Odo 0 Posted March 24, 2006 How do i do it Its a master card gift card want to donate some but not all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Data 0 Posted March 24, 2006 In some of the moderators' profiles there is a Paypal button. Select it and you could donate something thru that with either a major credit card or Paypal accout (if you have one). You can donate anything you wish. I believe VBG, AE and Takara have the PayPal button in their sig. Is this a donation to the site? The PayPal button is also on the bottom of the Portal page. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Odo 0 Posted March 24, 2006 No this is not a donation site VBG pays for it out of his own pocket if you want to help it welcome but not solicited Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Data 0 Posted March 24, 2006 I don't understand. Several have donated thru PayPal to help VBG and express their thanks. That is what being a Sustaining Member is all about. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Odie 0 Posted March 25, 2006 There are many members that have donate to this site. I am one of them. Just hit paypal and donate how much you can afford give to VGB. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kor37 9 Posted March 25, 2006 I was unaware of any of this. VGB pays for this site out of his own pocket? I guess I never knew how these things run. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Data 0 Posted March 25, 2006 Yes, in order to maintain a domain name and full IPB features, it costs some money. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kor37 9 Posted March 25, 2006 Yes, in order to maintain a domain name and full IPB features, it costs some money. Just curious.. How much does it cost on average? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Data 0 Posted March 25, 2006 Yes, in order to maintain a domain name and full IPB features, it costs some money. Just curious.. How much does it cost on average? I do not know how much VBG actually pays a month. But I maintain a website which supports MySql, PHP, PERL, myPHPAdmin, phpBB and a Blog. Plus has 400gig bandwidth per month, 10 gig storage. It costs me $20.00 a month. I believe VBG's cost is higher. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sea trooper 0 Posted March 25, 2006 (edited) That dollar amount that I mentioned was only an example and isn't the total amount we've gotten. I just pulled a number out of the air as an example. As for the upkeep of the board there's different aspects to the costs. I pay the server (Invision) $600 a year to host STF. The Chat room is $100 a year and the Gallery is $60 a year and the domain name (STF) is either $15 or $30 a year, I forget how much it is but it's one of those 2. The $600 a year that I'm paying to Invision has gone up from $119 a year to $600 a year in just 18 months. The reason for the large increase in the fee is because of the growth of the site, the larger we grow the more demands the site places on the server (the host computer we're based on) and the more they charge lol. As it is right now we're averaging about 5 million hits per month and that causes a lot of traffic which uses a lot of the host computer's resources. As that resource load grows I have to upgrade the boards service package to keep us online. Right now I think we're set for a while until we have to upgrade again. On one hand I'd love to have to upgrade again because that would mean we have A LOT of new members but on the other hand if we have to upgrade again the service fee I'll be paying will skyrocket up to about $1440 a year :lol: and I don't even like to think about that lol. Anyway, I hope that answers your question. As you can see, it is a lot. And that was 2 years ago. Imagine what he pays now... I'm getting a check card again so I can be able to donate more money. Edited March 25, 2006 by sea trooper Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Data 0 Posted March 25, 2006 I am planning on donating again next month. It is all for the love of Trek. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kor37 9 Posted March 25, 2006 (edited) What do you suppose the average donation is? I'll do my part and pitch in.. Edited March 26, 2006 by Kor37 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Entil'Zha 0 Posted April 15, 2007 I did it before I made it out of the cadet stage :P it feels good to lend a hand...the more of my books people buy, the more i'll donate here too lol... How do you go about getting that gold pressed latinum bar below your name? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kor37 9 Posted April 15, 2007 I did it before I made it out of the cadet stage :P it feels good to lend a hand...the more of my books people buy, the more i'll donate here too lol... How do you go about getting that gold pressed latinum bar below your name? When you donate to the site, VGB puts the gold pressed latinum bar by your name. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Entil'Zha 0 Posted April 15, 2007 I did it before I made it out of the cadet stage :P it feels good to lend a hand...the more of my books people buy, the more i'll donate here too lol... How do you go about getting that gold pressed latinum bar below your name? When you donate to the site, VGB puts the gold pressed latinum bar by your name. So I just need to wait for our loyal commanding officer to catch up and latinum me up Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A l t e r E g o 9 Posted April 15, 2007 Normally VBG, (VaBeachGuy/Kevin) sets the tag in a members account when he gets notified of member donation but circumstances in this case warrant an alternative action therefore I have set it for you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
