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General Category => CPCWiki Discussion => Topic started by: Gryzor on 16:54, 22 January 12

Title: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 16:54, 22 January 12
Hello guys,


Well, yeah, believe me when I say that I generally hate it when site owners whine about money, so I hope that this announcement doesn't cause any negative feelings.


The fact is, I simply cannot afford the server on my own. The wiki has grown larger than anything we ever thought it would be, and ever since we lost our last donated host (I won't be repeating the details...) we needed to finally find a robust enough host/server and learn to stand on our own feet.
What this means is this: it costs me almost €600/yr now (already paid for the first year), and this is quite heavy for me to bear alone. I don't mind putting long hours into it and thus making what little contribution I can to the community, but this is more than I can pay myself.


I have installed a donations system, to be found either here (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=treasury) or through the button just before the Logout option at the top bar menu[nb]Default theme only for now ;) [/nb]. I have set a yearly goal of €500, but anything that anyone can contribute, no matter how little, is much, much appreciated.


So, thanks for listening, and thank in advance to anyone and everyone who considers donating to the Wiki community.


Themis


PS On last thing - if someone could use the system to do a test donation (which will be refunded - even for €1) it'd be really helpful in testing the system... Thanks again.
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Devilmarkus on 16:58, 22 January 12
So, does it work?
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 17:00, 22 January 12
Heck if I know :D Unfortunately I can't donate to myself...

Ah- oops, just got the email. Yes, it does, thanks for that, will refund right away.It works!
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Devilmarkus on 17:04, 22 January 12
Good then...
Sorry that I can't donate more... This project is it worth!
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: ralferoo on 18:37, 22 January 12
This is probably my most visited website now... You can definitely have a donation from me! Thanks for all your hard work in keeping this place up and running!

One thing I'd say though is that the Donations button is nowhere near visible enough. Even after you told us where to find it, it still took me a while to find it! Maybe highlighted just a little, like the Home link?
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: steve on 19:14, 22 January 12
I saw the button immediately when I logged on for the first time after it appeared, I think it's position was chosen deliberately so that those who can log out without looking will "accidentally" hit the donate button instead of the log out button :laugh: .

I will donate later, it would be helpfull if you had some visual indicator of donations and how much more you need, I am sure none of us minds if you get more than 600 euros, but we might just leave it to others thinking you will get enough donations to keep the site running.

Some of the churches in this country have a picture of a thermometer outside with the mercury level indicating donations received with the amount required being the top of the thermometer, (the CofE is the richest organisation in the country, they should repair their own buildings).
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 19:17, 22 January 12
Thanks mate, added you to the Supporter group.


Concerning the donations button, well, I wanted it to be as discreet as possible; I really don't want to have that in-your-face Paypal button on every page that loads...


Thanks again =)


@Steve: yeah, you're onto my plan :D (Do people really use to Logout button?). You can see the full donation statistics if you press that button - it doesn't automagically suck monies out of your wallet, it just loads the relevant page that shows a progress meter and members who have donated (and don't keep their donation hidden).
If it goes above €600 then the surplus will be used to simply pay for next year's expenses :) That's why I chose to make it public (one of the reasons, that is), to allow people to check how it's going...
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 20:05, 22 January 12
Oh wow. Already at 18%... I'm touched :)
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: steve on 21:07, 22 January 12
20% or thereabouts of each donation is going to paypal, is there a way of sending money that does not get eaten up with exorbitant charges?
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: TotO on 21:31, 22 January 12
Paypal is around 4%, not 20%...
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: steve on 22:13, 22 January 12
Donations 128euro, paypal fees 26euros = about 20%, if paypal fees are 4% were is the rest of paypal fees going?
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 22:58, 22 January 12
Hm, that is not correct. Even the system's files indicate that only €4.1 have gone to Paypal, will investigate why the total appears so high... Weird!

[EDIT] Ok, found one problem - two donations had come in in GBP so I had to manually add the Euros to the table for the total to be correct, but I left the total after PP deduction empty, so it assumed that no real money came in. It still shows an incorrect number (€7.30), but it's better and in the admin area the numbers are correct. Will try to reconcile that small difference too.

