On Getting a new server….

[Bob Hubbard]

On Getting a new server….


When MT started 3 years ago, I never thought it would get as big as it has.
It’s grown.



When I planned it out, I figured we’d have a couple hundred members, 30 or so folks on at any given time, and maybe need a couple hundred megs of space for everything.

Right now, we’re a little bigger than that.

* Membership is about 3,400+ with a solid 800-1,200 ‘regulars’.
* We hit a new high point (3rd time in a month) on July 29th of 281 people on the board at the same time.
* We’re moving over a Gigabyte of data every day (July average is 1.5GB/Day)
* MartialTalk is using about 1.5 Gigabytes of server storage right now.
* New signups are in the 10-20 per day point.


And…this is the slow time for us. Summer in North America.

In otherwords…we’re big, and getting bigger fast.

We need to move to a more robust server soon.



I hate to ask, I’d love to fund the whole thing myself but I can’t.



We have 3 options:

1-Stay where we are, and limit future growth.
2-Rent a new server.
3-Buy our own server.


Limiting MT isn’t an option in my opinion. The new members bring new ideas, intel and fun with them. I don’t want to ‘lock’ new signups out. I also don’t want to have to limit what we can do or add to the site. More features = more fun = more people, etc.

We can rent a new server. That is the cheaper option. The specs I have for a new server cover security, data backups, etc. To do this, we need to raise about $900-$1,200 to cover the setup, move and 1st 2 months hosting.

We can also buy our own box. This allows more flexibility in the design, and we can get a better server. It does place the hardware support on me, but the companies I’ve speced out with offer 4 hour on site 24/7/365 service, so I’m comfortable in looking at that route.

Going that route will require about $3,000-$4,000 to purchase the server, get it set up and installed in a datacenter, and cover the first couple months hosting.



I’m looking for options and opinions here.

If we can raise the money, we can take things to the next level. A new server means faster response time, more room to add more goodies, etc.

I’m contributing $100 out of my pocket. Who’s with me?


Here’s how to contribute:

1- Become a Supporting Member. It’s only $12 per year, adds some nice perks to your account and goes right into keeping MT running.

2- Sponsor a forum. For only $125/year you get world wide advertising for your organization on one of the hottest martial arts sites online.

3- Host your website with us. For only $120/year you get a full featured hosting account.

4- Donate – We accept donations as well.

5- Buy advertising – MT servers over 500,000 pages each month. (July is over 800,000!). For a small fee ($25+) you can get year long exposure on our schools and instructors page. We also offer advertisements in the quarterly MT Magazine, as well as premium spots on the site.



The way I see it, if we can get the $1,200 we rent, $4,000 we buy, and if by some chance we hit $30,000 I become a full time MT Sysop and start packing this site full of goodies and features. ;)

Please, let me know what you all think.

Thank you.

Bob

[Flatlander]

Here's my thought.

The community here is by far the best online martial arts community on the planet. I have spent alot of time here, and decided the right thing to do was become a supporting member.

It cost me about the equivalent of a case of beer. Coffee at work for a couple of weeks. 2 nights at the movies. And I get WAY more time and enjoyment out of martial talk.

It was worth it.

So, we can decide to contribute to our community here, or we can freeload. Whatever you all choose to do individually is up to you. But you know what the right thing to do is.

Also, bear in mind that the more new members we get, the more chances for supporting memberships there are - so talk it up.

Come on people - let's come together on this. I look forward to a prosperous future for Kaith, for Martial Talk, and for all of you - the people and personalities that make the board the BEST on the web.

Dan Bowman.

[mj-hi-yah]

I am definitely interested in supporting MT. :) But so far I am having a problem with pay pal. I ordered something from ebay a long time ago and when I try to use pay pay here it keeps telling me the account is already taken..yeah well I sneak the credit cards at night to buy stuff...hee hee, anyway who can remember what card or password was used maybe a year ago, so I get a message that pay pal will email me back the original info and so far nothing...so to make a long story longer I have been unable to give you my 12 bucks...I'll mail ya a check if you want or let me know how to deal with pay pal differently.

MJ :)

[Bob Hubbard]

Tally so far:

Goal: $1,200-30,000
So Far: $162


If you don't have a PayPal account, you may send a check or money order to:

MartialTalk.com c/o SilverStar WebDesigns Inc.
P.O. Box 1372
Buffalo, NY 14220

Please make the check or money order out to Bob Hubbard and please be certain to include your MartialTalk username so that we may adjust your account.

Please make the checks/moneyorders payable in US$. I can't cash them if they aren't in US$.


Thank you. :)

[Ceicei]

Getting a box may be better for now, but eventually in a year or so, we will definitely need our own server. Although I am a supporting member, I will donate some more plus renew the supporting account.

I plan to talk to my dojo about contributing something (by advertising) on MT.

- Ceicei

[TigerWoman]

I think you should get a new server--at least. My husband went that route for his business and it went pretty well. I think when I stumbled on to MartialTalk it was like falling down the hole into Wonderland. Its the neatest thing since our new instant bread ovens, I wouldn't be that old for the sliced bread comparison. I recognized its value from day one and felt compelled to become a paying member. If any of you recognize what it does for you and can manage to pay a magazine subscription cost, what is that? We all need to do our share to keep this forum going. I for one, would love to see the regulars names in red. I would be happy to ante up the $100 also and will send you a check. Okay, everyone ask yourself, where does your passion lie? TW


:-partyon: :-partyon:

[Gary Crawford]

Mr. Hubbard, Have you talked with your local bank about a business equipment lease?I don't know if it can be done in your area or not,but if so,you can get the server you want,just financed a different way.

[Mark Weiser]

Okay a few questions?


When do you need the funds?
what is the smallest amount of funding you would need to revamp the site?
What would someone get if they funded the entire amount? There are folks out in the world that can drop ya the funds and not even miss it.

Sincerely,
Mark Weiser

[Rob Broad]

I was a member here back when MT was less than a month old, and I hvae seen the place grow rapidly, almost too rapidly at a time. Then level off, then grow again, and finally blossom to where it is today. Once I committed myself to coming back to the site and be a contributor like I once was, I purchased a supporting membership. I will donate also a few extra $$ as I can spare it.

I will also make a donation of an ebook on teaching to every person who donates atleast $10 to the site, or to anyone who gets a supporting membership. I will furnish Kaith with a link to send people to where they can get their ebook.

[mj-hi-yah]

I will also make a donation of an ebook on teaching to every person who donates atleast $10 to the site, or to anyone who gets a supporting membership. I will furnish Kaith with a link to send people to where they can get their ebook.That is very nice Rob! Hmmmm...Ok an e-kiss :kiss: to anyone who donates 100 bucks...

[Bob Hubbard]

Okay a few questions?


When do you need the funds?
what is the smallest amount of funding you would need to revamp the site?
What would someone get if they funded the entire amount? There are folks out in the world that can drop ya the funds and not even miss it.
Sincerely,
Mark Weiser
Hi Mark, Good questions.

1- Sooner than later. By that, I mean about a month from now would be good. That gives me additional time to research servers, datacenters and our options.

2- Bare minimum, $900. That will just barely cover the setup and 1 month rental of a rental box. $1,200 gets a bit more memory/possibly better CPU (or a second one), and/or another months hosting covered.

3- Lifetime Supporting membership, lifetime hosting (within reason. I can't afford to host Amazon.com. :) But a Gig or 2 of storage space, and a decent transfer allotment is easily done.), and a permanent and prominent ad presence here. (Something can be worked out.) I'm also open to requests.


I'm running the poll and asking for help for 30 days. I'll see what's been promised, whats come in and what is possible Sept. 1st. My personal preference would be to buy our own box. I've gotten a nice quote on colocation from a datacenter I've had good luck with in the past. Need to do more research and ask more questions though.

[Bob Hubbard]

Gary,
Because the site classifies as a 'hobby', I wasn't successful the last time I looked into that. My business may be able to qualify to a lease or credit with Dell if we buy through them. The datacenter doesn't do leases unfortunately. It still leaves me with the challenge of coming up with the monthly payments, and I have a personal issue with paying $3,600 for a $1,200 server. :)

Definately something I'll look into though. If we can raise the bulk of the funds, then the balance becomes easier to come up with through the existing sponsorships as they renew.

[Rob Broad]

Hopefully the $4000 atleast can be raised in August.

[Bob Hubbard]

Ceicei - Definately looking to buy if at all possible. The support is much appreciated. Remember, if you run a business, sponsoring or advertising is a tax deductable expense (at least in the US.)

TW - Thank you!

Rob - 2X Thank you!

MJ - 3X Thank you.

