Helping Boards.ie

Undercoverguy · 05-10-2004 02:55AM #1

Hey,
This has been on my mind a while now and i'm just wondering how everyone else things about my "Bright Idea". Please answer the poll, Thanks!

As we all know Boards.ie is free to everyone and anyone who wishes to use it.
However i feel its sometimes it only fair that when your using something this good as this for noting that its only fair to give something back.
Maybe something only small but something none the less, you often see many services on-line in which you must pay to use it or that are screaming out for your donations in order to keep it free, yet boards.ie asks for none of this. Sure they may accept donations but how would we give it? Not everyone has a Credit or Laser card and those of us who do avoid using them on-line for security reasons. However there is something we all have and we can all use to help boards.ie and that is.... Our Mobile Phones.

I'm sure half the people reading this message at sometime in the last few months have bought a Game, Ring-tone or Wallpaper for your mobile phone or even just used the new Dart-Txt or Bus-Txt service, by doing so chances are you sent a simple text message to a premium rate number such as 53000 or something similar. Well here's my idea....

If boards.ie were to set up a premium text number where by you could donate from a little as 50c to 1 Euro to help keeping this site free, Would you use it?

Please Note: I am posting this poll under my own curiosity and am no way related to boards.ie other than just being a normal member.

Karl Hungus · 05-10-2004 02:58AM

You know... That's not actually the worst idea I've ever heard. In fact, it's a pretty damn good one.

billy the squid · 05-10-2004 03:07AM

Well theres one way of helping you can click on some of the google advertisements at the top of each page.

embee · 05-10-2004 03:18AM

Who voted no,eh?

Tis only a couple of euros.

I would do this, yes. It isn't a bad idea at all.

Of course, one could just subscribe the regular way either.

Isn't it expensive to set up a premium rate number?

billy the squid · 05-10-2004 03:26AM

Yeah but not everyone can afford the subscription, anyway I dont think they are availible at the moment.

the text message idea is a good one though dont the likes of the cancer society use something similer.

dahamsta · 05-10-2004 04:37AM

embee wrote:

Who voted no,eh?

I did. That ok?

Optikus · 05-10-2004 06:06AM

Between 50c - 1eur no problem.. tis a great idea.

embee · 05-10-2004 07:46AM

dahamsta wrote:

I did. That ok?

Thats grand.....

X-Dawg · 05-10-2004 08:42AM

I would donate if they got rid of the stupid "reputation" thing, and made the boards a bit faster. So currently - No.

Lenny · 05-10-2004 08:51AM

The whole point of donating is to get boardsie to go faster

X-Dawg · 05-10-2004 09:06AM

Lenny wrote:

The whole point of donating is to get boardsie to go faster

Make it faster - then ask for money. People would appreciate it more.

If I came onto boards one day and the speed had improved a lot, then by putting me in that good mood, I would donate.

Hagar · 05-10-2004 09:18AM

Boards.ie goes fast enough for me, except for the lunchtime rush which is a natural peak.

I would be prepared to donate random amounts by text.

I do have reservations though about subscribing to a service from which you can be "arbitrarily" banned. I know that the type of people who would subscribe are generally the people who would not be banned but it's still a niggle. I am not accusing anybody of un-fairness. Nobody sets out to be banned. From reading other peoples' posts it seems one word leads to another and before you know it someone is deemed to have overstepped the mark and is on the outside looking in at a wasted subscription with no real means of redress.

Just the thoughts of a grumpy old man.

LegacyUser · 05-10-2004 09:45AM

I'd donate some money if they had a section with pics of nekid woman

Jim · 05-10-2004 09:55AM

X-Dawg wrote:

Make it faster - then ask for money. People would appreciate it more.

If I came onto boards one day and the speed had improved a lot, then by putting me in that good mood, I would donate.

The new server is up afaik. Give money now.

pickarooney · 05-10-2004 10:11AM

Make the reputation points attributable via mobile phone?

Linoge · 05-10-2004 10:33AM

Donate???? Boards isn't a charity. It makes its money from people like us visiting here on a daily basis and clicking on the links above. By all means support boards, because it is a good service, by clicking on the links above.

As for a donation? What is the incentive to donate? Who would know you've donated and what use would it be to you? If boards.ie didn't provide this service someone else would.

I would pay E2 if it gave me access to some premium service or information or even better, make it faster.

therecklessone · 05-10-2004 11:39AM

How much of the fee per call would go to boards though? Don't the service providers get a cut? I'd have no interest in putting money in anyone else's pocket TBH.

Winters · 05-10-2004 11:51AM

Why dont people do the easier option of just singing up for the Subscribers package? Not only are you helping boards but you also get little advantages over the "regular" users.

/me rubs subscriber package.

Jim · 05-10-2004 11:59AM

Winters wrote:

Why dont people do the easier option of just singing up for the Subscribers package? Not only are you helping boards but you also get little advantages over the "regular" users.

/me rubs subscriber package.

As was said Winty, subscriber package is down atm.

therecklessone · 05-10-2004 11:59AM

Winters wrote:

Why dont people do the easier option of just singing up for the Subscribers package? Not only are you helping boards but you also get little advantages over the "regular" users.

/me rubs subscriber package.

Because its unavailable at the moment.

therecklessone · 05-10-2004 12:00PM

Jimeatsmenu wrote:

As was said Winty, subscriber package is down atm.

Beat me to it. Foiled again!!!

Deadwing · 05-10-2004 12:09PM

Oh god i can see it now...
"Are you living in ireland? Want todays cooooolest posts on your mobile? Just text 'post' to 57777, and for just 6 yoyo's youll be crawlin on da floor!!"
Aside from that yes, i think its a good idea

Winters · 05-10-2004 01:19PM

therecklessone wrote:

Because its unavailable at the moment.

but you dont have long to wait before its back anyway. No point wasting a lot of money setting up some sort of txt donation system when in a week or so the subscribers pack shall be back live.

Deadwing wrote:

"Are you living in ireland? Want todays cooooolest posts on your mobile? Just text 'post' to 57777, and for just 6 yoyo's youll be crawlin on da floor!!"

Latest post from boards.ie
"rofl" on Humour

mechanima · 05-10-2004 02:32PM

pickarooney wrote:

Make the reputation points attributable via mobile phone?

Oh PLEASE...I would enjoy my neg points SO MUCH if I knew they COST someone...

But just a little thought...I had NO idea there was a subscriber level...so, even though I see it is down, I am looking for links to it...and I cannot find any...

I WILL find it, of course, but surely if you want someone to give you money it is a good idea to make it as easy as possible for them to find out how, yes?

G

Flukey · 05-10-2004 03:53PM

We are putting something back by posting here in a number of ways. We get something from other posts made here and others get benefits from what you post. That is what keeps the board going. If no one posted it would collapse. Boards.ie can sell advertising on the basis of the hits they are getting. The more hits they get the more enticing it is for advertisers. The majority of boards of this type are free and make their money from advertsing which they can charge money for. Coming here is our contribution in a number of ways, so I don't see any reason for anyone to put their hand in their pocket to use here.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 05-10-2004 03:59PM

if you don't want to you don't have to, but some people like the idea of being able to help boards.ie along financially, alot of us have gotten alot out of this "community" over the years.

Agent Smith · 05-10-2004 04:07PM

i'd give a couple of squids..... euro's even

DeVore · 05-10-2004 04:08PM

This is a really nice idea... that wont work

I'm chuffed that people feel they'd like to give something back. I'd be lying (and inhuman) if I didnt say that that makes up for a lot of the hassle we get day in day out.

The reason it wont work is because we refuse to give the leeching fncks that run the telecomms in this country 60% of that money (money they have done NOTHING to deserve).

Yup, 60% of those premium rate sms charges go to the carrier. It might be 50% now but its still outrageous.

If you look at the bottom of every page we have a PayPal donate button that allows donations of quite small amounts (1 euro min I think) direct from your credit card OR your bank account (afair!).

So if you wanted to donate you can do it that way or you can wait a few weeks for the subscribers packages to come online and buy yourself a few little toys in Boards land.

DeV.

mechanima · 05-10-2004 04:19PM

I am afraid that you STILL cannot use paypal in Ireland unless you have a credit card.

There are plenty of people who (for reasons that should remain between themselves and their banks) are not likely to get a credit card in this lifetime and yet would still like to donate.

As far as I can tell it is not hard to set up a facility to take "Laser", some online payment systems accept it, I forget which...worth looking into?

G

mechanima · 05-10-2004 04:19PM

I am afraid that you STILL cannot use paypal in Ireland unless you have a credit card.

There are plenty of people who (for reasons that should remain between themselves and their banks) are not likely to get a credit card in this lifetime and yet would still like to donate.

As far as I can tell it is not hard to set up a facility to take "Laser", some online payment systems accept it, I forget which...but one is affiliated to the Bank of Scotland I think...worth looking into?

G

DeVore · 05-10-2004 04:22PM

Boards.ie can sell advertising on the basis of the hits they are getting.

To whom? The bottom fell out of the online advertising market back in 2001. We are also untargetted (ie we have a very broad base of interests) so advertisers think that the majority of their ads are wasted and would rather buy into a community targetted soley at their market.

The more hits they get the more enticing it is for advertisers.

There are soooo many pages being served on the internet these days that even our numbers are a blip. Its not about numbers of pages, its about unique person counts (of which we only have about 14K) and targetted advertising at niches, which we dont do.

The majority of boards of this type are free and make their money from advertsing which they can charge money for.

The majority of boards our size charge per view or greatly restrict the service. SomethingAwful having been the stalking horse for this and their success has changed the way people view bulletin board sites.

Coming here is our contribution in a number of ways, so I don't see any reason for anyone to put their hand in their pocket to use here.

Coming here costs us CPU power, memory, a database connection which are limited and bandwidth. That is the reason we just had to spend 4K on a new server.

If you dont feel like you owe us anything, thats ok. I'm fine with that, really. But I'd really rather you didnt wave that in my face with incorrect statements to back up your rationale. Just dont give us anything, trust me, I wont be coming round knocking on your door with my hand out.

DeV.

Helping Boards.ie

Would you donate money to Boards.ie using a premium rate mobile text message number? 67 votes

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