We have discussed various options for setting up an "offering plate" or some form of user-support. So far, the plan that was best recieved was the "Watch Vroom dancing for Dollars" webcam. Maybe pretty soon we'll be doing bake sales...

However, if financial support for the site is going to be primarily user contributions -- it would make sense to have it maintained by a non-profit organization, and giving people (mostly us at this point) tax-deductions for their dear departed loot. The yang to that yin is that we couldn't take it back into the company, even if the internet ad market took a miracle cure and woke up from it's death-trance. We're not holding our breath.

So we haven't made up our mind quite yet, but we get a little closer to making it every time we write a check to our co-loc. Keep your eye out for that donations box.

--nate

Out of curiosity, what has the discussion been of this over at Everything2 been? They have a lot more users, and would probably be a collectivly deeper pocket. And, of course, they love their site as much as we love ours. I imagine everyone's willing to contribute, but I'm not familiar with what legal loopholes you/we'd have to jump through to make everything work. You mention of a non-profit doesn't surprise me though.

BBSpot's got a paypal account (got rid of the Amazon account, yay!)...have you asked them how they're doing it?

I'm still a student, but the amount this site has contributed to my resume in just 6 months makes me happy to throw a few bucks this way.

-Lexicon

My apologies for posting to such a date thread, but in the future, know that I can get a site with as much notoriety as PM free colocation just for the rights to put a discreet "colocation servcies provided by" line on the site and permission to mention it as a reference to potential customers.

If nothing else, I have permission to colocate a box as an employee benefit. I was going to put my domain on a box here, but it turns out I've had little time to work on it, and it's probably better off in a virtual domain situation as it now is. PM could take its place.

The cons to this start with my presumption vroom et al don't want some regional ISP in Illinois to house the site because of the distance. Another is that I may be looking for other work situations soon because the company is tight on cash and is not able to give me the raise I am due, while still working me 70+ hours a week. I'd still be moonlighting as a consultant for some other ISPs, and I could work something out, but I'm not sure the exact cost. I'd hate to leave here and leave the PM box in the hands of my current coworkers, but some other situation I might not be able to get for free. As for hardware, my biggest spare box right now (personal -- I'm not sure I can get the company to spring for that part) is a K6-2@500Mhz with a piddly 8.4gig Ulrta ATA66 harddrive. I would consider giving up my current game machine, but I'd have to think hard about that.

A pro to this is that the company has an AT&T DS3 (to be turned up next week), and is currently only using 6 megs of bandwidth, so sluggishness in the line should not be an issue. We're also keeping two outbound DS1 circuits routed through two other CO's just in case of emergency. The NOC is physically secure, although I must admit it might use water instead of foam fire systems.

Anyway, I'll be sending a few dollars to the collection plate once I get my next expense check, but I thought I'd offer to help in other ways, too.

Mr. Mischief -- aka Chris