:)


ok, tally right now is $184 rcvd ($12 hasn't finished processing yet through paypal).
Theres also $230 in sponsorships set to renew Sept 1st. That puts us 10% of the way towards our own server. :)

[Rob Broad]

Lets get this thread back in the forefront so it doesn't disappear. The more people that see it the more opportunity there is to help MT get its own server.

In other words. Bump!

[Bob Hubbard]

Everyone reading...please take a moment to vote in the poll above as well as comment here.

Those who vote no, please, I'd appreciate if you could say why not.
Is there something missing, is there a problem, is it just a 'I dont pay for webstuff', etc?

Thanks. :)

[Mark Weiser]

3- Lifetime Supporting membership, lifetime hosting (within reason. I can't afford to host Amazon.com. http://martialtalk.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif But a Gig or 2 of storage space, and a decent transfer allotment is easily done.), and a permanent and prominent ad presence here. (Something can be worked out.) I'm also open to requests.


The support is much appreciated. Remember, if you run a business, sponsoring or advertising is a tax deductable expense (at least in the US.)


Well you have sweeten the pot with this lol. So you have or we that is until Sept 1st hmmm. I do not know if I can get the entire amount lol but I can see what I can do.

Sincerely,
Mark Weiser

[Mark Weiser]

2- Bare minimum, $900.

3- Lifetime Supporting membership, lifetime hosting (within reason. I can't afford to host Amazon.com. http://martialtalk.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif But a Gig or 2 of storage space, and a decent transfer allotment is easily done.), and a permanent and prominent ad presence here. (Something can be worked out.) I'm also open to requests.

The support is much appreciated. Remember, if you run a business, sponsoring or advertising is a tax deductable expense (at least in the US.)


Well you have sweetened the pot with this and I will see what I can do to assist. I run my own school and this would be great to have.

Sincerely,
Mark E. Weiser

[RCastillo]

That is very nice Rob! Hmmmm...Ok an e-kiss :kiss: to anyone who donates 100 bucks...

Hey mama-san, for 100 bills, ya gotta do better than an an e-mail pucker! :ultracool

[mj-hi-yah]

Hey mama-san, for 100 bills, ya gotta do better than an an e-mail pucker! :ultracoolOK, but Kaith gets the moola up front and this is only for you Castillo don't be telling all of your buddies :whip1: an e-beating and then the e-kiss :kiss:

[psi_radar]

Kaith, maybe break it down into how much per member, etc. to get perspective. Since membership is opt-in, the higher the price goes, the more optional features should be available to members. How much we talkin' bout? $x,000 spread among how many and what do paying members get over visitors and non-subscribers?

[don bohrer]

How much blood do I have to donate :anic:

Let's see.... so for evey penny I cough up I could own 1/400,000ths of MT!

Power! Muhahhaaa....... Soon I will own enough shards of MT to exile someone. :EG:

I'm in, but I have to pay for college classes and books first. So it might not be a bunch all at once, but hey every bit helps.

:ultracool


Don (El Paso)

[Rob Broad]

With 3400 members it should be very easy to raise the 4k. 30k might be a goal for a year from now. But if several corporate sponsors stepped in it might be very do able.

[Bob Hubbard]

With 3400 registered members, it's like less than $2 per on average. That said, some of those accounts are closed, some won't pay a penney regardless, and some have already chipped in what they can.

We've got 800-1200 'regulars', to hit $4k is only $3-5 each.
If we get 100 new supporting memberships ($12 ea) thats $1,200 right there.
Add in a few more forum sponsorships (at$125 each)
A few new adverts on the instructors page (at $25-35 per)

We can do it.

Hey...if that comic guy from Something Positive can raise $22,000 in a month, I have to believe that MT folks can out do them :)


Supporting members get:
- Larger Avatars
- A profile Pic
- Can start polls
- Can post images
- More PM space
- Access to a private forum
- Plus access to new supporters only features as I add them.
(Some features under consideration are a game arcade, the ability to list items in a classified ad system, ability to add own photo galleries, a personal journal and more. Some of those features cost $$ to get the software)

[Flatlander]

Game Arcade? :-partyon:


Now I'll never get anything done at work. :-partyon:

[cblaze230]

I've seen it mentioned but not a link or address to paypal account for sponsor memberships...how bout it mod? or anyone else in the know. thx.

