| Author |
 Topic  |
|
sr_erick
Senior Member
USA
1318 Posts |
 Posted - 29 October 2003 : 16:13:32
|
quote:
Originally posted by Ryan
It costs me money to run my sites and I want to make money back or break even if I can.
I see this all the time. Someone is always trying to make up for the little bit of money it takes to run a very basic website. "If I have a website I need to make money so I can continue running it." Yes, that's what I hear. Having a personal website is a hobby. Hobbies consume money. This is a very cheap hobby actually. I dunno, but it bugs me when someone opens a site, pays little fee's for hosting and then is always trying to make money. Since when did the internet become a place where you had to make money off every website or else it can't exist.
Sorry if I sound rude, but I think this ties in with everything else that has been discussed. I would agree that you are on the right track though. You are not affraid to look under the hood and do your own modifications and that is good. Keep it up. |
Erick
Snowmobile Fanatics
|
 |
|
|
Davio
Development Team Member
Jamaica
12217 Posts |
Posted - 29 October 2003 : 16:37:06
|
And I have to agree with what Cliff said in his last post. Everyone here is trying help. We both have a concern for our Snitz users who might come to you for help and paying you especially with that disclaimer, and for you when users see that disclaimer and run in the other direction.
You can choose to ignore everyone's suggestion. It's your call. But if more than one person suggests that your disclaimer needs some touching up, maybe you should take another look at it.
Just my $0.05 worth. (I got a raise) |
Support Snitz Forums
|
|
|
|
Ryan
Average Member
USA
858 Posts |
Posted - 29 October 2003 : 23:34:55
|
Ok. Thanks guys. After my last post you were all more considerable. I feel a little better now.
Now to answer some of your comments:
I have a high respect for these moderators. Actually I have a high respect for most of the people on the front page of the members.asp page. Why? Because they are the heart and soul of Snitz. I don't mind criticism but it seemed rather harsh. To answer the response to the quote I posted in my last post I understand what he means and I know that there is a universe of a difference (+++) between a 20 year professional and someone like me. But I still say there are better ways of saying it.
sr_erick there is another site that I run that is mostly free and has over 175 members but that with Ryan's Site makes it kind of heavily on the load especially since I am a student that has a very part-time-part-time job. I think most of you would understand that.
Thanks for your comments Davio.
BTW (Davio) I found:quote:
Just my $0.05 worth. (I got a raise)
to be very amusing.  |
The Poultry Link - "Serving the best of the fancy with the best of the web"
Forum Setup Help |
|
|
|
dayve
Forum Moderator
USA
5820 Posts |
Posted - 30 October 2003 : 00:22:49
|
I thought the criticism was respectful, unabrasive, meaningful, useful, etc. I don't think anyone targeted you for abusive words nor comments. I also think you should be willing to accept comments like the ones given here because in this line of business, everyone is a critic and you have to be prepared to accept and learn from it.
By the way, there is an expression that I live by... "if I didn't care, I would not have said anything". You should consider yourself extremely lucky that people have decided to point out some things for you instead of allowing you to believe that everything you do is perfect and then says otherwise behind your back to your friends, family and coworkers. |
 |
|
|
|
redbrad0
Advanced Member
USA
3725 Posts |
Posted - 30 October 2003 : 01:51:37
|
quote:
sr_erick there is another site that I run that is mostly free and has over 175 members but that with Ryan's Site makes it kind of heavily on the load especially since I am a student that has a very part-time-part-time job.
I wouldnt talk to erick about that because he gets about 1500 page views a day (i believe) and does not make money on his site. his site (http://www.snowmobilefanatics.com/) is run on a dedicated server so he does pay good money to host his site.
I understand where you are coming from Ryan because when I was a student, I didn't have a spare dime to spend on anything else. Maybe it was because I was always drinking but I wish I had a way back then to make extra money, cause we all know everyone in school needs it. Just keep trying and read ALOT of books. I used to goto the local computer store and look on the discountinued books and would read them. Yes they were mostly out dated or something, but it helped get the mindset to program and get some of the general knowledge. |
Brad
Oklahoma City Online Entertainment Guide
Oklahoma Event Tickets |
|
|
|
sr_erick
Senior Member
USA
1318 Posts |
Posted - 30 October 2003 : 02:05:53
|
A little off there Brad.  The forum have been averaging 15,000 page views per day this past week and is increasing fast. It does get quite expensive after a while, but heh..who's complaining? Not me....it is my hobby, I know people that spend a lot more on trivial things each day. |
Erick
Snowmobile Fanatics
|
|
|
|
TestMagic
Senior Member
USA
1568 Posts |
Posted - 30 October 2003 : 02:39:43
|
Ryan, I've been watching this discussion for quite some time, and I just have to jump in here.
I've been a part of Snitz for a year or two now (somehow hard to remember how long), and during this time, I've seen people come and go. A lot of people start off strong, but end up leaving after a short time. Others keep on plugging away. Some are what we call "post and run"--they make a post or two hoping to bring visitors to their sites.
The moderators here are the ones who keep plugging away. The ones whom you referred to as being on the first page of members.asp are the ones who keep Snitz running. And if you look at their posts, most or all of them were made without any personal interest. In fact, if you do find a post in which a member offers to pay, you'll find that most of the moderators ask the prospective donator to donate to Snitz.
You say that you just want to cover your costs. Most of us here have Snitz at our own cost. I myself have run a pretty popular website since 1998 at a substantial loss. Yet, I continue to run it because I enjoy it and because I do believe that one day my experiences will help me.
And most people here will tell you the same.
Snitz has taught me a lot. When I first came here, I knew nothing about programming or maintaining websites. I still know nothing compared to the "big gals and guys" here, and I now (partly because of Snitz) know that I will never be an ace programmer. But Snitz has shown me where to go, what is involved, and most important, what it takes to be dedicated to something.
The Snitz code includes thousands of lines of code, and has been around for years. During these years, the developers have refined their code so that it is usable in many situations and is secure. Yet, the primary developers never ask for money. Look on members.asp, and see who the high posters are. Have you ever seen them ask for money? Do they charge to install MODs?
To be honest, I have paid one time to have MODs installed, and I received several offers from different members. Some members offered to install the MODs for free (some new members wanted practice, some senior members offered out of pure generosity), others wanted to charge. I was hoping that I could pay one of the developers a reasonable price, because they knew the code inside and out, because they deserved make money, and finally, because I trusted them. In the end I went with Davio, and was very happy. Davio took care of everything very professionally, and followed up on any questions I had. (Davio, hope you don't mind my telling others, but since I see you have a link in your sig, I thought it'd be okay).
I've installed a few MODs myself, but just because I can follow directions doesn't mean I'm a coder. I saw on one of these sites here people like me referred to as "copy and paste coders." Yes, I can follow directions, just like any Joe on the street. But if I'm going to pay somebody, I'd hope for a little expertise.
I guess I'd ask you to think about how you'd feel if you spent years and countless hours building your site and a newcomer came along trying to sell something that you gave away for free. Think about it--think about your site--what if somebody came along and tried to charge for whatever it is that you give away for free?
Finally, one thing dayve said is true--the feedback you receive from others, whether negative or positive, is truly a gift. We all are so busy that we must decide how to spend our time. For me, for example, I'm ignoring some important posts on my forums to answer you, even if what I say to you is not what you want to hear. And you've gotten responses from the heavies at Snitz. You should be flattered.
And to get back on topic here...  Your logo--yes, it looks better than before, but you've still got a long way to go. Your logo looks like you applied all the techniques you learned in lessons 1 and 2: rotate text and add shadows and bevels. You will learn that one principle of design is simpler is better, and that just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do something.
Oh, one more thing--I just have to say that I think people here have been very even-handed with you. Actually, I think most people here realize you are a young coder/webmaster, and are trying to point you in the right direction. |
Snitz rocks! · Search 2 |
|
|
|
UGBC
Junior Member
143 Posts |
Posted - 30 October 2003 : 20:22:51
|
I'll chime in as well, I started working on my student gov't website last year with absolutely no knowledge of asp and really any basic understanding of how website are run at all. I guess I got the position because of my charm (lol ya right). But I was very dedicated to learning and with the help of the snitzers here and spending a good amount of time reading through the code and often re reading tryign to get an understanding for how things work I've managed to learn a ton. I even was able to fix someone's problems they were having a couple weeks ago, it felt great.
Best of luck to you though Ryan, and I agree with what the others have said, but I do understand that charging a small amount for the time saved on installing the mods is money well spent for many people. Time = Money |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