[EDIT2] Fixed it; it's not that smart when it comes to currency conversions :D
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: mr_lou on 08:38, 23 January 12
Wow, it only took 2 days to almost reach the goal. Only 10 euro missing. This is a great community.

One small question. Bryce gave 100 euro, but 3.75 of them went to Paypal? Why then didn't any of the 50 euro I donated also go to Paypal? Shouldn't 1.86 euro of those go to Paypal? Any special reason why it didn't? Or did some of it go to Paypal, and just doesn't show because you typed it in manually?
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 10:19, 23 January 12
2 days? More like half a day... response is amazing. Wow. I would be in tears if I was not as macho as I am.


As I said, all money over the limit will go towards next year's expenses... I have set this thing to be as transparent as possible, supposedly (can't check because I'm the admin :) ) you're able to see everything in the account.


Now, about your donation: the system is set up so as to absorb the PP fees. When you paid (manually) there was probably an option in there for you to either pay the fee or include it in the amount donated. So I would think you paid a bit more than €50 in the end - can you check?
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: mr_lou on 11:15, 23 January 12
Only 50 euro went out.
I selected that it was a gift though. You think that means anything? Can't imagine it does, but you never know of course.
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: MaV on 11:18, 23 January 12
Quote from: Gryzor on 10:19, 23 January 12
2 days? More like half a day... response is amazing. Wow. I would be in tears if I was not as macho as I am.

Machos are allowed a single tear only! And your face may show gratitude at most, otherwise it better be emotionless.

I can't donate right now, will in two weeks.


Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: mr_lou on 11:23, 23 January 12
I checked the details of the transaction. It says 0 euro in fee.

I wonder why I didn't have to pay a fee. I see no other explanation than the one about selecting it was a gift? If so, that's worth looking into.
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: 00WReX on 11:30, 23 January 12
Just checked and my PayPal account shows the same as yours Mr Lou...no fee.

Cheers,
Shane
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 14:13, 23 January 12
Hmmm I think that yes, maybe it's because the system goes through the proper channels where I appear as a merchant, so PP decides its an honor for me to do business with them and pockets that fee; which may not happen when it's a gift...
But, indeed, when you send a donation and the fee comes out of it PP will show 0 as a fee to the paying user.
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 14:25, 23 January 12
Btw, I have started rolling out the little medal that appears in your user box if you have donated (or otherwise supported) the Wiki... ;)
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: robcfg on 15:08, 23 January 12
Nice!


If we get several medals, could we achieve ranks as 6128+ Commander?  ;D
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: TotO on 15:17, 23 January 12
Quote from: robcfg on 15:08, 23 January 12
Nice!

If we get several medals, could we achieve ranks as 6128+ Commander?  ;D
Your medal link is dead... Missing "i" of index... :p
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: steve on 16:08, 23 January 12
I don't know anything about paypal except that they are most definitely NOT a charity, did they charge the fee to Mr Lou?
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 17:46, 23 January 12
  It appears they didn't charge him, I know about the "i" and yes, if you donate multiple times you get several medals and you get in the Hi-Score table, complete with the Commando tune :D
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: mr_lou on 17:56, 23 January 12
Quote from: Gryzor on 17:46, 23 January 12It appears they didn't charge him, I know about the "i" and yes, if you donate multiple times you get several medals and you get in the Hi-Score table, complete with the Commando tune :D
That brings up the question, why not? Can everyone avoid the charge by simply manually selecting that the transfer is a gift?
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 18:00, 23 January 12
Maybe, if they do it manually though, not through the automated system unfortunately. I'll add a note...
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: ukmarkh on 18:16, 23 January 12
I'm unfortunately faced with the threat of redundancy at the moment, so I'm afraid I won't be able to help just yet. This is probably the most visited site I browse on the net. Rest assured I will donate at some stage.