[Bob Hubbard]

Supporting MT info : http://www.martialtalk.com/supportmt.shtml

There are 2 corrections:
Supporting Memberships are $12, not $18.
The Magazine is now free, so subscriptions aren't available.

[Mark Weiser]

Okay put me down for two memberships at $12 each. One for me and the other for my alter ego.

I will be seeing you at paypal soon. OH and the arcade lol!

Oh by the way I already put a link to MT on my website so there!! lol

[cblaze230]

Kaith....Many thanks !!! this place totally rocks and a new big bad a$$ server will make it that much better. let's do it!!!!!

[Seig]

I see a lot of talk, but don't know how much we've raised. Bob you need a chart or that thermometer thingy to let everyone know how we're doing.

[Bob Hubbard]

I'll work on a chart.

I've also been keeping the tally updated in here. No change since last mention.

[Bob Hubbard]

I just received 2 checks totaling $55 putting us at $239 out of $1,200.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

We're only $961 away from a new server.

If all the sponsors set for September renewal renew, ($230) that'll put us $731 short. :)


I'm working on contacting vendors and datacenters for info.
Right now, I'm avoiding Xeons and sticking with Pentium 4 systems.
Cost is in the $1100-1400 range for a rental.
I'm not happy with the colo rates I'm getting...in the $400-500 per month range.
Servers cheap enough, $2200 delivered..its the monthly hosting charges that are killing things. Still have more folks to contact though.

[Ceicei]

Where is the link to donate by paypal?

[Spud]

Good reminder. Just upgraded via paypal.

[Ceicei]

Where is the link to donate by paypal?
Never mind. I found the link. Thank you.

- Ceicei

[Bob Hubbard]

Current Tally is $301 donations/supporting memberships and $230 sponsorships.


I'll do a better chart tomorow.


THANK YOU! :)

[Guro Harold]

Count me in for a donation!!!

[Bob Hubbard]

New Update: We're at $533 in donations! ($230 in sponsorships)

That puts us at about $763 in server funding. :)

Also, I just got a check for $200 in (included in the above tally).

Thank you V-E-R-Y-! much! :D

[Michael Billings]

Come on guys, lets get it up there!!!

-Michael

[Rob Broad]

Looks ike things are starting to shape up. I just got back form the cottage, and half teh time I kept wondering how things were coming along with the next server.

[r6racer]

You mentioned the option of renting a server; well I currently rent a server from a place in Dallas, Texas called thePlanet. You can visit their website at www.theplanet.com (http://www.theplanet.com)
A couple of the largest websites/forums I know of are hosted there, I actually learned of this place from hardocp.com they have a very large forum (computer/technology related) which are hosted at theplanet.com. I have actually been to their facility and they offer co-location or you can rent servers from them.

To show an example I rent a server from them (totalcontrol) and host a couple gaming servers and a couple websites off the machine I rent from them. For $250 a month I get 2000gigabytes of data transfer a month plus that includes everything (server and bandwidth). The server i rent for that price is a dual 2.8ghz xeon with 2gigs of ram. A very strong computer for the price.

I've only been a member of these forums for less than 24hrs but the wealth of information here is amazing and I would be willing to become a paying member to help out.

Hope some of the stuff I posted helps out.

[also] I have no affiliation with theplanet, I just spend a good chunk of my money there haha!

[Bob Hubbard]

A few months back I rented a TC 2800i system from the Planet. It was a nice machine, great response time, excellent speed.
Unfortunately, to make a long nightmare short, the server wasn't setup to our specs, the backups were never properly configured, and other issues weren't resolved satisfactory. (We paid for additional security hardening, backups which took 17 days to install, an OS reload wasn't done for over a week, etc.)

They've been getting hammered on WHT the last few months as well...which is really a shame as like you indicated they have some solid hardware at great prices. Upto that point I'd only seen a few negative comments and alot of positive ones. Since then, I've seen alot of negative. I think when I tried them, they were at the 'too big, too fast' growth pain point. I've still got them on my short list of possible hosts though. :)

Right now, I've got a number of quote requests pending, but the front runner is Dinix. We're currently at Data393 (formerly Ventures Online) and I'm also giving them a chance too.

I'll check the hosting boards again and see if TP's reps swung back up since I last checked. Thanks for the suggestion. :)

[r6racer]

Actually thats pretty interesting cause I have actually had some accounting issues there and I figured it was just my bad luck. :) They forgot to charge me for my server a couple months there and when we called to check on it they seemed pretty dis-organized. Good luck on your server hunt!!

