, it happened, fcuk yeah. But who and why and how I'm, not convinced it was what we've been told.
You aren’t the room Yuke You are just a wonky cafe table with a missing rubber pad on the end of one leg.
Skipper
I still don't buy the "official" narrative about 9/11. Oh sure, it happened, fcuk yeah. But who and why and how I'm, not convinced it was what we've been told.
Re: A personal message from Don
I've got calendars coming out my ears, but I'd be keen for a 10 pack of postcards or something like that.
Re: A personal message from Don
I'm in. If these forums disappear I'd be forced to post comments on the SMH site & I'd really like to avoid doing that.
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Re: A personal message from Don
A 10-pack of postcards... I like that idea Alakaboo! I like it a lot...!
Karlos, don't worry mate, with everybody's generous help, we'll keep these going for just as long as people want them.
In my researching how others have set up their crowdfunding drives, I came across a guy who was offering bigger contributors the opportunity to share a meal and to brainstorm about his project topic (sustainable neighbourhoods I think it was). A mate of mine suggested that maybe some folks might like to get a surf lesson or photo session of some such from me. Okay, you can stop laughing. any lessons would be for an absolute beginner who wanted to rub shoulders with me(!!) Hey! You're laughing again!
The foregoing did get me thinking though. Maybe there are people who would actually like to pick my brains about websites, forums, photography, journalism, or other stuff I know at least something about.
Okay, back to the researching etc
Karlos, don't worry mate, with everybody's generous help, we'll keep these going for just as long as people want them.
In my researching how others have set up their crowdfunding drives, I came across a guy who was offering bigger contributors the opportunity to share a meal and to brainstorm about his project topic (sustainable neighbourhoods I think it was). A mate of mine suggested that maybe some folks might like to get a surf lesson or photo session of some such from me. Okay, you can stop laughing. any lessons would be for an absolute beginner who wanted to rub shoulders with me(!!) Hey! You're laughing again!
The foregoing did get me thinking though. Maybe there are people who would actually like to pick my brains about websites, forums, photography, journalism, or other stuff I know at least something about.
Okay, back to the researching etc
- Dougal
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Re: A personal message from Don
Was it cos I said reg? Or was it cos I said champignon?Trev wrote:Dougal, we don't need your crap in this topic or anywhere in General Surf Discussion.
Pull your head in.
Take this as your last warning.
Sounds like all this power's gone to your head & you're getting a bit trigger happy, old mate.
Might be time you had a break from the forum for a bit.
Grooter wrote:Young dammit will forever be looked down upon, bottom feeding on the Great Wheel of Life
Nick Carroll wrote:This is the best thread ever
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