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frecklegirl · 2007.04.04, 02:19 PM

Due to growing demand, a donations link (for funding these boards) has been made available. The benefits (which are not meant to give you a big advantage over other members) are just our way of thanking you for your support, but if you donate at all, it should be because you care more about what you can do for the community, than what the community can do for you.

You might wonder why this community costs so much money, when most other communities are cheap (if not free).

The first reason is because we're not using one of the free messageboard systems. We're using vBulletin, which had improvements we thought were worth the cost. Thankfully there's no mandatory re-occurring costs for vBulletin itself because we have a lifetime license, but it's still a lot of money.

The second reason is for hosting. We could use free hosting, but it would either be not very fast, or not have very much space (all your attachments are really going to add up), or not be very accessible from behind-the-scenes when staff may want to make backups of the boards or do some major changes.

The third reason is because unlike the old community, we don't have advertisement banners on this site.

We will never hold this community hostage to donations. The vBulletin system and one year of hosting was paid for upfront without expecting anyone else to chip in. So donate if you're truly grateful for this community, because there is absolutely no pressure here. There is also no rush. You can take all the time you need to decide whether or not this community is worth donating to.

- The Electric Mole Staff -

*edit*
After banning someone who donated then trolled very early, this community no longer accepts donations from members who aren't already fairly settled in and have a certain minimum of trust and respect to lose. We don't humanly decide who is or isn't eligible, because the system is automated. Donations will not earn you any slack, but you may get refunded at our discretion before we strip you of your Paid Member status. Being able to donate is a privilege, not a right. We won't just take money from anybody for any reason or no reason at all.

2007.04.04, 02:19 PM	#1
frecklegirl apple-princess Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Tokyo Posts: 2,183	How to Donate Due to growing demand, a donations link (for funding these boards) has been made available. The benefits (which are not meant to give you a big advantage over other members) are just our way of thanking you for your support, but if you donate at all, it should be because you care more about what you can do for the community, than what the community can do for you. You might wonder why this community costs so much money, when most other communities are cheap (if not free). The first reason is because we're not using one of the free messageboard systems. We're using vBulletin, which had improvements we thought were worth the cost. Thankfully there's no mandatory re-occurring costs for vBulletin itself because we have a lifetime license, but it's still a lot of money. The second reason is for hosting. We could use free hosting, but it would either be not very fast, or not have very much space (all your attachments are really going to add up), or not be very accessible from behind-the-scenes when staff may want to make backups of the boards or do some major changes. The third reason is because unlike the old community, we don't have advertisement banners on this site. We will never hold this community hostage to donations. The vBulletin system and one year of hosting was paid for upfront without expecting anyone else to chip in. So donate if you're truly grateful for this community, because there is absolutely no pressure here. There is also no rush. You can take all the time you need to decide whether or not this community is worth donating to. - The Electric Mole Staff - edit After banning someone who donated then trolled very early, this community no longer accepts donations from members who aren't already fairly settled in and have a certain minimum of trust and respect to lose. We don't humanly decide who is or isn't eligible, because the system is automated. Donations will not earn you any slack, but you may get refunded at our discretion before we strip you of your Paid Member status. Being able to donate is a privilege, not a right. We won't just take money from anybody for any reason or no reason at all.