[Rob Broad]

Any updates on the totals?

[Bob Hubbard]

$558 in donations and supporting memberships, $230 in rebilling sponsorships.
We may have a new sponsorship shortly as well.

[Rob Broad]

Anyone that signs up for a supporting membership between now Sunday Aug 8th 5:30 pm and 11:59 pm Monday Aug 9th 2004, I will send a Master set of sheets for a daily training log book. All you need to do is print off teh sheets as you need them and put them in a binder. Most log books are going for $15 - $20. For the price of the price of $12 for a supporting Membership you will get a log bok that you can customize and use with out having to buy a new on each year.

[Bob Hubbard]

Update:
$570 in donations and supporting memberships,
$230 in rebilling sponsorships
$125 in new sponsorships - JKD Forum
====
$925 with $695 received to date.

[Rob Broad]

Kaith if you could send me the names of anyone signs up between yesterday and tonigth Midnight so I can contact them about their ebooks.

[Bester]

I sent mine in over the weekend.

You know, I just did some math here. Kaith said he got a check for $200. That leaves $370 in donations. Divided by 12 is only 31 people. We have over 3,000! members here.

Come on folks. It's only $12. A buck a month. Less than 4Cents a day!

If 100 people only sign up as Supporting Members, thats $1,200 to keep this board up, running and improving.

[Bob Hubbard]

Rob,
I'll try n check and PM ya in the morning.


Status as of 8/11/04:
$570 in donations and supporting memberships,
$230 in rebilling sponsorships
$125 in new sponsorships - JKD Forum
====
$925 with $695 received to date.

[Rob Broad]

Any changes in the last couple days?

[Bob Hubbard]

Tally as of 8-14-04:
Donations / Supporting Memberships / New Sponsorships = $717
Rebilling Sponsorships not received = $230

I've started getting firm quotes on leasing a server. Right now, I'm looking at $800 in setup fees with a monthly cost of $290 for the server. This gives us a P4 2.8Ghz box with 2 60GB harddrives (1 used solely as a backup drive) 2GB memory, as well as managed off-server backups, and 1TB of monthly transfer. Alternatively, we can start with just 1GB ram and add the second later. That brings the setup down to $350 with the monthly being the same.

I'm also checking out a few other companies as possibilities, though I'm limiting my search to the US and Canada as I can easily call if theres a problem.

Thank you again everyone...we're almost there! :)

[Bob Hubbard]

I've had a few people ask about becoming a supporting member, but remaining anonymous. To meet their request I've set up an "Anonymous Supporting Member" subscription. (Goto USERCP and look down the left side for "Paid Subscriptions". Click that and it should show up.)

It's the same perks, same low price ($12/yr).

Thank you again! :)

[Rob Broad]

I remebr when Kaith first started a poll a couple years ago about whether MT should be a pay site. The vote was a resounding NO! I admit I was one of the people that said no. Then there was then the idea of suporting memberships, which sounded cool to me but it wasn't really me thing. To make a long story short. I left the site, for about a year asked to have my membership cancelled. I came back and seen A LOT of positive changes. I saw the supporting memberships, and decided to get one. There are a few perks to having one. Larger avatar, ability to post polls, ability to post attachments, some hidden areas on the site.

The money coming in isn't going to someones pocket, it is to make teh site we all love even better thatit is. I know that Kaith has puts a lot of his own money out in the past and put in thousands and thousands of hours building MartialTalk into one of the premier martial arts sites on the web. A supporting membership is only $12 a year and if you spend only 1 hour a week here it is probably the cheapest entertainment you can find.

If you are not a supporting member ask yourself why not? It is worth the litle money.

[Mark Weiser]

Rob I hear ya! I have been in communication with Kaith via e-mail and I will be sponsoring a forum here.

I run a school and an e-commerce store so this is perfect for me. $125 a year for as much traffic as this site generates you can not do any better. I have done the research.

So look for my banner coming up soon lol. Oh by the way I am also going to be a supporting member as well.

COME GUYS AND GALS get with it!!! lol

[Bob Hubbard]

Special Offer - For MT Supporters
Martial Talk 75MB Plan
75 MegaBytes Disk Space
5 Gigabytes Monthly Transfer
25 Email Accounts

Free Setup
Regularly $10 / month* (*Annual payment $120)
Now only $99/yr (Must be a supporting member or Sponsor)
Save 17.5% off the normal annual rate. That is a savings of $21!

