![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 20 to 44 of 61. Go back in thread:
Posted by akc on November 21, 2001, at 22:32:48
In reply to Re: Not-for-profit, posted by Mark H. on November 21, 2001, at 22:21:14
I don't want my comments used to shoot down a lot of good that United Way does on a local basis -- my point simply is that if you go to another organization for funding, you are looking at the possibility of having to "sell" your program, which depending on the organization you are looking at, that process can be quite complex. Then, if you are successful, you may be placing yourself under more oversight than you wish to be.
I really like the idea of trying to organize some type of fund drive. Those of us who have been here for even a short time who have a bit of change in our pockets might be willing to cough up a bit. This gives Dr. Bob the freedom to continue with his vision without having to worry about some other organization poking around. It also may give us some satisfaction that we have given back to him a little bit, even if it is "only" money.
We all know this is not about the money with Dr. Bob -- that is like a side-issue. The time he puts into this is great. And he continues to work hard to make the site work better and better -- from a interpersonal and technical sense.
Anyway, I'm rambling now -- I hope we can figure this out -- this thread has really evolved.
akc
> >"under the gun of United Way oversight"?
>
> Ouch! You mean oversight by the organization whose national president spent donations on lavish meals, limousine service and prostitutes for several YEARS before being caught?
>
> (::--)))=
Posted by Mitchell on November 22, 2001, at 17:13:56
In reply to Re: fund drive Mitchell, posted by Mark H. on November 21, 2001, at 22:30:28
> ...I know of a non-profit organization that recently spent more than $100,000 over the course of a year for advice on development that was less useful...
> .... imagine you just paid $10,000 for it ...
Thanks for the positive feedback Mark, but you would get much more if you paid for this advice.
For $10,000, each member of your board of directors would get a 95 cent presentation folder with the proposal printed on high quality paper, the consultant's secretary would have read the proposal for grammatical errors and it would have been spell checked at least twice.
For $100,000, the consultant and the secretary would attend several of your board meetings, they would each be dressed in very expensive clothes and they would make the members of your board feel very good about themselves. ; )
Posted by sar on November 22, 2001, at 17:32:38
In reply to Re: Not-for-profit, posted by akc on November 20, 2001, at 21:37:08
> My two cents.
>
> akchey akc, you could contribute more than 2 cents yo, ya cheapskate... ;)
Posted by sar on November 22, 2001, at 17:39:02
In reply to Re: Not-for-profit » akc, posted by sar on November 22, 2001, at 17:32:38
Dr. Bob,
i don't think i'd ever noticed the "support" link until i read about it on this page. i think that it's all in good taste that it's small, but there are alot of klonopinheads out there who might miss the small print.
*anyway,* i am glad you put an address in the support section for the folks who don't have credit cards.
thanks,
sar
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 22, 2001, at 18:30:29
In reply to Dr. Bob, posted by sar on November 22, 2001, at 17:39:02
> i don't think i'd ever noticed the "support" link until i read about it on this page. i think that it's all in good taste that it's small, but there are alot of klonopinheads out there who might miss the small print.
I know. But if I went to a site all the time myself, I'd rather it had it in small print. Easy enough to find if I looked for it, but not in my face all the time...
> *anyway,* i am glad you put an address in the support section for the folks who don't have credit cards.
I think checks for donations are fine, but any required charges, because of the volume, would need to be by credit card, so they could be processed automatically...
Bob
Posted by sar on November 23, 2001, at 12:17:24
In reply to Re: the small print, posted by Dr. Bob on November 22, 2001, at 18:30:29
> I know. But if I went to a site all the time myself, I'd rather it had it in small print. Easy enough to find if I looked for it, but not in my face all the time...yer goddamn classy, doc, and i think that's grand. thank ya.