Just to let you guys know, my divorce is official now  :-\  They say it comes in three's:

1. Divorce
2. Redundancy
3. ???????????
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 18:18, 23 January 12
Redundancy - I'm there.


Don't worry mate, nobody judges anyone, quite the contrary...


I'd say #3 should read: utter freedom ;)
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: steve on 18:41, 23 January 12
Another site I frequent has an Ebay search box, if anyone buys something from ebay using that search box, the site gets a percentage, maybe Gryzor could investigate that option as an additional means of funding the site.
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 19:40, 23 January 12
Hm, interesting indeed, but it's not that simple to become and implement an eBay affiliation program... I doubt rewards would be significant, too, but maybe it'd be worth investigating... Can you tell me which site you saw it on?
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: ukmarkh on 19:42, 23 January 12
Google Adsense earns me around £20 a month on my Blog...
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 19:44, 23 January 12
Quote from: ukmarkh on 19:42, 23 January 12
Google Adsense earns me around £20 a month on my Blog...

Huh, that much? Could you share some stats with me?
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: ced64k on 22:34, 23 January 12
Donated :)

Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: rexbeng on 09:20, 24 January 12
What the heck? Gryzor, I'm definitely expecting an invitation for drinks in your newly decorated house  :P


rb


Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: ukmarkh on 13:36, 24 January 12
No probs... where should i send a snapshot?

Quote from: Gryzor on 19:44, 23 January 12
Huh, that much? Could you share some stats with me?
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 16:13, 24 January 12
@ced64k: received, and much appreciated :)
@rexbeng: why, you're welcome - seriously. I live near Hilton!
@ukmarkh: there's an email icon under my avatar!
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Langweil on 15:03, 25 January 12
Donated  :P
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: AMSDOS on 20:56, 19 December 14
Noticed that the poor old Wiki needs some donations before the end of the year. I'll see if I can get a paypal account up and running so I can splash some cash here.  :-X
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: 8bitDave on 08:14, 20 December 14
Donated!
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: AMSDOS on 23:17, 21 December 14
I'm having Difficulty with PayPal with regard to Donating Funds as a Gift. Seems like no matter what I do, the Money is going to have Fees attached to it  :(  Has anyone else been able to Donate and Mark it as a Gift, or has PayPal changed the Rules so that you cannot Donate as a Gift or is there some kind of limit as to how much you can Donate as a Gift?
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: CraigsBar on 00:42, 22 December 14
Quote from: Gryzor on 16:54, 22 January 12
Hello guys,


Well, yeah, believe me when I say that I generally hate it when site owners whine about money, so I hope that this announcement doesn't cause any negative feelings.


The fact is, I simply cannot afford the server on my own. The wiki has grown larger than anything we ever thought it would be, and ever since we lost our last donated host (I won't be repeating the details...) we needed to finally find a robust enough host/server and learn to stand on our own feet.
What this means is this: it costs me almost €600/yr now (already paid for the first year), and this is quite heavy for me to bear alone. I don't mind putting long hours into it and thus making what little contribution I can to the community, but this is more than I can pay myself.


I have installed a donations system, to be found either here (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=treasury) or through the button just before the Logout option at the top bar menu[nb]Default theme only for now ;) [/nb]. I have set a yearly goal of €500, but anything that anyone can contribute, no matter how little, is much, much appreciated.


So, thanks for listening, and thank in advance to anyone and everyone who considers donating to the Wiki community.


Themis


PS On last thing - if someone could use the system to do a test donation (which will be refunded - even for €1) it'd be really helpful in testing the system... Thanks again.


No Negative feelings at all. Happy christmas, donated again. Well worth the payment for the service and pleasure that the wiki provides, you have built a friendly environment where people can discuss, reminiss and learn about a little,  3rd most popular in the UK,  8 bit machine that came late to the party amd have fun.


I would not have known about Bumpy's Arcade Fantasy, the x-mem, Playcity or a million other things if it were not for the Wiki, thank you and money well spent.