Offer ends August 31st.
Hosting from now until August 31st is FREE.
Offer is billed from 9/1/04-8/31/05 so the sooner you sign up, the more free hosting you get. :)

Please PM me for details on how to sign up. :)

[Mark Weiser]

Kaith do you mind if I put out some numbers for those whom have Businesses on the Internet.

Average Online Sale in the Martial Arts Business is about $100 per sale. Now if you take in account the number of members and the amount of guest traffic ( I am guessing here) of lets say about 50 per hour.

Avg percentage of visitors buying is around 1% along with members

$100 x .50 Visitors per hour (12 sales per month) = $1200 per month in possible revenue this is from guest traffic.

$100 x 1% of members (3000 x 1% = 30 sales) per month = $3000 per month

TOTAL POSSIBLE REVENUE INCOME = $4200 per month

This is MARVELOUS

This is for a business person is too good of an offer to pass up. ALL YOU BUSINESS PEOPLE get on the wagon.

[Bob Hubbard]

Hi Mark,
Nope, not at all.

Here's the stats from the July 2004 MT Logs.

Time Period July 01, 2004, 12:00:16 AM to August 01, 2004, 12:00:12 AM
Total Visiting Users 144,215
Average Users per Day 4,652.10
Each user has visited approximately 3.93 times
Average time spent by a single user of the web site 12 minutes, 49 seconds
Hits on Pages 1,075,895 (average per day = 34,706)


Total Data Transferred 34.17 gigabytes
Average Data Transferred per Day 1.10 gigabytes
/forum/ 1,022,786 hits 17.58 gigabytes

The Premium Banner currently running for KarateDepot.com is averaging 23,000-24,000 displays per day. So far, it's had 1.5 Million displays in the 8 weeks it's been running.

Standard Disclaimer: This is our traffic. Your milage may vary.

[Mark Weiser]

Kaith I appreciate the numbers and they are better than I thought LOL!!

Taking those numbers of 23,000 @ 1% = 230 visits to a business site with 1% of them buying = 2 per day x $100 = $200 day x 30 days = $6000 in possible revenue!! so 1% of 1% is extremely on the low side. Think about it if it went up to the industry standard of 3% lol ($18,000)

Oh by the way I will be getting those funds to ya lol!

[Seig]

Don't forget, you can also host your own private forum here at Martial Talk!

[Bob Hubbard]

Right now, we are looking at adding several new features to the site. They include a photo gallery that the members can contribute to, Journals (Online diarys, or BLOGs for those familiar with them), auctions, classified ads, and a very large expansion to the video library as well as several other items that are still in the 'well, thats cool' stage. :) Many of these features require more server space, more server power and more than a little cash to buy the software. We are also looking at doing some mainstreme advertising, but as many of you know, that also costs some big-bucks.

I've been talking with a few potential investors about funding MT. The problem with investors is that they usually want to make a profit on their investment. Thats hard to do in a 'break-even' enterprise. We're in talks and I'll keep y'all posted on this if things progress. I was asked what it would cost to buy MT outright. That's a minimum of $50,000. In 3 years, I've invested $2,000-$4,000 cash and a conservativly estimated 7,000+ hours labor. (Thats almost a year in days, dang I need a life :)). Even estimating its worth at McD rates, thats $50k. That doesn't include the efforts of the rest of the staff to keep things moving forward and smooth. MT's a $200,000+ project so far easily, almost all a labor of love by it's staff and members. :)

I am looking forward to the day when I logon and see 10,000 members online, and that MT is at the multiple-load-balancing server stage. (Note- thats a ways off and will cost a lot of cash to do).

I have a vision for MT. I want it to be -the- premier martial arts information and resource site on the Internet.

That takes time, money and hard work.

You can help by:
- Sponsoring a forum (Only $125/year)
- Becoming a Supporting Member (Only $12 a year)
- Hosting through us - (Only $120 / year)
- Advertising with us (School page ads start at $25/year)
- Buy a tee-shirt (I have Lg and XL left, $10 ea. shipped anywhere US. Canada add $2)
- Link back to us from your own websites
- Tell your friends, classmates and instructors.
- Mention MT at camps, seminars and events
- Read MartialTalk Magazine
- and more!