:)
Posted by jay on November 25, 2001, at 9:48:44
In reply to Re: an idea?, posted by Dr. Bob on November 19, 2001, at 23:52:53
> I pay for it. I do use the donations that I get:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/support.html
>
> I also get "referral fees" from Amazon. iGive has been a flop. The grand total since March? $2.80.Dr. Bob:
There are many Canucks on the board (myself included), and I buy a LOT of material through the Canadian version of "Amazon.Com". It is called Chapters-Indigo, and is at www.chapters.ca
I don't order through Amazon because of the Exchange rate, shipping, all that stuff. Chapters is great also because many folks can find exclusive Canadian content, that may not be available elsewhere.(Us Canucks have more than beer and doughnuts...we also have great research
centers :-)I'd highly suggest checking out their affiliate program, which is on the main page, and the info link third down from the "Info Desk" in the lower left-hand corner at www.chapters.ca
Hope you can use and like the idea!
Jay
Posted by shelliR on November 25, 2001, at 10:49:32
In reply to Re: fund drive , posted by Dr. Bob on November 20, 2001, at 19:37:58
Would you like to volunteer to be fund drive chair? If so, tell me what to do, and let's
give it a try. :-)I would volunteer after the first of the year, as long as I have a co-chair who is
is definitely more computer savvy than I am (which includes almost everyone), and can write HTML code, and develop pop up windows, etc.Would you do that stuff, Dr. Bob, or do I need to find someone to actually write the code?
Before we get to a pledge drive, about the board set up everyday:I think that Mitchell and I have similar ideas about ways the board needs to be changed that are not related to the idea of a pledge.
Like Sar, I’m grateful also that you don’t want us (us meaning those babblers who come quite often to the board) to find the board visually annoying, but you do want for people to at least *see* your link to contributions. (I think the fact that Sar and I never even noticed it can not be a good sign. Maybe some new design work is in order.
At the very least, you could raise the font size in that line from 9 or 10 to 12 and change the color, either to blue, or if you are feeling a bit more adventerous, dark violet. It's really not going to be annoying.Now if you’re willing to hear a bit more changes, I’ll just throw in an idea, still fairly conservative, but it does involve actually moving text.
One idea would be to move the amazon rectangle over to the left, totally in tact minus only the donation line. Then create a smaller rectangular to the right with the heading Psychobabble Needs Your Help.and underneath in small but not tiny letters: "A donation may be made out to the University of Chicago " And a link which directly leads to your Support for Dr. Bob Page. If you put both the amazon box and your box
on a light gray background, it will also be more noticable, but not tacky.
And as long as I’m in my critical , judgmental mode, (actually Mitchell had a very similar thought), why is the need for money presented in such an ambivilent manner on the support for Dr. Bob page: "but if you'd like to make a donation, I'm not
going to turn it down, either. " I think it is here where you should be saying how important contributions are to the board; although it is not a criteria for participating on the board. Perhaps you could expain why you have phrased it this way, aside from the fact that you’re a nice guy?As far as the pledge drive, I do think life would be much easier if credit cards could be adopted as an option.. (and of course, checks would also be accepted). This has been broght up before. I know you’ve been very busy, but have you have looked into this? Because I think this is the first thing that needs to be set up before a pledge drive. The issue that Mitchell brought up is the privacy issue. But can’t encrypted cards solve that problem?
The University of Chicago has a page on the internet called "Giving to the University of Chicago, which takes credit cards and you can choose the category you want your money to go to. Other groups include the library, a theatre group, and various subjects. Have you ever tried to become a part of this? I can’t get there by copying the final URL, for some reason I can only get it to work by filling in http//www.alumni.uchicago.edu and then on the new page when I hit "online giving", it will bring me to a donation page for both alumni and non-alumni. This page takes credit cards and you can choose the category you want to give to. I wonder if you could get psychobabble in there as as a choice. The only problem is that it says alumni under the last page, so it would be better to set the browser to go straight to "Giving to the University of Chicago; that page divides the submissions to either alumni or non-alumni. Unfortunately if I copy the url of that page: https://onlinegiving.uchicago.edu/default.asp. I can't get it to come up.
