$end me, what little you have left

04-06-2008, 02:55 PM

Bill N.Y.

While the title may sound strange, by now, you should know that I like to start off some of my posts with a little humor.

I decided to move this to it's own thread. It was removed from Danny's thread... "Too Stupid for the Internet"

I intended to do something like this on April 16th (explains the title) but the opportunity arose earlier so...

Bill

04-06-2008, 02:57 PM

Kris & Tina Jones

I am pretty new here but I have already gotten enough out of this web site to warrant a donation to "keep the lights on". Let me know where to send the money. By the way, How much does it coat annually to keep the sight running bearing in mind that the biggest donation is your time and the time of the other members

04-06-2008, 02:57 PM

Mary Ray

Kris and Tina, there are over a thousand members of Barthmobile. I pay my bills online so I just added Barthmobile and pay them $10.00 a month, if each member or only half our members did this we would be in high cotton, even $5.00 a month would be a substantial amount added to our coffers each month.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

04-06-2008, 02:57 PM

Bill N.Y.

quote:
Originally posted by Kris & Tina Jones:
I am pretty new here but I have already gotten enough out of this web site to warrant a donation to "keep the lights on". Let me know where to send the money.

Thank you and welcome to the site.

We accept donations only to "Keep the lights on". While Mary's donation is surprising, the vast majority of my donations are in the $25-50 range for the year.

Just so no one thinks I'm taking advantage of "Retiree Mary"... I have already asked her, more than once, to stop sending me money.

I know it's hard to imagine, but my email to her several months ago said "Please stop sending me money, use it to pay a bill or something else. $10.00 was enough"

I have had several larger donations with one for $250. Believe it or not, he wanted to donate more and I asked him to hold off. I don't want this site to have to rely on 1 or 2 big donations. What would happen if they sold their coach one day?

I think the best thing is to ask for donations, once or twice a year, and to offer a

"Supporting Members" badge, and some other perks, for those who have donated.

I was going to wait until the 16th of April (Day after taxes... "Send me what little you have left"

) to start a request but, seeing that you asked, now is as good of time as any.

When Dave Bowers turned over the site, he stated: "Bill will loose money on this". All I can say is, "if money was a driving factor, I need to rethink why I did this." It wasn't then, and it still isn't now.

I get great joy in helping people and playing around with the site. From the map project, to the drawings, to helping others, I've increased my knowledge base and am a little smarter when it comes to the HTML, Java and XML codes.

And, as an added bonus, I've gotten better at spel'en 2

Year to date, I'm in the hole. Between the monthly fees from Groupee/Eve, to the website/domain renewal, to the fees that get charged when we exceed our file size and I have to buy a bigger plan, and then the fees because I needed to buy the bigger plan before the year was up, to Photobucket, etc... I know I am forgetting some things...

Anyway... If you can spare some change, this is a formal request for donations. This is the first request I've made since taking over the site on August 1.

I accept PayPal, use the link at the top of this page or go to the "home page" and use the PayPal link on the right side.

If you prefer to pay with a check, please make it payable to:

Bill Napolitano

Mail to...

RDR Reliable Diesel Repair
PO Box 2305
Newburgh, New York 12550
Attn: Barthmobile

"Thank you for your support"

04-06-2008, 02:57 PM

Mary Ray

Any donation that I make is definitely of my own decision, it is true that Bill NY has asked me lots of times about the amount and I have assured them that even as a retiree $10.00 a month is not going to wreck my budget, this is evident by my recent purchase of my Barth #2.

I do not think that Bill NY should have to absorb any fees out of his own pocket, after all he does in giving of his time, I think we could all help him out. I choose to donate each month but that is certainly not necessary, just send whatever you can whenever you can and everyone will be happy. Bill NY won't go broke and we will have this wonderfull website that has already saved me well over the amount I give.
That's still my story!

04-06-2008, 08:06 PM

Bill N.Y.

A quick note. I received a PM from a member wanting to know... "Why would you turn money down?"

It was a principle thing. In my opinion, Retiree "Mary" shouldn't be sending me that kind of money. I asked her to stop and she assures me that all is well and to let her donate as she sees fit.

In regards to the other member who tried to donate more then $250.00 Again, it was a principle thing. I told the member that I wasn't hurting, and after I made a formal request for donations I would let him know where I stood for the year.

I have not, nor do I see myself making a profit. I do see me bringing awareness to this and hopefully receive some donations to "offset the costs".