Who knows...maybe we can become the AOL/Microsoft of the martial arts world..just with a better rep and less bugs? :D

I've deposited the first bunch of checks I received to my business account, and will be doing the same with the PayPal donations shortly. I've got confirmation that 1 of the renewing sponsors will be doing so, and we've picked up another new sponsor as well. Once money is received I'll update the tally again. We're at the half way mark. Soon as we hit the target, I order the server and we start the fun. :)

Thank you again!

[Bob Hubbard]

As of 8-17-2004
Donations / Supporting Memberships / New Sponsorships = $730
Rebilling Sponsorships not received = $230
Pending New Sponsorships not received = $125

We're only $600 away folks. It's getting closer!

[Bob Hubbard]

As of 8-19-2004
Donations / Supporting Memberships / New Sponsorships / Tee Shirt Sales = $779
Rebilling Sponsorships not yet received = $230
Pending New Sponsorships not received = $125
School page Ads billed, not received = $20

[Bob Hubbard]

As of 8-20-2004
Donations / Supporting Memberships / New Sponsorships / Tee Shirt Sales = $829
Rebilling Sponsorships not yet received = $230
Pending New Sponsorships not received = $125
School page Ads billed, not received = $20

[Steronius]

I think maintaning you rown server would cost more than you expect.

http://www.m6.net/web-hosting-prices.asp

[Bob Hubbard]

About $3,600 per year as configured above. I checked out the link you provided, but they're a windows shop, and some of the stuff we require doesn't run very well, or isn't available for that platform. I appreciate the link though, and will check them out more as I've got a few clients who've inquired about ASP and .NET which doesn't run very well under *nix.

:)

[Bob Hubbard]

As of 8-24-2004
Donations / Supporting Memberships / New Sponsorships / Tee Shirt Sales = $954
Rebilling Sponsorships not yet received = $230
Pending New Sponsorships not received = $125
School page Ads billed, not received = $20

Goal: $1,500
Current: $954
Pending: $375
--------------
Short: $556 (not including pendings)

[Bob Hubbard]

8-25-04
Goal = $1,500 by 9/1/04
Donations / Supporting Memberships / New Sponsorships / Tee Shirt Sales = $954
Rebilling Sponsorships not yet received = $230
Pending New Sponsorships & school page ads not received = $170

Just a note:
The Kenpo Technical forum and the Modern Arnis forum are both available for sponsorship, as is The Study. These are 3 high trafficed parts of the site, with excellent visibility for your school or organization.

[Bester]

Kaith,
35 people voted on the poll. 31 said they thought raising money was a good idea. How many of them followed through on it and sent something?

How close are you to ordering?

[Bob Hubbard]

If I don't place the order by Friday, it'll cost an extra $200-300 in setup costs, so hopefully before then.

I'm also talking with 2 other hosting services about offers they've sent in which were very nice. I'm doing research into the companies reputations and reliability historys now.

I have received 25 payments (8 donations, 18 supporting memberships, and 2 paid forum sponsorships). I'm waiting on 3 additional adverts/sponsorships at this time.

[Bester]

Thanx.

[Mark Weiser]

Kaith Payday is Tommorrow So Look for a MO next week on Mon.

[Bob Hubbard]

Will do! Thank you!

I've put the order in for the server. Right now, waiting on confirmation. A couple days for them to lock things down and I can start testing before moving MT over.

8-27-04
Goal = $1,500 by 9/1/04
Donations / Supporting Memberships / New Sponsorships / Tee Shirt Sales = $966
Rebilling Sponsorships not yet received = $230
Pending New Sponsorships & school page ads not received = $170

[Bob Hubbard]

New server is up and running. :) Got some details to work out with the techs, however we should be pressure-testing the box starting on Monday.

[Flatlander]

Hoopy!

[GAB]

Hi, Is the Arnis sight still open I' ll take it or i will go for you hosting a web site,
Let me know with an e-mail... Please. Regards, Gary

[Bob Hubbard]

Hi Gary,
Arnis is still available, as is Kenpo-Technical.

[GAB]

Hi Kaith, I will take the Kenpo Tech. I will dedicate myself to not make insulting remarks and cause aggravation, wait I can't promise that, but I will do my best.
Along with your guidence how can I lose?
If it is alright with you and yours I will do that.
Regards, Gary

[Bester]

How goes the "pressure testing"?

[Bob Hubbard]

Have installed spamfilters, antivirus, 3 log monitors, intrution detection, port monitors, and a few other security features. I still have a few more programs to install, and then need to verify the backups are running correctly before I start the migration. I'm hopeful I'll be doing that in a few days.