In case that didn't make sense, I'll try again. There is a link for giving online contributions to the university of chicago, giving you a choice where your money is to go. (1) we have to find out if we could get psychobabble printed on that link, and (2) we need a way to directly send people to that link.
If not, we really need to go another route so we *can* collect credit card payments.
Once that is done, I like Mitchell's idea of a pop up window. I do find popup windowsa bit annoying, but it would only be for a week or so, AND the advantage, besides being noticable, is the basic site during non-drive times would not have to be touched.
So can we start with the credit cards?Shelli
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 14:15:25
In reply to Re: an idea?..Dr. Bob, Chapters/Canadian Affiliate » Dr. Bob, posted by jay on November 25, 2001, at 9:48:44
> There are many Canucks on the board (myself included), and I buy a LOT of material through the Canadian version of "Amazon.Com". It is called Chapters-Indigo, and is at www.chapters.ca
> I'd highly suggest checking out their affiliate program, which is on the main page, and the info link third down from the "Info Desk" in the lower left-hand corner at www.chapters.ca
I'll give it a try, thanks for the tip!
Bob
Posted by kiddo on November 25, 2001, at 15:06:13
In reply to To the good doctor..., posted by Greg on November 14, 2001, at 12:46:32
I know a lot of my ideas are lame, so if this one is too, DONT tell me :-) Please forgive me if these suggestions have been previously discussed, but this IS a discussion board for mental health issues, and therefore subject to....(whatever you want to call it)
1. If donations were part of the registration process, not part of the requirements,(an FYI) people would be aware with out being 'in your face all the time'. Maybe something like-Psychobabble will accept contributions in any amount, however, you are neither required nor expected to donate in order to use this site. (or whatever...). An e-mail address could be setup & with an auto-responder to deliver the needed info.
2. I think people would be more willing to contribute, if it were possible to do so in a way that didn't tie them to the PB/PBS board and being possibly 'found out' that it's a support site related to psychological/mental health issues.
Maybe payable to Robert Hsiung, MD and in the memo part for online research and education?
Remember, smelling smoke=me thinking :-)
Kiddo
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 17:57:12
In reply to Re: fund drive » Dr. Bob, posted by shelliR on November 25, 2001, at 10:49:32
> > Would you like to volunteer to be fund drive chair? If so, tell me what to do, and let's give it a try. :-)
>
> I would volunteer after the first of the year, as long as I have a co-chair who is is definitely more computer savvy than I am (which includes almost everyone), and can write HTML code, and develop pop up windows, etc.
>
> Would you do that stuff, Dr. Bob, or do I need to find someone to actually write the code?I think a co-chair is a great idea! If they know HTML, even better, but if not, I can try to do it. I'd need to incorporate it into the site, anyway...
> At the very least, you could raise the font size in that line from 9 or 10 to 12 and change the color, either to blue, or if you are feeling a bit more adventerous, dark violet. It's really not going to be annoying.
How about, um, green? :-)
> One idea would be to move the amazon rectangle over to the left, totally in tact minus only the donation line. Then create a smaller rectangular to the right with the heading Psychobabble Needs Your Help.and underneath in small but not tiny letters: "A donation may be made out to the University of Chicago " And a link which directly leads to your Support for Dr. Bob Page. If you put both the amazon box and your box on a light gray background, it will also be more noticable, but not tacky.
Sorry, I'm having a hard time visualizing your boxes... I did rearrange the current ones a little...
> why is the need for money presented in such an ambivilent manner on the support for Dr. Bob page: "but if you'd like to make a donation, I'm not going to turn it down, either. "
I changed the wording in the donation box a little. And on the support page, I made it: "But if you want to make a donation, that's great!" Better?
> I think it is here where you should be saying how important contributions are to the board...
Would you like to suggest some wording? Obviously, I need help with this...
> As far as the pledge drive, I do think life would be much easier if credit cards could be adopted as an option..
I agree, and I'm working on it...