Craig

Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 09:16, 22 December 14
First of all, thanks so much to all and each one of you for your donations :) I will update your status soon, but I'm ever grateful!

@AMSDOS (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=330) , never heard of this issue before, so I'm going to look into it. However, you can just send the donation to me (krakout g mail) and I'll add it manually to the donations registry, if you prefer...

T

PS Ok, I just went to do a test trasnfer and it doesn't add any fees. Weird...? Anyone else seen this? Are you sure you're following the procedure from the Donations page?
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Manu on 09:20, 22 December 14
Quote from: AMSDOS on 23:17, 21 December 14
I'm having Difficulty with PayPal with regard to Donating Funds as a Gift. Seems like no matter what I do, the Money is going to have Fees attached to it  :(  Has anyone else been able to Donate and Mark it as a Gift, or has PayPal changed the Rules so that you cannot Donate as a Gift or is there some kind of limit as to how much you can Donate as a Gift?
In order to send as gift with no fees, you have to associate a bank account (besides the credit card) or have some funds saved in the Paypal account.
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 09:23, 22 December 14
Huh, never knew that! Thanks, Manu!
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: AMSDOS on 09:31, 22 December 14
Quote from: Gryzor on 09:16, 22 December 14

@AMSDOS (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=330) , never heard of this issue before, so I'm going to look into it. However, you can just send the donation to me (krakout g mail) and I'll add it manually to the donations registry, if you prefer...

T

PS Ok, I just went to do a test trasnfer and it doesn't add any fees. Weird...? Anyone else seen this? Are you sure you're following the procedure from the Donations page?


I was following the page from the Donations Link, all seemed well when I saw it now, but earlier when I was going to pay it looked as if it was slugging $2 Aussie Bucks from my Contribution. The Image at the top of the Screen wasn't displaying itself and it appeared as if that page wasn't secure (no padlock on show).


I went to the main page (Paypal.com) and it was saying I had $2 Bucks in the Account - so I sent that $2 dollars to your email address, can you check to see if you've received?


Thanks.


Sorry I'm hardly using this Paypal, so I might be stuffing it up somehow.


I'm in the process of using a Visa Gift Card to contribute that way, if you've got the $2, I can sent some more money.  :D


P.S. I forgot to mention when I was in the main PayPal site, I was able to send money without any other charges by putting it under Goods & Services, otherwise it was going to be 40 cents.
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: AMSDOS on 09:34, 22 December 14
Quote from: Manu on 09:20, 22 December 14
In order to send as gift with no fees, you have to associate a bank account (besides the credit card) or have some funds saved in the Paypal account.


Huh, I just stated I was paying for Goods & Services and there was no fees. I haven't got my Bank Account Details on there though.
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Manu on 09:38, 22 December 14
Quote from: AMSDOS on 09:34, 22 December 14

Huh, I just stated I was paying for Goods & Services and there was no fees. I haven't got my Bank Account Details on there though.
When you are paying for good & services, the one who receives the money pays the fees to Paypal. When you send money as gift and you have money or a bank account, neither pays fees ;)
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: AMSDOS on 09:44, 22 December 14
Quote from: Manu on 09:38, 22 December 14
When you are paying for good & services, the one who receives the money pays the fees to Paypal. When you send money as gift and you have money or a bank account, neither pays fees ;)


Which I presume would be deducted from the PayPal amount as sent. I've only sent a mere sum of $2 Dollars as a Trial. I'll send More when this other account has sorted itself out (in a day or so).
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Manu on 09:48, 22 December 14
Quote from: AMSDOS on 09:44, 22 December 14

Which I presume would be deducted from the PayPal amount as sent. I've only sent a mere sum of $2 Dollars as a Trial. I'll send More when this other account has sorted itself out (in a day or so).
Yes, the receiver get less money. That is also true for donations (and that is a shame).
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 09:49, 22 December 14
@AMSDOS (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=330) : The image at the top that doesn't load is supposed to be the logo of the wiki - let me fix it real quick... Ok, done. The padlock doesn't appear because the Paypal page contains this logo, which is an insecure element (an image from a third-party server, the wiki server). So it's correct, though I wonder if some could think it's a security issue and if it could be rectified... Anyone?