Just a note: We're still a few hundred $ short of our goal, so if you haven't yet, please get your Supporting memberships. :)

[GAB]

Kaith,

I have thought it over and if both of them are still available I will commit to both Arnis and Kenpo.

Regards, Gary

[Bob Hubbard]

Both are.
Email your billing address, banner and where you want it linked to to : webmaster@martialtalk.com and I'll email (and snailmail) the invoice.

Thank you! :D

[GAB]

Kaith,

OK! Done deal, I have sent you my mailing address. You are welcome.

Thank you,

Regards, Gary

[Bob Hubbard]

UPDATE: 8-31-04

Rcvd Supporting Memberships/Donations/Sponsorships/Advertizing/Tee Shirt Orders: $966
Non-Rcvd New Funding: $420
Non-Rcvd Old Funding: $230
----
Pending Total to Date: $1616

Congratulations Folks. Y'all funded MT for the next couple of months and "dun gots us a ser-var!" :D


While all the cash isn't in yet (Some of the invoices for services just went out today), we had enough come in for me to take the plunge and get things rolling. Setup progresses. I've moved a few small sites to the server to test it out and work out the kinks in the process. So far, there have been a few snags but the support team at the new datacenter is simply awsome. I couldn't be happier. (Well, thats not true..I keep hoping for that $50,000 pay day, or Kelly Hu to knock on my door, but still, in geek terms I'm happy.) :D

More info as we get closer to the move. :)

Thank you all again for helping support MartialTalk. We've got more good things planned for the future! :)

[Rob Broad]

Congrats Kaith, You have earned it. You took this site from a handful of members to the home of thousands of Martial Artists.

[Bob Hubbard]

Just a reminder that we're still waiting on several of those who took out forum sponsorships and school page adverts to send in their payments.

We've had a good number of supporting memberships come in which has helped incredibly.

I want to thank everyone again for making this possible. :)

[Bob Hubbard]

I've heard from all but 2 folks, so it's definately looking good.

A few notes:
The good folks at KarateDepot.com have renewed their sponsorship of MT, so please, check out their link at the top of the site. They have some great stuff over there. :)

I want to publically thank GAB. He took the last of the original blue MT shirts off my hands. I took the box to the PO this afternoon, so they're on their way! :)

We will be reactivating the ChatRoom next week if everything goes as planned. This is a much slicker system than the last one, no special software needed on your end other than a modern web browser (IE 6+, NS7+, Mozilla, FireFox) with the Flash plug in enabled.

Several other features are currently being discussed both in the staff forums, and the supporting members lounge.

For the gamers, I have more games to add to the arcade, and have reopened Legend of the Green Dragon to the public. I'll also be adding in a few other 'entertainment/diversions' down the line. The arcade is for supporting members only, but LOGD and a few others will be open to everyone. (Look in the Locker Room for the link)

More good stuff is in the works, so please, consider becoming a supporting member. Lots of perks, and it's only $1 a month!

Thank you again everyone! :)

[BlackCatBonz]

wtg on the chatroom kaith!
im sending a MO for the supporting membership

shawn

[Rob Broad]

Glad to see everything worked out great. Congrats Kaith, you keep bringing us more and more quality, it is easy to see why Martial Talk is one of the premier sites on the web.

[fist of fury]

You say that now let's see what happens next month. :2xBird2:

They need a butt kissing smiley here



Glad to see everything worked out great. Congrats Kaith, you keep bringing us more and more quality, it is easy to see why Martial Talk is one of the premier sites on the web.

[TigerWoman]

Sometimes, it should be said, no matter how it looks. If we all supported Kaith, as a "supporting member", $1.00 a month, he would be able to solve some of the problems he is now facing with a "rented" server. Come on everybody, that's two or three soda's worth a month. I pay a heck of alot more for my rag of a newspaper that had zilch in it for news. Put your money where your heart is. TW

[Bob Hubbard]

Short update on the financials..

I've just processed the non-payments for the last 2 months. End result is that I've removed 2 forum sponsors, and 2 school listings for non-payment of fees...about $250 in all. That means 2 things.

1- We're short cash that we'd expected.

2- We now have 2 more forums available for sponsorship for those who want them.

There are 2 other individuals who have contacted me and indicated they are undergoing some financial difficulty and will be delayed in getting their promised monies in.