Every time I receive a donation it helps me realize that someone has found this site valuable enough to send us something. This is "our site", I just happen to be the one paying the bills and playing with the settings.

One day, one of you may be running things. I think the best thing I can do for our site is to try to make "The current caretaker" less involved in paying the most money. Not to make a profit, but to break even would be nice.

No one is turned away, we want everyone to enjoy the site and have a good time. A donation will get you a colored background and, or, lettering of your choice on the "Map the Barths" forum and a "Supporting Members Badge" next to your name.

It was suggested, and rejected, that I make up different colored badges for different levels of support. I did not want someone who could only donate enough for a "Bronze Badge" to feel bad because so and so had a "Platinum Badge". What ever you can afford is greatly appreciated and it does help pay the bills.

If you have a suggestion to raise awareness, or thoughts on a way to supplement the donation stream I'm all ears. The buttons you see on some of our pages were tweaked in the basement several months ago and then placed on the website without an announcement. If you feel that there are too many or not enough, let me know.

My badge says 8/07. That was the date that I had to pay everyone to get everything turned on... Oh yeah, I remember now, More fees: Several Transfer Fees, Webmail Fees, a filing fee of some sort, etc...

While donations do help, it is not a deal breaker for me. To all who have donated in the past, and to those who will donate in the future, "Thank you for your support"

04-08-2008, 01:46 PM

Kris & Tina Jones

Well spoken Bill. I will send my check before the 15th as I'm sure Uncle Sam will send very little back if any. Again, Thank you.

04-12-2008, 12:21 PM

Bruce & Kathleen

Bill,
Just sent in my donation. Should have done this long ago.... A reminder to some of us that are not on the site constantly goes a long way. This is money WELL SPENT! I wouldn't have bought my Barth without this site, let alone met some great folks after I did. Add to that, I have gotten thru some Barth issues with a little help from my friends on this site.
Thanks, Bruce

05-20-2016, 12:14 AM

Kevin

Has any of the members been here to see what it costs to have a wonderful platform like Barthmobile.com with out all the advertisement? I just had to throw this information out here since I was digging up old information. It is no wonder Bill NY has to work so much at his real job. He has to make money to support this website HE SO DEARLY LOVES.

THANK YOU BILL FOR SUPPLING THE REST OF THE GREEN WE NEED TO STAY ALIVE!

YOU ARE REALLY

quote:
Originally posted by Bill N.Y.:
A quick note. I received a PM from a member wanting to know... "Why would you turn money down?"

It was a principle thing. In my opinion, Retiree "Mary" shouldn't be sending me that kind of money. I asked her to stop and she assures me that all is well and to let her donate as she sees fit.

In regards to the other member who tried to donate more then $250.00 Again, it was a principle thing. I told the member that I wasn't hurting, and after I made a formal request for donations I would let him know where I stood for the year.

I have not, nor do I see myself making a profit. I do see me bringing awareness to this and hopefully receive some donations to "offset the costs".

Every time I receive a donation it helps me realize that someone has found this site valuable enough to send us something. This is "our site", I just happen to be the one paying the bills and playing with the settings.

One day, one of you may be running things. I think the best thing I can do for our site is to try to make "The current caretaker" less involved in paying the most money. Not to make a profit, but to break even would be nice.

No one is turned away, we want everyone to enjoy the site and have a good time. A donation will get you a colored background and, or, lettering of your choice on the "Map the Barths" forum and a "Supporting Members Badge" next to your name.

It was suggested, and rejected, that I make up different colored badges for different levels of support. I did not want someone who could only donate enough for a "Bronze Badge" to feel bad because so and so had a "Platinum Badge". What ever you can afford is greatly appreciated and it does help pay the bills.

If you have a suggestion to raise awareness, or thoughts on a way to supplement the donation stream I'm all ears. The buttons you see on some of our pages were tweaked in the basement several months ago and then placed on the website without an announcement. If you feel that there are too many or not enough, let me know.

My badge says 8/07. That was the date that I had to pay everyone to get everything turned on... Oh yeah, I remember now, More fees: Several Transfer Fees, Webmail Fees, a filing fee of some sort, etc...

While donations do help, it is not a deal breaker for me. To all who have donated in the past, and to those who will donate in the future, "Thank you for your support"

05-20-2016, 07:25 AM

Doorman

Kevin, Hopefully this will trigger some new donation to this site. Bill will not ask for donations. So I am asking members to PLEASE donate. If you are reading this post, take a few minutes to donate for the year. There is no charge for posting your Coach for sale on this site. I would hope that those that have made sales, or have been able to purchase a Coach thru this site would make a donation. A 1% donation of the sale would be a help.

