Website finances and our options

[Cirias]

Hi Rob,

Sorry to hear about the site's difficulties. I donated this year for the first time and will continue to do so when I can. This is a fantastic community and I credit the Guild entirely for getting me started with fantasy cartography and helping me to develop my abilities.

For me, and many others, the forums are not only a great place to share our maps and discuss mapping techniques, but they are also one of the only places on the internet to advertise for fantasy cartographers. If the Mapmaking Requests forum was ever put behind a paywall or discontinued, I'm sure there would be a whole host of disappointed folks. I'm not saying you are planning to do that, I just wanted to express my thoughts.

A web store would be a cool idea. We could sell some items that could make great gifts, all showing off the Guild's excellent maps. Sites like Spreadshirt or Zazzle have been good for that in the past for my own projects, but I don't know how cost effective they would be. Maybe we could look at getting the site sponsored by someone within the fantasy arena? No idea of how such a thing would be done - sorry!

Anyway, really hope you get this sorted out. Hopefully we have given you some ideas

All the best,
James

[Robbie]

This may sadden some of you, and I apologize...but I've reset all the Gracious Donor titles. If you donated before the month of August, the title has been removed. I am currently testing some recurring donation levels that will give you all some other options for helping fund the site without having to remember to do so. If you plan on donating using the regular system for a one time donation, go ahead and do so, and if the status/labels end up changing, we'll get it worked out after the fact. Some of the recent donors will need to be changed I think to keep it fair. Stay tuned.

[Chick]

One of the things that slows this site down, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, is the time it takes for ads to appear.

I would be delighted to pay a fee not to see the ads at all. I don't know how much the ad revenue is, but if it comes from clicks, you get nothing from me, I don't think I've ever clicked an ad here or anywhere else except accidently.

I'm wondering if enough members were willing to pay a fee not to see ads, how much would be needed to compensate for the foregone ad revenue that way?

Perhaps you could put up a poll asking how many people would pay (say for example $50/year) to support the site and see no advertising. I know you'd get a yes vote from me! Enough people doing this might be adequate to support the site without the equivalent ad revenue, and those who don't wish to pay would still see the ads.

[Robbie]

An ad free option is in the works

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