He Who Shall Not Be Named 2 Posted April 15, 2007 (edited) The lowest donation possible is 1 cent. However, PayPal imposes a surcharge on VBG for the transaction that eats up that 1 cent. So the lowest practical donation is 2 cents. We used to publish the chat room trivia contests, when we had them, on the main page. One time I got a 2-point question right, and it was the ONLY question I got right, but because it was the first time I played it counted as a promotion. Everyone saw names with point counts in the hundreds and thousands and then "Lt. Van Roy - 2 points" I was so proud of my 2-point promotion that I donated 2 cents. :P Edited April 15, 2007 by Lt. Van Roy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kor37 9 Posted April 15, 2007 The lowest donation possible is 1 cent. However, PayPal imposes a surcharge on VBG for the transaction that eats up that 1 cent. So the lowest practical donation is 2 cents. We used to publish the chat room trivia contests, when we had them, on the main page. One time I got a 2-point question right, and it was the ONLY question I got right, but because it was the first time I played it counted as a promotion. Everyone saw names with point counts in the hundreds and thousands and then "Lt. Van Roy - 2 points" I was so proud of my 2-point promotion that I donated 2 cents. :P Hey Mr. Moneybags, I would sincerely hope that you donated something worthwhile since then! You and I both have the means to make a substantial contribution. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
He Who Shall Not Be Named 2 Posted April 15, 2007 Hey Mr. Moneybags, I would sincerely hope that you donated something worthwhile since then! You and I both have the means to make a substantial contribution. I do have the means. However, I don't trust PayPal. There have been too many fraud cases with PayPal, and Ebay which owns PayPal, for me to trust them. And the larger amounts you transact with PayPal the greater your likelihood of being a fraud target. Someone once set up ficticious accounts in my name with both PayPal and Ebay - I have never had an Ebay account in my life - and used this to place bids on $1,250 worth of computer equipment and have it shipped to Russia. This $1,250 is the sum total of the winning bids, so you can imagine how many bids were placed that didn't win. I had to replace all my credit and ATM cards and open investigations with PayPal, Ebay which owns PayPal, Bank of America (who graciously refunded my money no questions asked), Experian, Equifax, Transunion, and the SJPD High Tech Crime Unit. They eventually turned the case over to the FBI. My boss was kind enough to give me a day and a half of work off with pay to take care of mess. You think this is a hassle? This is BELOW AVERAGE of what an identity theft victim has to go through, and many never get a cent back from anyone. The only reason I used PayPal to put my two cents in was I was going to cancel that card soon anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kor37 9 Posted April 15, 2007 I've used PayPal for years and have never had a single problem. I guess I'm lucky then. But you didn't answer the question. I asked if you had subsequently contributed more than your initial 2 cents to this site. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
He Who Shall Not Be Named 2 Posted April 15, 2007 I've used PayPal for years and have never had a single problem. I guess I'm lucky then. But you didn't answer the question. I asked if you had subsequently contributed more than your initial 2 cents to this site. No I have not. If there is an option that doesn't involve PayPal I might consider it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kor37 9 Posted April 16, 2007 I've used PayPal for years and have never had a single problem. I guess I'm lucky then. But you didn't answer the question. I asked if you had subsequently contributed more than your initial 2 cents to this site. No I have not. If there is an option that doesn't involve PayPal I might consider it. They should take away your bar of gold pressed latinum for your lousy 2 cent donation. MrPsychic sent in $5.00 once without using PayPal so other methods do indeed exist. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Odo 0 Posted April 16, 2007 (edited) I have also donated to this site. through PayPal. Or at least i got a confermation from them and they took my money. Hey thats right they say they sent it and took the cash. Never got a bar of latinum Edited April 16, 2007 by Odo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jadziaezri 0 Posted April 17, 2007 do they have to be us dollars???? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kor37 9 Posted April 17, 2007 do they have to be us dollars???? I'm sure VGB would accept gold bars as well.......... :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jadziaezri 0 Posted April 18, 2007 i'll have a look in my chest (ahem van roy my face is up here) and see if i can get him some gold dubloons Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kor37 9 Posted April 18, 2007 Frankly, I'm really surprised that a mod or VGB hasn't let us know if there is a method other than PayPal to contribute to the site. I would think they would be all over that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A l t e r E g o 9 Posted April 18, 2007 Money isn't everything. :P Actually, I gave LVR an alternative. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
He Who Shall Not Be Named 2 Posted April 18, 2007 i'll have a look in my chest (ahem van roy my face is up here) and see if i can get him some gold dubloons When did you get a face? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
master_q 0 Posted April 18, 2007 I thought you were joking, Roy, with that two cent thing! AE should take that Gold Press Latinum away and replace it with...a rusty can of old-smelly-spoiled-slimily Klingon wistan gagh. :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites