WE NEED YOUR HELP

I sent you a private message, but haven't gotten a response.

What is the monthly shortfall after ad revenue is in the equation?

Having a sense of how much is needed will help many determine how much they can help.

Didnt we have this discussion over a year ago or longer? Alot of people made suggestions regarding using other methods of message boards that are free or cost next to nothing. Was this looked into then?

quote:

Because of the large database we have and so many members, topics and posts, the monthly cost of the discussion board is rising.

In the past we were told that database maintenance costs were conserved by deletion of posts that were more than a year old. However recently I have seen threads more than 2 years old being revived, either by newer posters or Bots. What has happened with the theory that reducing database reduces costs?

Like Poucho I also recall a thread started a year ago where many members made creative cost-saving suggestions. What happened with those suggestions? Were any of them acted upon? I am curious what happened with them.

Yes we did. And we will have it again unless the board goes under and I won't have to worry about it ever again.
It runs on donations.
Because of the size of this board with over 15,000 members and a huge database and a large bandwidth demand as well as file sizes, we need a company that can handle that and work with us on a personal basis. The other companies I looked into did not do that or were foreign companies that I had trouble communicating our needs with.
It's hard to find a 'free or next to nothing board' that can handle the size and scope of our site and awful hard to run it.
Bottom line, if you want to help keep this support group going as it is, feel free to donate. It's your choice. I'm not twisting anyone's arm.
Bill

Bill J,

You sent me information in a private message that outlines costs/needs. Because it was a private response, I don't think I can ethically post it here, but it would be helpful for others to have a look at that information.

b.

Thank you b!
At this point I think I'll just wait and see.
Explaining my costs etc just seems to lead to suggestions on how to run the site cheaper.
After 14 years and thousands of dollars out of my own pocket, it just makes me want to give the whole thing up.
I'll just wait and see if people want to donate.
I've been in touch with Calmo and I'm sure that they will donate again. That will be a big help.
I really appreciate your help.
Thank you so much,

Bill

Respectfully, I disagree.

When you're asking people for money, it is appropriate to tell them how much an organization needs to operate.

Just donated. Thanks for the opportunity to help support a site that has saved me much pain and given me much community. Jan's advice alone is worth a sizable donation!

Ray

Hello folks,
Thanks to those who have donated.
Calmoseptine has reached out and made a donation which will be a big help and ensure we are running for at least another year. Please use their product and recommend it to your friends in need.

The balance in the j-pouch group bank account before I asked for help was $26.

The bandwidth for this month was our highest ever (16 GB's over our monthly allowance of 20 GB's) and we had almost 3 million hits so I guess a lot of people are using the site.
The cost of the discussion board is normally about $95 per month, but with overages on the bandwidth, disk space, etc our monthly discussion board bill has been closer to $165
I am going to go to a higher bandwidth (30 GB's) plan which will make the monthly bill about $125.
I also need a new computer as mine is 7 years old and is having trouble handling some of my large files.

I hope this info makes things a little clearer to those who wanted to see it.
All the best,
Bill

Great news Bill! Thanks for your many years of time and financial investment to keep this much needed site going. You saw the need way back when, and the need is still there.

So again, bravo!

Jan

Bill and Jan have run this fantastic support site out of the kindness of their hearts I'm contributing too.

IMO the ability to search older posts is one of the best features of the sight. I found this site by doing a Web search and a posting from j-pouch.org appeared. By following it I not only found the answer I needed, but found people that understood what I was going through and they helped me. Thank you everyone for your invaluable support.

I am happy to donate. Thank you so much Bill for making this site possible and to everyone who has given me more helpful advice than any one on my medical team. I would have felt lost many times over without your support.

bill i have donated what i hope will be a few months rent..i hope you get a lot of others to do the same its a small price to pay for this invaluable site..

your site has been a blessing for thousands of people who desperately need it..

please let us know how your donations are going..an update please..with 15000 members everyone should be able to contribute something as small as it may be..looking forward to getting good news on donations..

Bill,

How many of the 15,000 registered users are actually active? It might be helpful if we came up with a definition of what an "active user" is. For example, one could say that an active user is anyone who has posted within the last year. For those who are deemed to be inactive, you could send out an email to them and tell them that their accounts will be deleted within a given timeframe if they don't post on the site. I obviously don't know, but I would guess that there is a decent number of inactive users whose accounts could be deleted. I assume that could help cut costs. You would obviously need to take a look at the statistics to decide how you would want to define "active user".

I think that it would be a shame to delete old threads before taking a look at the number of users.

Thanks for all you do to keep this site running.

john i hope you just donate something..this site is not costing a fortune to run as it is for Bill to bother fixing anything..he just asks for donations..no need to fix something that isn`t broken really..just donate..

Extremely happy to make a contribution to keep this great site going! Keep up the good work Bill!

What some of you are suggesting is just not right. I have been on this site for 14 years and the help has been exceptional. If you want to donate then do it, if not that's OK too. Bill has put a lot of his personal money in to keep this site going. I've been on here and have seen over 100 people at one time using it. You can be sure that if Bill didn't need the help he would not ask. He has done so much for so many people we need to do all we can to help him. Not only does Bill put his own money into this site he gives many, many hours to making sure it is a good and safe place to come to. A lot of members come here only to read because they are to shy to be active. No one should be asked to leave. Surely a small donation for all the benefit we receive is not to much to ask. I do not mean to be pushy but I am one of those people Bill helped so much and I know I am only one of many, many. It is hard for me to imagine anyone doubting Bill in any way. So please respect Bill enough not to question him about something so important. He is the most honest, caring, loving man I've ever known. So I ask you too to make a donation if at all possible. Even a $5.00 or $10.00 donation is a big help.

Judy1, your post is completely irrational. You write, "It is hard for me to imagine anyone doubting Bill in any way. So please respect Bill enough not to question him about something so important."

Now, I am grateful for what Bill has done by contributing both his money and time to this site, but you make it sound like this is North Korea and Bill is the Dear Leader. How dare anyone raise any questions or suggestions, for surely our Dear Leader would have already considered them. Your post is just ludicrous.

I suggested some ways that we might be able to lower administrative costs. Indeed, Bill himself wrote, "Because of the large database we have and so many members, topics and posts, the monthly cost of the discussion board is rising." I put forth a reasoned proposal for consideration. If it turns out that this suggestion isn't viable, then so be it. But trying to find ways to decrease costs is in reality the same thing as giving a donation. Yes, donations are helpful, but there are also other ways of looking at the issue. So I hope we can maintain a rational discussion without calling into question people's motives. That said, I'm glad you found a way to contribute that is satisfactory to you.

I have now donated as well.

I think Judy's point was hardly trying to make bill like a dictator. She was just trying to point out that his motives are pure and that he is an ethical person. Many of the previous posts said people needed to see where the money was going. I totally understand that when you are dealing with a. Large charity.

Perhaps some perspective here - when this site was young, we used to get together. We met in person, we became each other's family. And Bill was the one who gave us all that opportunity - one none of us could find elsewhere at that time (no Facebook, no other websites). I think her view of bill is more that of gratitude and love.

Now that the group is so large, a lot of that grass roots feeling is gone. And so, naturally, those who don't know bill personally, don't have the same inherent trust.

I agree there are other ways of looking at keeping things running. But if Bill has decided this platform is the one that works best for him then that's that since HE is the one who has to manage it.

If you want to donate great. If not, don't. Making alternate suggestions is also great, but then don't backlash if bill decides those options aren't viable (as some posts did). Till someone else says they want to take on what Bill does, he gets to make the call.

I feel good that I have done a lot to help Bill keep this site going, but no more than a lot of others here that think the world of Bill. We are all so appreciative of what he does. In past years I held a weekend gathering every October to meet new pouchers and celebrate our new lives. We always held a raffle with proceeds going to this site. The last gathering we had we as a group donated a little over a Thousand dollars. Every single person was so grateful to Bill they were more than generous. I am no longer able to have these functions and dearly miss them. Maybe because so many of us have met Bill and know first hand just how wonderful he is we see no need to question him when he says he needs help. Bill is not the kind of man to ask for anything so when he swallowed his pride and asked we know it was a very hard thing for him to do. Everyone should know that if there aren't enough donations Bill will once again gladly use his own money to keep this site going. Please everyone put your positive caring feelings forth and help out. Bill has done his research and I can guarantee he has already got the best deal he can. Thanks to all for listening to me.

Well said Judy and Jill. I've also been around the site for 14 years and back then we regularly hung out on Thursday nights for chat. Also due to this site a core group of us in CA started meeting for lunch every December. We still meet and that is thanks to Bill and his efforts to keep this site running. This site was different back then, there was a lot more collegiality and friendships were made.

If you feel that you have benefited from this site, then think about donating. I know that there are a lot more online jpouch sites available now than there were 14 years ago, so if Bill can no longer justify his out of pocket expenses everyone will have options. This site remains special to me as it was where I received the emotional support I needed to make the decision to move forward with surgery. I'm also very thankful to Bill as I have amassed a great group of CA jpouchers as friends.

Sue

Glad to donate thank for all you do

Thank you everyone who has donated! And thank you everyone who just comes here for help. It's been my honor to serve those who have suffered with these terrible diseases. I made this site many years ago because I didn't have anyone to turn to when I needed advise. I didn't want that to happen to anyone again.

I will be retiring from my job soon and I will spend more time on the site. I'm even looking into some new features.
I wish everyone the best of health.
Bill