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Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 12:07 pm
by Jack
I think Luke should start:
Jump to Disneyspace!
For only $19.99 a year you get:
-Exclusive online-webcam from the set of Luke's house!
-Experiential features like avatars and private messaging!
-Immersive options like creating polls!
Jump to Disneyspace now and see what you'll be missing!
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 12:12 pm
by Choco Bear
Jack wrote:I think Luke should start:
Jump to Disneyspace!
For only $19.99 a year you get:
-Exclusive online-webcam from the set of Luke's house!
-Experiential features like avatars and private messaging!
-Immersive options like creating polls!
Jump to Disneyspace now and see what you'll be missing!
webcam of lukes house
that would be worht the whole 20 bucks rite there
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 12:30 pm
by Luke
Choco Bear wrote:im gonna post links instead of pictures on the battle of the cover art game cuz that probly takes alot of bandwith (i think thats what that means)
Yes it is. Thank you.
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 12:39 pm
by Luke
STASHONE wrote:Im gonna take down my avatar cause I agree that theyre unnecessary in relation to the limited bandwith situation. I always click the links to support this site but what I think would be a smart idea in tackling the running costs, is to maybe request the option of something like a $1 dollar / registered user, donation via a site founded Paypal account. I'm sure the majority of consistent members that post here wouldn't be opposed to something along those lines and it would definitely add up more than any banner clicks! What you could even do, is possibly offer something like advancved membership features to those that contribute, perhaps by disabling the avatars and only allowing access to them via an account upgrade at a minimal cost of say, $1. I'm not sure what the registration numbers are like currently, but even if 100 people were to oblige, that'd be $100 towards the cost of site maintenace. It only seems fair as you are generously providing this public medium for all of us to interact. Otherwise, I'm sure you could think of something creative like hosting a dvd give-away contest, in which only those that contribute to the minimal site upkeep would be admissable in entry. Or maybe something along the lines of a forum raffle in which whomever makes the highest donation, would recieve a befitting reward, relevant to the contribution.
In any event, I'm glad the forums are running again and I'm really appreciative for the channel in which you provide us Luke. This is a great site!
Okay I set up a Payment system on Amazon's Honor System here:
http://www.amazon.com/paypage/P33A0X1CKRVO64
Obviously, the site doesn't need thousands of dollars to run (not yet anyway...
), but contributions will certainly help - and can go towards different parts of the site: contests, bandwidth (which in turn can lead to site and forum enhancements), etc.
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 12:44 pm
by STASHONE
I made a small donation and I'd be happy to offer a few dollars every month. I was a little concerned about my credit limit in relation to some recent purchases, I know I am way too close to the top for comfort and I didnt want any payments to be declined so I'll probably send a few dollars more later this week. I think it's only fair that we contribute to this site, since it exists for our use, even if it's just a dollar or two!
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 12:47 pm
by Luke
Thanks, Stashone! I sent you a PM.
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 4:27 pm
by Lady
how much does a website like this cost to run?
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 4:53 pm
by Luke
Lady wrote:how much does a website like this cost to run?
That's a tricky question. In bandwidth costs, man-hours, or some combination? Bandwidth/hosting alone is costing several hundred dollars this year. Registering the domain is another $10-$15 yearly. October 1, I'll be switching to a year of higher bandwidth, but anticipating more site growth it could rise to maybe double what was paid last year just for that.
Then there's all the time and effort that goes into the site - contests cost money, renting DVDs to review cost money. It's fun to run it (in spite of all the obstacles), but it's also costly and I think this is preferable to expecting intrusive advertising to increase revenue.
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 8:13 pm
by karlsen
I have to say that I love this website (and so I have sead in an email too).
This website should get a lot of money if everybody remembers to buy all Amazon products thru this website. I myself has preordered the Disney limited tins for Christmas. I was ordering them anyway so it was no hard choice to make.
I also ask you all to remember that Amazon are taking some money from the contribution if you go with that. I just sent $12 because this should equal to $10 paid to the website (15% of the the total plus $0.15).
With Amazons fees 1 dollar contributed ends up as $0.80 and in my example my $12 will give a total of $10.05
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2003 8:38 pm
by Luke
Hey Lars!
Actually, a $12 contribution comes to $11.25, as Amazon takes 5% off the top, not 15%. The $0.15 is just taken once per transaction, in addition to that. You can cancel it, and pay less if you'd like, but if Amazon charges right away, then that might make you have to wait for a re-credit.
In any event, thanks for the support, welcome to the forum!
Fourth quarter could be very kind to the site, provided that Treasures orders and the rest go through okay, and we wind up in a decent tier.
I'm really pleasantly surprised by the support shown in just a few hours today. I had been encouraging the ads and affiliate links because I figured people would prefer supporting in a kind of indirect way, but the direct contributions have been far more effective in a short amount of time. To all of you, thank you!
I think, provided we don't grow exponentially (though if we do, that could be good too), bandwidth issues shouldn't be too hard to grapple, now with all the help you've provided. I'll post an update tomorrow on the main page - and I suspect there should be more contests on the horizon for the rest of the year, in addition to helping out with technical site expenses. Anyone with suggestions for future comments, do feel free to create a thread with your ideas.
Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2003 6:58 am
by karlsen
oups, so I gave you more then intended.
That was great to know, more money to you and less to Amazon
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2003 5:59 am
by karlsen
It's supricing to se that only 19 people contributed thru the amazon system.
If it only where 19 regulars on this website I bet you would have no problem with you bandwith.
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2003 10:13 am
by Lady
luke, how many people actually visit ultimatedisney.com? how many registered members do we have? do you have a way of knowing?
just curious to see how large our group is.
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2003 10:53 am
by Jack
Lady wrote:luke, how many people actually visit ultimatedisney.com? how many registered members do we have? do you have a way of knowing?
just curious to see how large our group is.
At the very bottom of the Forum Home, it lists 293 registered users. That doesn't mean all of them frequently come here though. You can conclude how many visit often by the # of users ever online at one time: 25.
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2003 12:00 pm
by Lady
Thanks Jack! I just checked it out and it seems we have a lot of lurkers (guests).
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2003 2:14 pm
by karlsen
It is not bad with guests I think.
I was a lurker untill the bandwith problems began. I have had a lot of fun on the website, but almost never visited the forum.
But then the bandwith problem came and I sent some money, and also registered to the forum. I feel that when I have contributed a little I get a form of attachment to the site that I did not have before.
I have gotten so much while "lurking" that I feel that I had to give something back so the site could go on as it is.
- And that was a speach for all of you other guests that have not contributed yet. It would cost you as little as you want, and would make a whole lot of deal to this website.
Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2003 4:14 pm
by Luke
Well I just paid $155.40 today for bandwidth, so in theory anyway, the support of the few who did contribute went a long way. If we grow, and we're still pretty small right now, though certainly larger than we've ever been, then more will have to go to it, but nonetheless, thanks again very much to those who donated a bit of money (or in the case of some, more than a bit). It definitely helps!
With regards to Amazon, we fell a crummy 3 non-media items short of elevating the referral fee another .25%, but the quarter was still pretty strong, and hopefully Q4 will be even better, with the Lion Kings, Pirates, and Treasures, plus the typical year-end influx in purchasing.
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2003 2:58 am
by karlsen
For how long will that bandwith you now have purchased last?
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2003 3:07 pm
by Luke
karlsen wrote:For how long will that bandwith you now have purchased last?
A year...I hope. It's more GB per month so it should give us some breathing room, at least until traffic REALLY picks up. But maybe that will never happen. After all, the site is really like 3 years old, and traffic seems to have stablized in the past few months. Domain re-registration is up again in a few months too, so there's more costs.
On a positive note, though, I'm all done designing Contest 3 and putting together the results page for Contest 2. As soon as the winner from this one is drawn, the third contest will begin and run for about three weeks.