I know those of us that are addicts to this site do not want it to be ADD driven. My hat is off to Bill for all he has done and still does for this site. The amount of time and effort he has put in to this site is PRICELESS. PLEASE DONATE!!!!!!!!!!

It may take a while for Bill to update to supporting member status. It was a few months before he updated mine. Bill took the time to PM me with a personal thank you for the donation. What a guy.

05-20-2016, 08:03 AM

Steve VW

quote:
Originally posted by Doorman:
I know those of us that are addicts to this site do not want it to be ADD driven. My hat is off to Bill for all he has done and still does for this site. The amount of time and effort he has put in to this site is PRICELESS. PLEASE DONATE!!!!!!!!!!

It may take a while for Bill to update to supporting member status. It was a few months before he updated mine. Bill took the time to PM me with a personal thank you for the donation. What a guy.

Well said! Even in absentia, Bill does a lot for this site. I send him money each year. I really don't care about the supporting member badge but it maybe does remind folks when to re-up.

05-20-2016, 09:27 PM

Kevin

quote:
absentia

He is not absent,

just making money at a real job so the members here never have to deal with pop up advertisement.

Did you get your banner for your contribution? Only ONE BILL NY can do the banner update.

05-21-2016, 07:58 AM

Pirate19

Just a thought:
I am saddened to see here that a financial loss is usually incurred by the manager of this site. And couple that with the extraordinary number of volunteered hours compounds this wrong exponentially.

My suggestion is, that maybe on the home page, a "funding percentage" as to the current fiscal year can be stated. My church does this in the weekly bulletin. It serves as a sort of "CALL TO ARMS". For example, when "98% Funded" is posted, people who are inclined to contributing would be informed to consider additional support.

I suspect that those who are comfortable contributing the "normal" amount are not comfortable with the administrator incurring costs personally and therefore contribute some more. I've been considered "abnormal" for a lot worse.

05-21-2016, 08:42 PM

Steve VW

To each his own, I guess. If Bill is happy running the site as it is, it is his prerogative. There is something to be said about being sole proprietor, with complete control of all decisions. Also some pride in ownership. When we solicit support, some may feel entitled to part ownership.

I would just ask each member to try to make a positive impact on the site. When posting, make sure the thread titles state the subject clearly, avoid duplicate sale listings/sightings, try to document and report our travels and good times often, post threads on repair procedures and parts used, post pictures of these, and yes, maybe contribute a few bucks. Help the newbies search the site and find what they need. It all helps make the site interesting, informative and functional.

In spite of being one who does much of the above, I must honestly say I get way more back from the site than I give.

Hopefully Bill will let us know what he needs. Meanwhile let us all continue to nurture the evolution of this site community in whatever way that works for us.

05-21-2016, 10:02 PM

Rusty

Contributions are gratefully accepted (although with Bill N Y's tight schedule, he's not always able to acknowledge quickly, so don't feel slighted if thanks for a donation isn't immediate).

As the other site admin (besides Bill), I'll be happy to followup on any issues (including acknowledging donation) that any member has - however, I'd prefer a PM rather than a public post.

˙ʎ˙u ןןıq- „ǝןƃuɐ ʇuǝɹǝɟɟıp ɐ ɯoɹɟ pןɹoʍ ǝɥʇ ʇɐ ʞooן ɐ ƃuıʞɐʇ sı ǝɟıן oʇ ʇǝɹɔǝs ǝɥʇ„
	1990 Barth Regis Widebody 8908 0128 40RDS-C1 L-10 Cummins Allison MT647 Transmission Spartan Chassis	1991 Medical Lab Conversion 9102 3709 33S-12 Ford 460 MPFI C6 Transmission Oshkosh Chassis
Quick Link: Members Only Link To Send Me A Private Message

˙ʎ˙u ןןıq- „ǝןƃuɐ ʇuǝɹǝɟɟıp ɐ ɯoɹɟ pןɹoʍ ǝɥʇ ʇɐ ʞooן ɐ ƃuıʞɐʇ sı ǝɟıן oʇ ʇǝɹɔǝs ǝɥʇ„
	1990 Barth Regis Widebody 8908 0128 40RDS-C1 L-10 Cummins Allison MT647 Transmission Spartan Chassis	1991 Medical Lab Conversion 9102 3709 33S-12 Ford 460 MPFI C6 Transmission Oshkosh Chassis
Quick Link: Members Only Link To Send Me A Private Message