Experiment

[peteski]

Here in the UK the N Gauge Forum https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk, uses ads and voluntary subscriptions (see top right of the home page), very occasionally asking for a little more if there is need for a major upgrade or similar.  Ads are mostly small suppliers.  Works well - this is a busy forum.

The, er, 'other' N scale forum, also had this debate a while ago.

Simon

I think that would be a great idea.  I support other sites like Wikipedia, or the Internet Archive (and other causes such as PBS), so I would have no problem chipping in here too. After all, I find this site very useful and often entertaining.  If not a voluntary subscription, how about a once-a-year communication sent you to the members to donate some funds? Or a "donate" link on the forum's main page?

I suspect that if every active member here bought one less N scale car (not even a locomotive) and donated that money to TRW, that would cover the operating cost. But I really have no idea how much it costs annually to run this site. Actually, it would be interesting to find out.

[John]

 But I really have no idea how much it costs annually to run this site. Actually, it would be interesting to find out.

$90,000 is what Atlas quoted once to run their forum ...

[C855B]

$90,000 is what Atlas quoted once to run their forum ...

I strongly suspect that price was mostly what they were paying their web consultant to administer the site, plus possibly monetizing the time their in-house person spent cleaning up the forum feuds and related messes. The forum was not their primary business, just a support, sales and marketing tool. They weren't running it as a hobby, its costs were a line item (or several) on the expenses ledger.

The basic direct cost of hosting a site is relatively small. It's the add-ons like PHP, database support, storage and bandwidth that getcha. That's why I commented above about hosting images for TRW members in response to the loss of various free hosting like Photobucket and Google used to offer. Capacity for it likely gets expensive quickly.

[ednadolski]

It's basically a matter of choice, with the second word either "Is" or "Exists".  Same meaning either way. 

[johnb]

The basic direct cost of hosting a site is relatively small. It's the add-ons like PHP, database support, storage and bandwidth that getcha.

um, PHP and MySql is free. The cost factors is usually resources.

[reinhardtjh]

I don't know what the experiment is/was but if it had to do with ads, I just realized I don't think I've seen any since I switched to DuckDuckGo for my browser search engine.  It must have also installed an ad blocker of some sort.  Sorry.  I rarely clicked the ads anyway.  But I use the Amazon link daily (it seems).

[eric220]

Wait, so...  Ed K isn't already half goat?   

Half goatsee.

[nscalbitz]

...since I switched to DuckDuckGo for my browser search engine.  It must have also installed an ad blocker of some sort---

Err, seriously?? You 'install' something and don't read the fine print.
In actuality, you blaspheme and malign a benevolent site- , as DDG is less invasive, less dogma and does not 'install' a damn thing. You "installed' it by selecting it as a preference for your searching- nothing more!
d

[jagged ben]

Err, seriously?? You 'install' something and don't read the fine print.
In actuality, you blaspheme and malign a benevolent site- , as DDG is less invasive, less dogma and does not 'install' a damn thing. You "installed' it by selecting it as a preference for your searching- nothing more!
d

I would say that's overstating the case rather a bit.  Yes, it's far fetched that using DDG would have anything to do with blocking ads, and no conclusions should be drawn from Reinhardt's post.  But don't be too hard on him for not completely understanding how all this stuff works, because to varying degrees that's true of all of us.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I have received far too much hate mail over this, so the experiment is over. The next experiment will be a half Ed K/half goat hybrid!

As long as you name it "GOAT C" I'm game.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

No, he was half alpaca. 

You've been talking to my mom, haven't you?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Q. F. T.

Oh, it's no longer just about the "internet experience", it's way past that now. The analytics are a key part of the composite feed that forms your digital profile. This dossier, maintained by Google, Amazon and dozens of anonymous data accumulators and brokers, determines things like your secret "consumer score" - similar to a credit score, but it directly affects how you are treated as a customer (or prospect) in person, by phone or online. Or your employment, or consideration to be employed. When you drill down into it, it's vicious stuff.

Thank you, but no surprise. I'm fully sympathetic, but there's got to be a better solution.

This is all the cost of the "free" stuff that people have come to expect on the internet.

[Point353]

You've been talking to my mom, haven't you?

Actually, the "ladies" of WoodsEdge Farm were oh so disappointed that the  gathering at the Black River & Western on a WoodsEdge Express weekend never happened last year.
Maybe there's hope for this year?
Word has it that they're still hot to trot.
http://www.woodsedge.com/the-woodsedge-express
http://www.woodsedge.com/alpacas

[Chris333]

This is all the cost of the "free" stuff that people have come to expect on the internet.

I do my taxes online for free. So I figure they use some sort of my info to "pay" for it. So when I do my taxes I use a browser that I haven't used since last years taxes.

[peteski]

You've been talking to my mom, haven't you?

Heh-heh-heh!