Donations (server bill 22nd each month)

[Ben]

Hi all.

I wanted to give a rundown of where Alizée America stands financially since the change in management.

The short version is that we still depend on member donations to pay for the server each month.

Here's the long version:

I've managed to cut our dedicated server bill down from $200 USD per month to $170. The reason it's so high is because things like the video section and podcast require a fast uplink speed. That is, bandwidth at any given moment. Yes, shared servers are a dime a dozen these days and ofter plenty of bandwidth per month, but get a handful of high-speed users trying to stream from them at once, and watch their sites come screeching to a halt. A major reason I took over Alizée America was because it didn't make sense for Brad to be paying a premium when he didn't have enough time to add new content. That's why one of the first things you've seen me do here is improve and expand the video section.

In addition, this month we've had to pay for domain renewals and software license fees. These expenses don't come around as often, but are still common. Last, not to make this too personal, but I'm also moving to a new apartment in Manhattan, where living ain't cheap. So that leaves two options: banner ads, which I'd rather not do because they're ugly and probably wouldn't cover our expenses anyway, or donations. The link for the later, with a new lower $10 subscription option, is below and at the top of every page. If we could just get a handful of people subscribed at the listed amounts each month, I think we'd do fine. Of course you can still send in one-time donations of any amount at any time. Every cent helps.

One important notice: if you had a PayPal subscription with Brad, please be sure to cancel it and re-subscribe so that the funds come to the right place! Right now we're only accepting PayPal because it's fast, easy, secure, and can be sent directly to our server provider, SingleHop. Reset assured, everything goes straight to our expenses. We never turn a profit from this site. Though it would be nice to break even for once!

Finally, I really want to thank those who have already donated without my even asking. Brad had talked in the past about offering perks to you guys, like a special title, ftp space, or something. Let me know if you have any suggestions, because I'd really like to follow through on that!

Please click here for more information on donating.

Thanks for reading!

Ben

[brad]

Just subscribed to a monthly donation Ben.

I encourage everyone to subscribe if possible, it is nice knowing exactly what will be coming in and when it will be coming each month. The donations from you guys have always been awesome in the past, keep it going for Ben.

[lefty12357]

I'm now on the monthly option too. I hope everyone who is able to, will help keep this site up and running. With a new album coming from Alizée soon, I'm sure this site will be very active and helpful to all.

[Jess]

I'm in... Just showing a little love & appreciation.

[jung_adore_ALIZEE]

if I may

Google ads aren't a good idea for two big reasons
1. they ruin the site, you try to go to one thread and end up having to wait for an ad gets quite annoying and would most likely drive people away

2. with the traffic that comes through here you will get very little support from them you need traffic in the thousands to make it worthwhile not in the hundreds

in my opinion that is not an option for you at all

basically your options are donations or allow someone else to host the server

what ever way you go best of luck

[Ben]

I agree Jung. Though our traffic is enough for ads to pay something, I'd still rather avoid them for those other reasons.

But the donations have been great this month. Thanks so much everyone, I hope we can keep it up! Still room for one or two more subscriptions if anyone else feels like getting in before the deadline.

Again, I'm interested to hear what kind of "perks" you'd all be interested in. Through them and continued site updates, I hope you will all feel that every cent's been worthwhile!

[Ben]

Bump for this month... and a thanks to those who've already sent something in!

[Srbski-kralj]

Like I told you in PM how much u need each person to send, tell me and Il send. eather write it here on Pm me dont matter.

[wasabi622]

yea, im with srbski, how much is required?
i've never had a site, or knew anyone who did, so i have no idea as to what amount is appropriate.

[Ben]

Check out the donate link. The $10 and $25 monthly subscriptions are the best because then I know how much is coming each month, or you can send any one-time amount. $1 or $100, literally every cent counts.

The server is $170 each month, though there are other expenses along the way. So far we've received about $100 in donations this cycle, which is great, but there's always room for more. We've never come out with a surplus, though it's no problem if we do as we'll just carry the funds over to the next bill.

So the answer is... however much you want. Nothing's too small or too large. We'll use everything we get, or deal with it if we don't get much. Thanks again!