I did get your AUSD2 donation, though the email was different from every other email notification I've received :D And yes, it's withheld AUSD0,40 from the total, so @Manu (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=816) is correct!
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: AMSDOS on 10:10, 22 December 14
Quote from: Gryzor on 09:49, 22 December 14
@AMSDOS (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=330) : The image at the top that doesn't load is supposed to be the logo of the wiki - let me fix it real quick... Ok, done. The padlock doesn't appear because the Paypal page contains this logo, which is an insecure element (an image from a third-party server, the wiki server). So it's correct, though I wonder if some could think it's a security issue and if it could be rectified... Anyone?

I did get your AUSD2 donation, though the email was different from every other email notification I've received :D And yes, it's withheld AUSD0,40 from the total, so @Manu (http://www.cpcwiki.eu/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=816) is correct!


That's amazing, so either way their gonna get a bit of your money.


I worked out how much extra I'd have to add, just to give the intended amount, bunch of vultures, but I guess it's better to work out what their taking out, than living in ignorance, I only knew it was 40 cents cause that's what it going to take out if I sent to Friends or Family.
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 11:31, 22 December 14
Well, I hate to give Paypal any money, but in the end it's not a large amount anyhow, so no need to worry about it :)

Thanks for your support, and for your comments!
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: AMSDOS on 08:29, 24 December 14
Donated.  :)
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 16:26, 24 December 14
Yup! Yes you did, and thanks so much for that :)
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Animalgril987 on 21:02, 20 January 21
Donated. :D
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 09:02, 21 January 21
Much, much appreciated :) Thanks so much!!


Every single donation means a lot.

T
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: betpet on 13:14, 21 January 21
Done.


Maybe you can display a funding animation type thing in the page header so people can see the current situation and decide to chip in as and when they see the pot going too low?  Not necessarily something in your face but something people can see and decide for themselves.
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Animalgril987 on 20:29, 21 January 21
Quote from: Gryzor on 09:02, 21 January 21Much, much appreciated  Thanks so much!!
Oh no Gryzor. I think it should be the other way round. We, the users, should be thanking YOU, for giving us a place to discuss all things CPC. And as you are doing all the heavy lifting, keeping the site going, it's only fair that our wallets take the financial load. There are over 3000 of us, and if it's still €600 per year to keep going, then a €1 donation from each of us would be good for 5 years! :D
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 11:54, 22 January 21
Quote from: betpet on 13:14, 21 January 21Maybe you can display a funding animation type thing in the page header so people can see the current situation and decide to chip in as and when they see the pot going too low? Not necessarily something in your face but something people can see and decide for themselves.

I was actually thinking of something of the sort the other day, but it basically involved how to get the donations module to display this correctly; I had started feeding it information several years back, it would seem, but never updated it. I don't know if I want to put an animation - that's already less discreet than I'd like, but perhaps an announcement box could do the trick silently...

Quote from: Animalgril987 on 20:29, 21 January 21Oh no Gryzor. I think it should be the other way round. We, the users, should be thanking YOU, for giving us a place to discuss all things CPC. And as you are doing all the heavy lifting, keeping the site going, it's only fair that our wallets take the financial load. There are over 3000 of us, and if it's still €600 per year to keep going, then a €1 donation from each of us would be good for 5 years!

Eh, to be perfectly honest that's not how I see it - I maintain the project because people actually bring it to life and because other people who have the talent contribute much nicer things to the community. So, yes, I do appreciate the donations immensely, but I don't see it like I have a right to donations or something. But, thank you for your kind words indeed...
Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: betpet on 11:11, 28 January 21
I saw this on another forum, maybe not as blatant as it was on there but something like this may be appropriate

Title: Re: Donations to the wiki
Post by: Gryzor on 11:16, 28 January 21
Perhaps someone could do a "loading screen" that will slowly fill up? :)
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