Supporting messing-about.com

[Frank Hagan]

I have been forced to upgrade the server for messing-about.com due to increasing resource usage. After negotiations the new configuration still results in a 60% increase. I have added Google Ads to help defray the cost.

 

Several of you have asked about ways to support messing-about.com. There are two links in side column on the main index page:

• $12 a Year Supporting Member - Member status will be upgraded to Supporting Member and ads will not be shown to you.
• $60 a Year Premium Supporting Member - Includes the upgrade to Premium Supporting Member, and optionally provides a year of hosting your website at HOSTkabob (a 50% discount from our regular rates). 

 

You can choose to pay by credit card or PayPal after clicking the link. The forms pop-up, so if you don't see them ... turn off your pop up blocker and try again.  Or, if you prefer to keep it casual, you can send money via PayPal to frank@frankhagan.com.

 

Finally, I want everyone to know that we completely understand if you don't decide to join in the monetary support effort; messing-about has always provided free access to those who qualify simply by virtue of their contributions and ability to "be nice" to everyone else. It is an honor for me to be associated with all of you. 

 

 

[Ken_Potts]

   Hi Frank,

   I fully support your efforts to find ways to pay for this community and I've sent a donation in the effort to be a responsible member of the community.  I understand that advertisements are a way of life these days but maybe there's some fine tuning that can make it work better.  Here's a screen shot that shows two consecutive posts that can't be read because the ads cover the text.  Hopefully this can be corrected with some fine tuning of the code.  The ads don't need to go away, it's just that the posts should be readable, too.

 

[Frank Hagan]

Thanks for the screen shots. There are some issues with both the ad placement and also the "Supporting Member" group I created. Will try to employ some fixes. 

[Frank Hagan]

I think I may have killed this one ... let me know if you see them popping up like that again!

[Frank Hagan]

New benefit for Supporting Members: Clubs!

 

Supporting Members are entitled to create two clubs per year for family, local class association, community or any group of people they care to invite. In each club, you can create forums (topics), polls, calendars, and events. The Supporting Member controls whether the club is open to everyone, or completely private (and a couple of options in between). 

 

Your club does not have to be boat related, but our normal rules apply.  And we ask that everyone honors our primary rule on messing-about: Be nice. 

 

The club remains in place and active (unless abandoned), even if you don't renew your support in future years.

 

[Frank Hagan]

Supporting Members now have access to RSS feeds of the Forums! Look in the lower right to subscribe using your favorite RSS reader.

 

 

[Don Silsbe]

I remember doing this once.  Is it a recurring thing, or must I renew annually?

[Frank Hagan]

It's an annual thing. I send out an email with a link about a month before it's time to renew. You can see two dates in your profile, "Supporting member since" and "supporting member until". Yours doesn't come up for renewal until September.

 

I do it that way because many people are very active while building their boat, but not so much after they finish, so they may only want to support and use the site for a year or two.