Donating to LPF

[Ricker]

For sure we would do it right and make it sure Avery was on board, and go through all the right channels, just wanted to throw the idea out there, I know folks have given away lasers and whatnot before. Could you imagine if every person who visits this site at least once a month would donate a dollar? Oh my!

 

[Alaskan]

When I first joined the forum I donated 30 dollars, thinking it might buy me some good will to have assistance with some basic optical questions, nope! Zero, rather rudely told to search the forum instead. Well I had! Later I figured out most members don't track, or care to track who donates. So, no bribing for answers, doesn't work, use google! Then, I saw the bar never moved forward when I donated, sometimes taking days to see an update but usually no update.. I will continue to donate, extremely cheap entertainment for me as well as a good resource to learn about lasers, but if that bar doesn't move right away, I have little trust it is accurate and that it tells the true status of how well the forum expenses are being met, so I don't care to push it forward now.

Edit: If members want to donate, they should do it without regard to that bar, to me it would be better not to have it, disappoints me when I don't see it move and I know I am not alone in that, have seen posts every now and then from others disappointed not to see a change too. I am not saying it isn't periodically updated, I just don't know that it is, because I don't see a change when I donate. Due to that I don't trust I am given the real status which may be no fault of the admins, they have lives and to be constantly updating that bar has got to be a pain.

My suggestion is to put a date on the bar when it was last updated. As it is, the paranoid untrusting half of me thinks it isn't updated on purpose which could be entirely wrong. So, I said it, better the admins know the issues some members have, might change the bottom line on expenses being met. Maybe the admins know from experience if they keep that bar updated then donations are less and the expenses are not met, I don't know, they probably aren't being met as it is, word I received is donations are not covering expenses. Maybe this forum does make money some months, maybe it is cheaper to run than I've been told, I just don't know because I don't pay the bills.

 

[CurtisOliver]

A update date would be good but it depends on whether or not is possible for Avery to add one.

 

[Alaskan]

If he manually updates the bar, which has to be what is happening, because it doesn't automatically update when donations are made, it should be simple to change the script to add a date showing when it was last updated. I don't know, not knowledgeable on these BB systems, maybe the options are limited.

 

[ArcticDude]

Ok, that didnt went well..
I tried to make donation and got my PayPal account locked :crackup:

---
EDIT
Got my PayPal account Re-Opened after few security questions and SMS message..

Donation sent

 

[Ivansuper]

Okay, so now I am feeling my bad talking about nothing received in exchange to donations. Basically, yes, every person wants to see at least that bar moving forward. I don't know what is it, maybe some kind of internal satisfaction. I did't mean I wanted to receive some attention because of that, I just worried a bit because there were notifications after doing this, and now they are gone.
Definitely, admins have their own lives to live, just because they are humans :yh:
Well, a little idea on the point -- what if some of those who maintaining the forum would write an additional periodically executed script to check out the email of payments receiver. The data could be filtered to cut off everything except PayPal and then could be used to raise the bar almost instantly and without any additional actions from the side of the admins.
This is just an idea, it should work (i think).

 

[Alaskan]

My donations might not show up because they are sent automatically every month, perhaps auto pays don't produce email notifications to Avery like the ones from folk who contribute without being on auto payments with PPal, so he doesn't see them to add me to the list.

I dont see that bar now, I do see an ebay advertisement and some others too, maybe should have just kept quiet about it, but yes, seeing the bar move forward was expected and for some reason, I would feel a lot more satisfied to see the green get longer, when it doesn't, I don't feel like I helped which is stupid.

I don't remember seeing these non-laser related adds on LPF before:

 

[Alaskan]

Just donated 100 on top of my monthly donation. Edit: my PPal didn't get locked and my IP came in from Iraq. If anyone would get locked, it should have been me. I've been locked on PPal before, I think they periodically screw with us (umm, implement security measures) when something seems a bit off to them, I don't know why they did that to you.

 

[RedCowboy]

Very Nice Alaskan, I would rep you but I just did elsewhere.
I give a modest contribution each month, it all adds up you know.

 

[diachi]

Donated $15 - hopefully I don't get another call from my bank's fraud department. Had that happen earlier today, made a couple transfers for some bitcoins and then got an automated call from the fraud department, I'm guessing that's what it was about. Nothing missing and not much to steal anyway... Should probably call them back and let them know it was me...

Would chip in more, but can't really afford it right now, need to be more careful with my money. I'd like to buy some nice things for myself but I can't afford that either. Need to start saving for a trip to Scotland, new truck tires at the end of the year plus some other work that it'll no doubt be needing to prepare for next winter. Earning more than I even dreamed of back in Scotland, spending more than I ever dreamed of too. Beats being broke with nothing to show for it, constantly worrying about the next expense. At least there's something to show for it now, and less worries about unexpected expenses. Hell, I can even afford to throw away a half smoked cigarette now! C'est la vie!

 

[RedCowboy]

Don't want to get off topic but that smoking is bad, make your mind up to quit and stay busy for 3 days, on day 4 it will start getting easier and you will feel better, save money, and gain weight.....I mean live longer, but yea, be careful not to gain weight when you quit.

 

[Alaskan]

I normally don't donate that much at a shot, not near it. My father smoked from 14 years old to 62, forced to quit when cancer killed him. Some can live long lives smoking, some can't. Who knows if tobacco caused it, but it isn't unlikely it might have.

 

[CurtisOliver]

I picked up higher than background radiation of someone who had just smoked once with my geiger counter. All those radioactive carcinogens are not good.

 

[c0ldshadow]

Hey Guys,

Regarding the donations bar, the donation need to be approved manually. If you make a donation without using donation app, please go to the app and enter the amount you already sent and click next, but don't actually send the donation. It will still be queued in the system and then I will approve it.

Or I can also submit the amount you submitted in the app on your behalf and approve it (Just did this for Alaskan's donation)

Regarding the image ads, I was experimenting this option and also disappointed the ads aren't about lasers, so I disabled that ad network until I can just put text ads back about lasers.

I appreciate all of the support, guys.

 

[Ricker]

Hey Guys,

Regarding the donations bar, the donation need to be approved manually. If you make a donation without using donation app, please go to the app and enter the amount you already sent and click next, but don't actually send the donation. It will still be queued in the system and then I will approve it.

Or I can also submit the amount you submitted in the app on your behalf and approve it (Just did this for Alaskan's donation)

Regarding the image ads, I was experimenting this option and also disappointed the ads aren't about lasers, so I disabled that ad network until I can just put text ads back about lasers.

I appreciate all of the support, guys.

Thanks, Ave! It's so nice having a webmaster that listens to our concerns, and does what he can to get things to how we, the members, like it.

 

[CurtisOliver]

Thanks Avery for getting back in touch regarding the matter and making this a great place to be. :beer: