I don't think you understand how software works. Generally speaking, for something like an open forum, you fund it via ad revenue (which is exactly what Admin is doing). Many people operating resources / sites that are "labors of love" just pay for it out-of-pocket (for example, I am a software engineer and I maintain a server that I lose money on and don't ever attempt to recoup my costs because it's a hobby server). The other popular model to generate revenue is a subscription. There is also optional subscription services (Patreon for example).
In this case, as I've noted, Admin is paying for his server costs using ad revenue. That means that I am actually not freeloading at all. By patronizing this site, I increase their web traffic. By helping other fishermen with advice (which is the majority of what I've done when I'm not here arguing with people who have no clue what they are talking about and are quick to anger), I also help their search engine rankings. The next time somebody searches for "kid-friendly fishing" or "fishing at St. Louis ponds" they might
find this helpful map I drew along with the associated advice, which drives additional traffic to the site. Due to the current model of generating revenue via advertising, this helps the site. Cool, right?
OK - so now we've covered the fact that I'm not a freeloader but I am, in fact, helping the forum every time I reply to a thread with advice. Whew. So, what's this about donating money? Is it to keep the lights on at OFF? Not at all.
It's for a new laptop. If it were to keep the lights on at OFF, I might react differently. If OFF didn't have ad revenue, I might react differently. If you weren't shouting down anybody who has a different opinion than you, I might react differently.
Anyway,
@Admin, if you want some help reducing monthly costs or just another set of eyes, I could potentially help out there. You mentioned that you are getting $50-100 a month in ad revenue. The licensing for
the forum software you are using should be costing about $55 a year:
Registering a domain name
costs about $9 a year. I'm assuming you're using shared hosting, not a VPS; so hosting I imagine would be around $10 a month. Let's say $15 just to be safe. For reference,
here is the recommended managed hosting provider for XenoForo. Based on what you told me about ad revenue this is what your yearly cashflow
should look like in a given year:
Ad revenue: $900
XenForo Licensing fees: -$55
ICANN domain registration fees: -$9
Server hosting fees: $-180 (15/month * 12)
Total: $656
You should be coming out cash positive. If your hosting is costing a lot more than that, maybe migrate to KnownHost? They are
active on the XenoForo forums and would probably respond in a timely manner. Anyway,
@jamisonace, if you have anything useful or factual to say, I'm open to it. But thus far you are opining purely based on emotions, and that isn't going to convince me. Tight lines, friends.