> Once that is done, I like Mitchell's idea of a pop up window. I do find popup windowsa bit annoying, but it would only be for a week or so, AND the advantage, besides being noticable, is the basic site during non-drive times would not have to be touched.
It's a lot easier to modify the basic site than it used to be, thanks to some recent changes. But I agree, a week or so shouldn't be too bad. Plus there might be a way to program it not to pop up after someone's made a donation. :-)
Bob
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 19:05:30
In reply to Perhaps one more idea, posted by kiddo on November 25, 2001, at 15:06:13
> 1. If donations were part of the registration process, not part of the requirements,(an FYI) people would be aware with out being 'in your face all the time'.
If a charge is required, it would definitely need to be part of the registration process. But wouldn't people be more likely to make an optional donation after they've had some time to try out the site?
> 2. I think people would be more willing to contribute, if it were possible to do so in a way that didn't tie them to the PB/PBS board and being possibly 'found out' that it's a support site related to psychological/mental health issues.
>
> Maybe payable to Robert Hsiung, MD and in the memo part for online research and education?I see what you mean, but right now checks go to the university and in the memo part say "Internet work", so that's OK?
http://www.dr-bob.org/support.html
Bob
Posted by shelliR on November 25, 2001, at 19:37:44
In reply to Re: fund drive, posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 17:57:12
I'm starting over because the other post got confusing to me. I will e-mail you at some point about what I meant about the squares, but yes, the
green is an improvement.I sincerely can't put any time into this now because I run a business and have to spend 90% of my time working until Christmas. So either we need need to find two
people who will work now, or wait until after christmas to get someone to help me That would give you a chance to get the credit card stuff in order, anyway.
This is what I don't understand about the contributions page:
You start by saying If you like my work -- and would like to support it -- then you've followed the right link!
This is a 100% volunteer effort. It's not part of my job description, I'm not paid to work on it, and the time that goes into it comes out of my "spare" time (ie, my
life).Okay, you do not get paid for your work on this web site.
Then you say , "This site is and always has been free (and free of advertisements). But if you'd like to make a donation, I'm not
going to turn it down, either."So here's where you ask for money.
I read this is as you spend all your time on this board and don't get paid for it, and you wouldn't mind getting a donation, or if you change it, (you'd be happy to accept a donation.)
How I understand this, is that you are not paid for this, so you will accept contributions to compensate for this. It sounds to me to say that donations will go
straight into your pocketfor your time. Is this true?Because the other way of presenting this is to talk about how much money it takes to organize and support a website. You are not compensated for any of these
expenses without donations, and so you are asking those who use the site, to help support the site.Then I would think that the donated money is going to the website, not persay directly into your pockets. It is going for web development, web support,
and the services that are provided by this site (all which you provide).Do you understand what I'm saying? Now if you are willing to take money both for the expenses of the site, *and* for your time in the site, I would still present it
the second way. I would not even talk about how YOU are not compensated for the work you do in your spare time, I would only say that the site needs money to
be able to provide its services and that is why you are asking for donations. Andthen go into how helpful the site is, how little it would cost to help donate, etc.
So I guess what I am saying is in my opinion, you need to rewrite the request for donation part in a completely different way.What do you think? I'm a little scared that I know what I mean, but I don't know really how to explain it.
Shelli
Posted by kiddo on November 25, 2001, at 19:42:19
In reply to Re: Perhaps one more idea, posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 19:05:30
> > 1. If donations were part of the registration process, not part of the requirements,(an FYI) people would be aware with out being 'in your face all the time'.
>
> If a charge is required, it would definitely need to be part of the registration process. But wouldn't people be more likely to make an optional donation after they've had some time to try out the site?
Yes, but what I meant was just information somewhere in the registration process-letting them know donations are welcome, but not required to browse, post, or whatever.> > 2. I think people would be more willing to contribute, if it were possible to do so in a way that didn't tie them to the PB/PBS board and being possibly 'found out' that it's a support site related to psychological/mental health issues.
