To help cover the cost of keeping the lights on I've enabled subscriptions via the forum software. Currently the only active one is a flat $10 option, which gives you the Subscriber badge on your account (you can hopefully see it on mine) and currently nothing else.
Access it through the Account Upgrades link in the dropdown that shows up if you click your name at the very top right of each forum page.
Once I know it works and it works reliably, I'll add another tier for recurring subscriptions and enable some subscriber-only features besides the badge.
Subscribing is 100% optional, happens through Paypal (you don't need a Paypal account), and the revenue will be used solely for forum and site maintenance purposes. Mostly hosting costs, but a small portion of the revenue will come to me to pay for my time.
Even if I'm the only person to ever subscribe, nothing will happen to the forums or site. I promised Wavey that while I was responsible I'd always look after this place, even if I had to pay for it out of my own pocket. Nothing changes there, so this isn't a "pay or the forums go away" thing.
Along with the ads, there's going to be more than enough to cover costs and put plenty aside for any future things. If I build up enough, I'm likely to funnel it into publishing again on the site, something I've been meaning to do for a long time, especially now I have contractual permission from my salary overlords to do so.
Anyway, feel free to kick the subscription tyres and give the site $10 if you want to support ongoing costs, and hopefully have me write a thing or two again.
Access it through the Account Upgrades link in the dropdown that shows up if you click your name at the very top right of each forum page.
Once I know it works and it works reliably, I'll add another tier for recurring subscriptions and enable some subscriber-only features besides the badge.
Subscribing is 100% optional, happens through Paypal (you don't need a Paypal account), and the revenue will be used solely for forum and site maintenance purposes. Mostly hosting costs, but a small portion of the revenue will come to me to pay for my time.
Even if I'm the only person to ever subscribe, nothing will happen to the forums or site. I promised Wavey that while I was responsible I'd always look after this place, even if I had to pay for it out of my own pocket. Nothing changes there, so this isn't a "pay or the forums go away" thing.
Along with the ads, there's going to be more than enough to cover costs and put plenty aside for any future things. If I build up enough, I'm likely to funnel it into publishing again on the site, something I've been meaning to do for a long time, especially now I have contractual permission from my salary overlords to do so.
Anyway, feel free to kick the subscription tyres and give the site $10 if you want to support ongoing costs, and hopefully have me write a thing or two again.