FORUM MEMBER NUMBERS ?

[Wotto]

Aussie Pinball is VERY grateful towards our sponsors for assisting with the upkeep of the site and providing discounts to our members.

As are the members 

[FirePower]

Nino, at least we both agree that we cannot follow each others thoughts!  Perhaps a compliment to both of us and undoubtedly at least in part an issue tied up in trying to communicate via email.

My question on reducing commercials and why some and not others was a direct enquiry about your statement

Truth be known, we have reduced the number of Commercial "industry" entities. 

 
I took that to mean that moderators had taken a conscious decision to remove some - I can't see or think of another way to interpret your statement.  What did you mean?

The argument that sponsors supply the funds to keep the site running  is trotted out fairly often, so in the interests of transparency could you tell us what it costs, in dollar terms, to run the site for a year and what percentage of this comes from sponsors?  This may ease the concerns of some.

[Strangeways]

Nino, at least we both agree that we cannot follow each others thoughts!  Perhaps a compliment to both of us and undoubtedly at least in part an issue tied up in trying to communicate via email.

My question on reducing commercials and why some and not others was a direct enquiry about your statement

Truth be known, we have reduced the number of Commercial "industry" entities. 

 
I took that to mean that moderators had taken a conscious decision to remove some - I can't see or think of another way to interpret your statement.  What did you mean?

The argument that sponsors supply the funds to keep the site running  is trotted out fairly often, so in the interests of transparency could you tell us what it costs, in dollar terms, to run the site for a year and what percentage of this comes from sponsors?  This may ease the concerns of some.

The statement "Truth be known, we have reduced the number of Commercial "industry" entities." refers to Childs Amusements who ceased trading under that name. The section was cleared out by the section Moderator (MarkC), and we removed the section entirely. The second Commercial "industry" entity was "Neon Planet". This was moderated by Gavin and we decided that due to the inactivity of that section, we removed that as well. Sponsors pay an annual renewal.

We will continue to review the sponsors as each renewal is due. We have plans in this area and they will be announced within a month or two.

We paid for 2 years in advance, this covered all costs associated with initial setup - registration etc. Creech did all the hard work in the early days, so he can chime in if he feels a need to. Sponsors and Donations covered the first two years. What the EXACT $ value - I don't exactly know. I'm happy to provide this information once I ask Creech.

[Strangeways]

There's a sponsor's charter here ;

http://aussiepinball.com/index.php?topic=355.0

That was used around the time we started up the sponsorships

Point 7 has the pricing

7 - Pricing
 
7.1 $100 per annum for pinball machine or parts suppliers
7.2 $25 per annum for service providers /gamesroom /Collectibles /Literature /Books /accessory suppliers

[Creech]

Nino, at least we both agree that we cannot follow each others thoughts!  Perhaps a compliment to both of us and undoubtedly at least in part an issue tied up in trying to communicate via email.

My question on reducing commercials and why some and not others was a direct enquiry about your statement

Truth be known, we have reduced the number of Commercial "industry" entities. 

 
I took that to mean that moderators had taken a conscious decision to remove some - I can't see or think of another way to interpret your statement.  What did you mean?

The argument that sponsors supply the funds to keep the site running  is trotted out fairly often, so in the interests of transparency could you tell us what it costs, in dollar terms, to run the site for a year and what percentage of this comes from sponsors?  This may ease the concerns of some.

We pay $12.95 a month for web hosting + $22.85 per year for domain name registration. That adds up to $178.25 per year.

[ddstoys]

Thanks Creech
           Thats really good to know so even our small donations help keep AP up and running without you guys dipping into your own hard earned 

[ajlaird]

We pay $12.95 a month for web hosting + $22.85 per year for domain name registration. That adds up to $178.25 per year.

That's pretty good value for money, especially considering how much traffic the site gets.

[pinballheaven]

Personally, if each member made one donation on sign up it would also help and I feel for all the help, support and assistance we all get from the site $10 is not much to ask. I for one although I don't post much, READ alot and have met some great friends through the forum!

[Strangeways]

Personally, if each member made one donation on sign up it would also help and I feel for all the help, support and assistance we all get from the site $10 is not much to ask. I for one although I don't post much, READ alot and have met some great friends through the forum!

Between the Sponsors and the donations from the members, the site has been able to stay afloat. Many members have donated, and we really appreciate the gesture.

It is GREAT to hear that AP continues to provide a sense of community for all things pinball.

[pinnies4me]

Sponsors shouldn't only be seen from the financial aspect they assist with - they are also a terrific source of new members. That said, we are restructuring certain aspects for the near future to continue the AP evolution.

[ajlaird]

Sponsors shouldn't only be seen from the financial aspect they assist with - they are also a terrific source of new members. That said, we are restructuring certain aspects for the near future to continue the AP evolution.

They are also a good source of parts and machines...

[pinnies4me]

They are also a good source of parts and machines...

Forgot that bit!! 

[ddstoys]

and a great source of whinging and carrying on unless you have one of those wives who doesnt hate pinball LOL