> >
> > Maybe payable to Robert Hsiung, MD and in the memo part for online research and education?
>
> I see what you mean, but right now checks go to the university and in the memo part say "Internet work", so that's OK?
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/support.html
Yeah that's fine, I certainly don't have a problem with it :-) I just think it's a little difficult to find/access, unless you know where to look.
> Bob
Kiddo-PS..how did you become DrdashBob?
Posted by kiddo on November 25, 2001, at 21:05:58
In reply to Re: an idea?, posted by Dr. Bob on November 20, 2001, at 19:16:11
There was a pretty lengthy discussion on this topic here:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20001124/msgs/619.html
Personally, I think using popup windows/ads are a bad idea. They are irritating, a lot of people use ad blocking software, and I think would discredit your site to a certain degree.
I looked at your stats, and you have a lot of hits each month, how much space does your traffric generate? I noticed that it was 300.00 a month then, and it's the same amount now and you freed some space. Is that correct?
I know you do Grand Rounds-do you have medical students that do rotation under your supervision? If so, maybe you could enlist them (for extra credit, part of their grade, etc.) to post responses and have them registered as a med student, so it wouldn't be confusing. Perhaps another view or whatever...
> > can tou afford this? i remember reading that you get some insane number of hits daily...i've no idea how much how it costs to maintain a website...
>
> I can afford it, but it would be nice if it were self-sufficient. It costs $300 per month (for 800 MB; we were over 900 for a while, but I came up with a way to save some space -- 300 MB! -- so we're back under again).
>
> > why do you do this? why do *you* run this site?
>
> Selfish altruism? :-)
>
> > maybe one of these days i'll spend my weekely drinking money on a donation for the site.
>
> Hmm, interesting idea, and people who gave up smoking could donate *that* money...
>
> > > > what if you chose from a pool of professionals who were willing to do the service for no charge? or do you feel that would hurt the integrity of PB?
> >
> > what pool of professionals? whatever colleagues you could get your hand on. i would imagine that there are some professionals who would be delighted to help out the commonfolk for no charge
>
> I let colleagues know about it, but I don't try to twist anyone's arm. If they come, they come. And there *are* some professionals here, you know...
>
> > i dunno, i feel like the best information i've gotten is from the other posters...
>
> That came up when I asked about who people trusted. Which, BTW, I've since added to the FAQ:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#trust
>
> > and i know this has probably been brought up before but have you thought about advertisements? totally tacky,yes, but with all the hits you get and devoted babblers...
>
> Online advertising isn't what it used to be, and who wants a tacky site, anyway? :-)
>
> Bob
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 21:25:17
In reply to Re: fund drive » Dr. Bob, posted by shelliR on November 25, 2001, at 19:37:44
> I will e-mail you at some point about what I meant about the squares, but yes, the green is an improvement.
OK, one step forward, at least. :-)
> I sincerely can't put any time into this now because I run a business and have to spend 90% of my time working until Christmas.
I understand, no problem, this can wait, don't stress out about it.
> How I understand this, is that you are not paid for this, so you will accept contributions to compensate for this. It sounds to me to say that donations will go straight into your pocketfor your time. Is this true?
No. "Donations are deposited into a University account that I'm allowed to draw upon for Internet work-related expenses." That's one of the limitations of this system. But it still helps, and it would be fine for the fund drive.
But that's part of the idea of a membership fee, it could compensate me for my time, too. I'm more squeezed for time than money...
> Now if you are willing to take money both for the expenses of the site, *and* for your time in the site, I would still present it the second way. I would not even talk about how YOU are not compensated for the work you do in your spare time, I would only say that the site needs money to be able to provide its services and that is why you are asking for donations.
But if extra money goes into my pocket, I'd need to say so, wouldn't I?
> So I guess what I am saying is in my opinion, you need to rewrite the request for donation part in a completely different way.
>
> What do you think? I'm a little scared that I know what I mean, but I don't know really how to explain it.That was an important distinction, being reimbursed for expenses vs. being paid for my time. Let me know -- after the holidays --if you have any other questions or suggestions. Thanks for your help!
Bob
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 21:40:46
In reply to Re: Perhaps one more idea » Dr. Bob, posted by kiddo on November 25, 2001, at 19:42:19
> what I meant was just information somewhere in the registration process-letting them know donations are welcome, but not required to browse, post, or whatever.
OK, I get it now. But are you thinking that they might actually make a donation then, or just that it wouldn't hurt to plant a seed?
> > http://www.dr-bob.org/support.html
>
> Yeah that's fine, I certainly don't have a problem with it :-) I just think it's a little difficult to find/access, unless you know where to look.Well, that does seem to be the consensus... I assumed that someone who wanted to support the site would be able to figure out how, but if there's a better way, I'm interested...
> PS..how did you become DrdashBob?
The same way you became Kiddo? :-)
Bob
Posted by kiddo on November 25, 2001, at 21:50:40
In reply to Re: Perhaps one more idea, posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 21:40:46
> > what I meant was just information somewhere in the registration process-letting them know donations are welcome, but not required to browse, post, or whatever.
>
> OK, I get it now. But are you thinking that they might actually make a donation then, or just that it wouldn't hurt to plant a seed?Actually both, although I doubt that ppl would make a donation on their first visit. I guess more of a planting a seed. If people know about it, and like the site they may be more willing to contribute. I lurked here long before I posted, and didn't know about contributions until it was brought up on admin the first time. I didn't think about it actually 'costing' someone-and I have a site of my own. It just didn't connect and I think it may be due to the references to the University of Chicago.
>
> > > http://www.dr-bob.org/support.html
> >
> > Yeah that's fine, I certainly don't have a problem with it :-) I just think it's a little difficult to find/access, unless you know where to look.
>
> Well, that does seem to be the consensus... I assumed that someone who wanted to support the site would be able to figure out how, but if there's a better way, I'm interested...In the registration process, and making the link on the Amazon ad helped a lot.
>
> > PS..how did you become DrdashBob?
>
> The same way you became Kiddo? :-)I never said I wasn't slow..LOL :-)
>
> Bob
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 22:23:56
In reply to Re: Chapters, posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 14:15:25
> > I'd highly suggest checking out their affiliate program
>
> I'll give it a tryI signed up, but don't think I'm going to link to them. Their system looks like it uses cookies and restricts the images to those on their server. Plus their "text" links use these little 1-pixel images that seem kind of surreptitious (and might slow things down). But I'll email them and see what they say...
Bob
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 23:46:36
In reply to Re: an idea? » Dr. Bob, posted by kiddo on November 25, 2001, at 21:05:58
> > It costs $300 per month (for 800 MB; we were over 900 for a while, but I came up with a way to save some space -- 300 MB! -- so we're back under again).
> I looked at your stats, and you have a lot of hits each month, how much space does your traffric generate? I noticed that it was 300.00 a month then, and it's the same amount now and you freed some space. Is that correct?
Did you see the detailed monthly breakdowns? For example:
http://www.dr-bob.org/stats/usage_200110.html
As long as I'm under 800 MB, it's $300 per month. When I was over, it was extra...
> do you have medical students that do rotation under your supervision? If so, maybe you could enlist them (for extra credit, part of their grade, etc.) to post responses
I supervise a couple residents, but they haven't expressed any interest...
Bob
Posted by kiddo on November 25, 2001, at 23:53:03
In reply to Re: an idea?, posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 23:46:36
Ahhh-
I did look at the breakdown-I guess what I was asking was about bandwidth. I guess I was hoping for a quick answer instead of translating kb's to mg's and gig's.
I figured you might say that about the residents, but it was a thought-I never claimed it to be a GOOD thought however :-)
> > > It costs $300 per month (for 800 MB; we were over 900 for a while, but I came up with a way to save some space -- 300 MB! -- so we're back under again).
>
> > I looked at your stats, and you have a lot of hits each month, how much space does your traffric generate? I noticed that it was 300.00 a month then, and it's the same amount now and you freed some space. Is that correct?
>
> Did you see the detailed monthly breakdowns? For example:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/stats/usage_200110.html
>
> As long as I'm under 800 MB, it's $300 per month. When I was over, it was extra...
>
> > do you have medical students that do rotation under your supervision? If so, maybe you could enlist them (for extra credit, part of their grade, etc.) to post responses
>
> I supervise a couple residents, but they haven't expressed any interest...
>
> Bob
Posted by Dr. Bob on November 26, 2001, at 0:25:44
In reply to Re: an idea?, posted by kiddo on November 25, 2001, at 23:53:03
> I guess what I was asking was about bandwidth. I guess I was hoping for a quick answer instead of translating kb's to mg's and gig's.
Oh, 15382589 KB (in October) = 15382 MB = 15 GB. They don't charge me for bandwidth, so I don't pay much attention, but you can see that the new thread listing format in May made a big difference...
Bob
Posted by kiddo on November 26, 2001, at 0:44:32
In reply to Re: an idea?, posted by Dr. Bob on November 26, 2001, at 0:25:44
Thanks for that-my math is under par to say the least right now. What about an additional site. Like a secondary one. Sometimes you can do that for little or no cost with your host, and may be a lot cheaper.
> > I guess what I was asking was about bandwidth. I guess I was hoping for a quick answer instead of translating kb's to mg's and gig's.
>
> Oh, 15382589 KB (in October) = 15382 MB = 15 GB. They don't charge me for bandwidth, so I don't pay much attention, but you can see that the new thread listing format in May made a big difference...
>
> Bob
Posted by kiddo on November 26, 2001, at 1:07:24
In reply to Re: an idea?, posted by Dr. Bob on November 26, 2001, at 0:25:44
Umm-I sent an email with info, don't know why I didn't post it here-not thinking right again-sorry, I can copy and paste here if you'd like.
> > I guess what I was asking was about bandwidth. I guess I was hoping for a quick answer instead of translating kb's to mg's and gig's.
>
> Oh, 15382589 KB (in October) = 15382 MB = 15 GB. They don't charge me for bandwidth, so I don't pay much attention, but you can see that the new thread listing format in May made a big difference...
>
> Bob
Posted by Mitchell on November 27, 2001, at 3:23:44
In reply to Re: fund drive, posted by Dr. Bob on November 25, 2001, at 17:57:12
The new support text is somewhat better. I sense some reluctance to *tell* people directly to support the site. The text in the box at the top of the page says "You can help Psycho-Babble" whereas a more direct appeal would say "Help Psycho-Babble." It is important for any fundraising effort to reflect the value of the project for which funds are sought, so a direct appeal to "help" might not fit. It seems the philosophy here is to put the onus of control in the group and in individual members, so you might not want to tell them what to do, especially to give you money.
But another tack could get more directly to the heart of people's interest in supporting the site and could help to develop that interest. You could build on what is now the first line to more effectively develop people's interest.
Now it says: "If you like my work -- and would like to support it -- then you've followed the right link!"
A contingency statement like that is not so pushy than a direct ask. But the best contingency might be something other than whether a person likes your work. My advice would be that whether or not people like *your* work might not be relevant. Far more people are likely to support the site because they like the mission of the site than because they like your work.
I don't want to suggest *exactly* what it could say, but I do want to offer a suggestion. Maybe something along these lines:
"If you think on-line forums for mental health support are important you've come to the right place. I think they are important. That is why I contribute my time to make this site possible. This is a 100% volunteer effort...(etc.)"
...then... "No one is under any obligation to offer any support. This site is and always has been free (and free of advertisements). But if think a supportive and educational on-line forum such as this is an important resource, you might want to make a donation. If you want to contribute financially, that's great! etc."
This way, you're not limiting support to people who like your work, you are explaining why you do the work, why you think it is important, and acknowledging that others might want to help and facilitating their involvement.
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